I have been preparing for the GMAT for the past three months. Throughout that period, I have been a constant visitor to this forum- albeit a silent one.
My test was scheduled for Wednesday, Oct 21, 2009. Naturally, I was anxious, nervous and excited. The long hours that I had spent studying for the GMAT were finally coming to an end. On the day of the test, I woke up early, ate a light breakfast, and took a long warm shower to get myself completely relaxed. I then drove myself to the test center.
The test started promptly at 9:00 am. The first hour whizzed by with no problems. I took the 8-minute break and then started the quantitative section. Everything was running smoothly until about 20 minutes into the test. Suddenly, the fire alarm went off. At first, I tried to ignore it, but then the lab attendant walked in and instructed me to leave the building.
Dazed and confused, I followed his instructions and left the building. I was then instructed to wait in the parking lot while the authorities investigated the cause of the alarm. As I waited, I started to get angry, anxious and stressed out. I could not believe what was happening to me. It was a scenario that I wasn't prepared for. I knew that the test was still running and that I was losing valuable time. My heart was racing. What was I supposed to do?
Around twenty minutes later, I was allowed to return to the test center. At that point, I didn't know whether I should continue with the test or not. I was obviously at a disadvantage, and it made no sense to continue the exam. I was prepared walk out, when the lab attendant instructed me to resume the test. Seeing that I was very worried and concerned, he told me that an incident report would be dispatched to GMAC detailing what had happened. He also assured me that the test would most probably be cancelled. Against my better judgment, I agreed to resume the test.
By the time I had returned to my desk, there were only 30 minutes left to the end of the quantitative section. With 25 questions still to go, I knew I wasn't going to make it. But then I tried to remind myself that this test wasn't going to be counted and that I should relax. It took me a while to get settled back into exam mode, and by that time, the quantitative section was over and I had missed 17 questions!!
I took the 8-minute break and tried to relax and forget about what had happened. The verbal section then started. I was doing well. But then 25 minutes into the exam, an error occurred and the system had to be restarted. All in all though, the verbal section went very well. The test was over, and my score flashed on the computer screen.....
600 ( 31 quat [ 29 percentile] , 41 verbal [ 92 percentile]) giving me a 65 percentile overall.
I felt like crying. I was extremely thrilled with my verbal score, but knew that my quantitative score was well below my potential- considering that I had lost 20 minutes and missed the last 17 questions!!
With deadlines looming close, I am obviously concerned about my GMAT score. I have already contacted GMAC and they told me that they will investigate the issue and get back to me. The most probably scenario is that they will reschedule another test for me, but my main concern is my current score- will they annul it? I was obviously at a great disadvantage... I believe the test should not be counted altogether. Any Thoughts or feedback would be greatly appreciated!
My test was scheduled for Wednesday, Oct 21, 2009. Naturally, I was anxious, nervous and excited. The long hours that I had spent studying for the GMAT were finally coming to an end. On the day of the test, I woke up early, ate a light breakfast, and took a long warm shower to get myself completely relaxed. I then drove myself to the test center.
The test started promptly at 9:00 am. The first hour whizzed by with no problems. I took the 8-minute break and then started the quantitative section. Everything was running smoothly until about 20 minutes into the test. Suddenly, the fire alarm went off. At first, I tried to ignore it, but then the lab attendant walked in and instructed me to leave the building.
Dazed and confused, I followed his instructions and left the building. I was then instructed to wait in the parking lot while the authorities investigated the cause of the alarm. As I waited, I started to get angry, anxious and stressed out. I could not believe what was happening to me. It was a scenario that I wasn't prepared for. I knew that the test was still running and that I was losing valuable time. My heart was racing. What was I supposed to do?
Around twenty minutes later, I was allowed to return to the test center. At that point, I didn't know whether I should continue with the test or not. I was obviously at a disadvantage, and it made no sense to continue the exam. I was prepared walk out, when the lab attendant instructed me to resume the test. Seeing that I was very worried and concerned, he told me that an incident report would be dispatched to GMAC detailing what had happened. He also assured me that the test would most probably be cancelled. Against my better judgment, I agreed to resume the test.
By the time I had returned to my desk, there were only 30 minutes left to the end of the quantitative section. With 25 questions still to go, I knew I wasn't going to make it. But then I tried to remind myself that this test wasn't going to be counted and that I should relax. It took me a while to get settled back into exam mode, and by that time, the quantitative section was over and I had missed 17 questions!!
I took the 8-minute break and tried to relax and forget about what had happened. The verbal section then started. I was doing well. But then 25 minutes into the exam, an error occurred and the system had to be restarted. All in all though, the verbal section went very well. The test was over, and my score flashed on the computer screen.....
600 ( 31 quat [ 29 percentile] , 41 verbal [ 92 percentile]) giving me a 65 percentile overall.
I felt like crying. I was extremely thrilled with my verbal score, but knew that my quantitative score was well below my potential- considering that I had lost 20 minutes and missed the last 17 questions!!
With deadlines looming close, I am obviously concerned about my GMAT score. I have already contacted GMAC and they told me that they will investigate the issue and get back to me. The most probably scenario is that they will reschedule another test for me, but my main concern is my current score- will they annul it? I was obviously at a great disadvantage... I believe the test should not be counted altogether. Any Thoughts or feedback would be greatly appreciated!
