Beaten again 390 to 550 (Should i give up?)

[goingcrazee]

Hi all, I took the GMAT last October after procrastinating and rescheduling my date twice I ended up with a 390. Was devastated so i took a break from obsessing and thinking about the GMAT and decided to retake the test in May. I signed up for a Kaplan course in January and have been studying since then. My highest score on the Kaplan CATs was 630 and my highest score on the GMATprep tests was 530; my goal was at least a 660. Clearly, i didn't meet my goal but i don't know if I want to go through the hassle of taking the exam again. I really don't think the GMAT is the end all be all and i'd rather focus on bolstering other parts of my applications. I went to a top 20 school, I have great work exp and have no problems getting good recommendations. Another thing to consider is not everyone is a great test taker which is why I'm wary of getting too caught up with my score. Should I call it a day? This is not my best score but I think I can live with this. I simply cannot stress about this anymore.

[Ludacrispat26]

goingcrazee,

You improve 160 points from your first test. Good job! 550 is around the average score and is not terrible. However, I'd take it again if you feel you can improve.

[uwhusky]

Base on the score, I can assume that you struggle with the fundamentals and perhaps have holes in your study methods. There is certainly a lot of room for improvement, and you shouldn't give up just yet. Try to find better study materials and invest some serious effort into the GMAT.

[bbakang]

you increased your score by 100 and plus, that is a good sign of improvement and I'm sure if you invest more time on your preparation you can do better.
Good luck to you

[DAYNE]

what other materials did you use

[goingcrazee]

I had access to Kaplan's online materials so 9 CATS, quizbank, coursebook, OG 12. I also took both GMATPrep tests.