I just bombed, what do I do?

[Barak]

I just took an official gmat practice and scored 640. I have scored 670 and 720 on manahattan gmats practice previously. I felt comfortable with the material, and even though I have only been prepping for a couple of months, I felt confident that I would score 700+, which is what I need. I am supposed to take the real thing in a couple of days.

Heres my question: Should I go and take the real thing and hope to get lucky or should I wait until I have really mastered the material? What I am really asking is, if I want to get into a great school, is having taken the GMAT twice considered a bad thing(or even slightly negative)? Whats the real story?

[bates88]

Yes, go ahead and take it. It's no big deal at all if you take the GMAT twice, so don't worry about that.

Don't let the one score pysche you out. Keep studying, do some practice questions in your weak areas, and take maybe one more test before your real GMAT.

[beatthegmat]

I second bates' advice. I would just go for it--walk into that test with confidence!

Admissions folks do not view people who repeat the test negatively. In fact, it could be good thing in certain cases because it shows you really want to go to business school.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

[Barak]

hey, thanks alot for the advice. I have been delaying the real thing for a while and may have put up a similar post once or twice. I reviewed my errors and some of the quant mistakes are so frustrating because they are problems that I completely understand how to do and will always get right without pressure. As far as my verbal, i missed 2 rc's and 2 cr's but 10 sc's. So cleary the next couple of days will be spent focusing on sharpening the quant and sc.

I had been studying for 9 hours a day, but now I am cutting it back to 3 or 4 for the last couple of days. Is this a good idea?

Any suggestions for a 1 oclock GMAT test day prep on Wednesday?

[beatthegmat]

hey, thanks alot for the advice. I have been delaying the real thing for a while and may have put up a similar post once or twice. I reviewed my errors and some of the quant mistakes are so frustrating because they are problems that I completely understand how to do and will always get right without pressure. As far as my verbal, i missed 2 rc's and 2 cr's but 10 sc's. So cleary the next couple of days will be spent focusing on sharpening the quant and sc.

I had been studying for 9 hours a day, but now I am cutting it back to 3 or 4 for the last couple of days. Is this a good idea?

Any suggestions for a 1 oclock GMAT test day prep on Wednesday?

Seems like your biggest problems are careless errors--just work on staying focused and you should be poised to improve your performance!

Cutting back your prep as you get closer to your test is very very smart. In terms for suggestions for a 1:00 PM test--don't eat too large of a lunch. My personal recommendation: peanut butter and jelly!

Good luck, let us know how it goes!

[Tova]

I'm a psychologist who does disability evaluations in Israel and have evaluated many students with disabilities who took the GMAT exam.

If you make careless errors and you do it a lot, get yourself checked for attention deficit disorder. I don't mean that you necessarily have it, we all make careless errors, but get yourself checked just in case. Think about whether you also lose or misplace things, skip words when reading, mis things in conversations, etc. I think it would be a good idea and of course, keep practicing.

If you do have it, get yourself evaluated, maybe you can apply for to have the test in a separate location to minimize distractions.

Best wishes

Tova

[Barak]

Tova,

I have been diagnosed with ADHD twice in my life. Once when I was 18 and once when I was a small child. However, those facts are unimportant to the GMAT people because I was not diagnosed within the last three years. Though I am currently treated and medicated for ADHD, I would still be ineligible for special treatment. To qualify for extra time on the GMAT, you must first take another full psychosocial evaluation(cost:$1500-2000). Being diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder, even within the last 3 years, does not guarantee special treatment. For instance, a friend of mine claims that he had a full psychosocial eval performed on him to confirm his previous diagnosis of ADD and was denied special treatment by the GMAC.

[beatthegmat]

Very interesting discussion. Thanks Tova and Barak.

[Tova]

I am very familiar with what is required by GMAt for testing modifications.

First, get your medication dosage re assessed. There are different things out on the market, Ritalin, LA, concerta, Adderal and sometimes less is more. Too big a dosage can cause some aspects of ADHD to improve and other's to worsen and also too small a dosage is not completely effective.

To get testing modificaitnos, certainly a diagnosis is not enough but the fact that your were diagnosed early is in your favor because learning disabilities/ADHD appear early in life (though not always apparent).

You do have to have a current evaluation. Maybe it's too late for this administration of GMAT since you want to take it soon, but GMAT is given frequently enought. First, I suspect your evaluator did not know how to write the evaluation. GMAT has very specific requirement from diagnositc evaluations for testinga accommodations and an evaluation that was adequate for school puposes is likely insufficient for GMAT. Business school costs so much money don't balk at spending another 2,000 dollars for an evaluation ( In New York where I also work sometimes it is 3500). GMAT has guidines for evaluators so they know what questions to answer in a report and what tests to use. You have a legitimate problem. you are not looking for an angle and i think you are entitled to ask for extra time to check your work, a separate room and maybe extra breais (i don't know what form your ADHD takes--restlessness or daydreaming). It doen'st matter get a currrent evaluation. you can also use it at university for extra time on tests. I once evaluated someone who had a terrible problem with carelessness, would miscopy numbers, think one thing and write another. I even requestd a calculator for her and she got it. I don't know where your located but find a good evaluator who has experience writing these reports.]\]

Tova

[beatthegmat]

Great info, Tova. I just added your post to the GMAT resources directory. Thanks!

[Tova]

I'll be happy to answer any question.

Students should keep in mind that for accommodations on GMAT a person has to have a disability per the DSM IV psychiatric manuel, meaning, ADHD, a reading disability, writing disability, or "non specifice learning disability (that's also a category) PLUS meet disabilitity criteria of the Americans for Disabilities Act, meaning a person has to show "significant impairment" in at at least two areas of life's functioning: school, social situations or at work..

Here is where you need someone who knows how to interview properly to get at all the information for these disability evaluations.

Tova

[hudsn]

do you think a leter from a surgeron will be sufficient to allow for extra time due to multipple surgeries in arm/shoulder/elbow

[Tova]

I don't think a letter from a doctor will be enough unless you have the kind of problem i in which your writing arm is immobilized completely.

A letter is necessarily but should not discusss extra time or the like, just functional limitations based on the orthopedic problem.

An evaluation will expand on it by testing writing speed and eye hand coordination and discussing how that will affect your ability to take the test plus a full history and battery of tests. just go to someone who knows what he's doing.

You can ask GMAC directly by writing to [email protected]

Tova

[hudsn]

thanks for your help. i emailed gmac and hopefully that will help

[Stacey Koprince]

Thanks, Tova, for your comments - it's good to know we've got someone around with direct experience helping people to get accomodations - I'm sure we'll be pestering you with all sorts of questions from now on!