4 months of hardwork; still stuck at 530. GMAT beat me!

[qamar999]

GMAT 1 (october '09) - 470 Q33, V23
GMAT 2 (january '10) - 530 Q32, V29
GMAT 3 (march '10) - 520 Q37, V24
GMAT 4 (october '10) - 530 Q36, V25

target score: 650

the first 3 times that i studied for the GMAT, i never looked into the verbal section. however, this time around.. put 4 months into preparing for it.

something i had been updating while preparing - https://www.beatthegmat.com/strategy-to- ... 63589.html

GMATprep CAT 1 - 570 (practice test 1)
GMATprep CAT 2 - 610 - Q46, V28 (practice test 2)
GMATprep CAT 3 - 610 - Q47, V27 (practice test 1)
GMATprep CAT 4 - 640 - Q48, V29 (practice test 2)

comparing my practice tests with today's actual test it's quite obvious that even though i performed pretty much the same on verbal, my performance dipped alot in the maths section.

when i did the GMAT the first 3 times, i felt i can improve. but this time around i gave it my all. infact, even while doing the test i felt confident. my timing was right in both the sections. i did feel that i didn't do so well in the maths section as i do in the practice tests but i certainly did better than my previous attempts at the exam. however, that wasn' true at all.

my problem is obviously that i'd like to know is it a good idea for me to try giving it again especially since this time i feel that i have nothing more to offer to it? I can give the gmat the next time by mid-january at the maximum.

i need to apply in the first round for the business school that i'm primarily looking at. the deadline for that is end of january. also, the "acceptable" gmat score over there varies. for example, i got shortlisted for the interview stage with a score of 520 (considering my work experience and relatively high GPA + international applicant status) last year but got rejected since the interview didn't go well. so even a 600 or a 570 would be safer but i just don't want it to make me lazy in any way. the average score of it is 620.

also, an important thing to note is that the university has it's own version of the GMAT which is a paper-based exam that happens in december and costs less.

1. should i give the gmat a 5th time? (considering 5th time doesn't give a bad impression to the admissions committee)
2. should i look into giving the university's version of the gmat?
3. should i forget about all of that and concentrate on coming across as a stronger candidate in the interview?

[Tani]

If they see five attempts at the GMAT, most schools will conclude that you are focusing on the wrong thing. Also, the level of your scores to date will make them questions whether you can handle the classroom work in a demanding MBA program. Your verbal score suggests you have trouble communicating in English and your math score is close to the 50th %ile, which for many schools is a cut-off.

Unless you have identified and corrected a specific weakness, it is unlikely your score will change. I suspect you have simply been taking test after test for a year, doing the same, unsuccessful, thing over an over. You must change what you are doing if you want to change your score. Simply taking more tests and making the same mistakes will not help. Have you take a class or worked with a tutor? An experienced tutor can often identify errors in your approach that, if changed, can cause a significant score improvement.

Did you get specific feedback from the school on your interview? The fact that you did poorly combined with your GMAT score suggests the school was worried about the level of your English. The ability to communicate clearly and persuasively one-on-one is key to success in b-school and in business. If your interview skills are a barrier, you might consider using an admissions consultant who can advise you. That could be a wise investment for the long term.

[lunarpower]

i agree with tami here -- you haven't given any details about your study plan at all.
specifically, you haven't described any sort of way in which you've adapted your study methods to your ongoing results -- thus seeming to imply that you haven't adapted your study methods to those results. thus, i concur with tami's suspicion that you've simply been employing the same study methods for all 4 administrations of the exam.
is this the case?

if so, then the problem certainly lies not in the material that you're studying, but in the approach with which you're studying.
this test is 1/2 knowledge and 1/2 strategy -- all the knowledge in the world will only go so far, if you aren't undertaking a study plan that gives sufficient attention to strategy. (2 kinds of strategy -- (a) study strategy, and (b) strategy for attacking the problems on the exam itself; remember that these are not "school type" problems.)

these forums are useful for getting specific questions answered -- especially questions about extremely specific bits of course material -- but, if you need a complete overhaul of your approach to the exam, you may want to look into the option of taking a course and/or lessons with a tutor from a reputable company.