Just what Happended

[goodhope]

Hi everyone,

I would like to share my shocking GMAT experience and also seek advice.

75 days prior i was introduced to GMAT, a pre-requisite test for most MBA programs.

After gathering information on it, i registered with the Mba.com, down loaded the GMATPrep software, took my first mock test

Score : 410

Now i really started understanding GMAT.

So, i started preparation with books recommended by this forum, i've got

For Quant:
Nova GMAT Prep course
Official GMAT 12 Edition
Kaplan GMAT 2010 Premier

Verbal:
Manhattan sentence correction
PowerScore CR Bible

As i started my preparation, i was also actively involved in the questions listed and discussed in the forum.

The very good thing about the forum is that you get to learn how to approach as well as decode the questions in different manner. Having said that, i would like to thank from my heart every people contributing to this forum.

Since i was aiming for the Business school which would accept my profile with 610-650 score, i wasn't aiming much high, so i scheduled my test date.

10 days prior THE TEST DAY i have taken several mock tests, scores of which are as follows:

Priceton Preview: 600
Gmat Prep 1: 660
Gmat Prep 2: 630
Kaplan CAT 1: 590
Kaplan CAT 2: 570
Gmat Prep 3: 610 (after re-installation of software)

I took the test on 7th November, the SCORE

490 (Q:37 V:21)


SHOCKING ISN'T IT.

CAN ANY ONE HELP ME RESOLVE THIS PARADOX.

OR GIVE ADVICE

APPRECIATE YOUR HELP.

[karanrulz4ever]

As i started my preparation, i was also actively involved in the questions listed and discussed in the forum.

Strange. I feel you have changed your profile, as in this profile I see only 1 post.

Well on the point of your score, well noone else but you can solve this paradox. Do a good soul-searching and ask yourself what went wrong. According to me your score should have been around 600, so something must have gone wrong. Dig down inside yourself, find the reason, then you wont have to ask anyone. You ll get the answers yourself.

[aslan]

were you nervous before exam?

[odannyboi]

Well... it looks like your scores overall have been declining (if you listed them in order of when you took them). This happens to me too.

I go in cycles, I increase and increase then decrease and decrease then increase again then slowly decrease:

490, 420, 550, 580, 530, 640, 630, 610. Its weird... right now I would probably get higher scores ..I'm saving those for my actual exam!.. Superstition anyone?

But mostly, you bombed verbal. It happens. Of the people who scored mid 600s on CATs then go on to score mid 500 and 400s usually bomb verbal. Verbal is very unforgiving. Missing only 8 might get you a score of only 34. Basically, you got problems wrong in sequences (3 in a row here, maybe 4 there... BIG deductions in your score especially in Verbal).

[uprightcitizen]

While there is no simple answer to your question, here are some things to keep in mind:

1) In two and a half months, you jumped 80 points from your initial score. From 410 to 490. That is actually a significant jump and to expect a definite 200-250 point jump in that period of time may have been unrealistic.

2) Nerves may have played a part. Were there any time issues you ran into during the test? Did the AWA throw you off?

3) Most of all, it appears you focused too little of your studying on Verbal. You said you used books for SC and CR, but not RC. I know RC can be quite difficult for some non-native speakers. If I had to take an educated guess on where your drop came from (but still very much a guess), it would be RC.

Do you plan on retaking the test?

[goodhope]

Thanks you all for your comments.

Specially uprightcitizen & odannyboi.


I agree with uprightcitizen for pointing out with the RC. I had only prepared with OG 12 & Kaplan Premier.

Since i was getting average on RC in my mock test, believed i was good to go.

But it turns out RC on the real test was difficult, very competitive answer choices.


I have not taken seat back, still with the preparations. Therefore i would really appreciate any advice / suggestions with verbal, especially the RC

I mean how to do i get from
I didn't expect this
to
I didn't expect this