Discouraged and need advice

[puchku]

I have been studying continuously for the GMAT since beginning of November 2011 and my practice scores have been in the 400s. I might not be the smartest person out there but I know that I can score in the 600s. I have been very upset with not getting the results i wanted. I took private tutoring and my instructor told me its probably because of my test anxiety I was doing bad on the tests. I was scheduled to take the test beginning of December and my instructor told me to go ahead and take it since I know all the material. I should have not listened and taken the test in Feb 2012. But i went ahead and took the test on scheduled test date and totally failed on the GMAT. I am so embarrassed everytime I think about my score. I cried 2 days straight because of my score and have not touched GMAT books since then. I have taken MR prep course and very dissappointed with the service. I called and complained, they haven't done anything to compensate. Wish I took another prep course. I want to start studying again and take the test when I am ready to take it. I am so discouraged because of my score and feel like i will not do any better. I have also realized I should change my studying strategy. I don't know what to do... Could you please advice? I would like to take the test towards the end of March 2012. I plan to start studying soon and need guidance on studying strategy. Appreciate all the help, Thank you!

[VivianKerr]

Hey Puchku,

Have you been reading Eric's Top 10 Best GMAT stories from 2011? There are some truly inspirational GMAT stories out there and I think they'll perk you up. Check it out! https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2011/12/31/46401

Why do you think you "totally failed" on the GMAT? Did you have an emotional panic, leave questions blank, etc? You'll need to diagnose what is emotional/stress-related, and what is content-related before you can devise a plan of attack moving forward.

A bad score is no reason to cry for 2 days. Why? Because the GMAT is simply a standardized test, and it's absolutely possible for anyone to score in the 600's, but ONLY with an effective plan.

So...what is your plan? (million dollar question). How can you be honest about what's hindering you and move forward? I would start by reviewing older questions with an Error Log (you can find templates for them on BTG).

If you can give an overview of your hours/wk you can devote to studying, the materials you've covered, and what Q-types are your most challenging, I think everyone on BTG can give you some excellent guidance!

[AbhiJ]

Dude you need to pick yourself up nobody else can.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gK1Kc9X-oGo

Also google Muscle Prodigy - The Bestt Motivation video on you tube

[shayam]

Puchku,
You are not alone. I do face this problem every now and then. My Problem- I started out on September 2011 and enrolled myself with an onsite study program. In my case, my tutor was great. I really enjoyed the process of studying with other students and it really kept me motivated and focused throughout the end of my course. I also finished the curriculum as per the plan given in the program. Once the course completed, I took 3-4 practice tests. Now the bad part-> In all of these tests, I was never able to cross the 600 mark!!! My highest - Q-42 and V-17 . My target score was 700 and I was no way close to the 700 mark!! I just got so let down with my scores that, I stopped studying and I just postponed my test.

I really thought about it for a long time.. and what really came up is the fact about my "Weaknesess"
I used to hear from my tutor/BTGMT forum members about the concept of strengths/weakness but I hadn't payed much attention to it. I now understand the importance of these factors.
Its not just the process of identifying strengths/weaknesses, but there are several factors which makes an perfect score candidate. (Mindset,Dedicated Study Plan,Stamina, Quality over Quantity,Reasoning ,Time management etc...)I have realized that GMAT is not just a test of Math/Verbal, its test of all these factors.

The situation I got in earlier,is completely because of my own mistakes/weaknesses.
I am getting started once again and this time I hope I can be more honest about the entire approach..

This forum contains tons of resources which explains each and every concept.,and do explore these resources before starting...

Cheers,,,

[FutureWorks]

Hi puchku,

Juggling between work and studies is tough so you need to define a significant time for your GMAT preparation. Sometimes taking few days off work for preparing for the GMAT can help a person tremendously. If you have time this may not be a bad idea. Take practise GMAT tests to see how you are doing. If you cannot do that don't worry. What might work instead is to set aside 1-2 hours at night on weekdays and major part of your weekend to study and prepare for GMAT- in this case we will suggest a good 2-3 months preparation. However we recommend you to keep taking practise tests to gauge your performance. It will help you in identifying your weak areas and you can focus on them accordingly. You might be able to study more than the given hours and that would take you less than 2-3 months. It all depends on your potential really.
There are various ways you can use to practise for your GMAT. You might need to change your practise style and try this combination to provide you flexibility and different styles to practise so it doesn't get monotonous.
It could be combination of-
1-Books- Books like- The Official Guide for GMAT Review, The Official Guide for GMAT Verbal Review, The Official Guide for GMAT Quantitative Review etc could be used.
2-Online Study Guide: Websites like Knewton, Grockit etc provide you with practise questions online.
3-Smart phone applications- Kaplan, Veritas etc offer applications to prepare for GMAT on your smart phones

[Rastis]

I'm right there with you. I experience the EXACT same problems that you do. I also am looking for help

[puchku]

Thank you guys so much! I have started studying again 2 weeks ago. Before I started I went through all the books I have. I discovered I have all the books that are listed in the 3-months self study plan on BTG. I started reflecting on what did I do wrong and what i need to do to get it right. I have realized that when I was studying, I didn't pay attention to why I was getting problems wrong. I kept getting mad for not getting it right. I also let the stress get to me and started freaking out. I didn't feel prepared and not sure why I took the test. On the test day, in the test center after the writing part...everytime I answered a question, I kept second guessing myself and when I got stuck I spent a lot of time on trying to solve the problem instead of guessing and moving on. Towards the second half of the test, I kept getting super anxious to get out of the test center. Over all the experience during the test was bad and I think it did play a part in my score. After thinking through the whole process I decided to work on a BETTER game plan for my test. My plan (million dollar question) - is to review math for 4-5 weeks while taking notes that I can go over as needed. After math, review verbal for about 3 weeks while taking notes. After reviewing both areas, I will start going through the OG and do 20 problems in each area for the 1st week. Take the test and go through the mistakes and figure out what needs to be done for improving score. Currently, I am putting in an hour-two during week days and atleast 4-6 on weekends.

Please let me know what you guys think... Any advice to improve my study strategy will be much appreciated