got owned: 640(Q43, V35)

[csleee]

So today I took the GMAT and scored 640(Q43, V35). I was hoping to score ~700 to offset my horrible GPA, but obviously I didn't.

I ran out of time in both sections. I guessed on roughly 6-8 of the last Quant questions and roughly 3-5 of the verbal. I feel as though I could have answered at least half of the ones I guessed on right if I had enough time. Obviously I'm not expecting an accurate estimation, but if I managed my time more carefully what are the chances of me scoring ~700? Is it worth it? I doubt I would be able to score over 700, so is it worth it to only improve 40-60 points the second time?

Thanks
Chris

[AleksandrM]

I would not say that 640 to 680 or to 700 is an "only" kind of an improvement. If you got 720 and then got a 770, it would be a difference between a 95 percentile and 99 percentile, which would be of marginal value to your case. However, 640 to 680 is going from 76 percentile to 86 percentile, and 640 to 700 is 76 to 90 percentile.

Something to think about.

[Mclaughlin]

I suck at CR so are you saying he has a better chance to improve the 40 points under 700 than over?

[madeline]

lol... I think he means that while it may not be worth it to try improve from 720 to 770, it is definitely worth it to try improve from 640 to 700. That is, we should look at not only the difference in the score, but also the percentile improvement. (720 to 770 markes a mere 5% increase percentile-wise, while 640 to 700 would be a 26% difference)

And I agree - given that you have had to guess quite a number of questions towards the end of both sections, Chris, and that 640 isn't THAT bad, I think you have the potential to achieve a much higher score. How much practice have you done prior to taking the exam? It's very important to a) do entire sets of exams, starting with the essays, even if there's no one to mark them and b) time your practice. Don't lose hope - just practice lots and get used to the format of the exam, and good luck!

[csleee]

Thanks...just wanted to make sure I wasn't overlooking anything. I had already made my mind to retake, but just wanted to get a few opinions.

Also I have done a fair amount of preparation through practice exams and really had no timing issue...but since this was the actual test, I wanted to make sure I had the right answer and so I probably took more time than usual trying to ace it which ended up doing more harm than good.

[madeline]

Yeah that's probably it... I totally understand, I had to resist the urge to double check every answer on the actual test. I told myself that if I did well on my practice exams under exam conditions, I should just approach the real thing as if it's any other practice. I also practiced enough to the point where I wasn't making stupid mistakes anymore, which helped strengthen my confidence.