Got Beat by the GMAT

[hutch27]

Took the test today... got a bad grade (in my own terms). 510 q34 v26. Finished both sections in time.

I'm upset that I let anxiety get the best of me during the exam. 3 practice exams were 650 and above, and my last practice test was a 680. I do have test anxiety, and I've been trying different methods of relaxation for about a month and a half now. I'm upset that I'm not able to take this test as lightly as i'd like, not so much my abilities.

That's what i'm most upset about.

I took 6 practice exams: each exam i skipped the essay except for the GMATPREP#2.
gmatprep#1 560 q41 v26
veritas 650 q44 v36
kaplan 620 q42 v 37
manhattan 600 q41 v32
princeton review 660 q40 v42
GMATPREP#2 680 q48 v 35

Thanks to Brent, Mitch, dabral, the whole community, and everyone else helping students like me. It's not the end of the world, but i'm upset. I havent started to think about what I want to do next yet.

Anyways, here's some notes from my experience

-did not see 1 Probability or combination problem, cool.
-saw 2 CR questions where they had the underscore and question stem of "which bests complete the passage"
-4 RC passages 1 long, 2 short, 1 med/short
-a few SC questions that tested the use of "which" and semi-colons.
-Believe it or not but I saw problems that i've seen from the OG book that were almost identical. They actually probably were directly out of the GMAT -book (13th ed 2nd ed), so familiarity with the questions helped a lot.
-the computer monitor was so big and bright that i felt like i needed sunglasses. also it was really high up so i had a stiff neck from constantly looking upwards

In summary, it's not the end of the world for me, but I haven't starting thinking about what to do next. Any advice on that would help too. Thanks.

[Brent@GMATPrepNow]

Hey Hutch,

Sorry to hear that you weren't able to achieve the same kind of great scores you were getting on the practice tests. When it comes to your test anxiety, you're certainly not alone; it happens to the best of them. The positive thing in all of this is that you've identified the problem. Many students aren't even aware of the problem - they consistently score 150+ points lower on the official test, but they don't attribute it to some form of test anxiety, when there's no other explanation.
When it comes to defeating test anxiety, there's no one-size-fits-all solution (as I mention in our free text-anxiety video (https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gener ... es?id=1252), so be sure to find the technique(s) that works best for you.

-the computer monitor was so big and bright that i felt like i needed sunglasses. also it was really high up so i had a stiff neck from constantly looking upwards

When you're at the test center, make sure that everything is perfect before you start the test. Ask to have the seat raised (or the monitor lowered). Ask to have the screen dimmed if that works best for you. If there's a desk/testing area in the room that you'd prefer, ask to sit there. If the test center is too hot/cold, ask to have the temperature changed. And so on.

Sure, the test-center staff may not grant every wish, but it certainly doesn't hurt to ask. The bottom line is that you shouldn't be shy about trying to ensure that your testing environment is optimal for you.

Cheers,
Brent

[hutch27]

Thanks Brent, your posts are very helpful and I agree with everything you say. It is tough to find that one method for test-anxiety, especially since everyone is different.

The best advice I've gotten so far is to re-take the exam; that's what I'm going to do. I really feel it's a matter of confidence, and even though my practice tests were very good, I don't think I had the confidence a very good test taker has.

So, my plan is to study a little more, but this time study smarter. I do have all GMATPREPnow video's, and have used the 60-day study guide, but I might have rushed used them. I think this time i'll really dig deep into the concepts and learn specific gmat shortcuts and techniques. I'll keep you posted to how it goes, thanks again!
-Chris

[basso25@]

hutch27: hang in there, man. happy to hear you're shaking it off and getting back into it; good for you! good luck!!

[Brent@GMATPrepNow]

Thanks Brent, your posts are very helpful and I agree with everything you say. It is tough to find that one method for test-anxiety, especially since everyone is different.

The best advice I've gotten so far is to re-take the exam; that's what I'm going to do. I really feel it's a matter of confidence, and even though my practice tests were very good, I don't think I had the confidence a very good test taker has.

So, my plan is to study a little more, but this time study smarter. I do have all GMATPREPnow video's, and have used the 60-day study guide, but I might have rushed used them. I think this time i'll really dig deep into the concepts and learn specific gmat shortcuts and techniques. I'll keep you posted to how it goes, thanks again!
-Chris

Excellent - be sure to let me know if there's anything I can do to help.

Cheers,
Brent