GMAT: 680 (45 Q / 38 V) - Retake?

[oacs]

Hi Everyone,

I took the GMAT today and received a 680 (45 Q, 68% / 38 V, 84%). This score is a little confusing to me because I have been consistently scoring in the 49 range for Q and the 36 range for V. While I am happy about my V score, I am not sure what happened with Q.

Here is a breakdown of my practice test results:

3/22 - Kaplan CAT 1: 740 (98% Q / 66% V)
3/27 - Kaplan CAT 2: 710 (92% Q / 69% V)
4/26 - GMAT Prep: 680 (49 Q, 83% / 34 V, 69%)
4/29 - Kaplan CAT 3: 710 (92% Q / 79% V)
5/08 - GMAT: 680 (45, 68% Q / 38 Q, 84%)

What makes this more strange is that I am a math major. I am a senior right now and am about to graduate in a few weeks. I have the option to retake it in June. What should I do to prep for Q and maintain / improve my V score? I have gone through OG13 as well as the Quant / Verbal guides and was fine with the majority of Q question. Just very confused as to why I scored so poorly.

[Jim@StratusPrep]

I would retake. It seems as though you have the ability. A good source for problems is Question Pack 1 from the GMAT software... Have you taken the second GMAT Prep practice exam?

[oacs]

I intentionally did not take the second GMAT Prep exam because I thought I would do poorly on the Verbal and would need to retake, but I guess the opposite happened.

I will definitely buy Question Pack 1 from the GMAT software. Do you recommend re-reading strategy books such as the MGMAT Quant series to reinforce the fundamentals? Or should I focus doing as many practice questions as I can?

[JohnnieWalker]

I intentionally did not take the second GMAT Prep exam because I thought I would do poorly on the Verbal and would need to retake, but I guess the opposite happened.

I will definitely buy Question Pack 1 from the GMAT software. Do you recommend re-reading strategy books such as the MGMAT Quant series to reinforce the fundamentals? Or should I focus doing as many practice questions as I can?

Did something go wrong on the real test for Quant?, I see you have a 49 in GMAT prep, did u spend too much time on a question or guessed 3-4 in a row?. If i were you i would try to understand the disparity first & then take action

[oacs]

I am honestly not sure. I firmly believe that if I were to have retaken the test the day after my actual GMAT, my Quant would be in the 49 range.

There was one geometry question that I spent 4-6 minutes on, but even after spending so long on that question, I had enough time for 2 minutes per question.

[Jim@StratusPrep]

I would just stick with the questions; sounds like you are there and just had a bad day. Keep up the reps for the next month and good luck on test day.

[oacs]

Hello,

I retook the GMAT today and received the same overall score, but my sub-scores are vastly different - please see below:

May 2013: 680 - 45 Quant (68%) / 38 Verbal (84%) / 6.0 AWA (90%)
June 2013: 680 - 50 Quant (90%) / 31 Verbal (59%) / ? AWA

Given that my scores are very split, do you recommend taking the GMAT for a third time? How will top business schools view my two tests? Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you.

[brian_molk]

Hi, just our of curiosity, did you retook it a third time? How did it go?

I had a similar problem but on a lower score range. I just studied for 10 hours, basically reviewing OG13 fundamentals and did no practice at all. I scored almost the same score but two very different breakdowns on my GMAT Prep and the real GMAT, basically the opposite (Q 37 vs. 41, V 41 vs. 31). I took them within two days of difference. Looking for any advice on strategy as well!