Need advice on GMAT Test

[beatgmatny1]

Hello,

I need advice on my situation. I just took my gmat and scored 530! This was my second attempt. I have been studying for atleast 2 hrs for the past 3 months. I am very disappointed with my performance and don't really know where to start. My Quant was 41. However, my verbal score was very poor -- V22. I scored around v35-v37 in my last two practice tests. During the test, TIMING was a big issue for me in Verbal. I knew that I was rushing in the verbal section (didn't take notes on RC, skipped couple of CR). This could've resulted in my poor performance. Honestly, I've exhausted all my resources. I've done all the OG problems in OG 12 & OG 13. I took all the MGMAT tests. I even took tests from GMAT PREP EXAM 1 and 2 and the two tests from the software. I also took empower GMAT which helped me gain points on my quant section. I studies rigorously from Kaplan RC method. My last MGMAT test score w/o time constraint was 690. My last GMAT PREP test score was 670 (this was a retake). While practicing and during practice tests, I used to get most of the CR, SC, and RC right. For example, on 20 CR questions, i usually get around 16 right.

I plan to retake again later this year as this definitely doesn't reflect my true potential. My goal is to score 700. Do you have any advice on how I can plan my next phase of preparation? does it help to get a private tutor? If so, do you have any recommendations?

I sense that timing is an issue for me more than the content. Please advise.

[[email protected]]

Hi beatgmatny1,

When a Test Taker sees the type of score drop that you experienced, some review of HOW you took your practice CATs is in order. To that end, here are some things to consider:

1) What time of day and day of week did you take your practice CATs vs. your Official GMAT?
2) Did you ever do anything unrealistic with your practice CATs (retake a test, skip sections, pause the exam, etc.)?
3) Was your last practice CAT a day or two before your Official GMAT?
4) How did you sleep the night before? Was there anything overly stressful or surprising about Test Day itself?

On Test Day, how many questions do you think you guessed on in each section? How many did you have to rush through at the end? Did you leave any questions unanswered?

The good news is that Business Schools don't care if you retake the GMAT. Before you do so though, some review of your training/process/methods are required so that you can make the necessary adjustments to how you approach the GMAT.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

[beatgmatny1]

Hi Rich,

I took my practice tests on Weekends around 10:30am. My original test was at 10am. I did re-take many GMAT Prep Tests. During the original test, I realized that my pacing on Quant was ok, although it could've been better. There were some questions in which I knew how to solve, however, I ended up guessing because I didn't want to spend too much time as this was a major issue during my 1st attempt. I realized that my pacing on verbal was bad. I was looking at the clock and reading the questions quickly and answering them. In retrospect, this could've killed my verbal score. I never received v22 on any of my practice tests. My last practice test was MGMAT test and it was 3 days before the exam in which I scored a 650. I want to make sure that I study "properly" this time as this will be my third attempt. I plan to apply to schools in September. My target is to score atleast 700. Can you please advice on how I should handle pacing? what are the areas that I can practice that will help me with the pacing during the test, ESP on verbal? I signed up for empowergmat and I really liked the structure of your course. Do you also do private tutoring? Please let me know. Thank you!

[[email protected]]

Hi beatgmatny1,

I've never been a fan of retaking a CAT. While opinions vary on the subject, I believe that seeing any repeat questions makes the scenario unrealistic (and can lead to artificially "inflated" scores that don't actually give the Test Taker a realistic assessment of his/her ability).

Overall pacing tends to improve as you become more familiar with the material, patterns and approaches to beating GMAT questions. From a tactical standpoint, your ability to quickly assess the various ways to tackle a question AND then working through whichever approach you choose is paramount. Staring at the screen is not going to help.

You've mentioned taking the GMAT twice already. What were your scores (and score breakdowns) for your two exams? That data will give me a sense of how you're performing under real pressure. Unfortunately, we don't offer tutoring services at this time, but the Course will show you everything you need to know and do to score 700+.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

[beatgmatny1]

Hi Rich,

Thank you for your advice thus far. I took GMAT once before. My score was 510 (Q34, V27). During my first attempt, I used several approaches and strategies while preparing for the exam. I even remember changing strategies 2 weeks prior to the exam. During my second phase of preparation, I started studying from basics. I reviewed all of the Manhattan GMAT strategy guides, I retook all of the MGMAT exams, and retook GMAT Prep tests. I also did the problems from OG12 and OG 13. The challenging part for me to understand is that my practice doesn't reflect my score. For example, when I practice set of 20 questions in Quant or 20 CR or 40 CR, I usually complete them on time and get 80% right. I plan to take couple of months off and start my preparation again. It would be really helpful if you could point out the areas that I need to focus on or the strategies that I need to change for this phase. I plan to apply to schools in September. Any advice you can give based upon my situation is greatly appreciated.

Thanks alot!