Verbal Got the Best of Me

[medea66]

Hi guys,

After a fluke of a score in May(370), I decided to take the test again. Took it yesterday and felt more confident, didn't get bogged down by problems I didn't understand and when it came time to view my score, I was sure it would be very close to 600. However, I only scored a 510(Q35, V26). I must admit, the verbal was MUCH more difficult on the actual test than on GMATPREP. I thought my verbal would carry me through, however it did not. I had focused a lot on the SC during prep, but I guess not enough on RC and CR, the latter of which I found to be very difficult. The program that I'm looking to get into would like to see a score of 600 or higher. Not sure if I should take this again as this was my third attempt in past three years.

[VP_Jim]

I'd just like to add - for others reading this - that this is a VERY common mistake that GMAT students make. Many students find CR and RC the toughest sections, yet neglect to study them, I assume because they are the hardest sections to improve upon and students get frustrated. Even if you're not great at CR, I'm sure you can see the error in this line of reasoning!

As for retaking the test, if you feel that you could've studied better, I'd give it another go - but not before putting in A LOT more study time. Usually, students don't improve the second time around unless they identify a serious issue with the way they prepped the first time, and put in significant effort correcting that issue.

Good luck!

[medea66]

Actually I've seen many people improve from a low score(400s) to a high score(600+) on this forum. This is the very reason that I re-took it and I want to thank all of you who helped to answer many of my questions. I guess if I decide to retake, I should look to atleast get a 600+ on practice exams. Don't know if I'll do that..

[VP_Jim]

Right - I didn't say that such improvement was impossible, and as a GMAT instructor I do see my fair share of students who improve 150+ points. I meant that it's rare for a score to go up unless you approach studying differently or just put in more effort than you did the first time.

The students who tend not to go up are those that put in their best effort the first time around and hit their "ceiling". Since you've already identified how you could study more/better (by focusing on CR and RC), you could likely improve more.

Happy studying!