620 + 6 months study + MGMAT course = 600!

[logitech]

I took my gmat test back in April and scored 620 (Q:49,V:27).

Later I found out that there is a book called OG! and Manhattan GMAT course is one of the best prep courses. So I signed up for the 9 weeks course, studied 3-4 hrs during the week and 4-5 hrs during the weekend. I followed the study plan, prepared flash cards, timed myself, used the OG tracker, solved K800 and CR Bible. After completing all of the OG problems and I moved to paper tests and solved all of them as well. I only took 6 cats and scored between 680-710 on MGMATs and 720 and 740 on Gmat Prep.

I took the test two weeks ago with full confidence and scored 600!! (Q:49 - V:22)

+ I did not run out of time. I have been using ( 5 66 & 5 67 technique and always timed myself from day 1)

+ I always practiced with AWA

+ I followed Stacey's advice on how to digest OG explanations and questions by heart!

+ I did not panic or anything - it is not in my nature

+ After solving 1000's questions - I really did not see any STRANGE questions.

+ I scored 51 on quant in my last 3 CAT, but my verbal was in 34-41 range!

Frankly, I thought there was something with the GMAT test software...anyways past is past and crying and whining will not bring anything back.

I am planning to apply for R2 and i have around 70 days in front of me. I have not touched any GMAT prep materials last two weeks.

I would like to get your ideas about what I should do for the next battle with GMAT ? When should I re-take it ?

I just purchased the Verbal Bible from GMATHACKS.

I still have 4 MGMAT tests left and I can always retake the GMAT Prep again and again...

I heard that MGMAT will publish their 3rd generation book this coming weekend and will swap my old books with the new ones in San Francisco on Saturday. It seems like SC guide is modified and covers almost double the material compared to last version.

I really do not think that I can learn NEW stuff after this point. I had a POST GMAT assessment with MGMAT and discussed my story with a tutor and he did not understand what possibly happened on test date.

Well I believe that I probably over thought during the test and tried to find all the traps..missed some of the first questions, my 50/50 guesses went wrong and all my right answers were experimental questions.

Thanks for reading and I will really appreciate your feedbacks and helps.

Cheers!

Logitech

[ankit1383]

Same thing happenned to me........my GMAT score 640(Q50 V26)...My lowest ever in verbal.....before starting the preparation i got 28 in verbal.....and after 6 months of preparation.......i got 26........i was shattered...to see my score...
You mentioned about new manhattan books...please let me know if they are out......specially for SC......

N dnt loose heart..m sure u had a bad day........

[agraju84]

best of luck to you logitech!

[3gmater]

Hi Logitech.

Your story seems to flow like mine, except that I hired a private tutor.

My practice tests were stellar....but real tests were abyssmal (550>600>640)
I am gearing up for my fourth and final attempt.

Just one advice.....make sure you have representative tests to practice with.

One hurdle that I am facing is that of lack of NEW tests. I have taken Gpreps and Mgmat tests during my previous preps and taking them again is giving me ridiculous scores (780, 790, 770 etc).....since I know most of the questions (especially RC and CR in verbal).

GMAT has tricked me and till date I fail to understand as to why have I scored so less in real tests inspite of scoring in the 680-740 range in practices tests!

I feel like I am pulled in a vicious whirlpool......but I will try my best to get out of it.. this time.

all the best.....I hope you succed this time.

-3G

[Brett B]

I had the same exact experience on the verbal section when I took the GMAT last month. My V score was significantly lower than the range I had been hitting on practice tests. Keep at it and I'm sure next time you'll get the score you want.

[logitech]

3G,

Thanks for the reply. One thing, I will try this time is to take the test at 12:00 PM.

As for the practice test, I will work with MGMAT tests. For the verbal practice, I am planning to use the gmatclub's verbal challenges and 800score.com 's verbal tests.

I skimmed through the gmathacks' Verbal Bible and I am not really impressed so far.

I am also planning to re-read all the verbal explanations on OGs.

I will give myself only 70 minutes in my practice tests at each section to improve my timing.

I really do like the paper tests, but I wish I have some sort of explanations for the verbal questions.

Last but not least, I will not isolate myself from social life this time and still go out during the weekends and hit the gym and take the dogs to park. Looking at past 6 months, I did nothing but studied GMAT...I think I kind of burned myself.

I would like to hear any strategies you will have for your studies.

Thanks,

Logitech

[VP_Jim]

Obviously, your math score isn't the problem. You need to work on verbal.

My advice is to take some time away from the GMAT - a couple weeks at least. In that time, start reading anything you can - books, magazines, newspapers, journal articles, whatever - to get you used to verbal. Reading will make SC a whole lot easier since your "ear" for good grammar will improve. It will improve CR because you'll get practice reading persuasive writing. And of course, it will improve RC.

When you're scoring that low in verbal, you need to work on the foundation - not on the GMAT strategy.

After a few weeks of reading a lot, then go back and hit the OG and other GMAT materials. Analyze every problem, understanding why every right answer is right and every wrong answer is wrong.

Studying for verbal is a lot harder than it is for math, as it's a lot more subtle. It will take time but I'm sure you'll raise your score.

[logitech]

Thanks Jim,

"When you're scoring that low in verbal, you need to work on the foundation - not on the GMAT strategy.

After a few weeks of reading a lot, then go back and hit the OG and other GMAT materials. Analyze every problem, understanding why every right answer is right and every wrong answer is wrong."

I believe that I really do not have any problem with GMAT verbal foundation. I had been scoring 35-40 in each test before the official test. And I read thousand times in this forum that one needs to understand why very right answer is right and every wrong answer is wrong. Thanks again!

When I was practicing, I was writing down why each answer choice is wrong or right on a notebook and comparing with OG explanation. I used this strategy for 600+ verbal questions. This technique can take a lot of time, but it is a great way to learn.

So I am really more interested to know the psychology part of the test, what you actually do in the test , how you keep yourself focused, how you use your notebook and etc...

Cheers!

Logitech

[michael.dinerstein]

Hi logitech,

I think that the Instructor at ManhattanGMAT that provided you the Post Exam Assessment is right to say that he can't accurately say what went wrong on the test. I would say that your low score could be a combination of nerves and and bad luck. Let me explain.

First, no matter what you felt like during the practice tests and during the real exam, it is an immutable fact that taking a practice exam is fundamentally different than taking the real thing simply because your mind knows that the former doesn't count and the latter does. Hence, we do see some students to into the test, especially when the stakes are high, and then perform below their level. Likely, you fell slightly susceptible to this, but then again, that can't explain such a drastic difference in your score until you consider the accuracy of the GMAT itself.

A real GMAT has a standard error of 29 points. This means that if your "true" ability level is at a 700, there is a one in three chance that your score will be a 730+ or, even worse, a 670- and a two in three chance that you will fall somewhere in between a 670 and a 730. This is a very large distribution, and it's for a REAL GMAT! Hence, any practice test you take, regardless of the company, will likely be even more problematic in terms of standard error.

What I think happened is that you have a "true ability" level of around a 680 - 690. Your scores on GMATPrep are just outside the standard error on the high end and your score on the real exam just happened to be one of the scores that fell on the very low end of the test. Take that with some potential nerves and you can easily see how a solid 680 - 690 ability level can be tarnished by some nerves and a lot of bad luck. This happens, though, and this is why it's important that you left some space to take the test again.

I would highly recommend doing a firm content review of the material taught in the ManhattanGMAT class and be sure to go over the books and homework questions. Take a break from practice tests until just before your real test when you'll need the refresher practice and even then do not pay much attention to your score. Simply go into the next test knowing that you've done everything possible and that you're prepared for the test.

I hope this helps! Please contact me at [email protected] if you need anything else.

Best,

[Stacey Koprince]

I received a PM asking me to comment.

This is a frustrating situation - when it seems like you did everything exactly the way you should and then things don't come together on test day.

Can you remember ANY differences at all, either on the test questions themselves, or on the logistical stuff (time of day, good night's sleep, food and drink, testing room logistics / noise / temperature) - anything, even if you think it wouldn't make a difference to your performance? Anything out of the ordinary during the last couple of days? Did you take a practice test or do a lot of prep within a few days of the real test and possibly tire yourself out a bit? Did you feel a drop in energy / stamina / concentration towards the end of the test?

If possible, it would be nice if we could figure out at least partially what went on so that you can minimize the chances of the event(s) happening again. (This will also give you some more confidence going in, I think - if you know why this happened.) Mike is right that at least some of what happens on test day is luck (you could happen to get experimentals for your strongest areas and real questions for your weakest areas, etc.) but there's usually a bit of something else going on too if we're looking at a 100 point drop.

For those wondering about the 3rd edition strategy guides, they'll be out in 2 days: 25 October. There are some significant new strategies, especially on the verbal side, so you should definitely go swap out your old books for the new ones if you're not planning to take the test for at least another 3-4 weeks.

[logitech]

Stacey,

Thanks for your prompt response.

I actually followed your recommendations on what someone needs to do in the last weeks of his preparation:

https://www.beatthegmat.com/last-14-days ... t5680.html

I made sure that I was eating the same food and having at least 7 hrs of sleep during my practice tests, so I did the same thing on the real test. Since It was my second time, I was very comfortable with the location ( I took the test in the same test center ).

Last night before the test, I watched the Brave heart, took my dogs out to park and slept 8 hrs.

After the AWA ( I scored 6.0 ), I started Quant very confident and had to guess couple of DS questions to move forward between 15-25 and finished the section on time and scored 49, which is my lowest score on Quant.

I took a break, finished my redbull and power bar, and used the restroom.

When verbal section started, I told myself that this would make the difference and this next 75 minutes would shape your score.

I really don't get panic or feel nervous. I had several tough SC and CR in the first 15 questions, but I was thinking that the questions were getting tougher as I performed good.

All of the RC were manageable, and I did not waste so much time on them. The last RC passage showed up around 35 and I had to guess the inference question to move forward.

Some of the SC were a little bit strange than what I had been dealing with but they were still manageable.

But it seems like I FAILED at some point and bad luck or whatever it was also pushed me down.

My plan for the next GMAT test is as follow:

+ I carried all my prep to computer. Not for CR, but for SC and RC, it really makes difference to have the question on your screen and on your paper.

+ Using my data from the OG tracker, I will write down all the questions I got wrong on the Verbal and explain why each answer choices are wrong and why I picked the right one.

+ I will re-read all the SC & CR explanations on OG materials.

+ I will take CAT every Friday @ 12 pm and analyze my performance and questions during the weekend and work on my game plan.

+ I have not taken the MGMAT # 5 and # 6 yet. And I will take two more GMAT prep as I get close to my test date ( End of November )

+ I will keep reviewing the Quant guides and my flash cards

+ I will get the new MGMAT SC guide

+ This time around, I will definitely not isolate myself from the world and still go out once a night and eat outside several times a week.

I am looking forward to see that score on my screen and driving back home with a big smile on my face.

Please do comment on my plan and thank you very much for your help and time!

Logitech

[abhatt_mgr]

Great people around us I feel really great going through your experiences. Stacey, I heard lot many things about your notes but I ma not able to find it on web. Please suggest me how to get it. Logitech there are many things in the world which are really out of our control you can see now whats happening around the world many people lost their all savings in markets. Many of them are very talanted and from great B-Schools but, when it comes to face a real practical world it is really different. So please go ahead only with one option that "Great Works are performed not by strength, but by Perseverance". Motivate yourself and do it man it will be yours. Hey Man, this nothing but to have a balance between balls and brain. Enjoy, and good times are there in front.