GMATprep1 -730, GMATprep2 -720. Actual GMAT???

[daretodream]

Guys
I am very deperate and heartbroken and tense.
Feel like kicking myself.
My score has fallen down by ten marks !!!
Prep1- 730 (Q49V40) Prep 2- 720 (Q49V39)
There was a gap of 1.5 months in between GMATprep1 and GMATprep2.
I prepared real hard these 1.5 months... mostly SC - my weak area.
Didnt do any maths or CR (my strong area)
Didnt do RC Either (neither strong nor weak area)
Did only SC , SC, and SC.

Crimes comitted in GMATprep2-
Early mistake in quant (#6,#8, #11)
Early mistake in Verbal(#5,#6,#7 all RC)

Need some time to gather my strengths back and have a final charge in this last week!

Positive/Optimistic/Realistic feedback are welcome please.

[Toph@GMAT_REBOOT]

D2D,

I don't think you need to be down right now. You're still at the 720 mark. This should give you confidence that your GMAT Prep 1 exam was not a fluke. Also if you ignore over 80% of the exam questions in your studies, you will probably make some mistakes. The fact that you've focused on one topic for the past month and half and still managed to keep your score as high as you did can be interpreted as a positive. You didn't practice any math and your math score stayed the same... makes sense. How did the SC feel? Did you improve in that area? If so, it could be argued that you achieved your goal. Now you just need to brush up on the other sections while still practicing SC between now and your exam. You identified the primary problem yourself, missing three RC questions in a row. Review that passage and figure out why it caused you so much trouble (although it's probably safe to assume that you already did that).
Get back to studying and practice at least 10-20 questions per question type daily. Don't stress out the day or two before the exam. Review SC notes. Review flashcards. I also liked solving problems on this site the day or two before my exam (especially the GMAT prep questions since they are from actual exams). If you can explain how to answer a question, it proves you really know how to solve it. I think that can firm up skills and also give you confidence.

Hope this helps and good luck!

[daretodream]

Thanks Riprop
I feel My SC improved, but not to the 100% level.
Earlier i used to have accuracy of 78-82% in SC. Nowadays it is running at 90-95%.
I am now tense about AWA. Pl give some tips.

[Toph@GMAT_REBOOT]

Glad your SC has improved.

I wouldn't stress over AWA. Look over the examples of essays that scores 6s, 4s, and 2s in OG11 for both types of essays. If you have a general strategy book from a prep company, look at their tips. Also, you can look at the resources section for this site in the AWA section.

Personally, I tried to write 2-3 "content/detail" paragraphs surrounded by intro and conclusion paragraphs. If you feel pressed for time, I believe that you can write two really good paragraphs and score well. Content paragraphs were probably 4-6 sentences. Intro and conclusions paragraphs were probably 2-3 sentences. These are not hard and fast rules though.

Use personal and mainstream/current event/historical examples. Analogies/hypotheticals can also be good. Use good grammar (think about what you have learned in SC).

Don't wear yourself out on this section. Don't stress out too much about it. I think I changed my mind toward the end of my agrument essay (first essay), ran short of time, and made my conclusion paragraph two sentences and not exactly what I wanted to write. I didn't stress out over this. Did my second essay. Took the exam. AWA score was still good, and I didn't let it affect my concentration during the rest of the exam.

At the end of the day the plan is: think about the prompt/outline what you want to write for several minutes. Then write.