Well, I definitely got a taste of some humble pie today.
So I've been studying pretty consistently for the past two months, putting in about 4 hours of dedicated study per day, 5-6 days per week which equates to about 20-25 hours per week. I took about 8-9 weeks to go over the MGMAT Strategy Guides throughout May and June, learning the material (I used all 5 of the Quant MGMAT books as well as the SC Book), did all of the Practice Questions within each book and corresponding OG questions as per the MGMAT Study Organizer. I also went through the Powerscore CR Bible fully, did all of the questions, and also skimmed through the MGMAT RC Strat Guide.
I know it's a bit unconventional, but I decided to take my FIRST CAT exam today (two months after I began studying). My reasoning behind it was that I should learn all of the material first BEFORE attempting to write an exam - I mean, that's generally the logic any student follows for any of their academic exams, right?
So I took my first full GMATPrep CAT today, AWA included. Scored a 540 - 39Q, 26V. Needless to say, I felt completely devastated and felt as though all of my efforts throughout the past 2 months were completely worthless.
I feel as though I've got a strong base in math, generally speaking - I scored 90's in all of my math subjects in high school, and the last math course I ever took was first year calculus which I received an A in. I would also say that my grasp of the English language is also above average. It just baffles me how I can score so low in both categories.
I know I have some significant time management issues I need to work out, as I was rushing through the last 3-4 questions for both sections. But I'm sure that small kink was not responsible for anything significant in the overall result of my score.
I've been studying on my own, and very self-disciplined over the past 2 months. I always thought that I could be one of those students who just doesn't need a "prep program" or "private tutoring", given my ability to stay determined and disciplined enough to self-study. But today really woke me up - my approach definitely needs to change. I was planning on writing the GMAT at the end of July, but that clearly is not happening anymore. At this point, I'm considering either a Prep Program or hiring a Private Tutor. My original goal was to score at least a 700+ given that I wanted to remain competitive for a Top 20 US program, but it looks like I may have to reconsider my options and lower my goals to a more realistic level at this point.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
-Devastated
So I've been studying pretty consistently for the past two months, putting in about 4 hours of dedicated study per day, 5-6 days per week which equates to about 20-25 hours per week. I took about 8-9 weeks to go over the MGMAT Strategy Guides throughout May and June, learning the material (I used all 5 of the Quant MGMAT books as well as the SC Book), did all of the Practice Questions within each book and corresponding OG questions as per the MGMAT Study Organizer. I also went through the Powerscore CR Bible fully, did all of the questions, and also skimmed through the MGMAT RC Strat Guide.
I know it's a bit unconventional, but I decided to take my FIRST CAT exam today (two months after I began studying). My reasoning behind it was that I should learn all of the material first BEFORE attempting to write an exam - I mean, that's generally the logic any student follows for any of their academic exams, right?
So I took my first full GMATPrep CAT today, AWA included. Scored a 540 - 39Q, 26V. Needless to say, I felt completely devastated and felt as though all of my efforts throughout the past 2 months were completely worthless.
I feel as though I've got a strong base in math, generally speaking - I scored 90's in all of my math subjects in high school, and the last math course I ever took was first year calculus which I received an A in. I would also say that my grasp of the English language is also above average. It just baffles me how I can score so low in both categories.
I know I have some significant time management issues I need to work out, as I was rushing through the last 3-4 questions for both sections. But I'm sure that small kink was not responsible for anything significant in the overall result of my score.
I've been studying on my own, and very self-disciplined over the past 2 months. I always thought that I could be one of those students who just doesn't need a "prep program" or "private tutoring", given my ability to stay determined and disciplined enough to self-study. But today really woke me up - my approach definitely needs to change. I was planning on writing the GMAT at the end of July, but that clearly is not happening anymore. At this point, I'm considering either a Prep Program or hiring a Private Tutor. My original goal was to score at least a 700+ given that I wanted to remain competitive for a Top 20 US program, but it looks like I may have to reconsider my options and lower my goals to a more realistic level at this point.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
-Devastated
