Worried About Prep Scores

YipYip wrote:Hey,

I've taken 3 GMATPrep tests so far - I got 660 (Q35 V46) and 690 (Q46 V38) on the first two, respectively. I bought the Exam Prep pack and did another practice exam today and I was shocked to see my results - 650 (Q39 V40)!! Needless to say, I was really disappointed.

However, I did not take today's prep exam under optimal conditions, and I felt stressed (not for lack of time though) at a few instances. That shouldn't be an excuse though, as since it happened today, it could as easily happen on the actual test day.

For reference, I've been using a 2009 OG + verbal review in addition to my 2016 one almost exclusively for prep for the past 3 weeks. Around 40 questions in each quant and verbal a day, a total of at least 80 questions a day, with an average accuracy of 80% in verbal (SC is my strong suit) and 65% in quant (I feel more comfortable with DS). I've had to take a gap of 4-5 days thanks to some issues and I wasn't able to practice as much during that time - I suspect that might have something to do with the decrease, possibly.

My exam is on Wednesday, and I'm planning to take the free Veritas exam + 4th official prep exam by Tuesday. I'm (or at least, I was) aiming for a 720 or at least a 700, based on my 2nd prep exam. Feeling really demotivated at this point.

You don't want to read too much into your performance on any one practice exam. The exams are useful for determining what strategic adjustments you need to make and for having a rough idea of your general scoring trajectory. As far as your trajectory goes, both quant and verbal are fluctuating quite a bit, so all we really know is that you're capable of getting an elite score -if you were to pair your top quant and your top verbal score, you'd probably be at 750 or 760, to give you an idea - but the consistency isn't there yet. Consistency is something you establish over weeks or months. So on the one hand, you're probably not going to magically become consistent in the next five days. On the other hand, you don't need to be consistent - you just need one good performance. So rather than putting too much emphasis on how well you perform on the next two practice tests, focus instead on going over the tests you've already done and making notes to yourself about what you did well when your scores were on the higher end of the spectrum and what you may have struggled with when your scores took a dip. Boil those notes down to 4-5 key strategic takeaways. Remind yourself that you've already demonstrated that you can get an outstanding score, that it's just a matter of having a good day. Worst case scenario: it's not your day, you cancel your score, and you gear up to take it again. Best case scenario: you ace the test and come back here to share your joy.