AjiteshArun wrote:
mvictor wrote:
because of these periodical ups and downs, I got myself very discouraged, and thus...I get the feeling that I am never prepared to face the real GMAT.
I do understand that now there is an option to see the score before accepting it, and it is not a problem for me to pay for several more attempts, yet I feel very insecure about myself...
Variation in scores is normal. No test taker is perfect, and neither is the GMAT. You might want to think of it as a case of reducing the "range" in which you score (decreasing the variability of your score) and taking that range up over time (improving your average score).
when I took GMAT the 3rd time, I was pretty confident that I would break the 600 level, yet I completely blacked out on the test day...
I prepared for Verbal, and I bombed exactly the verbal part...
I have the same problem now...sometimes I read the question - and it seem as if all the strategies learned before are gone...
EMPOWERgmatRichC wrote:
Hi mvictor,
You mentioned a couple of things in your post that are worth going deeper into:
1) These CAT scores in the high 600s and 700s. Since you've studied before, are these CATs that you've taken before? Did you take these CATs in a realistic fashion (re: the FULL CAT - with the Essay and IR sections, taken away from your home, at the same time of day as your Official GMAT, etc.)?
2) You "try to understand every question, and do not move on until i understand where I made the mistake.." While that is certainly an admiral quality during your studies, that type of thinking could absolutely kill you on Test Day. You have to be able to let go of questions that are too hard or too time consuming when the clock is ticking. If you're not prepared to do that, then you could run into all types of other issues - pacing problems, drops in score, elevated stress, etc.
It might help to think about how easy GMAC has made it to take (and re-take) the GMAT. If you're comfortable paying the $250 fee, then there's absolutely no harm if you have a bad Test Day - you can just cancel the score and retest later (NOTE: No more than 5 Tests in a 1-year period though).
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Ric
Hi Rich,
1. the gmatprep CAT was taken in test-like conditions...with AWA and IR. The other ones - well..GMAT Club and Economist do not have AWA and IR. Yet I took the CATs after some 1h-2h drills - to compensate for the fatigue factor.
About the questions - have I seen before? Some yes, absolutely. But since it has passed more than 1 year since I last time took the GMAT and prepared for the test - I believe I have forgotten the majority of the questions and the answers to them. I never take the tests at home..to be honest..I cannot even study at home..I took the CATs during weekends at work (work environment for everyone is more "stressful").
2. I have not encountered problems with timing on the CATS. Surprisingly, I finish 4-5-6-7 minutes faster..I know it is not good as well. I skip questions if I see that my first method to approach the question is not working and that applying new method would be too time consuming...because of this, I have seen my score dropped at few CATs; I just simply skipped the questions that were clearly solvable... (at least 80% of the incorrect ones).
I believe that when it gets to the real GMAT..the stress and pressure is 10X...and thus..I get disoriented and make silly mistakes/"forget" all the strategies to tackle questions...
this is really frustrating, as I go over and over the fundamentals..