Knocked down by the GMAT for the second time ..

Thank you and congratulations for your success on your applications . In fact , I already scored in the desired range (600-650) several successive mocks ... This what really made me crazy

You might have touched 600 if you had answered the last question.
My advice is same as Highwyre's
Take some time off!
It helps! Then start afresh. Look for the official questions in my sig and google them extensively. Follow MGMAT explanation and GMATClub experts explanation. I think right now your efforts in quant would produce better results than those in verbal.

TheNona,

When you say you scored 600+ in mocks, were these mocks taken in test like conditions. e.g AWA, IR + 8 minute break + quant + 8 minute break + verbal. This is what I learned from my experience after badly burnt in my 2nd attempt..

I agree with the advice given above about taking time off from the GMAT. Although I only took the GMAT once (by a small miracle I am sure), I had a similar experience in that when I took my first prep test cold I got a 550, which caused me run to amazon, buy every book possible, cram for a month, only to score maybe 50 points higher on the next prep test. At the point, I was like well F this. I took a break and enjoyed the summer. When I felt like having another go at it, I reviewed all materials and realized the second time around I was starting to develop a deeper understanding of the concepts. IMO - you cant expect to cram volumes of content in a week. It takes a bit of time, especially in my case where i had been out of school for 8 years. If you dont use it, you lose it.

If I can do it, anyone can do it - Just dont give up!

Yes ... Took all tests under official conditions and in noisy places

Hi TheNona,

You shouldn't feel bad, it happens. If you would have had around 4-5 months for your deadline then like most other folks, I would also have suggested you to take a chill pill for a while and start afresh. But, as you have one month to go, you need to start again. Probably chill for a day and then start you prep. A short break is important, even for a day.

You really need to ponder on your weakness once again and work on it. As mentioned above, 39 to 45 in quant is really achievable and will give you a score of 600+. You are at 39 , this means that you still need to work on fundamentals (same with verbal). Try the MGMAT foundations in GMAT quant and try to finish it at the earliest. You may also want to go through the MGMAT foundations for GMAT verbal. First do this then take a practice test, DO NOT take tests on alternate days. You have already taken the actual GMAT, analyze it, find out what went wrong. I know you faced timing issues, but why you faced that. Probably you took more time than required in some questions. If yes then which were these, were these from Geometry, Number Properties or something else. Same goes with verbal.

I would suggest that you study foundations for then next 10 days. Again analyze your previous practice tests and again work on you weak areas, re-do the good OG questions (from what you found during your practice). Then take your first practice test after the next 10 days. Be conscious about the timing in this test. 4 - 5 test will be enough for your prep; if you take more then you will get less time to analyze them. You should also redo the GMAT prep test in the last two weeks; I am sure you will find a couple of new questions there.

Above all, be optimistic; you will achieve your target score. All the best !!!

Vercules

A few things:

1. Its just an exam which can be re-taken any number of times. You may want to put off your app for a year and aim higher for next time.

2. Nothing out of the ordinary happened on test day. No missed alarm, stuck in traffic, bad health etc. You found that the actual questions were harder than what you were prepared for. What does that mean? That you need to work a little more toward your 600-650 target. That you are not there yet.

3. I wish this were not true but your practice test scores are not reliable. GMAT prep test, may be a little. Think about it - actual GMAT algorithm is tweaked every time GMAC finds even a tiniest flaw. The GMAT prep test algorithm is probably based on a very old version of GMAT algorithm. Also, the current crop of questions is supposedly harder than the previous one. Practice tests give you a feel for the test, little else. I would be surprised if someone scoring 700 in practice tests actually got 550 but I know it could still be explained.

4. Schedule another test in a month only if you have already identified your weaknesses and know how exactly you are going to work on them. Otherwise, one month will pass in the blink of an eye. In no way am I saying that 600-650 is not achievable in a month's time. It is if you use your time wisely. All I want to say is that three similar scores one after the other, in a gap of three months will give adcom the impression that you were not willing to work and were hoping to luck out by trying again and again. Next time you try, be sure that you will increase your score substantially.

5. If possible, take a break. A fresh perspective could be just what you need. You could go on reading and practicing but if your mind doesn't absorb it, it's no use. If you must apply this year, take another go at it but identify what you need to work on. Don't take practice tests randomly. You don't have time issues - practice tests alone won't do you much good. Jot down 4 issues in Quant and 4 in Verbal - then work on them. Then jot down 4 more and so on...

Great as usual , Karishma

I am already taking a 4-day break before starting up again , aiming at a 5-6 hours per day maximum and providing more time to relax . This is something I totally lacked in my previous attempts. I will also jot down weaknesses as you kindly mentioned.

Questions started to be difficult from the middle of each section . I had been doing quite well even with DS questions that were my weakness before .Then I suddenly started to run out of time , and found myself skipping many questions . but till the 13-14 question in quant and 11-12 questions in verbal I was OK . Even the latter questions were not difficult but I ran out of time !!!!! I always had CR as the biggest verbal weakness but assumption questions were my top performers on these . Most CR questions I faced on test day were assumptions !!!! but still I was obliged to skip some of them to catch up with the clock .... !!!!!

Hi Nona
I have followed your post on both admissions and other forums since long.
Its really disheartening to see oneself in doldrums of gmat , when your almost done with applications. I have been through this phase. I know you were applying for Mcgill MBA. I think anything close to 590 or 600 will be gud with 7yr of work ex(i think you have that).....So your next plan should be to wrk in the direction of 600......which i do not think is far.....Considering a 3 points improvement on Quant and 3 points on verbal...you must be in a position of over 600. Now the question is how to get there. I do not thinkyou need to overhaul ur prep style.....Just lill bit of finishing touch is reqd.....What i mean is you are struggling with time...so my suggestion will be point out question that you get wrong everytym.....so weneva you come across those question, make a guess n move. Try takn GMAT club test and yes Advanced MGMAT quant may help u a lot.......
Another solution point out areas in quant in which u are weak. Why i say quant is that its easy to improve on quant with pratice...Identify areas as overlapping sets, number properties , geometry....n than go thru specfic MGMAt quant guide books....you will say that u r improving.......in my first attempt i scored meagre 35 on Quant , it was coz of time....bt i did the same and i improved to 45 in my second attempt......

Hope you find my post helpfu//////
Consider kudos if my post helps!!!!!

Archit

Extremely helpful , thank you

You've gotten some good advice so far. I'll throw in my input as well. Most importantly, don't let the test get you down. The GMAT can be a psychological challenge and you have to keep a positive mindset to succeed - especially after moments of disappointment.

Based on the information you provided, I think you are capable of hitting the 600 mark (I'm guessing that is your target) with another month of hard, focused study. You're not facing a huge gap and your practice exams (though not a perfect indicator) suggest that you are capable of hitting that mark, or higher.

The main item that sticks out to me is your comment about skipping "many questions". That could mean that a) you are randomly guessing to make up time or b) you are spending 30-60 seconds on the question and finding that it's beyond your ability level then making an educated guess and moving on. If you are randomly guessing (a), I would recommend stopping that practice. In my opinion, every question deserves at least 30 seconds of your time. In that much time you can determine if you know how to solve it or not. If you don't know how to solve, you can take another 15-30 seconds to eliminate some answers and improve your guess percentages. Never skip questions without knowing if its a problem you are capable of answering. You receive a much greater "penalty" for missing a question that you should be able to answer compared with missing a problem that is above your ability level.

I think taking a test every other day is overkill - once a week, maybe twice, is sufficient. Invest your time in taking "mini-GMATs" comprised of timed sets of OG questions. These timed sets can vary in length, based on what you are trying to accomplish. Shorter sets (10-20 minutes) allow you to really focus on your "per question" timing. Longer sets (30+ minutes) allow you to practice staying on time through lots of problems.

Enjoy the little break from the GMAT study and then push hard for the next month to hit your goal!

KW

speechless towards your kind help as always , Kylie