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Intern
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Re: 550-550-540- Badly need your help experts ! [#permalink]
Expert Reply
Hi Bakervai,

I think that you have the proper perspective on your overall situation. You understand that scoring at a high level will take some time, and you're not trying to 'rush it' to make a deadline. Given the variety of resources that you used, and your consistent score results, have you considered enrolling in a GMAT Course of some type (either Guided Self-Study or instructor-led)? I think that much of the work that you've done has been self-taught; to break through to a higher scoring level, you probablyly need someone to teach you specific tactics and then make you practice them repeatedly until they become a natural part of how you 'see' the GMAT.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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Re: 550-550-540- Badly need your help experts ! [#permalink]
Hi Rich

During the last attempt, I enrolled in egmat verbal live prep course and completed it. It was a great course. I learned a lot from the course and became a lot more confident than ever before. After spending so much time, effort and money, when I saw a mare 540 last time, couldn't believe my eyes. I believe I'm making constant mistakes here and there, holding myself from scoring higher.
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Re: 550-550-540- Badly need your help experts ! [#permalink]
bb can you please have a look ?
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Re: 550-550-540- Badly need your help experts ! [#permalink]
Expert Reply
Hi Bakervai,

I'd like to know a little more about how you handle Test Day itself (and the last days leading up to it):

1) What did you do in the last week leading up to this recent GMAT? What did you do in the last 3 days before Test Day?
2) How did you sleep the night before the GMAT?
3) How long was the ride to the Test Center from your home?
4) What time was your Test?
5) Were there any distractions at the facility or during the Test?
6) What did you do during the two 8-minute breaks?
7) Did you finish any sections early?
8) Did you have to rush to finish any sections (and guess on questions just to finish on time)?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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Re: 550-550-540- Badly need your help experts ! [#permalink]
Hi Rich

you asked,
1) What did you do in the last week leading up to this recent GMAT? What did you do in the last 3 days before Test Day?
ans: I revised all the math and sc concepts. Tried but could not finish revising the error logs

2) How did you sleep the night before the GMAT?
Yeah I slept atleast 9 hours. Was mentally and physically fully comfortable during the exam

3) How long was the ride to the Test Center from your home?
It's about an hour. But I took the bus, and wasn't exhausted by the journey at all

4) What time was your Test?
It started at 2pm

5) Were there any distractions at the facility or during the Test?
I didn't face any noticeable distraction.

6) What did you do during the two 8-minute breaks?
I went to the fresh room. Drank a few sip from a customized drink (fruit syrup, honey, lemon)

7) Did you finish any sections early?
Nope. I took the whole time to complete.

8) Did you have to rush to finish any sections (and guess on questions just to finish on time)?
Umm.. well, in my case it happens everytime (even in the mocks) that I'd rush at the end of each section

I hope my answers were clear and would help you to understand my performance better.

Thanks
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Re: 550-550-540- Badly need your help experts ! [#permalink]
Expert Reply
Hi Bakervai,

There are some details in your last post that could help to explain why your Official GMAT scores are not higher.

1) It's not clear what you mean when you say you 'revised' all of your concepts; if you did too much work in that last 3-7 days before your GMAT ('cramming', for lack of a better word), then you might have 'burned out' before Test Day.
2) The hour-long+ amount of time that it takes to get to the Testing Center might have wore you down a little (but that probably cannot be helped).
3) The 2pm Test Time is late enough in the day that it could have impacted your performance. Most Test Takers perform better when they start their Exams earlier in the day.
4) It doesn't sound like you're using your two 8-minute breaks in a strategic way.
5) It's not clear how severe your pacing 'issue' is, but if you have to guess on LOTS of questions, then that could certainly impact your scores.

I mentioned in a prior post how you had likely developed some 'bad habits' over the course of your studies. Beyond learning/practicing new tactics, you'll also have to work to define and 'fix' those bad habits before you take the GMAT again.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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Re: 550-550-540- Badly need your help experts ! [#permalink]
Hi Rich

I agree with you about the fact that I definitely have developed a few (or more) bad habits.

You wrote-
1) It's not clear what you mean when you say you 'revised' all of your concepts; if you did too much work in that last 3-7 days before your GMAT ('cramming', for lack of a better word), then you might have 'burned out' before Test Day.

well, I wouldn't say I did too much work, as I felt most relaxed (among the three attempts) this time around

2) The hour-long+ amount of time that it takes to get to the Testing Center might have wore you down a little (but that probably cannot be helped).

Just as you said, it can't be helped.

3) The 2pm Test Time is late enough in the day that it could have impacted your performance. Most Test Takers perform better when they start their Exams earlier in the day.

My first attempt was in the morning (10am). Didn't find my neurons fully active. So, chose the 2pm slot for the next two exams. During the last exam, I found myself totally okay and without any stress or blankness.

4) It doesn't sound like you're using your two 8-minute breaks in a strategic way.

It might be the case. I'd really appreciate if you could give some advice

5) It's not clear how severe your pacing 'issue' is, but if you have to guess on LOTS of questions, then that could certainly impact your scores.

Unlike many, I can't remember the pacing and question type detail of my exams :-/ But, what I can say, I was more comfortable and confident this time around and didn't feel like I was guessing a lot of questions.

Looking forward to your suggestions and recommendations.

Thanks
Tanveer
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Re: 550-550-540- Badly need your help experts ! [#permalink]
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Bakervai wrote:
First of all, its a long post. Apologies for that :oops: . I just wanted to express the whole situation so that you (Experts, fellow gmat takers) can understand it clearly and suggest me how to get out of this pathetic condition :cry:

I’m a nonnative speaker (from Bangladesh). I have given GMAT thrice and scored miserable 550, 550 and 540 (considering my target score of 750 :| ). My main weakness has always been verbal. After the last exam, I’m feeling clueless as to what to do, where to start again and most importantly where to finish :!:

Experts, fellow students, I REQUEST you all EARNESTLY to read my detail, and help me in anyway you can :(

Preparation first phase (score 550, Q 42, V 24)
Preparation started – February, 2013
Exam date- 15th December, 2013
Prep duration- about 8 months (could not prepare in June, July due to work pressure)
Study hours – avg 16-18 hours/ week

Materials used- Quant
Concept :: Mgmat 5 guides
Practice :: scattered questions from gmatclub, OG 13 (for practice)

Materials used - Verbal

Concept :: Mgmat Sc, CR bible
Practice :: Scattered questions from gmatclub, OG 13 and gmat question pack 1 (SC and CR) (practice)

Mock test
Mock 1- 23rd July, 13 - gmat prep - 600 (Q 40, V 32)
Mock 2- 11th Oct, 13 – gmat prep - 550 (Q 42, V 23)
Mock 3 - 22nd Nov, 13 – gmat prep– 480 :!: (Q 33, V 23)

Major mistakes I made in the first phase ( as per my understanding)
1. Did not complete official guide and verbal+ quant review
2. Focused more on attempting difficult questions (mostly from gmat club) than on mastering easy and medium level questions.
3. Was ignorant about my errors
4. Got confident after getting 600 in gmatprep. Started believing that just continuing study for another couple of months will get me to 700+ level.

Preparation 2nd phase (score 550, Q 44, V 23)
Preparation started- June 2014 (Left my job to concentrate more on gmat)
Exam date- 14th January 2015
Prep duration – 7 months
Study hours- avg 35 hours/week

Materials used- Quant
Concept :: Gmat club math book and mgmat (revision)
Practice :: Completed OG 13 and Quant Review

Materials used – Verbal
Concept :: Mgmat Sc (revision)
Practice :: OG 13, Verbal Review, Gmat question pack 1 (SC and CR), gmat prep CR (a collection of 108 gmatprep questions found in gmatclub), gmatprep SC collection by sondenso

Mock Test
Mock 1- 27th Oct, 14 – gmatprep exam pack 1 – 660 (Q 48, V 34)
Mock 2- 25th Nov, 14 – gmatprep – 640 (Q 48, V 28)

Major Mistakes in 2nd phase (as per my understanding)
1. Did not prepare error logs.
2. Did not spend enough time to master questions. Just rushed to complete many materials
3. Hardly revised concept materials or erros before exam.
4. Did not sleep properly the day before the exam and felt tired during exam.
5. Did not have concrete strategy to tackle different type of questions.
6. Did not leave questions strategically during exam

Preparation 3rd Phase (Score 540 ! Q 41, V 24)
Preparation started- February, 2015
Exam date- 13th July, 2015
Prep Duration – 6 months
Study Hours – Avg 35 hours/week

Materials Used – Quant
Concept :: Mgmat 5 guides, Gmatclub math book (revised both)
Practice :: OG 13, Quant review, Previous CAT questions (created full error log consisting every question I made wrong or got correct accidentally)

Materials Used – Verbal
Concept :: Egmat (Verbal live prep)
Practice :: OG 13, Verbal review, Previous CAT questions (Created full SC error log)

Mock Tests
Mock 1 - 800score.com – score 620, Q 38, V 35
Mock 2 - 800score.com – score 710, Q 39, V 48 :!:
Mock 3 – 25th May- Gmatclub test – score 500 :!: Q 32, V 26
Mock 4 - 800score.com – score 680, Q 40, V42
Mock 5 – 10th June- MGMAT free test – score 580, Q 42, V 29
Mock 6 - 24th June –Veritas Free test – 610, Q 44, V 30
Mock 7 – Gmatprep exampack 1 (fresh)- 620, Q 45, V 30

Mistakes in 3rd phase (I’m not quite sure, but can be the following)
1. Not preparing error log for CR and RC
2. Not revising the existing error logs properly and mastering them
3. Not revising the concepts to the level of crystal clarity

I have attached the Enhanced score report (ESR) for the last two exams. I believe it will help the experts to get into my weakness more.


Hey Bakervai,

My first impression is that you focused on "mastering questions", not on "mastering concepts". Once your fundamentals are clear, you will be able to manage most questions on your own.

Since you asked me to take a look at your profile, I am assuming you know about my blog. Did you check out the posts I have put up? A lot of them discuss concepts - the 'why' of the matter, not just the 'how'.

I am sure you would have noticed that when you put in sufficient time, you are able to answer questions correctly. When you hurry, you answer incorrectly (if you are not skipping many questions). So I think time management is a problem. This means that you are probably using long winded approaches for most questions. So you might need to focus on smarter ways of solving the questions, not just ways of solving.

I see a big improvement in RC and a huge downfall in CR score. Any particular reason? I fail to see the reason for the downfall in CR since it is quite methodical so once you understand it, it shouldn't be difficult. Also, did you get passages more suited to your interest or are you comfortable with most passages now?

Error log is useful but more important is noting down takeaways - new learning, new concepts.

Here is what I suggest:

Get a private tutor according to your budget. He/she must have taken GMAT and scored well in it. You could very well ask a relative/friend to act as your tutor. What you need is someone who can take a look at what you are doing, how you are doing it and guide you on what you should do instead. Self study (a lot of it) is not giving you any improvement which means you must ask for outside help. Everyone studies differently. It's all about understanding what works for you. Sometimes, we keep doing the same thing again and again while expecting different results. If someone else points it out, it's a lightbulb moment and things start falling in place.

I hope this helps.
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Re: 550-550-540- Badly need your help experts ! [#permalink]
Hi Karishma

First of all, thanks a lot for your reply.

Did you check out the posts I have put up?
I have read a few posts from "Quarter wit quarter wisdom". They were really helpful. I used to read from your blog when a relevant problem arose, but I must admit I didn't focus much on reading many articles.

I am sure you would have noticed that when you put in sufficient time, you are able to answer questions correctly.
This is specially true for RC. When I take a minute or two more to read the passage, I found it easier to answer 3/4 questions without reading the passage again. But, I do have a weakness in CR. No matter how much I practice or analyze questions (which I have done for each and every OG 13 and verbal review question) my performance doesn't improve. It seems to be the Achilles heel for me.

you are probably using long winded approaches for most questions
For quant, I have always followed the shortest solving methods (that I'd be able to apply efficiently) provided by bunuel, you or other gmatclub experts.
For verbal, yeah, obviously I have all the problems one can face, including the approach issue. :(
During the last attempt, I learned the egmat CR,RC and SC approaches. But, seeing the result, I have to say that I wasn't able to execute properly.

I fail to see the reason for the downfall in CR since it is quite methodical so once you understand it
:( What can I say ? I completed the CR bible in first attempt. Understood all the concepts. It's not that I couldn't catch strategies. During the second and third attempt solved all the official questions spending huge time behind analyzing arguments and catching patterns. In the last attempt, followed the egmat process, which added value to my existing CR knowledge. Now, I'm totally clueless about what to do for CR improvement.

did you get passages more suited to your interest or are you comfortable with most passages now?
To be honest, I found the verbal section of actual gmat exam MORE DIFFICULT than the gmatprep one and FAR MORE DIFFICULT than official guide questions (both og13 and verbal review). This time around I got back to back RC passages (as far I remember) and they were very difficult. It's not that I'm comfortable with RC, but my observation says, my score in RC (official questions, other practice questions, mock tests) is better than I expect (!)


I've PMed you elaborating a few other issues. Please check
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Re: 550-550-540- Badly need your help experts ! [#permalink]
Expert Reply
Bakervai wrote:
Hi Karishma

First of all, thanks a lot for your reply.

Did you check out the posts I have put up?
I have read a few posts from "Quarter wit quarter wisdom". They were really helpful. I used to read from your blog when a relevant problem arose, but I must admit I didn't focus much on reading many articles.

I am sure you would have noticed that when you put in sufficient time, you are able to answer questions correctly.
This is specially true for RC. When I take a minute or two more to read the passage, I found it easier to answer 3/4 questions without reading the passage again. But, I do have a weakness in CR. No matter how much I practice or analyze questions (which I have done for each and every OG 13 and verbal review question) my performance doesn't improve. It seems to be the Achilles heel for me.

you are probably using long winded approaches for most questions
For quant, I have always followed the shortest solving methods (that I'd be able to apply efficiently) provided by bunuel, you or other gmatclub experts.
For verbal, yeah, obviously I have all the problems one can face, including the approach issue. :(
During the last attempt, I learned the egmat CR,RC and SC approaches. But, seeing the result, I have to say that I wasn't able to execute properly.

I fail to see the reason for the downfall in CR since it is quite methodical so once you understand it
:( What can I say ? I completed the CR bible in first attempt. Understood all the concepts. It's not that I couldn't catch strategies. During the second and third attempt solved all the official questions spending huge time behind analyzing arguments and catching patterns. In the last attempt, followed the egmat process, which added value to my existing CR knowledge. Now, I'm totally clueless about what to do for CR improvement.

did you get passages more suited to your interest or are you comfortable with most passages now?
To be honest, I found the verbal section of actual gmat exam MORE DIFFICULT than the gmatprep one and FAR MORE DIFFICULT than official guide questions (both og13 and verbal review). This time around I got back to back RC passages (as far I remember) and they were very difficult. It's not that I'm comfortable with RC, but my observation says, my score in RC (official questions, other practice questions, mock tests) is better than I expect (!)


I've PMed you elaborating a few other issues. Please check


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Re: 550-550-540- Badly need your help experts ! [#permalink]
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Hi Bakervai,

I read your story. Its something similar to me. It took me also more than 2 years to tame the GMAT beast. I think most of the experts have gave some good directions to work on. I just wanted to tell you - Don't give up, you can do it. All you need is a systematic approach to tackle all sorts of GMAT questions. Try to focus on those approaches and tactics.

Best Wishes!!!
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Re: 550-550-540- Badly need your help experts ! [#permalink]
HI SOURH7WK

Thanks. Your words meant a lot. Specially, seeing that you struggled at first but didn't lose hope and finally beat the exam, I'm feeling a vibe that "I can do it too". To be honest, I haven't seen many who had similar cases like mine. I read debrief of a chinese/japanese female who achieved her target score in the 4th attempt. She has been my inspiration so far ! Now you are also in that list :)
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Re: 550-550-540- Badly need your help experts ! [#permalink]

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