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Horrible practice test, now in full panic mode

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eazyb81
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Horrible practice test, now in full panic mode [#permalink] New post   11 Sep 2006, 06:32
Hey guys, I just need to vent a little bit, and could certainly use some inspiration....

Quick background story: I originally planned to enroll in a local business school this fall, and I needed to take the GMAT to finalize my enrollment. It is a solid regional school, but certainly not a top school, and I knew I only needed around 500 to get accepted. I signed up to take the GMAT in June, and the only preparation I did beforehand was one GMATPrep practice test (scored 590). On the actual test, I ended up scoring 610 (39Q, 36V).

Long story short, I decided that I would not enroll in the local program this fall, but rather put in some serious effort to try and get a better score and get in to a top program. Since the beginning of July, i've been studying using Kaplan Premier 07, Kaplan 800, and OG 11th edition. I am working full-time, but I have been diligent in my efforts and have been putting in 2-3 hours of studying every weekday and 4-6 hours each weekend day.

I am signed up to retake the GMAT on 9/18, and I am almost finished with the OG (have finished the other two books). I decided that I would take 6 GMATPrep practice tests in the last week or so before the actual test so I could gauge my progress and also become comfortable with the length of the test. I took my first practice test last night and scored.......600 (42Q, 31V).

Right now I am truly devastated and I don't know what to do. I'm not sure if I should keep going or just give up. I was certain that I had improved in all aspects of the GMAT, but apparently it was all a mirage. I had a lot of stress yesterday from a variety of sources (girlfriend was sick, car problems, computer problems before practice test, Chiefs lost....), but i'm not sure that would totally explain this disaster.

I have the feeling that I have wasted the past three months of my life, and I feel like a fool for putting in all this work for nothing. I'm really not sure what I am going to do from here, I guess I will probably keep going since i've gone this far, but I am distraught and I feel like a failure.

Sorry for the depressing post, but like I said I just need to vent.
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uvs_mba
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Horrible practice test, now in full panic mode [#permalink] New post   11 Sep 2006, 07:25
easyb81,

First of all don't loose heart by looking at your practice scores. Since you know you got a 600. Trust me it does feel like that all this time is a waste but its really not. Like others have mentioned, conquering the GMAT requires a lot of time and practice........

Do you see what your weaknesses are? I would say start focusing on them and keep on taking the practice test. If by middle of this week you don't feel comfortable or even now, and if you think you can improve( which I am pretty sure everyone can, it just requires tons and tonnssss of practice), please re-schedule your exam for atleast a month later. If you are planning to apply to top schools, you can work on your applications on the side or just get the beast out of the way and you will still have a chance to make it to round 2 of most good schools.

Good luck!
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tkkoh
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[#permalink] New post   11 Sep 2006, 08:34
Look, I had a few 500s for my practice test weeks before the actual day. And I got a 750.

Don't take your practice test scores too seriously (especially if they are from kaplan).
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eazyb81
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[#permalink] New post   11 Sep 2006, 11:04
Thanks for the encouragement uvs_mba and tkkoh, I really appreciate it.

This practice test was a shock to me, but maybe this is telling me I need to improve in some basic fundamental areas. The Verbal score continues to baffle me, as I don't see why I would score that much worse than before I began to study for the GMAT (i'm thinking the primary culprit is a caffeine crash, as I drank a Red Bull and can of Coke before I started the test).

However, the Quant score proves that I have a few areas where I really need to focus, most importantly Number Properties. I've never grasped NP and have tried to avoid it, but it seems to be the basic building block of Quant i'm going nowhere unless I master it.
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