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jjomalls
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660 [#permalink] New post   24 May 2004, 07:59
Dont remember the exact breakdown, but Q/V scores were almost identical (at 80% each).

Unlike the first time, I was better prepped for the Quant this time around. Using the OG, as well as some problems from GMATClub (esp. the perm/comb guide), I was able to raise my quant score by 25% from the last test. Pretty standard stuff - % change problems, tricky absolute value, tricky mean/median/sd, coordinate geometry. No work , speed, or mixture problems. One easy probability and one very tough combination problem. However, if you KNOW the Official Guide (and not just the answers, but the concepts, and the 'methodology' behind ETS's thinking) then an 80%+ quant for you is definitely do-able.

After the quant section, I read through my scratch paper. I figured I had gotten 8-10 questions wrong (all after the first 10), and thought that probably 1/3 of them were experimental. I knew that, if I did well on verbal, I'd be home free.

Verbal seemed like a joke once again...or so I thought. I was convinced I had only gotten 1-2 questions wrong total for Verbal. But then the score of 660 showed up, with only an 80% in Verbal. I was shocked. To this day I still cannot figure out where I went wrong. I had read that getting a verbal/math question wrong very early on can hurt your score by 50-60 points - and I truly think this happened to me.

My Practice:
PR CAT 1: 650
PR CAT 2: 650
PR CAT 3: 700
PR CAT 4: 690
PR CAT 5: 710
Kaplan 1: 610

I also used the Crack-GMAT math tutorials and exercises, which I thought were great.

I got a 640 the first time around, with a 92% in V and a 57% in Q. I knew I had to boost the quant bigtime, so I did. However, I'm kicking myself for dropping 10+% in verbal.

I'm leaning toward taking it again ASAP. I want to break 700 (I'm targeting the top-10), and feel I'm literally only 2-3 questions away. 660 is in the ballpark, but I want some more insurance.

I've pretty much done all the prep I can do in math - now I need to do some more verbal practice problems.

Any advice? Does 3 times (And hopefully not 4) look bad to the schools?
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Praetorian
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[#permalink] New post   24 May 2004, 08:28
Hello Justin

First of all, congratulations for your score.

Whether or not to take it again, kindly pose this question to Linda and MBA Game Plan. They are the most qualified to answer your question. :)
If they do tell you that yes, take the GMAT again, then take a decision based on that.

meanwhile, here are some things that you might want to share with us.

1. Did you regularly time yourself in your prep?

2. I know i am asking this for the millionth time to our members :oops: , but did you keep a log of your errors?

3. Did you have a clear strategy for RC and CR? if yes, share it with us. maybe we can evaluate and find out more. I had the same feeling on verbal when i took GMAT. i ended up with a 39. i think you may be right, a couple of errors in the first 10-15 might have made the difference to your score.

4. Why do you think the errors in Math happened? i am assuming that time and pressure was the major factor...you did know the problems..the time and the pressure made the different , is this correct?

Again, first confirm with Linda and Game Plan whether to take the GMAT . In your post to them, explain your profile in a LOT of detail to Linda and MBA Game Plan. I am confident you will get good advice.

Finally, feel comfortable about sharing your problems. No one here is going to be insensitive about it. :)

Sincerely
Praet
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[#permalink] New post   24 May 2004, 09:07
Thanks for the kind words, Praet. Your site has been very helpful to me all along.

1) I must admit that I didnt practice as much for verbal this time around. It was probably 70% quant prep and 30% verbal prep. I did some SC and CR from the OG, and some online as well. I always timed myself when I did them. However, there was no error log for my verbal, nor any methodology. This probably hurt me - but I feel that verbal (aside from SC) is something you either know or you dont.

2) I did use an error log on the OG Math - and this proved invaluable. I reviewed any question I got wrong, or was unsure about, and went back and tried it again and again until I got it right. This really, really helped.

3) Almost no math Q on the test completely threw me for a loop. There was one difficult % change question that my mind went blank on, one very tricky Mean/SD question, and one very difficult Permutation problem. Other than that, I was pretty comfortable with most questions - the timing and stress made me hurry through a few others, so I guessed at them (probl. incorrectly)

4) Did you take the test multiple times?
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[#permalink] New post   Updated on: 26 May 2004, 08:39
jjomalls,

Depending on the school, the admissions committee may not know how many times you've taken the gmat until after you're accepted. Some schools only ask for your highest score. Only when they accept you and ask for official records would they know. I'm of course assuming that you do not elect to send your scores to the schools before taking the exam. I've never done that because I always want to know how I performed before sending a school my score.

If it's any consolation, I have a friend at Harvard who took the exam 4 times before getting accepted. He ended up with a 700 from a 540. I also know someone who got into MIT with a 620. My highest score is a 630 but I want to be closer to the average for most schools, that way I know that I gave my application my very best. If I apply with my 630 and do not get in, I know that I will be sad because I would always think that I could have done better.

Hang in there.

Originally posted by Makky07 on 24 May 2004, 09:54.
Last edited by Makky07 on 26 May 2004, 08:39, edited 1 time in total.
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Lucyloo
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[#permalink] New post   24 May 2004, 13:58
jjomalls, didn't you take a prep class? Did it help?
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[#permalink] New post   24 May 2004, 21:45
Keep your chin up jjomalls...we will all do it together.
If you are planning to apply for fall 2005...my personal opinion will be to go for a third attempt...it can be third time lucky...right...!
If you do decide to go for a third attempt...then plan out accordingly leaving atleast 4 months for your reco's and essays.

Hope this helps.

Wishes,
Vivek.
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jjomalls
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[#permalink] New post   25 May 2004, 12:05
Thanks Vivek. Are you planning to take it again?

The killer thing this time around is that I really dont know what I could have done better, aside from nailing a few of the really hard quant questions. Even had i done that, I dont believe I would have cracked 700+ thanks to the verbal.

Regardless, if you want to practice some more online and toss out some practice questions to each other, I am definitely game. I'm probably going to sign up this week to take it again during the first or second week of June.

Praetorian - what do you feel about taking it a third time? Any other suggestions at this point? I definitely dont want to lose my momentum...
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Praetorian
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[#permalink] New post   25 May 2004, 12:20
jjomalls wrote:

Praetorian - what do you feel about taking it a third time? Any other suggestions at this point? I definitely dont want to lose my momentum...


Its a good question to ask Linda and MBA game plan. They are experts, a rookie like me can only give you advice based on my gut feeling

Tell them the entire story, your profile, your experience, leadership and other, community service, gpa, etc...i am confident you will get better advice.

other suggestions. i really only request you to continue prepping. dont take a break now. ok? if linda and gameplan say dont take gmat, then you can always stop. but starting prep. after a break can be very difficult.

Sincerely
Praet
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