700...a dream or an achievable target?

Kaplan's scores are not accurate.

Go to GMAT Score Estimator/Calculator and get an estimate of your GMAT performance.

Thats a marketing gimmick....Kaplan typically gives you lower score so that you get scared and join their course....
The closest I can suggest is Manhattan Gmat... you can give it a a shot

MGMAT scores are not reliable either. ManhattanGMAT is a great company and their resources are excellent (I used them and recommend it to all test takers) but their CATs are inaccurate. Real scores and ones from MGMAT CATs have 0 correlation.

I've experience the same thing on my diagnostics.

My very first diagnostic from REA gave me a 680, it made me feel good but made me suspicious of its accuracy. I then went on to take numerous other diagnostics as practice, with scores varying from 300 (completely out of my mind that day) to 720 (what the heck?!)... so right now I really don't know what to think.

If GMATPrep tests are supposed to be somewhat accurate, then it does not bode well for me. I'm shooting for a 700 as well, but my two GMATPrep tests were 680 & 660, respectively. Am I getting better or worse?!?

Based just on the info you provided - I suppose you are somewhere near 700. It's probably closer to 680 from Test 1 than to 660. The reason is verbal that is slightly tougher on Gprep 2. What was your splits in those two tests?

I've attempted the exam twice with a score of 620 and 600 resp.

But something inside just does not want to give up...

I have read a lot about the drawbacks of giving gmat multiple times. will my dream to do an mba with a great gmat score remain a dream?

Well... I'm glad someone has some optimism for me. My split on Gprep 2 was Q: 44, V: 37 (37 or 36... my memory is selectively leaning towards 37 at the moment) for a total of 660. I forgot my split on Gprep 1 (but the total was 680), & my software/windows in general is currently glitching (I might have to reformat my PC).

This is a little embarrassing, since I'm a liberal arts major (international affairs), I wrote papers for a living during undergrad, so verbal should be more of a cakewalk.

Well don't feel embarrassed, none of these sections are a cakewalk (well for most us). I am a math major and on my first prep exam I scored Q42 or something like that. It is important to learn the tricks and the rules.

There are probably many tricks and rules that you have forgotten over the years and they'll come back to you. If you scored 680 on GMAT prep 1 I think 700 is well within your reach.

Try this for a change. Many people who are comfortable with advanced level math scores sub-Q45-ish in GMAT Q section because he or she isn't familiar with Data Sufficiency.

This was my issue when I scored Q44 on GMAT…I didn't practice DS section enough. Even after I got into the bschools, I almost retook GMAT in case the employers wanted to know my Q score on GMAT. (I decided that it wasn't worth the trouble in the end) I grabbed Math OG guide and did every single problem in the DS section in the back twice. Then I did GMATPrep again for math section only and scored Q48.

So see if DS is the reason why your Q score isn't up there around Q48-50 range. Hopefully that can push your GMAT score to 700 level.

First of all, thanks for everyone's encouragement...

Secondly...



I see on your profile column that you scored a 50(!!!!) on your verbal, what was your trick? How did you study for verbal?

I don't see why anyone shoud be pesimistic of your test performance? You have 660-680 on GMATprep and you are going to convert that in some 650-700 in your real exam. Not bad at all. With some medium-intensity studying for a while, 50 points increase is somehow expected. So, if you want 700+, just sit and learn - you are very close to that goal.

Absolutely do not give up. You can reach your desired level with the right prep. Hang in there..you have support here.

Just to set the expectations...

To be honest, I don't think gmat preps are all that great either, but regardless, it's the best thing out there. However, I found my test day questions to be WAY harder than the actual test. Maybe I just got unlucky, and got the questions I didn't know how to solve. Maybe I was just extra nervous. I remember getting 4-5 sequence questions, which I hate, and I was like what the f, and then wanted to smash the screen

So good practice score does not necessarily translate to good test day score. I believe the gmat prep vs test day variance is +/-50 points, which I think is massive. Most of the time, it's on the MINUS side.

At the end of the day, your test day performance will depend on many factors, not just whether you know the material or not. Test day jitters, stomach aches, stupid sequence questions, lack of sleep from the night before, or whatever it may be. You can prepare as best you can, but there's just somethings that's out of your control, such as having diarrhea in the middle of the math section (definitely not a great start, but this happened to my friend)

Don't want to be negative, but just wanted to set some expectations.

Good luck with your studies!

bigfernhead..I have seen your personalized icon many times, but this is the first time I actually "looked" at it...it definitely made me laugh.....

I agree with what you said...there are many Cy Young pitchers who go out on the mount one day and get slaughtered in the first inning.

I personally got off on the wrong track during my 1st GMAT CAT...and found it difficult to mentally recover. However, having failed the CFA exam, and gotten back up to look it in the face and stab it in the heart, I know that persistence eventually pays off..But you are right, there are many factors that can play against you during any test, so you better be prepared to deal with their outcomes.