keep bombing the real exam though practice is >700

no for real. if you're scoring 700's and then scoring mid 600's on the GMAT then we got a problem. I understand that it's sometimed skewed a little bit but you took it 3 times and still did this? Something is wrong. I can understand if it was once or twice but three times? maybe it's just bad luck but i doubt it.

I know exactly what you mean. I first took the GMAT back in April'10 and scored a 460 (27V, 27Q). One month later, after no studying at all with the exception of taking two GMATprep exams i scored a 570 (30 V, 38 Q). After reviewing admissions trends, i decided it was in my best interest to take the GMAT for a third time and figured i should focus 100% of my efforts on quant since quant is a lot easier to improve on. i was a bit confused when on the actual exam i scored a 550 (39 V, 27 Q) and a 6.0 on my AWA, especially considering i did zero prep on verbal other than taking practice tests. Only thing i could thing of if i did manage to "figure out" the RC section before my last GMATprep and the score was pretty consistent (practice vs. actual), though the quant wasn't.

Anyway, i am planning on taking the GMAT for a 4th time in two weeks, my GMATprep scores have been between 600-650 and have averaged about a 620. We will see how i do this time around with zero studying.

I do believe there some truth to the negative correlation between studying and actual results. if you look at many folks who took actual GMATs it seems as if they get one "big jump" and the rest of their scored hover around a certain level.

true. I think a lot of people let their nerves get the best of them. For me, a lot of it is just about tricking myself into believing that this is just another mock exam and nothing to worry about. Will be taking it for my second time after getting a 430. Scoring in the same area of averaged 620. Highest has been 660.

I agree that people let their nerves get the best of them, I also believe you need to go into the GMAT with low expectations. People can't go into the GMAT expecting a certain score, there are too many variables that can't be accounted for during prep.

so true.

I'm averaging about 620 (like you) so I'm going in with the expectation of getting around that. Who knows, maybe higher maybe lower.

Hoping for the best but expecting the worst.

Dude, I am in a similar boat. April 2010 - 680, Prior to that was averaging 710 on the GMAT Preps. August 2010 - 690 where as I was averaging 750 on the GMAT Preps. The only difference is that I was not doing following the true test timings. I think endurance is a very important thing and nervousness + endurance does make a difference at the test. Also by now you have seen enough questions in the GMAT Prep so you are bound to get common. Scores will be off and dont trust them 100%. I recommend that you retake the Manhattan CAT's again under timed conditions and see what is going wrong.

again

so true. i went in with expecting a 690 since that was knewton's guarantee but got slightly higher.
I still believe studying is the key but if you reach a "plateau" in studying perhaps try a different method of information intake. Hire a tutor explain, take online courses etc to have the information shown to you differently. I mean i studied like 3 months or so with breaks for first test got a 640. i felt i read the books thoroughly so i decided on an online course and the live explanation clicked for me - at least got me to understand the verbal basics and i got my score increase. If i kept hitting my head against the wall by re-reading the books I doubt I wouldve gone anywhere - so in that aspect studying wouldnt have helped....

How did you improve your Verbal so dramatically: from 29 to 39? Is it Knewton's help?