GMAT - The Biggest Failure of My Life

Question

Hi everyone,

After my fourth failed GMAT attempt, I have decided to share my tryst with this exam with my GMAT peers. It might be too long a post but please bear with me.

My GMAT journey began in Jan 2021 after I realized that despite scoring a 99+ percentile in CAT, I still wasn't deemed good enough to get a call from the top 3 IIMs in India - A,B and C, let alone bagging a seat there. Since I was working at one of the Big 3 in consulting and sick of the rat race of CAT, I decided to chuck B-schools and set my eyes on an international MBA.

I purchased e-GMAT and started to prep after giving the first free e-GMAT mock wherein I scored a 640 to set my baseline. Owing to my CAT prep days and engineering background, Quant was never a challenge. As I was completing the course over a period of 3 months, I realized that I wasn't prepped enough to take my first attempt and bought the Top One Percent GMAT course too. Meanwhile I attempted the e-GMAT mocks in the months of May and June. My scores were the following - 
Sigma X Mock 1 - 640 in Jan 2021
Sigma X Mock 2 - 640 in Mar 2021 (that's when I decided to take Top One Percent) 
Sigma X Mock 3 - 750 in 2nd week of June 2021
Sigma X Mock 4 - 750 on 26th June 2021
Sigma X Mock 5 - 720 on 29th June 2021 (at night post a full working day)

Despite the last 3 scores, which should ideally have given me confidence, I didn't book the test date as I wanted to be even better prepared so that I could ace a 750+ score, a basic requirement for anyone from an overrepresented pool aiming for the M7. I took another month to prepare, this time solely leveraging the Top One Percent material. I didn't renew my e-GMAT subscription after the 6 month period ended on 1st of July since I felt that their questions were on the easier side and followed a predictable pattern though I was doing as well as the 750 and above scorers from e-GMAT when I compared my stats in Scholaranium to those of others (as per the video interviewers of top performers) who had aced the exam.

Before booking the date, I gave the first 2 free GMAT prep mocks and scored a 760 (Q51 V40 - with 3 verbal questions done previously) and 770 (Q51 V42 - with 2 verbal questions done previously). That's when I booked the date for Mid-Aug and took the Online GMAT at 10pm. My exam began at 12 midnight owing to some technical glitches but I went ahead and started with Quant first, which felt like a breeze, and then began Verbal at around 1:15 am. I froze looking at the first SC question and then due to some technical glitches here and there I felt that I wasn't able to focus properly. The exam ended at 3:30 am and I scored a 680 (Q50 V32). I felt that the delay and technical issues led to that abysmal score but deep down I knew that my prep wasn't OG focused as the pattern of questions I had practiced felt different from those asked in the verbal section in the exam.

For the next 2 months I kept myself focused to the official material for GMAT and LSAT only and practiced more questions. I gave a few mocks and got the following scores - 
Veritas free mock - 690 (Q50 V35) 
Kaplan free mock - 730 (Q51 V37) 
GMAT Whiz free mock - 720 (Q51 V36) 
Expertsglobal free mock - 750 (Q50 V41)

I booked the date for last week of Oct 2021 at the center this time. Started with Quant again that went like a breeze. Post that when I began Verbal I froze at the first question again. It seemed like a very hard SC question which I couldn't understand at all even after spending more than 2 minutes (generally I solved the 600 level SC questions within 1 minute easily). I somehow selected an option that made most sense. The next SC question seemed even tougher and I wasted 2 more minutes without being confident about my answer choice. The third was a CR question which again seemed very hard and I guessed and moved on. The first RC I failed to grasp completely and was taking educated guesses. Towards the 10th question, I started gathering some momentum and was able to make some sense of the content written on the screen but I had spent more than 22 min already. I knew I was stuck in a vortex but I tried to maintain my calm and accelerated. With 12 min remaining, I was at question 26 which was an RC. I mostly took educated guesses in the last 10 questions to complete the exam on time, knowing I had maybe screwed up. The final scorecard read 690 (Q51 V30). I was devastated. I got my ESR and noticed that the performance in SC > RC > CR. Needless to say, CR requires the most concentration and thinking which my dumbed down brain couldn't handle during the test. RC too requires focus which eluded me.

The next 4 months I disassociated myself from GMAT. I knew I had to rework on my test taking skills and not freeze during the verbal section to the extent that my brain stopped registering what was written on the screen. That's when I stumbled upon meditation music and affirmations that decrease anxiety and relax the mind. I tried to make this a part of my routine too. Meanwhile, I was looking for a switch to the VC side so was working on that bit. Once I had finalized the fund I was to join, I decided that I'll attempt the GMAT once again during my notice period. This time I changed my strategy a bit and began to practice sub 600 and 600-700 level questions mostly (assumption here was that the first question is generally 600 level and maybe I am screwing the easier questions but not the difficult ones), unlike the last times when my focus was majorly on the 700 level questions since I assumed that if I can solve the harder ones correctly I can solve the easier ones too. My Veritas prep scores are below:
Veritas Mock 2 - 680 (Q50 V34)
Veritas Mock 3 - 700 (Q50 V35)
Veritas Mock 4 - 720 (Q50 V37)
Veritas Mock 5 - 740 (Q50 V40)
Veritas Mock 6 - 760 (Q50 V43)

I felt that the Veritas Mocks were the toughest ones out there, maybe tougher than the actual GMAT, so I bought them and attempted them every Sunday evening at the same time when I was going to take the GMAT. I booked the exam again at the center. I started with Quant again but this time I was struggling to complete the exam on time but managed to pull through in the last minute. I went to the washroom in the break and prayed to God to not let me screw up this time. Owing to that I got a bit late and this time had 63 minutes to complete verbal. The first SC question again stumped me and the downward spiral began again. The first 10 questions took more than 20 minutes of my time and I barely understood what was written. Needless to say, there were a few guesses. Towards the middle part of the section I gathered some confidence and momentum. Again I was at the final RC on the 26th question with 12-13 minutes remaining. Not to my surprise I had the same climax as that of my previous two attempts and ended up with a 680 (Q50 V33). I was clueless as to how and why my brain dumbs down as soon as verbal starts and even SC, my strongest subsection, takes me lot of time to solve and even then I am not sure about what I mark (especially in the first and second quarter). CR and RC just become so difficult to understand and comprehend that I am mostly making educated guesses after re-reading the argument/passage multiple times and playing keyword matching.

After the 3rd failed attempt, I decided to take another shot at it before I quit the firm. I knew that VC wouldn't give me ample time to prepare and I really wanted to get this devil called GMAT off my head before I start a new job. I realized that I have massive test day anxiety that could only be cured by taking numerous mocks in exactly the same condition and same time slot. I purchased expertsglobal mocks this time and took 2 mocks with scores 740 (Q51 V39) and 700 (Q49 V36). I still wasn't sure after this performance if I should go ahead and take another GMAT attempt so I decided to alter my preparation strategy again before another attempt.

I took a break from GMAT for the first few months to get accustomed to the new role and began the prep seriously in August. The job was quite taxing so and there was no work from home, as was the case earlier, so I would daily practice 5-10 questions of each SC, CR and RC for about an hour or two. This time I didn't focus on the quantity but on quality of learning. I began to write down in an excel sheet as to why I rejected an option and why I selected an option. I again restricted myself to official content and maintained an error log and accuracy across easy, medium and hard questions. I felt much more confident preparing this way even though I wasn't solving too many questions. I also changed my lifestyle and began exercising and meditating often. At the same time, I attempted a few more expertsglobal mocks with the following scores - 
Mock 4 - 760 (Q50 V42) - 28th Aug 2022
Mock 5 - 720 (Q50 V36) - 4th Sep 2022
Mock 6 - 730 (Q50 V38) - 11th Sep 2022
Mock 7 - 740 (Q50 V40) - 18th Sep 2022
Mock 8 - 760 (Q50 V43) - 24th Sep 2022
Mock 9 - 740 (Q49 V41) - 25th Sep 2022
E-gmat Sigma X free mock - 750 (Q47 V44) - 9th Oct 2022{Here Q47 was an outlier since I had never scored this low ever}

I booked the Online exam for the 16th Oct. This time I feel I was the best prepared. My mock scores were consistent and at an all time high. Moreover, I was practicing visualization almost every day in which I would sit peacefully at the chair I was going to attempt my exam and close my eyes to visualize the entire test day experience right from the time I first hear the proctor's voice. I would recall all the questions I had solved during the mocks in a GMAT like UI/UX and solve them. I used to take an hour or so to carry out this visualization exercise and literally solve the entire Quant and Verbal section in my head. Towards the end of AWA, I would picturize myself getting a 770 and feel the joy after seeing that score pop up on my screen.

On the D day, I woke up in the morning with a slight fever. This had become a recurring theme before all my previous attempts so I disregarded it. I solved a few SC, CR and RC questions to gather some momentum. My test began at the same time when I used to attempt my mocks. I completed Quant with some hiccups but I knew I'd get another Q50 since my Quant's performance had become very predictable. I went to the washroom in the break and prayed my heart out that my verbal goes well and I don't have to attempt GMAT ever again. But fate had other plans. The same cycle repeated all over again. I couldn't understand how to solve the first SC question and got stuck between two options. Took a guess and moved on to the next SC question where I again got stuck between two options. Took another 2.5 minutes to make a guess and then the next CR question confused me. The first RC went over my head and I reread the passage atleast 3 times to answer the questions again with skepticism. I was literally sweating profusely at that moment and took a few seconds to wipe off my forehead. The rest of the exam was like a deja vu experience and I was reliving my earlier attempts. Again when 12 minutes remained I was on my final RC at the 26th question. My heart sank again for I knew I would meet with the same fate. I let go at this instant of any expectation out of this attempt and solved freely. At the end of the next hour or so, the screen popped up with a 700 (Q50 V35) and I felt emotionless since I knew I didn't get to my target score again.

I am extremely confused as to what I should do next. All the 4 attempts had the same pattern in verbal and despite tweaking the preparation strategy before every attempt, my score barely changed. I have to apply next year for the 2024 intake but at 700 I know I wouldn't get into any of the premier B schools because I belong to an overrepresented pool. I am quite curious to know if anyone else has ever had similar experiences and if there's even a way for me to get out of this rut or maybe I am destined to screw up each and every time no matter how much I practice.

Thanks to everyone who read till the end. I really had to get this off my chest. Your help will be really valuable so please let me know how I can get rid of the same experience every time.

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi AnDh.

I realize that it's a drag to have prepared so diligently only to score below target three times, but it's also the case that, with that V35, you achieved your personal best verbal score and are closing in on your score goal. So, in a way, things are looking good. Progress is always encouraging!

Your situation reminds me a bit of that of TTP user GMAT Club member dcummins who scored 620, 620, 610 before breaking 700 and getting into his dream school.

Regarding verbal specifically, how have your accuracies been for easy, medium, and hard verbal practice questions?

AD79910842 · Answer

HI  MartyTargetTestPrep ,

Really appreciate your response.

Overall RC accuracy after solving 236 questions from official material and getting 194 correct (Before the latest attempt) is in the below table:

Number of questions for each type mentioned in the bracket

Total
(13) (34) (95) (31) (58) (236)
Application Evaluation Inference Main Idea Supporting Overall 
61.54% 88.24% 73.68% 87.10% 94.83% 82.20%
 
Hard 
(8) (14) (43) (14) (19) (99) 
Application Evaluation Inference Main Idea Supporting Overall 
62.50% 71.43% 48.84% 71.43% 94.74% 64.65%
 
Medium 
(2) (8) (31) (7) (16) (64) 
Application Evaluation Inference Main Idea Supporting Overall 
100.00% 100.00% 93.55% 100.00% 87.50% 87.50%
 
Low 
(3) (12) (21) (10) (23) (73) 
Application Evaluation Inference Main Idea Supporting Overall 
33.33% 100.00% 95.24% 100.00% 100.00% 95.89%

For SC my accuracy is below as per the expertsglobal mocks - 
Easy - 94.12% (32/34 total attempted) 
Medium - 85.71% (36/42 total attempted)
Hard - 65% (26/40 total attempted)

For CR my accuracy is below as per the expertsglobal mocks - 
Easy - 76.19% (16/21 total attempted) 
Medium - 78.79% (26/33 total attempted)
Hard - 55.56% (20/36 total attempted)

For RC my accuracy is below as per the expertsglobal mocks - 
Easy - 84.62% (22/26 total attempted) 
Medium - 68.42% (26/38 total attempted)
Hard - 68.52% (37/54 total attempted)

If only the official material is taken into account, my accuracy would be a bit higher for CR and SC than these numbers above, especially for easy CR questions which is close to 90%

bb · Answer

Hi. Sorry about not hitting your score. However, I think your expectations are wrong. yes it is nice to know the certainty and the good fuzzy feeling that your answer is correct but that does not work on verbal for the GMAT. Maybe it’s just me, but in my experience, scoring above verbal 40 feels like a drunk sailor, stumbling around. It feels like you’re failing. It feels like you have to take a guess and the reason is that you are at the peak of your abilities and if you guessed correctly, you go beyond your peak... I thought I was failing.

What you cannot do is think or worry about anything other than the question in front of you. You cannot wander or think about your performance. It’s a dangerous and wasteful activity and you have to block it out.

You also have to be aware of the time that you have. As you probably noticed, no time in the world will usually help you get the correct answer if you did not get it in the first 30 or 45 seconds or perhaps a minute. It doesn’t help to stare at that question, so I would move on if you cannot figure it out and not waste time you can use for the use elsewhere. This is what it may be coming down to. 🤷‍♂️

Posted from my mobile device

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

700 (Q50 V35)

You have some stellar Quant scores Q50/Q51. If you focus on Verbal, don't let those skills rust. For Verbal, if you feel your fundamentals are solid, consider working your solving approach. May boost your score a bit. Perhaps work with a study buddy. There's a study buddy thread on gmatclub by the way.

Again when 12 minutes remained I was on my final RC at the 26th question.

Consider using time markers to keep your time management on point.

Here's someone who went from a low V30 to a V40. Might be some helpful insight you can leverage. All the best.

https://gmatclub.com/forum/gmat-online- ... 68599.html

vv65 · Answer

AnDh Sorry to hear about your GMAT experiences. There may be some gaps and problems in your preparation for verbal. Specifically, it's not clear whether you have worked enough with official questions and the official GMATPREP practice tests. Still, your main problem seems to be the mental pressure. Here's the story of a 12th grade student and her SAT tests this year-- The student gave her first attempt in March and her score was much lower than in practice tests. She pulled herself together and went all out to prepare for a second attempt in August. This time she worked hard, tracked errors, focused on weak points, and basically did everything that needed to be done. It didn't work. The August score was just a little higher than the first score

She registered for the October exam, but she had given up on the SAT. Between the August results and the October test, she gave just two practice tests and she revised the rules for grammar and Maths. She decided that the SAT wasn't for her and that she would not apply to any college that needed a score. That was her frame of mind in the October test. And this time the score was spectacular: 99 percentile level for Verbal and 95 percentile in Mathematics (her weaker area). So you may do better if you didn't feel that so much was riding on the exam, if you did not care so much about the result. Posted from my mobile device

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi AnDh,

BB has provided some fantastic advice. In fact, that advice is true for the quant section as well. On the GMAT, you just don't have enough time to be 100 percent certain of every answer So, you need to change your mindset to be OK with being 70 or 80 percent certain with certain answers to questions. If you can do this, I think it will really help you to improve your GMAT score.

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

I'm not 100 percent sure what the significance of those stats is, but if those CR and RC stats near the bottom of the table are pretty close to your overall accuracy in CR and RC, then, to achieve your score goal, you have to achieve higher accuracy in CR and RC practice questions.

Also, if I have it right, I just noticed that you took only two official practice tests and mostly third-party practice tests. If that's correct, then you should take more official practice tests.

So, I think your moves are the following.

First, practice untimed and increase your CR and RC accuracy to at least the following levels when you do practice questions untimed.

Easy - 95%
Medium - 90%
Hard - 80%

Then, work on answering verbal questions faster while maintaining high accuracy, though you don't have to maintain quite the above accuracies timed.

Then, take more official practice tests.

For some insights into how to practice for best results, see these posts.

Three Key Practice Tips for Mastering GMAT Verbal

The Best GMAT Practice Methods

For some insights into how to maximize your verbal score, see this one.

How to Score High on GMAT Verbal

egmat · Answer

Hey AnDh

Thank you for sharing your prep journey in so much detail. I’m very sorry for the suffering you‘ve been through. It’s truly heartbreaking to see our scores not improve after putting in so much effort to get there. And it’s even more frustrating to score low when we know we deserve a high score. I am hopeful this response will give you some insight into the best way to proceed further.

From what you’ve shared, I’ve been able to make three salient observations.

You’re ready for and capable of a 750+

You’ve consistently scored 720+ in our mocks, and even in Veritas and Experts’ Global mocks. It’s one thing to fluke it, it’s another to be consistent. Quite frankly, it’s not possible to score this high repeatedly without having a command on the concepts and skills. And I say this especially because we, and many other GMAT test prep companies, design mocks that are a notch harder than the actual GMAT. We do this so that our students are prepared for anything the exam can throw at them. So, I’m quite confident when I say, you’ve got this!

You seem to suffer from Exam Anxiety

Why is it your D-Day performance is beneath expectations, that too repeatedly? It appears you suffer from nerves or exam anxiety. During your exam, you start worrying about unnecessary things, and it’s all downhill from there. Let's look at the facts.

You begin to gather momentum 5 to 10 questions into your section. Your brain fogs up and you’re unable to make sense of what’s written. Ask yourself, does this happen even when you write mocks? I doubt it. So, what’s causing this? Worry!

During the test, you probably find yourself constantly worrying whether you're going to make it this time, whether the question makes sense, whether you’re taking too much time, and so on and so forth. In short, you're concentrating on everything other than the question at hand.

Another reason is you’re probably giving the GMAT too much importance. You need to remind yourself that the GMAT is just an exam, like any other. It is not a measure of your worth, nor does it decide your fate. Giving it more importance than it deserves only ruins your chances of cracking it. You’re geared to face much bigger challenges in life related to your MBA and your career. You don’t need to stress over an exam like the GMAT. You need to approach it as you do any mock: calm and relaxed. Maybe even try to have fun while you’re at it.

You believe you need to answer every question correctly to score high.

You mentioned that you began to panic the moment you couldn’t see through the first question, and that that affected your performance throughout the section from thereon. You need to understand that you do NOT need to get every question right to score high on the GMAT. Even those who score a V46 or V47 get questions wrong. The GMAT Algorithm is adaptive. As long as you get the doable questions right, it’s okay if you’re unable to solve a few.

What should be your approach moving forward?

1. Stop giving the GMAT so much importance. It’s just an aptitude test. Write it as you would any mock.

2. Destigmatize making mistakes on the GMAT. You are allowed to let a few slip, so long as they are tough ones. The GMAT Algorithm will keep throwing tough ones at you so long as you remain in that score band. And the GMAT always checks for false positives and false negatives.

3. Study the attached ESR. This student scored a 770 with a V42. Look at the number of questions the student answered incorrectly and still managed a V42. He got a couple or so of the toughest questions wrong in each of the first three blocks and still ended up with a V42.

4. Practice with diligence before your next attempt. Judging from your accuracy metrics, it appears there’s still scope for improvement in RC. And once there’s a prep-gap, it’s always prudent to get back in shape before your next attempt. This would entail rigorous testing for at least one or two weeks before the exam.

5. Don’t switch through multiple resources. Pick one reliable resource and then stick to it. That’s all you need.

6. Prepare for a tough exam and the actual exam won’t surprise you.

7. Remember your training. As long as you apply what you learned during practice to your exam, you will end up with a high score, even if you let go of a few bouncers. But for that to happen, you’re going to have to concentrate on the ball, and nothing else.

If you wish to get on a call with us to discuss, please reach out to us at support@e-gmat.com

We wish you the best for your next attempt!

Good luck!

Abhishek

SME & Product Creator

e-GMAT

Attachments

770 ESR (2).pdf [470.7 KiB]
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GSBCoach · Answer

You are quite a GMAT warrior. I admire your grit!

I agree that it seems like exam anxiety. Nevertheless, 700 is a good enough score for most business schools. 
It might be below the average of top schools, but those programs mainly use the GMAT and your GPA as a way of ensuring that you will be able to handle some of the quantitative classes.

It's best if you figure out which school you want to go to, understand their requirements deeply and focus on your energy on delivering a persuasive application. 
Without good essays, rec letters and Interview, even a 780 GMAT won't help.

Please read " You are way more than your GMAT score " (which is already impressive!).

Good luck!

AD79910842 · Answer

Thanks a lot Scott, really appreciate your words here! Just as in practice tests I was almost 100% sure about my answers, in actual GMAT I never felt so. I will incorporate this in my next attempt certainly

AD79910842 · Answer

HI  vv65  , thanks for your response to my post. I have majorly worked with official questions, especially before this attempt. I feel that the GMAT prep tests are way easier than the actual GMAT and other 3rd party tests and the same hypothesis was validated by my peers when they attempted their GMAT and had a 40-50 point gap between actual and GMAT prep scores so I didn't rely much on them. Moreover, I feel that since I have practiced so many official questions already, I might see a few of them during these mocks, a scenario that might boost my mock scores.

On the other hand, thanks for sharing the story above. It indeed is inspiring to observe the fact that sometimes letting of any expectations leads to fulfilment of those expectations. I have certainly begun the process of letting go the importance of this exam in my head. But it's easier said than done so might take me some time to change my attitude. Hoping for the best though!

AD79910842 · Answer

Hi Abhishek, thanks for your insights and observations on my situation. Really appreciate the time you took to write a detailed diagnosis of my problem. I'll reach out to the e-gmat team over the next few days to discuss the same.

Thank you!

AD79910842 · Answer

Hi  bb , thanks a lot for that advice. I was of the opinion that even for the Hard 700+ level questions, a majority of the 740+ scorers were almost 100% sure about the option they were choosing and why it was the right option too. Generally, on the mocks I am aware of the exact reasoning as to why the option I am choosing is the right one and I do so with full conviction. On the GMAT, even on the type of questions I have done before and aced in the past, I am mostly double checking and trying to be super sure of what I mark. I feel that atleast in the first 10 questions if I take more than necessary time but get all correct, then I will ace the exam since the first 10 questions are somewhat below 700 level and play a pivotal role in ensuring stability of the score to a certain level. However, during the exam, I somehow feel that first 10 questions are clearly not below 700 level yet I spend extra time to ensure that I got zero incorrect. But I am sure I still make mistakes in the first 10.

Learning about the drunk sailor like scenario that exists even for an expert like you gives me a bit confidence that utmost certainty and perfectionism won't fetch results but speed with reasonable certainty will.

Thank you

AD79910842 · Answer

HI  MartyTargetTestPrep  ,

I have majorly worked with official questions, especially before this attempt. I somehow found that the GMAT prep tests way easier than the actual GMAT and other 3rd party tests and so thought that I will receive inflated scores post attempting GMAT prep tests.

For the stats in the table aspect , under timed circumstances for RC official questions (practiced about 240 questions) , my accuracy is: 
Hard - ~65% 
Medium - 87.5%
Easy - ~96%

For CR under timed circumstances and official questions (practiced about 300 questions), my accuracy is : 
Hard - 55% 
Medium - 80%
Easy - 95%

I define 'timed' by the fact that I used to make Official question based mocks of 12 SC, 12 CR questions and 4 RCs (roughly used to add upto 40-45 questions in the mock test since number of questions per RC were more than 4) that I need to solve in a certain period (1 min 49 seconds * Number of questions in that test = Total time for that self created mock with a mix of 600-700 and 700+ level questions).

Also do you recommend using LSAT based questions for CR and RC? I believe I have completed a substantial number of official questions so might need new material. For LSAT, I have observed that the RC questions' answer options aren't as twisted as in the case of GMAT and that conditional logic and parallel reasoning is asked a lot in LSAT but not in GMAT.

Let me know your thoughts on the above.

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

I believe I have completed a substantial number of official questions so might need new material.

Consider checking out the Online only question banks available through the mba website. There are two practice sets.

For CR under timed circumstances and official questions (practiced about 300 questions), my accuracy is :
Hard - 55%

How to get better at Critical Reasoning. Use the negation technique on GMAT assumption questions.

Here's a CR Assumption question that some people may find a bit tough. Consider learning the technique above in case you haven't already. May help you get through some of the answer choices a bit quicker on similar questions in the future.

vv65 · Answer

Actually the GMATPREP tests aren't easier than the real tests.

GMATPREP tests can feel easier for two reasons. One is the relative absence of test pressure. The second reason is that you have already been exposed to the questions! That can happen even if you have never done the tests, because many third-party questions are thinly disguised versions of GMATPREP questions. Or put it this way: to some extent, prep companies materials prepare you for the GMATPREP tests.

Were their scores in third-party tests closer to the real GMAT scores? That hasn't been your experience

Posted from my mobile device

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

Your RC accuracies are high enough, but probably, to hit your score goal, you need to achieve higher practice accuracy in CR.

Since you're shooting for 750+, shoot for 90%+ in medium and 80%+ in hard CR questions.

Yes, you can learn a lot by using LSAT questions. One of the main things you need to learn to do is execute well, and you can learn that using LSAT CR and RC questions even though they're not exactly like GMAT CR and RC questions.

Also, there are two sets of official practice questions available on mba.com. You likely haven't seen the questions in those sets if you've been practicing with OG questions.

rebecarec · Answer

Hey mate, I understand you’re trying to build a strong application with this great grade on GMAT, but there’s more than that on your application.
Get a sufficient score, and focus on building the best application possible. Your gmat score is just a part of the application, build a strong storytelling on your application and focus on what matters = your future. Gmat is just a step to it.

Best wishes for the next test, do it and move forward. 🤘🏻

Posted from my mobile device

freemanfanmao · Answer

As someone who has taken the GMAT more times than you did, whose best score is lower than yours, and who will keep taking it no matter what until he reaches his target score, I believe I may have a thing or two to share with you.

In fact I echo your experience so much that I don't even know where to start LOL. I think it's pretty clear that you are capable of achieving your target score academically, plus there are way more experts in this forum who can help you in that regard than I could, so I'll speak more from a mental standpoint. You titled this post saying GMAT is the biggest failure of your life, first I think you gave this little test called GMAT way too much credit, second, I think it might very well be quite the opposite. Not only GMAT might not be your biggest failure, this whole experience in fact might be your biggest asset when you look back, say, 10 years from now. You learn nothing from getting a perfect 800 on your very first try, but you can learn a ton lot more if you had to put in the time, the effort, and the struggle in getting the score you want. Like people always say, it's not about the result, it's about the journey. If it were so easy, why even bother doing it? What satisfaction or learning do you even get out of it? One well-known athlete once said, "If you don't go out there and put in the work and effort, one, you're not going to get the result, but two, and more importantly, even if you did, you don't deserve it!" So take this whole experience as an opportunity to hone your skills, both academically and mentally, as well as an opportunity to make yourself a stronger and better person. When you look back in many years you will probably be grateful what this journey has given to you. With that being said, I want to start with - why give up? I personally have been preparing and taking the GMAT on and off for almost two years, I'm still far from getting my target score and not even to mention that my scores from the last two times that I took it have actually dropped by more than 100 points each compared to my best score which is from a year ago. So I think I'm in a more dire position than you are, yet in no way I am giving up. Being a graduate from the top 10 universities in the world for both my bachelor and masters degrees, I never really had any problems with exams or whatsoever growing up. But after being out of school for so many years and taking the GMAT for the first time, it has shattered my confidence constantly more than anything else did in the past 5 years. After my score dropped by more than 100 points, I was so devastated that I felt hopeless, helpless, defeated and thought about giving up. I told myself that maybe I'm just bad at GMAT, maybe those who got higher scores are just better than me, maybe I'm just not as good as I thought I am, maybe GMAT is something that I'll never be able to overcome in my life. But then, I don't even remember after how long, I came to the realization that if I give up like this, not only I would fail at GMAT, but more importantly I would fail myself. I will never be able to look at myself the same way ever again, I will regret for the rest of my life and probably take this regret with me to my grave. So I told myself that as long as I don't give up, one day, I will eventually come out on top. I don't care if it takes another year, another 3 years, or even 5 years, what difference does it really make after all? One can only be truly defeated by giving up, thus it is impossible to fail if you simply don't give up. As of now, I am ready to happily and rightfully use up all my 8 allotted times to take the GMAT if I have to, and maybe even find ways to continue taking it beyond the 8 times if I still haven't reached my target score by then. After all, GMAC claims to have spent so much money on each of their questions, so why not take it a few more times to make those questions worth while.

But jokes aside, what's important is that - GMAT will never ever in its life define who you are as a person, regardless of how many times you've taken it or whatever score you've got, nor will what MBA program you go to or how much money you make. At the end of the day, it's your perseverance, your diligence, your integrity, and things of that nature that really define you as a person. Moreover, why putting so much pressure on yourself? Nobody has the power or right to put pressure on you other than yourself. Are you worrying too much about other people's expectations? Are you worried about that your parents, your friends, and your co-workers might look down on you if you don't get certain score within a certain time frame or number of tries? Do you feel like you have to get a certain score just because many of your peers or friends were able to achieve that score? If you experienced any of those, you are putting too much pressure on yourself. And most likely your perceptions of other people's expectations weren't even true! Your family, friends and closed ones who truly care about you would never doubt or despise you no matter what score you get. Even if there were some people who would look down on you, why do those people's opinions even matter? If they want to laugh at you, let them be! They have every right to do so, right? Weren't you even laughing at yourself and thinking how pathetic you are after so many fails? If you can laugh at yourself, then why can't they? You need to relax and let your guard down a little, you don't always have to be so tough, you don't always have to be so perfect, you don't also have to excel in everything you do. You have every right to be vulnerable, vulnerable doesn't mean weak! Just open up and talk to your family and loved ones; let them know how you feel, show them your soft side, let them know how much of a struggle this GMAT thing has been for you. I'm sure not only will they not laugh at you, but instead they will support you and encourage you even more. The point being, it's not about how hard you fall, it's about how you can get back up. And don't be so stressed out on test day, try treating each real GMAT exam just as a practice test and just try enjoy the whole experience. See it as a learning opportunity or a little assessment for your preparation work rather than a test. Each single question can offer so much to learn, regardless it's grammar, logic, or just general knowledge, all of which will make you more knowledgeable and skillful. And as someone who has taken GMAT several times both online and at test centers, I would always recommend you to take it at test centers. As there are just too many factors that you can't control in online exams. Other than tech glitches you mentioned, I've also experienced proctor issues, log-in issues, test environment issues, outside issues and etc. All of those things could go wrong on test day and affect your mood and ability in the exam. On top of that, you already paid a good amount of money to take the exam, so why not go there and experience the facility and service it has to provide for you? Let the staffs at the test center do their job and serve you, that's what they are paid for right? Lastly, 700 is already a pretty good score. As a last resort you can still apply using just this score. If you excel in other areas in you application, which I sense might be the case for you, I'm sure your GMAT score won't be a deal breaker, and you probably still stand a very good chance against others with higher scores. Normally I only come to this forum for question explanations, but somehow I stumbled over your post. So this may be destined. Not only it's an opportunity for me to possibly help you, but it also allows me to open up and share what I have been through. After writing all this, I realized that I was talking all over the place. So I hope this isn't too hard to read (as I really suck at writing), and it can offer some help to you and others who need it. Good luck in your GMAT journey, don't put too much pressure on yourself and as long as you don't give up, you will get there eventually!

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