Warmup before second Attempt From a 590 to ??? : Share GMAT Experience

mrsmarthi

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Re: Warmup before second Attempt From a 590 to ??? [#permalink]

03 Oct 2009, 06:35

I think my brain is completely fried trying to solve the CR and RC from OG / Kaplan workbook that yesterday evening I decided I will give little rest for my brain. I know there are couple of weak areas in Quant especially Inequalities and Absolute values, little in Weighted averages. I am ok in Probabilities at least at the basic level and I hope that would be sufficient for Quant. Only thing that still is bothering me is DS. I am making lot of careless mistakes. If they can be minimized, I am sure I can make it to a 50 in Quant.

Today I am going to take my second GMAT Prep exam. And there is exactly one more week for my scheduled date. I just wanted to get over with it. But if my GMATPrep score does not cross 700, then I may postpone my exam(Because this time around I don't want to miss my mark). I know that a GMATPrep score of 700 does not guarantee me any 700 in the real exam. But atleast that will boost my confidence level in preparation of my real GMAT. So here I am getting ready for the GMATPrep exam.

After rereading my post, I feel I think I am thinking more on a negative side rather than on a positive side. Need to gear up a lot.........

mrsmarthi

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Re: Warmup before second Attempt From a 590 to ??? [#permalink]

03 Oct 2009, 13:03

OK....I have taken my second GMATPrep 2. Most of the Quant and Verbal questions are new. Probably 2 - 3 questions in verbal might be something that I might have faced earlier. So here is my score.

Total - 660, Q - 49 and V - 31

PS - 17 correct & 2 wrong (90%)
DS - 10 correct & 8 wrong (56%)

SC - 12 correct & 5 wrong (71%)
CR - 6 correct & 5 wrong (55%)
RC - 7 correct & 6 wrong (54%)

Not at all a satisfactory score. My timing is real bad in both the sections. But Quant somehow I managed to complete the section. Verbal, I think I have to guess last 6 question in 1.30 min and 3 mistakes were made in the last 6 questions.

Here are my GMATPrep first attempt scores

GMATPrep 1 - 690 - 49 - 34
GMATPrep 2 - 660 - 49 - 31.

My real GMAT is scheduled on 12th. Is there any scope that I can improve my verbal from a 31 to a 38,the minimium that I am expecting.

If so are there any tips that I need to follow during my last one week of preparation. If this is not going to happen realistically, then I will have to postpone my exam by couple of weeks. And that means I will be postponing my dream of pursuing MBA by one year - and then no guarentee whether I still will have same enthu that I have today to continue my studies.

Please friends, I really need your suggestions / advice and what should I be doing in next couple of days.

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Re: Warmup before second Attempt From a 590 to ??? [#permalink]

03 Oct 2009, 13:21

1

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OK, time to think about your next steps now. Since you have scored less than 700 you are demotivated, but this is marginally short of your 700 target so if you take it positively you can still score 700+ in the real test, lot of people have done it. I know, since it is your repeat, you are skeptical, happens

At the same time, your verbal score looks a bit on the lower side. So there is definitely a chance for a drastic improvement there. To be frank, it would be a bit difficult to get 40+ in one week. However you can aim for something around 35 if you still want to go for the test but that requires a very very positive and confident frame of mind on the real test. Its not impossible

There are two ways to handle this: Just go for the test and hope for the best, give your 100%
OR
Make up your mind and concentrate on your verbal skills and practice like a crazy fellow until you get a consistent 40.

Since this is your repeat, I am just a touch concerned that you wont be very confident about yourself on the real test with your gprep scores hovering around the 700 mark. So I would suggest that until you 'feel' confident about the real thing don't go for it.

Having said that, I feel anything is possible and getting a good score is much more important then just taking the test due to time constraints

We can discuss other strategies here, let everyone pool in with their thoughts.

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Re: Warmup before second Attempt From a 590 to ??? [#permalink]

03 Oct 2009, 14:32

hi mrsmarthi,

do you have any more mgmat cat tests left to take? or did you take all 6?

if your timing is bad in verbal, i'd recommend you take as many practice cat's as you can (preferably no more gmat preptest repeats) so that you get into a 'groove' for timing. if you don't work on your timing in the next week, then it's unrealistic to expect that on your actual gmat , your timing will be improved. try to work at a constant rate for all problems so that you're not left with a ton of problems and no time at the end.

also, the tone of your posts has gone from confident (a few posts back) to scared/ despondent in the last couple. your demeanor and mental state will have an important bearing on how you perform on the test as well. if you go into the test thinking you can't do it .. then guess what, you probably won't do well. or (not saying this applies to you, but it does to other people) if you go into the test with this same negative attitude, and then find that the room is too cold, or too hot, or too loud... and you let stuff like that get to you.

if i were you, i'd make a choice right now that you're going to take the test, and then just remain positive and confident for the last week or so, and don't let anything or anyone bring you down. that way, when you finally get to the test center again, you'll be ready for anything.

you've already broken 700 on your practice test, so the knowledge is there. just work on your timing and confidence and you should be fine on your d-day

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Re: Warmup before second Attempt From a 590 to ??? [#permalink]

03 Oct 2009, 16:06

Thanks shadowsjc & Econimist.

I am bit shattered with my second score in GMATPrep. And now I am in a big dilemma whether to continue with the scheduled date or should I postpone the exam?

I too agree that my confidence level started going down since last couple of days when the time is real crucial. And it is very much obvious in my scores. And I feel the main reason is my fear of “whether will I do my GMAT better than my last attempt” or will I fail”. This fear of exam increased from the time I booked my GMAT date. So the first thing for me is to overcome this fear.

I think my timing on verbal is real bad. Even though, I have seen 2 CAT tests (GMATPrep) where the score is above 700, I don’t think I am really good at my timing. And the reason is that some of the questions were repeats and that probably might have helped me in gaining some time which otherwise wouldn't have been there. Yes I do have two more MGMAT cats and that can help me in bit more practicing. But with the current mind set that I have "I am very bad at RC and CR" is definitely NOT going to help me in any way in achieving my target score.

I am still waiting for some more suggestions from others to know what they would do if they were in my situation. Meanwhile, with a cool mind let me think which way should I be tending to – Postpone the exam, improve the confidence level and then take the exam. Or Go with the current date, with struggling hard to get past the target score.)

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Re: Warmup before second Attempt From a 590 to ??? [#permalink]

03 Oct 2009, 21:06

mrsmarthi,

If I were you, I would stick to the test date and try to improve timing by taking atleast 4-5 CAT tests. I am not sure if it would be prudent to take all full length tests given you have only 8 days left and your Quant score is in your desired range. You can take 2-3 full length tests and remaining only Essays and Verbal tests. Essays I am recommending because you should be bit tired before you start verbal section.

Knowing stuff is one thing and applying it in timed conditions is altogether different matter. But you can improve it with practice. As you said you have 2 Manhattan tests left, and there is one free knewton test available. Don't get bogged down by actual scores of these tests in case you don't perform up to your expectations. Just treat them as a learning vehicle. I am sure you will be able to improve your timing after you are done with 4-5 CAT tests.

Postponing a test may take a toll on you as you never know if you will have the same enthusiasm and strict discipline as you do now. Most important thing is to maintain the confidence level. Don't let one test score hurt you that bad. No substitute for a positive attitude. You are the best judge of yourself. If you really feel that something is not right and you can really improve it then postponing the test may be an option.

Don't take any decision hastily.

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Re: Warmup before second Attempt From a 590 to ??? [#permalink]

03 Oct 2009, 21:58

I second getmba.

getmba wrote:

mrsmarthi,

If I were you, I would stick to the test date and try to improve timing by taking atleast 4-5 CAT tests. I am not sure if it would be prudent to take all full length tests given you have only 8 days left and your Quant score is in your desired range. You can take 2-3 full length tests and remaining only Essays and Verbal tests. Essays I am recommending because you should be bit tired before you start verbal section.

Knowing stuff is one thing and applying it in timed conditions is altogether different matter. But you can improve it with practice. As you said you have 2 Manhattan tests left, and there is one free knewton test available. Don't get bogged down by actual scores of these tests in case you don't perform up to your expectations. Just treat them as a learning vehicle. I am sure you will be able to improve your timing after you are done with 4-5 CAT tests.

Postponing a test may take a toll on you as you never know if you will have the same enthusiasm and strict discipline as you do now. Most important thing is to maintain the confidence level. Don't let one test score hurt you that bad. No substitute for a positive attitude. You are the best judge of yourself. If you really feel that something is not right and you can really improve it then postponing the test may be an option.

Don't take any decision hastily.

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Re: Warmup before second Attempt From a 590 to ??? [#permalink]

04 Oct 2009, 05:47

Hang in there mrsmarthi! I've been following this thread with keen interest and I know that you will do well on the test. Work on your timing in the final days before the test. When I took the test my whole issue was timing. You know this stuff so have confidence in your abilities!

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Re: Warmup before second Attempt From a 590 to ??? [#permalink]

04 Oct 2009, 08:15

Thank you all for your advices and for your attempt to boost my confidence level. In fact, I thought with a very cool mind whether should I continue the test with my current mindset or should I post-pone the test. One thing that I decided very early is this attempt is that this attempt is going to be my final GMAT attempt. The preparation that we do is only 50% and the rest completely depends on how we feel of the test and how our confidence level is that matters most. I know that I can take a risk of attempting the exam but with lower confidence level, I might not be doing my best.

A very god friend of me - my husband - seeing my upset mood said only one thing "It is not important on how quickly will you get over with the exam. Rather what is important is how happily you end GMAT exam. If you enjoy taking the exam, the result will also end happily".

So I decided once I am comfortable, I will retake the exam rather than repenting on the lower score(if it happens to be so).But that doesn't mean it will be longer time. It might be in next couple of days / weeks. (I just am not prepared to see a 6** scores) So in short I have postponed my exam.

Getting a verbal score of 38+ is really NOT an impossible score. Infact when I started my preparation for verbal, my Verbal was 23 and now it is hanging in the lower 30's. That is really a good improvement in the past 6 weeks. And I definitely attribute that improvement to my SC preparation. Now to increase atleast 5 more points, I need to put my sincere efforts in CR first. :read

One biggest lesson that I learnt is Don't take any CAT exam(GMATPrep / MGMAT / Kaplan....) when your mindset / surroundings are not in a test taking mood. It will greatly impact the confidence level.

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Re: Warmup before second Attempt From a 590 to ??? [#permalink]

04 Oct 2009, 11:30

mrsmarthi wrote:

Thank you all for your advices and for your attempt to boost my confidence level. In fact, I thought with a very cool mind whether should I continue the test with my current mindset or should I post-pone the test. One thing that I decided very early is this attempt is that this attempt is going to be my final GMAT attempt. The preparation that we do is only 50% and the rest completely depends on how we feel of the test and how our confidence level is that matters most. I know that I can take a risk of attempting the exam but with lower confidence level, I might not be doing my best.

A very god friend of me - my husband - seeing my upset mood said only one thing "It is not important on how quickly will you get over with the exam. Rather what is important is how happily you end GMAT exam. If you enjoy taking the exam, the result will also end happily".

So I decided once I am comfortable, I will retake the exam rather than repenting on the lower score(if it happens to be so).But that doesn't mean it will be longer time. It might be in next couple of days / weeks. (I just am not prepared to see a 6** scores) So in short I have postponed my exam.

Getting a verbal score of 38+ is really NOT an impossible score. Infact when I started my preparation for verbal, my Verbal was 23 and now it is hanging in the lower 30's. That is really a good improvement in the past 6 weeks. And I definitely attribute that improvement to my SC preparation. Now to increase atleast 5 more points, I need to put my sincere efforts in CR first. :read

One biggest lesson that I learnt is Don't take any CAT exam(GMATPrep / MGMAT / Kaplan....) when your mindset / surroundings are not in a test taking mood. It will greatly impact the confidence level.

Good approach. Other thing I would suggest from your other posts I have seen is: Try to analyze why you went below 700s in your test rather than analyzing why you got 700s (I noticed you saying some questions were repeat and helped you save time etc.). Rather you have spent considerable amount on time on prep and you have done your groundwork already. You also have the exam center experience so prepare for the D-day mentally. If you want try to recreate the same atmosphere. If you want a crowded area to write the tests, do it in a library or similar settings. Dont worry about final scores any more. Better yet try to reject score and follow the timings and solutions. You can do it, now you just have to realize that you can do it.

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Re: Warmup before second Attempt From a 590 to ??? [#permalink]

04 Oct 2009, 19:38

dont focus too much on the gmatprep scores...

your Q is pretty stable and all u need is to push up your V.

I suggest u try notes-taking for your RC. I feel that RC is more heavily weighted than the other two. use the gmatprep strictly to perfect your timing. If you run out of RC passages to practise, try to get your hands on OG 10. OG 10 (with 1400 questions) is still the best original resource out there.

best of luck!

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Re: Warmup before second Attempt From a 590 to ??? [#permalink]

04 Oct 2009, 20:01

boeinz wrote:

dont focus too much on the gmatprep scores...

your Q is pretty stable and all u need is to push up your V.

I suggest u try notes-taking for your RC. I feel that RC is more heavily weighted than the other two. use the gmatprep strictly to perfect your timing. If you run out of RC passages to practise, try to get your hands on OG 10. OG 10 (with 1400 questions) is still the best original resource out there.

best of luck!

from everything i've read, i believe that all question types are weighted equally on the GMAT (i.e. getting an RC wrong won't hurt you any more or less than getting an SC or CR wrong).

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Re: Warmup before second Attempt From a 590 to ??? [#permalink]

10 Oct 2009, 02:54

mrsmarthi:When' s the D-day??I plan on taking the plunge soon..!!

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Re: Warmup before second Attempt From a 590 to ??? [#permalink]

10 Oct 2009, 09:54

tejal777,

I still didn't decide on the date even though I postponed that date to a longer time. I don't know how much can I improve my CR and RC but definitely I am trying to build my confidence level. But still I am targeting to get over with it by end of this month.

Today I bought MGMAT RC book. Let me see if I get some good information on how to tackle RC which might help me in improving little in RC. (I know it is tough but nothing wrong in trying)

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Re: Warmup before second Attempt From a 590 to ??? [#permalink]

11 Oct 2009, 23:09

I think I am back to normal. Couple of days back I was way too nervous on taking the GMAT that I have to postpone my exam. Today I took the last MGMAT cat - and here are the results -

Total - 690, Q - 50 and V - 34

PS - 18 correct & 4 wrong (82%)
DS - 9 correct & 6 wrong (60%)

SC - 8 correct & 6 wrong (53%)
CR - 7 correct & 7 wrong (50%)
RC - 6 correct & 6 wrong (50%)

One positive take away from this exercise is even though there were lot of incorrects in verbal, my questions were at 700- 800 range. Especially SC questions were at 740 - 750 level. So considering this, it is not a bad attempt. But one negative part is that most of my questions that were incorrect were in batches of 3. I think that is a bad remark since incorrect questions in batches cost more than scattered questions that are wrong.

I feel I have pretty much reached to a stagnant level where my CR and RC are no improving beyond 50% with a +/- 5% variance. Is there a way that I can bring this % to a little higher level? :help2

. Do you think CR is something that I concentrate more than RC? Let me give a try......

B

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Re: Warmup before second Attempt From a 590 to ??? [#permalink]

13 Oct 2009, 12:36

shadowsjc wrote:

from everything i've read, i believe that all question types are weighted equally on the GMAT (i.e. getting an RC wrong won't hurt you any more or less than getting an SC or CR wrong).

The context of that response is really what matters.

Missing a 500 level RC problem WILL hurt your score more than missing a 700 level SC or CR problem.

The problem type isn't the issue, how well you stack up difficulty wise will determine how "much" a problem will affect your score.

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Re: Warmup before second Attempt From a 590 to ??? [#permalink]

18 Oct 2009, 13:02

Last couple of days I have been concentrating mostly on CR with a hope that I can do better in Verbal. So with that hope, today I have taken GMATPrep 2 and the here are the results -

Today I have taken GMAT Prep 2 for the second time.

Total - 680, Q - 50 and V - 30

PS - 17 correct & 2 wrong (89%)
DS - 13 correct & 5 wrong (72%)

SC - 12 correct & 5 wrong (71%)
CR - 7 correct & 4 wrong (63%)
RC - 7 correct & 6 wrong (54%)

My quant was good w.r.t timing. But couple of the incorrect ans are still careless mistakes. I was able to bring down the choices to 2 but with loss of patience I selected the ans which obviously resulted in a wrong choice.Probably a little more intelligent guess might help in such cases (as long the timing is good). Still I am happy with the score.

My Verbal went far below my level - Main problem was my timing. At one point there were 15 questions with 13 min left. I was carried away by the third passage which was quite long. Though I got 3 /4 correct, I ended up paying huge penalty for the rest of the questions. I have to rush thru the Questions myself since I don't want to leave the questions unattended. The result was set of 4, a set of 3 and a set 2 wrong ans in a row in addition to the scatters incorrect ans. I think this might be one of the huge penalty factor that I paid.

2 months of serious preparation and there is till lot to improve. :arh

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Re: Warmup before second Attempt From a 590 to ??? [#permalink]

18 Oct 2009, 13:02