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This series of emails and PMs focuses on situations that many Test Takers face during their studies. The names of the original posters have been changed to protect their identities.
Picking 5 Schools to Receive the Score Report
Hello Rich!
I will be taking the GMAT soon, but I am planning to bank this score until I actually apply for business schools later down the road. However, I've read online you must pick schools to send in your scores at the test center. Do you know if you can opt to postpone sending the score into schools and still have access to the score report? I'm not entirely sure what schools I'll be applying to yet.
Nu
Hi Nu,
On Test Day, you are given the opportunity to send your GMAT score to 5 schools (the $250 fee includes 5 "free" schools). If you apply to any additional schools, or you leave those 5 fields blank on Test Day, then you will be charged an additional fee for each score report. The current price is $28 per report, so that can add up to some serious money if you leave those fields blank (or apply to a lot of schools).
While you might not be sure of which schools that you'll apply to later, you can probably take some decent guesses. Think about dream schools, safety schools, likely candidates - you get 5 for "free", so make sure that you use them.
How to Deal with the Highest Level Verbal Questions
Hi Rich,
I have taken two GMATPrep practice tests, and my scores in the Verbal section were 40 and 44. However, my experience in this preparation is that, especially in SC, there will always be something NEW that you have not seen before. Maybe an idiom, a structure, whatever. That's frustrating, especially when you have studied a lot for that section of the exam.
So when can someone say "Ok, I am ready to get a great score", considering the fact that the test can always offer something that you have never seen before? It seems that getting a 42-44 requires 6-8 wrong questions at most. It's challenging, especially for a non-native speaker.
So, although I got good scores in the practice tests, my concern is that the gmat could give me something new. Should I study more? When could I say "I'm ready"?
Xi
Hi Xi,
Scoring 40+ in the Verbal section is a remarkable feat (90% of test takers can't do it), so you really shouldn't be getting upset about see "surprising" things at that level. The Randomizer has to be able to adapt to ANY test taker (whether that Test Taker is acing the test or bombing it). By definition, if you score in the upper range, you're going to see some harder/weirder questions. Embrace it. It's something that I advise all of my clients: "You WANT to see a 'hard' test - that's a sign that you're doing well." However, you should NOT be trying to measure your progress by the difficulty of any individual question.
If you're also scoring well in the Quant section, then you're ready. Go take the GMAT.
The Cost of Wrong Answers in Specific Situations
Hey Rich
Just want to know how much does last 6-7 incorrect questions costs you on GMAT verbal ? I know a person who is getting these many incorrect questions at the end needs to work on time management skills but just want to have an idea of how many points does the score dip in the below scenario:
a) Getting 10 incorrect questions evenly spread throughout the verbal section
b) And then getting last 6 questions incorrect
Omicron
Hi Omicron,
Getting 6-7 wrong in a row will hurt your score no matter which section (or which part of a section) it happens. That having been said, it's difficult to calculate the "loss" that would occur because:
1) We would need to know how you answered all of the other questions in the section (what did you get correct and incorrect).
2) What scoring range you were in when the "6 wrong in a row" happened
3) How many of those questions were experimental (and thus, did not count)
As a general rule, incorrect answers that are "spaced out" are less damaging than those that are grouped together, but too many incorrect answers (especially on easy questions) will hurt your score regardless of when they occur.
Instead of attempting to quantify what this situation would "cost you", you should focus on fixing the original problem, which is probably one or more of the following:
1) A pacing problem
2) A lack of familiarity or comfort level with the proper tactics and most efficient ways to answer questions
3) Silly mistakes
4) Missing knowledge
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
