3 days to go and realizations abound....

Question

Yesterday I took the second Kaplan test and I got a 580....What was my score two months ago when I took it for the first time?...a 580...So I walked away from my test I sat down, I watched a movie, I woke up the next morning and BAM! it hit me, I don't care anymore....Well that's actually too strong....I care but I'm not attached to a high score. 

For the last two months I have been in a high strung mental state, obsessing over the GMAT. So much so that I was not able to see what I needed to improve or where I was going wrong. I know now that I was missing SC because I don't have a solid foundation in grammar. I am a native speaker but that only means that my grammatical errors have had 27 years to be imbedded in the bedrock of my language. I'm off and on with CR because I don't have a methodology established and truthfully I let it go because I thought it would be easy. With Quant I have not had an organized study system with an error log etc. These realizations may sound obvious to many. I mean there are extensive posts about each of the mistakes I have made in my course of study. But the funny thing is realizations are always obvious, but never understood until they are realized.

I am disappointed that I came to all of these realizations 3 days before the test. I don't want to cancel it because, I set a date and despite everything I wrote down I have worked extemely hard (even if that hard work was misguided). But at the same time I'm happy that I have come to these realizations, because now I know that if I get a bad score I know what to do to get a good one. I am not resigned to the fact that I will get a bad score, but I am not going to walk in with this huge expectation of a great score and that feels really good.

I will report back with my score on Sunday after I party the night away on Saturday (good score, bad score I don't give a crap I'm getting WASTED!) but regardless I am unattached and that is a feeling I have wished for a very long time.

thadipalam · Answer

Good luck with your exam!!

tvconefive · Answer

you are taking the right attitude in my opinion... clear you head and go in guns ablazing... in reality, dont pay too much attention to the kaplan test scores... they are not true indicators of actual test scores... keep that pressure free attitude and youll do fine on test day.

Paul · Answer

greenandwise, I like your attitude. I know what it feels like the days before the GMAT; the uncertainty feels even worse than having an actual unsatisfying score. I just want to wish you all the best and come back to share your experience, good or bad. We will wait until then

crackgmat750 · Answer

I would say, you have already achieved Nirvana.

Best of luck for your attempt. You seem beyond any pressure at the moment and that will help you great deal. I expect much better from you than 580 you got in kaplan. Here you go..

maaverick · Answer

All the very best! Let us know of your experience and don't let that 580 bother you. I'm more than sure you'll end up with a 700+!

HongHu · Answer

greenandwise, believe in yourself. You have worked hard the past two months. Now with three days left, it is good to have a clear mind. Three days is enough to organize your thought, getting to know what your weakness may be and what you should do to conqure them in the test. For example, for math part, look at what type of mistakes you usually make, and be extra careful when you see such questions. Don't expect to learn a lot of new stuff in these three days, but concentrate on the ones that you could do right but you often don't. Knowing yourself is a very important step that could enable you to do your best. 

You are right to not to be too concerned about what the score is going to be. The test scores may or may not be a good prediction of your final score. One GMAT test score also may or may not be a good capture of ones intellectual capability. Just try to give it your best shot. Try to remain calm and take it one step at a time, knowing that each question answered will bring you closer to your goal. Be prepared for the worst, but try for the best. 

Good luck! Believe in yourself. Give your best shot!

qhoc0010 · Answer

Some how I believe there is a huge factor of "luck" in the GMAT. You just cannot predict it. Anyway, it is up to your attitude to the GMAT now, greenandwise. If you are too serious and stress, you need to relax and let go a little to release the tension. If you are too confident or overconfident, you may want to take it a little seriously. It was my fail when I did not seem to care when I took that test. Now I learn my lesson!

greenandwise · Answer

Thank you guys soo much for your encouragement, support and wisdom! I am just happy to walk into this test without being in a CRAZY mental state. YOu can only live like that for so long before you actually go crazy! :-D

You guys are all veterans of the GMAT, most of you have your "battle scars" but have come away victorious, and if you haven't already I'm sure you will. So it is nice to hear the encouragement and that I am on the right track from those who actually slayed the beast :twisted:

I will give it my best shot, but until Saturday I must continue sharpening my sword! :wink:

bozo190101 · Answer

Greenandwise,

The scores before the test just dont matter. Dont worry about past scores. I remember I messed up my GRE just thinking about past scores. So, focus only on that particular test date and that test and apply yourself those 4 hours...the rest will be history....

All the very best. I am heading for a test sometime in March and there is so much still to cover. Are you focusing on verbal from OG? where is the math focus from?

I have asked this question thrice and dont know try again, is the LAST CR any good? Which book is yes.

GoodLuck! :2gunfire:

Go for it!!!

hornsfan2005 · Answer

My strategy is to work through the OG completely and focus on understanding the explanations behind the questions. I'll work questions in batches - maybe 20 for math, 10 for CR and SC, and 2-3 RC passages, all timed.

Use the error log posted on this forum to keep track of any wrong answers, reviewing them them the next day before you begin studying new material. From what I have read, the OG for verbal preparation should be sufficient. For math, the OG will be easier than the actual test. Supplement the OG math with the Challenges presented on this forum along with problems in Kaplan. 

This is going to be my approach... I plan to study for about two months. It might be tough for me because I'm also preparing for the professional engineers exam in april.

greenandwise · Answer

I have used many sources for CR but not LSAT. There are a lot of posts of with conflicting info about LSAT CR...some people say it is useful others say not really and that OG is good enough for CR as long s you understand the explanations behind all the answers. I have done all of OG and I think my mistake has been not really understanding the explanations of the questions I got right. THe prob is I usally pass over a question if I get it right and that is not good at all. You have to look to see if the reason you chose an answer is the reason listed in the text. I just found out how important that it!

hs20400 · Answer

Greenandwise. Dude, don't be so harsh on yourself. Take it from me, I just got out of the GMAT 4 hours ago. Like you I too got a 580 on my Kaplan test that I took last Sunday. Like you, I started introspecting and worrying about my chances on the GMAT. Yesterday morning or 24 hours before the GMAT, I did PP2. Got a 750 on the PP2. I know you are waiting for my GMAT score... 710. (Good enough for me, at least)
I will put a longer email thread on my experience, but not right now. I need to relax have a drink and play with the kids who I have hardly interacted with in the last few weeks.
So, just go in there and just beat down that test. Don't worry about Kaplan. Kaplan is great to build stamina and to improve your speed at answering questions. GMAT questions, at least for me, are much easier. In quant, make sure you have solved enough algebra, and integer properties questions, and that when you see the answers that you understand why you got it right or wrong. I had very few geometry questions and lots of probablility and perm/comb, more than I had hoped. Some of them must have been experimental :-D

. Even then the answers seem more straightforward than Kaplan. In the case of verbal, the CR's were also simpler than the Kaplan set that I worked through. I especially think that Kaplan throws many answers that are just borderline out of scope, while those on the GMAT tend to be either completely out of scope or the right answer.
Anyway, good luck!!! Here's to your 700+ score.

. Even then the answers seem more straightforward than Kaplan. In the case of verbal, the CR's were also simpler than the Kaplan set that I worked through. I especially think that Kaplan throws many answers that are just borderline out of scope, while those on the GMAT tend to be either completely out of scope or the right answer. Anyway, good luck!!! Here's to your 700+ score.

bozo190101 · Answer

Good Luck for the exam Greenandwise....just relax and crack it.

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