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A highly unexpected score, need HELP to regroup

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theori
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A highly unexpected score, need HELP to regroup [#permalink] New post   17 Jan 2015, 04:33
Hello people,

Its been only two days since I took the GMAT, the shock-wave from the devastating result is slowly loosening, thus here I am seeking clarity.

I started studying from late last year, November to be precise. Since I live in Scandinavia and a score of 550-600 is what gets you to a B-school i thought i would be able to pull it off in this time frame.

Background info: Minus the working hours i devoted all my time behind studying, along with the holiday season which would be about 25h/week. The materials i followed were: the OG, Princeton review's 'Cracking the gmat' (dusting off the rudimentary concepts), the 'gmat club grammar book', Khan academy's Problem solving exercises and the Manhattan CAT's.

After getting familiarized with the basics, I moved on to taking simulation tests, starting from December 20th, and not knowing any better, burned the two Prep tests in a matter of three days. However, I did took them in the utmost 'official' condition.

GMAT PREP 1: 550 (Q 42, V 23)
GMAT PREP 2: 530 (Q 34, V 29)

Afterwards, moved on to free tests in the major platforms:

Kaplan CAT: 560 (Q 49%, V 54%)
Vertias CAT: 590 (Q 42, V 29)
Manhattan CAT: 530 (Q 37, V 26)

At this stage felling Quant is my weak point, i decided to practice with the hardest quant simulation. Therefore bought the Manhattan CAT's and gave 3 more tests from there. All with IR and in official conditions. The last one being 2 days prior to the actual test.

TEST 1: 550 (Q 36, V 30)
TEST 2: 560 (Q 38, V 29)
TEST 3: 570 (Q 37, V 31)

Since from the tests, it appeared that I'm in a constant 550-range and also with all the reviews depicting how hard the Manhattan Quant is, i walked in the test center feeling confident. During the exam, I felt quite on, and it wasn't until the middle of the Verbal' when it got a bit dizzier. Anyhow, at the end i really felt it all went ok.

So came the the results.

470 (Q 30, V 26)

It was devastating. Even in my wildest estimation i never thought it could go below 540. But well it is what it is. I am moving on and honing myself for the next one.

Self-diagnosis:

1. My appointment was at 9 am. None of the CAT's i took were at that time.

2. Didn't had a good sleep on the night before. Although to my defense, I'm quite used to it by now, especially before an impact full event it isn't the first time.

3. I knew i had holes in the Quant preparation as did in SC. But the fact that I was 'only' aiming to pass the 550 barrier, and with all the tests, it didn't appear those holes could suck me in.


For my next attempt, i have decided not do it in a hurried way, and this time would show the tenacity to even aim higher. Help me in it.
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EMPOWERgmatRichC
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Re: A highly unexpected score, need HELP to regroup [#permalink] New post   17 Jan 2015, 13:55
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Hi theori,

It sounds like you had the right attitude to approach this whole process properly. Your goals were modest, and your practice appears to have been realistic, so the likely causes of your score drop can be traced back to a few factors:

1) The fact that you took so many CATs in such a short period of time. By my count, you took 8 CATs and the Official GMAT in the span of about 26 days. That is a LOT of Tests (I generally advise no more than 1 CAT per week). Assuming that you took the ENTIRE CAT each time, you likely experienced some "burn out" by the time you got to Test Day (and you wouldn't even have realized it).

2) Lack of sleep can absolutely impact your performance on the GMAT, especially over the Course of the full 4-hour Test. The fact that BOTH of your Scaled Scores dropped (and not just the Verbal Score) is a sign that you were likely too tired to do the necessary work/thinking to score at your prior level.

3) Inconsistency with when you took your CATs. Humans tend to do pretty well with a set routine - when you change any of the variables on Test Day, the results are almost always negative.

I'd like to know a bit more about your studies:

1) How long did you study? You said that you started in November, but does that mean you studied for all of November or just some of it?
2) What time of day were you taking your CATs?
3) How long was the ride to the Testing Center from your home?

Thankfully, the GMAT is predictable, standardized Test and you've already experienced it (so you shouldn't be surprised by anything the next time you take it). And as crazy as this may sound, you're not that far from scoring 600+; you just have to make a few changes to how you approach this whole process.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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A highly unexpected score, need HELP to regroup [#permalink] New post   18 Jan 2015, 03:27
Hey Rich,

Thank you four your detailed reply. I agree that that taking so many CAT's in such a short might not have been wise, hopefully a lesson for the next time.

To answer your questions:

1. When have i started studying?
- From November 10th (Yes, i know the exact date!)

2. What time of day were you taking your CATs?
- Pretty irregular actually. My appointment was from 9 am, but I none of the tests i took were on that time. In the beginning i took them in the evening, then for the latter ones started a bit earlier, between 10.30-11 in the morning.

3. How long was the ride to the Testing Center from your home?
- It took about 30 minutes to reach the vicinity. Then another 10-15 minutes of wandering with Google maps.

And for the next one I intend to take it after 6 months, and would strive to cross 650.
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Re: A highly unexpected score, need HELP to regroup [#permalink] New post   18 Jan 2015, 12:46
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Hi theori,

The fact that you've given yourself another 6 months is good - the extra time will certainly allow you to put in the extra work and likely improve. I don't think that you'll need another 6 months necessarily though; another 2-3 months would likely be enough as long as you're efficient with how you're working.

Your approach the first time was "book-heavy"; to take your scores to the next level, you'll probably want to invest in some new online resources. Using these resources helps to build your "mechanics" - the work that's required to take information off of the screen, do the work on the pad, and refer back as needed - in an efficient manner.

With this next round of studies, you should strive for consistency and realism. Take your CATs at the same time of day as your Official GMAT and make your studies as 'test-like' as possible. There's also something to be said for working on the 'physical things' - setting your schedule so that you can get the proper amount of sleep will likely benefit you in a number of ways (more than just in your GMAT performance).

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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Re: A highly unexpected score, need HELP to regroup [#permalink] New post   19 Jan 2015, 02:22
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Hi Theori,

Six months is sufficient enough to score 650 in your GMAT.However, remember scoring well in GMAT depends a lot on your strategy. We would advise you to follow the below steps to score well in your GMAT.

1. Start with a mock test. This will help you identify your strong and weak areas
2. If you plan to do self study, get your hands on the best preparatory material available in the market. You can speak to your seniors, get feedback on forums like pagalguy to seek out the best in the market
3. Joining a coaching institute or a study group is recommended because it gives a structure to your preparation and keeps you motivated all the time. Remember cracking GMAT is not just about working hard but working smart as well
4. Make a study time table for yourself that suits you best. You can start with spending 2 hours every day and as you move closer to your test date, start increasing your study hours
5. Keep taking mock tests in real test taking situations. However, more important than taking a mock test is to analyse your performance in the same. If you spend 2 hours on a mock test, spend 6 hours in analyzing the same.
6. Figure out ways by which you can continuously keep improving your score
7. Make sure you stay consistent with your schedule. This is extremely important

Go through our blog on the link below containing all the relevant information for those who are planning to take GMAT/GRE and Study Abroad.

https://blog.manyagroup.com/index.html?url=Tips-Info

Feel free to comment and post here anything further you want to know from us and we are there to guide you.
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A highly unexpected score, need HELP to regroup [#permalink] New post   19 Jan 2015, 05:34
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theori wrote:
Hello people,

Its been only two days since I took the GMAT, the shock-wave from the devastating result is slowly loosening, thus here I am seeking clarity.

I started studying from late last year, November to be precise. Since I live in Scandinavia and a score of 550-600 is what gets you to a B-school i thought i would be able to pull it off in this time frame.

Background info: Minus the working hours i devoted all my time behind studying, along with the holiday season which would be about 25h/week. The materials i followed were: the OG, Princeton review's 'Cracking the gmat' (dusting off the rudimentary concepts), the 'gmat club grammar book', Khan academy's Problem solving exercises and the Manhattan CAT's.

After getting familiarized with the basics, I moved on to taking simulation tests, starting from December 20th, and not knowing any better, burned the two Prep tests in a matter of three days. However, I did took them in the utmost 'official' condition.

GMAT PREP 1: 550 (Q 42, V 23)
GMAT PREP 2: 530 (Q 34, V 29)

Afterwards, moved on to free tests in the major platforms:

Kaplan CAT: 560 (Q 49%, V 54%)
Vertias CAT: 590 (Q 42, V 29)
Manhattan CAT: 530 (Q 37, V 26)

At this stage felling Quant is my weak point, i decided to practice with the hardest quant simulation. Therefore bought the Manhattan CAT's and gave 3 more tests from there. All with IR and in official conditions. The last one being 2 days prior to the actual test.

TEST 1: 550 (Q 36, V 30)
TEST 2: 560 (Q 38, V 29)
TEST 3: 570 (Q 37, V 31)

Since from the tests, it appeared that I'm in a constant 550-range and also with all the reviews depicting how hard the Manhattan Quant is, i walked in the test center feeling confident. During the exam, I felt quite on, and it wasn't until the middle of the Verbal' when it got a bit dizzier. Anyhow, at the end i really felt it all went ok.

So came the the results.

470 (Q 30, V 26)

It was devastating. Even in my wildest estimation i never thought it could go below 540. But well it is what it is. I am moving on and honing myself for the next one.

Self-diagnosis:

1. My appointment was at 9 am. None of the CAT's i took were at that time.

2. Didn't had a good sleep on the night before. Although to my defense, I'm quite used to it by now, especially before an impact full event it isn't the first time.

3. I knew i had holes in the Quant preparation as did in SC. But the fact that I was 'only' aiming to pass the 550 barrier, and with all the tests, it didn't appear those holes could suck me in.


For my next attempt, i have decided not do it in a hurried way, and this time would show the tenacity to even aim higher. Help me in it.


Even though you have got enough and more good advice here, I am chiming in because I don't agree with your self-diagnosis.

1. My appointment was at 9 am. None of the CAT's i took were at that time.

It doesn't matter! Time of the day has very limited impact on your score - perhaps 20 - 30 points. Even if you are not a morning person and do not feel energetic at that time, chances are that adrenaline pumping through your system at that time will keep you alert. If 9 am is not a really bad time for you, it will not affect your score substantially.

2. Didn't had a good sleep on the night before. Although to my defense, I'm quite used to it by now, especially before an impact full event it isn't the first time.

It's true for many people. Due to the associated excitement, they are unable to sleep well the night before. But during the important event, they are able to pull through. They might go and crash later on but until and unless you were unable to get even a 4-5 hr shut-eye, you should have been fine. Of course, a more alert brain will perform better but a bit of a disturbed sleep is not a game changer.

3. I knew i had holes in the Quant preparation as did in SC. But the fact that I was 'only' aiming to pass the 550 barrier, and with all the tests, it didn't appear those holes could suck me in.

The point is, where were these holes? In fundamentals? Then even 550 could be considered a difficult target. Problem with GMAT is that it is not a knowledge based test - it is a reasoning test. So even at relatively lower levels, it expects you to use logic. Therefore, holes in fundamentals is quite unacceptable. I think this is where your biggest problem lies. If you are aiming at 600, you don't need to invest time and energy in advanced concepts - I give you that - but you must ensure that your fundamentals are strong.

Take 470 as the base line and start afresh. Ensure that you understand the basics very well. At the end of this page, check out the link to a free SC lesson video: https://www.gmatclub.com/forum/veritas-prep-resource-links-no-longer-available-399979.html#/
It will tell you what I mean by starting afresh.
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Re: A highly unexpected score, need HELP to regroup [#permalink] New post   19 Jan 2015, 12:56
Hey Karishma,

Thank your for sharing your perspective. If anything it would make me more pragmatic.

I just have one question for you, that is don't you think if my apparent lack of preparation were the main issue here, it would have surfaced in all those simulation tests?
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Re: A highly unexpected score, need HELP to regroup [#permalink] New post   19 Jan 2015, 21:23
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theori wrote:
Hey Karishma,

Thank your for sharing your perspective. If anything it would make me more pragmatic.

I just have one question for you, that is don't you think if my apparent lack of preparation were the main issue here, it would have surfaced in all those simulation tests?


So here is the deal - since people practice questions from various sources such as this forum, they often see questions very similar to what they see on the practice tests. Even if the figures are different, if you have done a similar question before, you might be able to do it since you would know 'how to' do it. You may not know 'why' you do it the way you do but you may know 'how'. The problem is that in actual GMAT, all questions are new and knowing the 'why' is super important to figure out how to do them. That's one of the reasons why people often score lower in the actual test.
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Re: A highly unexpected score, need HELP to regroup [#permalink]
19 Jan 2015, 21:23

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