A week before GMAT- demotivated and lost

Question

Hi all- this is my first post here. I have some special circumstances under which I pretty much have a spot at one of the best business schools but the only thing left for them to see is my GMAT score. It has been implied that as long as I ‘don’t bomb’ my GMAT, my admission should not be a problem. I found out about my placement a month ago and since then I have been studying for GMAT. I have taken practice tests on Veritas, and GMAT official practice tests. My scores have been in the following order:
Veritas:
1. 580
2. 560 (this was a month after the first test)
3. 590 (a week after the previous one)
GMAT official prep:
4. 640 (taken a week after the previous test)
5. 540 (taken a day after the previous test)

I’m bummed that my score dropped to 540 today and my GMAT exam is in one week. I feel demotivated and have no idea where I stand with this fluctuation of scores. I just need somewhere around 650 to be ok with this admission.

Please advise what to expect with this score variation and how to prep in the next one week. My verbal is strong (I score in 80-85 percentile) but the best in quant I got was 41 and that’s it.

Posted from my mobile device

GMATBusters · Answer

Hi
GMAT is more of a Psychometric test so being calm and composed is more important. 
Do not freak out on your mock score, believe me you can score a significantly good score if you control your mind from being anxious.
Do not give any more mocks now. Focus only on official Questions and error logs during last days before the GMAT.
If you have specific doubts, feel free to reach out.

Best of luck

Gladiator59 · Answer

Agree with gmatbusters , official questions only + error review in the last few days. You will find the complete list of GMAT prep questions for review here. ( attaching CR, there are similar posts for SC,PS&DS)

Also, don't forget to revise formulae for math using the GMAT Club math book - downloadable PDF here.

Keep calm, you are in the last lap of your GMAT journey and you don't want to give up now

Good luck!

NRJ11090 · Answer

If possible postpone your exam. I have been through such a situation when my scores showed a fluctuating trend. I still took the exam and did not perform well even after trying really hard- solved all the OG questions from OG-13 to OG-17, revisited all the fundamentals, etc. The final score of my exam was exact average of the scores of two GMAT Prep exams I took. It might sound disappointing but I would suggest to postpone the exam for a small period so that you can re-visit the basics and become doubly sure of getting your target score. I even talked to some of my seniors/colleagues who took the GMAT and all of them told me that GMAT prep exam scores work as actual reflection of your preparation. Anyway decision is upto you. All the best !!

gmatt2019 · Answer

Thanks all for your sincere advice and feedback. gmatbusters : sorry I don’t know how to tag

thanks so much for your encourage reply. It makes me feel better. Gladiator59 : omg thanks so much for sharing the material! I will definitely use it as my final week prep. NRJ11090 : unfortunately I can’t postpone it as my deadline to submit the unofficial score is the week after my test. I do think that my last test was an anomaly as I was mostly checked out and wanted the test to just end. Since I had taken it just a day after the previous mock, I was trying too hard to finish quick. I finished my test 30 min before the end time. Is it sensible to take one more official practice test? Just so that I can feel better maybe after learning from my mistakes? Or is it still a bad idea? Posted from my mobile device

gmatt2019 · Answer

I’m clearly nervous-typing at this point hence the typos lol. I meant ‘encouraging reply’ in my previous post.

Posted from my mobile device

Gladiator59 · Answer

gmatt2019 , it's normal being nervous. I think you should try to give a full length GMAT prep exam after a few days ( post revision and review of questions) in full exam like condition. I.e with AWA & IR and the 8 mins breaks...to get a boost in confidence. Focus on getting the practice and not on the scores as it could lead to you stressing more or wasting time. Stay calm and remember that 7 days is sufficient time to revise.

Posted from my mobile device

NRJ11090 · Answer

Cheer up and prepare well. Use your time judiciously. Eat, sleep, drink and dream GMAT :D . Practice hard and go get your target score

akela · Answer

Hi gmatt2019 , Welcome to gmatclub! Try to analyze what went wrong with your second attempt: https://gmatclub.com/forum/new-format-g ... ml?fl=menu IMO, the best thing you can do is to keep calm. Stress can negatively affect your performance. What's the worst thing that will happen if you bomb your test? Accept that, and you might feel relief. After that, keep on working, sleep well before the test and do your best on the test day. It worked for me. Hope this helps!

ccooley · Answer

Relax!!! One week out from your test, trying to learn new material is counterproductive. All it will do is wear out your brain and make it harder to focus on test day. You know everything you need to know: now, focus on getting the best score you possibly can, using that knowledge. Here are some things you can think about in the next week:

- Do you have your timing plan down 100%? https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... rt-1-of-3/
- Staying calm and anxiety free during test day: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... aking-out/
- Win every question: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... -question/
- Gain some points by guessing: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... -the-gmat/

gmatt2019 · Answer

Akela ccooley thanks guys! Your replies have really helped calm me. I chose to take a break all day Saturday. Today and the next few days I’ll just practice solving problems from each section, take a practice test 3-4 days before the exam, and revise my concepts and error logs. Hoping for the best!

Posted from my mobile device

Posted from my mobile device

blitzkriegxX · Answer

Hey  gmatt2019

Guess what? My exam is in 3 days!!
So I understand your situation. 
I was nervous from a few days. But realised its just killing my previous time. 
So I put that anxiety aside and started solving only gmatprep questions. I collected them for each section and started solving as many as possible. 
The day before test, only revise and do super light practice!
Also given your limited time, please stick to gmatprep or og only! Make a mental note of why answers are wrong and it will greatly help you for sure!

Most importantly practice or go through the empowergmat TRIAGE method! You can Google it and you will find a pdf version of it.

Give your best!

We're all rooting for you buddy! :D

mai9pate · Answer

Hi, it is natural to feel that way. 
Try out many practice tests as that will help you boost confidence

Good luck

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

I’m glad you reached out, and I”m happy to help. Unfortunately, you are in a pretty tough spot. Looking at the variation in your practice tests scores, it’s clear that you need to focus on improving your quant skills rather than on taking so many practice exams, right? That being said, you likely will need more than just one week to improve those skills. Is there any way you can push your GMAT to a later date?

If you have no choice but to take your GMAT in a week, then the best option would be to begin engaging in focused practice, so you can efficiently find and fix your quant weaknesses. For example, if you find that you are not strong in answering Number Properties questions, then carefully review the conceptual underpinnings of how to answer Number Properties questions and practice by answering 50 or more questions just from Number Properties: LCM, GCF, units digit patterns, divisibility, remainders, etc. When you are working on learning to answer questions of a particular type, start off taking your time, and then seek to speed up as you get more comfortable answering questions of that type. As you do such practice, do a thorough analysis of each question that you don't get right. If you got a remainder question wrong, ask yourself why. Did you make a careless mistake? Did you not properly apply the remainder formula? Was there a concept you did not understand in the question? By carefully analyzing your mistakes, you will be able to efficiently fix your weaknesses and in turn improve your GMAT quant skills. Number Properties is just one example; follow this process for all quant topics.

If it turns out that you can push your GMAT to a later date, feel free to reach back out, and I can provide some further advice.

You also may find it helpful to read this article about  how to improve your GMAT quant score .

Feel free to reach out with further questions.

Good luck!

gmatt2019 · Answer

Hi all - just wanted to update you on this post. I took my GMAT today and scored in 600s which was my my target score. Thanks all for your supportive messages

Posted from my mobile device

	Magoosh increases your score, guaranteed - 15% off ALL Magoosh GMAT plans with code GMATCLUB15 + Free GMAT Club Tests.
	Manhattan Prep: $79 Bonus Score Higher on Your GMAT Exam. Guaranteed.
	Target Test Prep - Save up to $325 $200 Discount + $79 Bonus GMAT Club Tests
	e-GMAT: 60% Off on GMAT Focus Get to 735+ from any starting point
	Experts' Global - ~~$1720~~ $960 End-to-End GMAT Prep + App Support: 150+ Videos, 2000+ Questions, 15 FLTs +
	GMATWhiz - $299 ~~$499~~ Experience the course through a free trial.
	GMAT Club Tests - Free Included with every course purchase of $149+ View all deals

A week before GMAT- demotivated and lost

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards