Bad Scores... Help Needed!

Question

Hi Folks,

I have it enough. I have been honest with myself while preparing for this test and 3 years back i took this test for the first time, last year i prepared for 4 months got high scores in test (700+ in GMAT Preps) but horrible score in actual GMAT. I took the test again this year and another bad result!

My Quant score did increase when i put in more effort and attempted more GMAT like questions. But am still longing for a 49/50

Verbal, i just cant describe! I am not bad in GMAT Verbal i would say but thrice i have failed in the actual test, so this is where I really need to pull up - starting from the basics.

Can someone please suggest, especially based on your past experiences of retaking GMAT and making a huge difference the next time?

My target - 700+ - and despite 3 years and 3 failed attempts, somewhere deep inside i know this can be cracked, and i want to crack it in this life, this year and very soon!!

So please help!

jumsumtak · Answer

For starters, being specific will help. What you have written above is similar to going to a doctor and saying - help me, I'm unwell. He can't treat you unless you let him know what is the problem.

Be a bit more specific and you should get better responses on the thread

This thread might be helpful: Verbal improvement

Also, have you considered taking a GMAT prep course?

This thread might be helpful: Verbal improvement Also, have you considered taking a GMAT prep course?

rajvedi · Answer

Thanks for the quick response. And by GMAT Prep course did you mean a specific tuition center or a general coaching programme? I did one last year and would not recommend that to any.

To talk specifically about verbal:

SC: i thought i was good at it and was confident to get most of the answers right and even understand 'why' they were right etc. BUT, in actual GMAT, i was not comfortable with the questions. I had practiced from OG12, OG11, even Kaplan verbal - and some other sources/pdfs/the 700-800 level etc

CR: i did CR bible and was again very confident on the concepts. I think i did well in CR in real GMAT. (God only knows if i fell to the GMAT trap questions).

RC: i had a very high accuracy in OG12, it was of no use when i tool the real exam attempt #2 as i realised i did not think through while attempting RC. So, the next time i went with RC99 and was a bit shaky with RC overall. During real GMAT, i know i screwed up when i relaised that the last question was a straight fwd direct detail q and i had that wrong!

Summary: I need high accuracy in RC and more comfort level in real GMAT SC questions.

jumsumtak · Answer

Can you quantify this a bit?

What was your accuracy level in the sections? What were your practice CAT scores? What was your breakdown on the real thing?

rajvedi · Answer

In RC, accuracy was 57% from around 100 questions from RC 99. From OG12, barring 1 or 2 very tough RCs, my accuracy level was higher than this, would say 70% plus!

In SC, accuracy was 86% from OG11.

In CR, accuracy was >90% in OG11/12 and >80% from other sources.

G day i went down to 31, 27 and 24 in Verbal! (declining at a constant rate)

Test Scores (2013)

1. New GMAT Prep 1 – 610 (47, 29) – heavily short of time in Verbal for last 6-7 questions
2. Manhattan 4D – 670 (44, 38) – SC was a problem
3. Manhattan 5D – 660 (44, 37) – RC was a problem
4. Old GMAT Prep 1 – 680 (49, 33) – short of time in Verbal!!
5. Old GMAT Prep 2 – 650 (47, 33) – short of time in maths;
6. Manhattan 6D – 660 (46, 34)
7. Manhattan 1E – 710 – 49, 38 (some known questions)
8. New GMAT Prep 2- 710 (49, 37)
9. Old GMAT Prep 1 – 740 (49, 42)
10. Manhattan 2E – 710 – (46, 41)…Bad Timing and accuracy
11. New GMAT Preps in 2012 with IR 720 and 740! Without repeated and known questions! Got 27 in verbal that time!

GMATPill · Answer

Hi rajvedi,

You seem to be taking lots and lots of practice tests. It doesn't seem as if you are actually reviewing questions you got wrong on a regular basis. I'd recommend actively reviewing questions you get wrong so you don't get them wrong next time. Of course, it would be most beneficial if you could get a friend or an expert to show you how he/she got the same question correct - what exactly did he do differently?

Oftentimes, it helps to hear or see how someone else does a question so you can see things in a different way - and perhaps avoid the same kinds of mistakes in the future.

So in short, focus more on reviewing or getting new perspective on questions from experts - rather than on doing more and more tests. You'll get better faster and with less effort.

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