Bombed it...630 (Q44 V 34)

Question

Took the test today and as indicated in the subject line scored a 630.

I had scored the exact same score with the same breakp when I had first taken PP in mid-feb.I'am particularly disappointed with my verbal score as I though that I was doing well during the exam.

To start of the essays serve the purpose of helping you rest your nerves and since the topics were not offbeat I just stuck to my template.

Quant section started and I was very careful about the first 15 questions, sometimes even double checking the answers.I thought I was doing pretty ok till I realized that I had to solve 7 questions in 5 minutes and this made me blind-guess last 5 questions.I was devastated and said to myself that I had bombed the quant section.Was in no mood to take the break ..still took it and just sat at my terminal till the break expired.

Verbal section was ok...never did I get a feeling that I was doing badly...got 4 RC's and lots of SC's.RC's were ok with the last one (Q36-39) being around 80 lines which threw off my timing but I was better off this time,having learned from my quant experience.

I thought my low quant scores would cause my overall score to go down but was surprised when it happened not becuase of quant score but because of verbal score.What worries me is that don't even know which part of the verbal exam I fared badly in.

About quant I guess with better timing and increased attention to details I can get 48.For the record I got 2 prob and 1 SD question....basics...nothing compared to the question on this site.

Would like to thank all you guys out here....specially Kpadma,Paul,Anandnk,Akamaibrah,Halle,Geethu,Shubanghi,Sunniboy,
Rakesh1239(who seems to be off this site for some time now) and others.

As for BB and Praet,take a bow guys....its not everyday that we see acts of altruism like this...this site has taught me lot of things and I'am indebted to you guys for that.

I wanted to tame the beast in my very first attempt but it got the better of me this time....I'm down but not out.Would take a break and rethink about my strategy of getting the magical figure of 700.

Practice test scores:
PP1 630 Q44 V34 (mid february)

PP2 720 Q48 V40 (day before the exam)

In hindsight I can say that having studied OG twice really skewed my PP2 scores.

PR1 630
PR2 640
PR3 660
PR4 640

Kap1 580
Kap2 570
Kap3 600
Kap4 570


Would like to know your views.

Vivek.

jo1to6 · Answer

vivek_dj,

I'm sorry you rough go at the GMAT. I kind of know how you feel. It looks like the quant section got us both. After the test, I stormed off to the bookstore to buy more prep materials.

Like you, I also wanted to knock th GMAT out of my way on the first try. Take solice in the fact that most people do better the second time around. 

Based on your posts, I'd say you just had a bad day. You really know the concepts. I'd be willing to bet that you'll reach your target the next time around... 

Have you tried studying from LSAT guides? People have been recommending that as a useful resource to beef up on verbal.

Looking forward to reading more of your posts! Keep up the great work!

anandnk · Answer

Hi Vivek,

I dont want to say that u should not be disappointed. But I know the feeling. I was in the same boat. I have seen so many people beating on Quant ( I know Indians love it) and to some extent on SC CR and RC in that order. Lot of people fail to realize that RC is the worst. You may feel u have gotten many answers correct but you will be surprised. More importantly RC can set your timing completely off and affect other CRs and SCs. I have never seen people go through lot of RCs and make strategies. 
I dont doubt your SC and CR skills. As far as Quant is concerned you probably spent too much time on first 15 Qs I guess. I can only predict that RC got you and few SC/CRs because of off timing from RCs.

Hey but I expect you to reappear here on this forum. You have been a valuable member.

I dont want to throw the same advice u threw at me. I expect you to believe it and follow it yourself.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Let us join in and study together.
Anand.

kpadma · Answer

Hi Vivek

I know the disappointing feeling, that many of us have gone through before.For most of the first time GMAT test takers, fear, timing and RCs are the three things that prevent from getting 700. 

I'm sure, with another month or two of preparation, you will cross the magic 700 figure. 

My best wishes to success
kpadma

Paul · Answer

Hey Vivek, I know how you feel. As someone who actively participated on this board and spent lots of time preparing for the exam, I sincerely think that you could have done better. It just shows that the GMAT is a quest and definitely, it can be nailed. Just stick around and we will do this again together and again, 630 for a first attempt is great. Often times, people do reach the 700 mark on their second attempt. For now, just rest your mind and have a few beers :drinking

And above all, I don't wish you all the best but what is best for you!

Makky07 · Answer

Vivek,

Do not even worry about this test. We shall all beat it together! It is definitely beatable. 

I've gotten the same score as you in the past with a 42Q and a 37 V. Anandnk is right, RC is the hardest part of the verbal. I was constantly left with 2 answer choices that both seemed right. It was pure torture, coupled with the fact that I suffer from serious performance anxiety. But I will crack it.

Please recoup and come right back so we can continue to practice. 

BTW, thanks for all your questions. You've been a great contributor.

Praetorian · Answer

I cant help but feel that RC must have been one of the problems. you were doing great in SC's and CR's. Well, i will see what i can do. i have gotten hold of some RC's and we will run a challenge for RC's as well. ok. I agree completely. Doing well on essays is a good way to gain some confidence. Sure, you did a good thing by focussing on the first 15. Also, guessing on the last 5 will not make such a significant impact on the score. You might be reasonably sure about what areas troubled you most in quant. work on the problems that you are confident about and try to reduce the time in which you solve them. with your problem areas, start from scratch and understand every aspect of it. Discuss them here and see how it goes. Also, from now on, try to time every question that you solve. Make an error log of the problems that you solve. and go over these problems in the final week. Again, i think RC's would have affected your score a bit. we will see about that. I agree. with quant, most of us know when we are right or wrong. but with verbal, most of us go in with our best analysis of the questions. thus, it might not be immediately clear what the problem areas are. yes, you know, one of the reasons for starting the challenge series was to emphasize the impact of timing on performance. too often, we often go after the tougher problems without realizing that the easier problems cost us the most if we get them wrong. Thanks

My advice is dont take a long break. it really affects the rhythm of your preparation. One bad day. no sweat. Just keep going. We will try to help as far as we can. There is nothing abnormal about the practice scores. I am sure you have read vicky's experience. He started from 590 and finally ended up with 730.

if there is anything i can do, do not hesitate to email me. Good Luck Praetorian

vivek_dj · Answer

Thank you all for those encouraging words...its becuase of you guys and my support group which helps me take heart from this performance and give me the belief that I can pull it off.But really that verbal score hurts...it hurts enough to give me sleepless nights.For the last 2 n 1/2 weeks I was getting up at 6 in the morning ...to get acustomed to my early morning test (8.30)....I know for some 6.30 would be the normal time to get up but I have the luxury of getting up at 8.30 on a normal work day.I gave 3 full tests(PR-4,Kap-4,PP-2 including essays) at the same time everyday (Fri-8.30,Sat-8.30 and Sunday-8.30).Anyway all those efforts seems to have gone down the drain.

Now that I reflect back...RC's seem to have got me...and the first thing I'm gonna do is hit those LSAT books...and polish it off.I have not studied from GMAT+ and VStudy ...how good are they,do they provide explanations.If anybody could tell me the most efficient way to use this 2 popular resources I would be grateful.

Some of the insights I gained from my 1st attempt:

1) To have a template for the essays.Its  highly  imperative to start of on a bright note.Do the essays well and it believe me it lifts your spirits.

2) Manage your time well,ofcourse the first 10-12 questions are important so be very diligent about them but once you are done with them....you gotta pick up the tempo.

3) Never let the Question-Minutes ratio to be more than 4 minutes....you keep saying to yourself that you would catch up but at the end ..its gets you....and 90% of the time last 2-3 questions are easy so if you miss them/guess them...it pains like anything.

4)  Never  let your ego come into picture...if your not able to solve a particular question...backsolve it or guess it but move ahead.

I would recommend this for PS questions:

*** Have a look at the question...most of them require you to form a equation...if by the look of it you can come up with an equation...go for it..solve it ..incase you do not get the right answer..(your answer is not among the options) then  DO NOT   go back and try to rectify your mistake...its a cardinal sin...its time to backsolve...plug in numbers.I made the mistake of going back and rectifying the equations...but ultimately I ended backsolving it...it could have saved me 4-5 minutes.Secondly,if at face value itself you are not confident of coming up with an equation...don't beat around the bush...backsolve it.This is the most valuable lesson I learnt. ***


5) Nearly all the SC's on the test fall into 4 categories
 a) Idioms
 b) Parallelism
 c) Subject-verb
 d) Comparison

I was most comfortable with SC's and they seem to form half the q's on the test...if you are good with SC's ...you can solve them in a minute and then can use the saved time on RC's.

6)There is a high probaility that you would get a RC at the end after 34 th question...and if your lagging on time...this RC would wreak havoc...and bring your world crashing down.So please time yourself keeping this in mind.

I have compiled a list of Idioms from OG..with Q numbers that they appear on....would share it with you guys as n when time permits.

I know normally these kinda advices are given by the super-achievers,which Im not ...but just wanted to chip in.

Thanks once again...guys.

Wishes,
Vivek.

asagem99 · Answer

Hi Vivek,

Thanks for your instructive input. In fact I value your advice equal to or more than super-smart high achivers' advice as you seem to have spent lot of time and effort in attacking GMAT and not all high achievers would have spent same time and effort. 
Please keep trying and I am sure with persistance and effort, you will be able to achieve your goal. Best of luck.

Praetorian · Answer

Hi Vivek

Thats one of the best posts in a long time by anyone.

I used GMAT+ for practice and i think it would be a good source for your verbal practice. You might find that some of the answers are off, but you can surely discuss them here. 

My main purpose for using GMAT+ was speed practice. Solving SC's under a minute was my goal. With CR's and RC's, I never really tried to time myself because i was analyzing those most of the time. I never used Vstudy, but you can try the verbal section and see how it is. Definitely work on the LSAT's , those are great for practice. 

We can help you with GMAT+. If you dont have the GMAT+, we can give a copy of that to you for free. Just give me your address and i will send it to you. 

Regards
Praetorian

Geethu · Answer

Vivek,
You turned around fast. Good spirit. I think we need to practice more RCs with a good strategy. Then, we can easily nail the GMAT. 

I have done all the SCs from gmat+. Haven't tried other portions from that. Should be as useful as the SCs.

Good Luck,
Geethu

vivek_dj · Answer

Thanks asagem99 and Geethu.


Vivek.

crackgmat750 · Answer

Vivek
I sympathize with you as I went through the whole thing myself. Iam sure you will crack it. But...... again dont underestimate verbal!!! In my pursuit for 40+ verbal score, I have really messed up my GMAT history. As you will find in one of my posts.. I went down from 690(q49 v35), which i took around1.5 years back, to the latest 650( q44 v35) which I took few months back. Everytime I thought I was unlucky in verbal and failed to realize that I might have some serious shoretcomings in my preparation. Most of us generally think RC is the culprit.. but believe me SC is a bigger culprit for we international students. Iam sure SC holds the key in verbal.. those innocent looking questions have a trick in them. In rc or cr, u generally know when u are doing them right.. but sc is most unpredictable. It's my strong feeling that to get 38+ in verbal, your sc concepts should be very good.
Going by experiences of lots of people and mine, I can say that more often than not, lot of first 15 questions will be SC. So by the time u reach question 15, your fate is sealed. So it becomes very important to do well in sc questions. I have a feeling that nowadays since more and more people are acing cr and rc questions , ETS has no option but to put all the tricks of trade in sc questions to normalize the verbal scores. SC questions can be made very hard and tricky particularly for non native speakers. Once you are trapped in them in the start of test, ur doomed for a poor or at the best mediocre verbal score.
That's the reason u hear all these cries of people who say that they were doing so well in practice tests but ended up with a 26 in verbal!!!! Iam sure SC proves to be a betenoire for these people.
I have started reading a grammar book for this. I know it sounded ridiculous in the beggining to me, but after this repeated failings I begun to think that it's best to close all gaps.
For RC and CR, PRActicing LSAT material might be a good idea.
Also, one thing I would suggest is that practicing focus is very essential for RC questions. try reading long , and estoreic passages from aldaily.com, nytimes.com etc. I rememeber that 3 years back when i took GRE .. I REALLY practiced very hard for verbal.I took so many practice tests and no wonder i scored 98 percentile in GRE verbal. i hope i get back my focus of those times.

Dont worry friend, Iam also in the pursuit of 720+..we will do it together

trishuls · Answer

excellent post and advise vivek! I am sure that as you clearly know where you went wrong and have analyzed these shortcomings, you would not have a hard time getting to 700 ! good luck!

crackgmat750: to normalize the verbal scores, ETS is also varying the composition of the 1st 15 questions these days .. I got 2 RCs in the 1st 12 questions! and of course they managed to normalize my verbal score! :-|

again good luck vivek ..

-trishul

again good luck vivek .. -trishul

vivek_dj · Answer

Thank you for your encouraging words crackgmat750 and trishuls.

Yeah... I had writted in one of my earlier posts....almost half the verbal questions in the exam were SC's...so to get 38+ in verbal its absolutely necessary that we nail SC.

For RC and CR ...I have started reading LSAT materials...I just hope I do enough to get my verbal score to 38.

Crakgmat750...when do you plan to take the test..?

BTW trishuls have u heard from any school...I guess they would put out their results in May....right.


Vivek.

crackgmat750 · Answer

Vivek , I intend to take it within 2 months time... provided I start preparing for the last final battle soon. The problem is Iam too busy nowadays and inspite of my best efforts.. iam unable to devote time for this. But next week I intend to kick start my preparations.

quedo1 · Answer

sorry, but i'm new here but i've been hearing a lot about this GMAT+, can someone tell me what it is and if it targets the verbal or quant. part of the test. also, if i have the OG, then is the GMAT+ necessary??

thanks

kath · Answer

Hi there! This is Kath. Please email me the gmat +. I saw your notes on the share your gmat experience section. I am actually getting frustrated with this test. I scored 420 on my last test. I am going to start studying again tomorrow and will be scheduling my test once I do well on my practice tests. Have you heard of anyone having success from 420s and have received 700s in the next exam? I am shooting for a top ten business school. I am highly motivated but it seems like I am having a problem attacking questions. I am a foreign grad and I think it could be one of the reasons for scoring low. Let me know what your thoughts are. My email add is kathswanson@yahoo.com

vivek_dj · Answer

kath & quedo1,
I have myseld not gone thru GMAT+ extensivley but with what I have been advised ...its worth a shot.I have pm'ed u guys the link.

Vivek.

kath · Answer

Vivek, I was not able to download the GMAT +. Your folder is empty. Please send it back to me...Anybody who has the GMAT + please email me. Thanks!

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