Crashed From 660 in GMAT prep to Actual GMAT 510 (Q39,V21)

Question

It is such a heart break! I was doing really well with my practice exams scoring about 670 max to 580 min. And with the real thing : 
1.I had timing issues in verbal section during my practice tests, ending up guessing the last few questions. In the real thing, I made sure i was awake and on and finished the section with 5 mins to spare. Felt questions were easy, did not challenge me. 
2. Never had any trouble in quants during my practice tests, scoring on avg 46 and finishing on time. In the real thing, finished the quant section with almost 10 mins to spare. Felt the questions were easy, few were nice ones. 
3. I have been prepping for the past 3 months.

Materials used : 
OG 12 
Kaplan Premier program 
Princeton Review (i thought was a waste) 
OG verbal, Kaplan Verbal Review 
Kaplan Quant 
Kaplan 800 
Manhattan SC 
Sahil SC notes

Few things, I took the MGMAT Tests each day, the week before the real thing to build my stamina. Thought MGMAT tests would have added better value to my prep, if i had them earlier. 
Guys, I have an urge/temptation to take the test as early as first week of oct to prove a thing to myself (call it ego). Your inputs would be of great value to me.

Hussain15 · Answer

Hi leok, welcome to gmat club.

Its sad to hear about debacle. I think you should not be so eager to sit for the gmat again. Take your time, make a strategy, spend some time here to review what others have to say & then go for the next take. Take a look at this thread should-i-retake-gmat-thread-retaking-gmat-strategies-83339.html

Also, I would recommend to try Knewton as they offer a money back guarantee for a 50 point increase. Be calm & make your decision.

Best of luck & keep us posted.

dokiyoki · Answer

Call it a bad day

You definitely are capable of scoring high. Take some time off, rework your strategies and take the exam again. All the best !

kissthegmat · Answer

I believe this was just a bad day for you. You can do much better, take another shot but before that take few days off and keep GMAT away from your mind. After few days start afresh! You'll do good, good luck!

leokashyap · Answer

The question is should i go for a Tutor (like Knewton)... or just a do free style as i did before? .... :roll:

phoenixrulzz · Answer

Take a practice test and see where you stand. Identify your weakness, that will give you a head start on whether you want to go to a tutor or not. You might probably be strong on your fundamentals but miss scores due to exam stress/carelessness.

Dawgie · Answer

It's called choking, I would take some time off and regroup. Take more CATs to work on your timing and anxiety.

Thanks,
Dawgie

leokashyap · Answer

Guys, Here is a Screen shot of my Verbal score report of all the 6 MGMAT tests. Thanks for your inputs. :cry:

Dreamy · Answer

Having someone to point out the mistakes were very helpful for me in sentence correction. If you aim for October timeline, self study might not be that effective.

shaselai · Answer

the chart shows that you are weak 600-800 which i guess it is not too surprising given your score. You need to figure out why those are wrong - error logs help

kissthegmat · Answer

Yes, give more time on Verbal. Try Veritas guides, I think those might be helpful in your case. Give them a try, they are worth.

mbasaikiran · Answer

After looking at your report, I feel you are weak on CR 700-800 questions. 27% were correct. Make use of error logs and learn your mistakes. You will definitely succeed next time.

bb · Answer

Hi - sorry to hear about your experience.

Here are my thoughts about retaking: should-i-retake-gmat-thread-retaking-gmat-strategies-83339.html?highlight=ml303

I do think you have a good chance with your gmat prep score (unless you had a lot of familiar questions). How was your timing on the test? How was the stress level?

leokashyap · Answer

Hi bb, 
 I was not stressed (not paralyzed at all :D ), timing was an issue. In Quant i had almost 12-14 mins for the last 3 questions, which would mean i rushed through or did careless mistakes. In Verbal there were many things: First, At the final break when i went to the Test Administrator, she was out for smoking. Here i lost some valuable 2 - 3 mins + Stress. And then, when the Test Started, I was thinking of rushing or pushing through questions. This after my experience with MGMAT and GMAT prep Tests where i had to guess the last 3 - 4 questions (getting all of them wrong). As a result, I had complete 5 minutes left for the last question. But when i was answering the questions, I felt the questions were easy (I thought GMAT was easier than MGMAT), was confident in SC , Not so Sure in CR and Happy with RC. But then, when i went to the result page, it was a shocker!
 
 Learnings : I should have done more practice tests regularly during my prep days, Should Respect GMAT, Give more time for CR ( Read the Stimulus first instead of Stem), Change the test timings from 12:30pm to 9:30 am (my energy levels were low during verbal, but no excuse), Quality of practice is more important than Quantity of practice. Math - To work on Inequalities, Probability and Permutation & Combination, Work & Time.
 
 Remedy : I have been through your link yesterday and after a lot of thought went for Knewton online course. Registered for Gmat club tests. And Now i am starting with CR bible and plan to take a Mock CAT every 3 days and to take the test only when there is consistency in Verbal Scores. 
 I would be happy to get more inputs from you.

Thanks

rtewari · Answer

Cheer up, I had the same exact experience on Saturday (from 660 - 600). Chalk up the loss to a bad test experience, re-work your strategy, and kill it next time!!

greatman1234 · Answer

solid study plans.... m sure you are going to rock....................

sandeep800 · Answer

All the Best leo Hope u do well !!

	Manhattan Prep: $99 Bonus Score Higher on Your GMAT Exam. Guaranteed.
	Target Test Prep - Save up to $599 $400 Discount + $99 Bonus GMAT Club Tests
	e-GMAT: 60% Off on GMAT Focus Get to 735+ from any starting point
	Magoosh increases your score, guaranteed - 15% off ALL Magoosh GMAT plans with code GMATCLUB15 + Free GMAT Club Tests.
	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

Crashed From 660 in GMAT prep to Actual GMAT 510 (Q39,V21)

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