Discouraged after 6 months of studying

Question

I have been studying for the GMAT for six months and am thoroughly discouraged at the results. I've been out of school for a while (graduated undergrad in 2001) so I basically had to learn a lot of the math again. I started Manhattan Prep in late April and after three classes, decided to put the class on hold to further strengthen my quant skills. I studied on my own for two months and rejoined a class in July and just finished it up at the end of August. In April I took my first practice test and scored a 550. When I rejoined the class, I took my 2nd practice test and scored a 510. Upon finishing the class, I took a third practice and scored a dismal 420. Clearly I knew more by the end of the 9 week course than at the beginning but my scores did not reflect this fact at all. I did all of the assigned homework throughout the class, I even would watch the quant lessons online before going to class but I'm just not processing things in the test situation. I feel like I have dedicated so much time to test prep and have absolutely nothing to show for it. I'm not exactly sure where to go from here to continue my studies. Any advice would be appreciated.

jdthemaverick · Answer

Hi,
 I believe the best way to deal with this set back is to do a lot of analysis. Whenever I got discouraged while preparing, I used to get into analyzing each and every question and categorizing them into the reasons why I got them wrong. It is by working on your thought process of solving a problem that you'll improve your scores.

Secondly, I suggest you do not completely depend on any discourse set by 1 tutoring program. what works best for many might not be the right study approach for you. Essentially spend more time introspecting and analyzing than simply listening to "experts".

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Shortie55,

I have a few questions about this most recent CAT that you took (the 420 score):

1) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT (including the Essay and IR sections)?
2) What were the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores on that CAT?
3) Did you have pacing problems on any of the sections (and did you have to rush on a bunch of questions just to finish)?

After reviewing this CAT:
1) How many times did you get a Quant question wrong because of a silly/little mistake?
2) How many times did you get a Quant question wrong because it was just too hard?
3) In the Verbal section, how often did you 'narrow it down to 2 choices' but still get the question wrong?

Thankfully, the GMAT is a predictable, standardized Test, so you CAN train to score at a higher level.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Shortie55 · Answer

Thanks for the replies. I will plan on studying each of the problems in the CATs pretty thoroughly to understand them and to remind myself of the broader rules surrounding them that I need to remember. In response to EMPOWERgmatRichC’s questions:

1) Yes, I took the entire CAT including the Essay and the IR sections.
2) The quant scaled score was 24 and the verbal scaled score was 26.
3) I did have problems with pacing on the IR and the quant, I finished verbal right on time with only a few seconds to spare. With quant, I guessed on the last four which I know is disastrous.

After reviewing the CAT
1) I would say about nine times I got things wrong because I forgot basic rules that I should’ve remembered.
2) I would say there were about 10 problems that would probably fall into my “just too hard” category. Then there were those four at the end where I just guessed because I ran out of time.
3) I don’t have exact numbers for the verbal but I did use the method of writing down ABCDE for each problem and think I did a fairly decent job of trying to narrow down choices.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Shortie55,

With a Q24/V26, you likely made lots of little mistakes throughout both the Quant and Verbal sections. Having to guess on the last 4 questions in the Quant section certainly didn't help, but you would have already lost a lot of points before you neared the end of the section. From your own description, you made 9 little mistakes in the Quant section alone (that you should have been able to avoid); to score at a much higher level, you simply cannot afford that type of inconsistency in your work. Furthermore, from what you describe about the Verbal section, I don't think that you necessarily use any tactics besides "eliminate the ones that seem wrong and pick the one that sounds good."

Thankfully, all of these issues can be 'fixed', but whatever work you've done so far has not been enough to properly prepare you for the Official GMAT. Before I can offer any advice, I'd like to know a bit more about your goals:

1) What is your score goal?
2) When are you planning to take the GMAT?
3) When are you planning to apply to Business School?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Shortie55 · Answer

1) At this point, my score goal would be to get somewhere in the high 500's.
2) I have signed up to take my first GMAT in early November. I understand that I will most likely need to take it at least a second time.
3) I’d like to try and apply in time for the second round but if I can’t make it, applying for the third round would be fine as well.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Shortie55,

An early-November Test Date gives you almost 2 months of additional study time, so you could absolutely hit your score goal by then (if you make the proper adjustments to how you 'see', and respond to, the GMAT. For most US Business Schools, Round 2 application deadlines are usually in December or January, so this gives you further time to study (and retest) as needed.

From what you've described, you took your last CAT about 2 weeks ago (give or take). What work have you done since then? Have you taken any additional FULL-LENGTH CATs? If you have, then how have you scored? If you have not, then you should plan to take one soon (perhaps this weekend), so we can see if you've made any progress since your class ended. Once you have that CAT score, you should report back here and we can talk through your ongoing study plan.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

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