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First REAL GMAT test …DEVASTATION at my 420

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nrazavi
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First REAL GMAT test …DEVASTATION at my 420 [#permalink] New post   22 May 2014, 16:31
I should preface this by saying that I took the Vertias Prep course once last year and again for at SECOND time just about a month or so ago. I wasn't seeing much of a lift in my practice exam scores after I completed the course the first time so I went for another round, and I was so happy I did when I was able to boost my previous practice exam score by 60 points!
I really thought I was on my way…

I've been using online resources as well as the official guide to practice and really get a good handle on question types. I wanted to familiarize myself with any sort of question I might see. I am impressed at the way I can tackle quant problems today that I would have just walked away from or been stumped on a few months ago.

My practice exam scores have all between between 540 and 600.
I've taken about 7 exams - sometimes including the IR portion, and sometimes not. Oh and I've always pretty much bombed IR but didn't put too much emphasis on this portion as I wanted to really get down to quant & verbal.

I took my first official GMAT exam this morning, I've been in tears since i saw my score (which I had a feeling I should have deleted), 420.


Oh, but I did get a 6 (out of 8) on the IR part of the test.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! :?:

I don't know what happened and I'm beyond disappointed in myself (I think that's the worst part). I had all my quant down …permutations, solution dilutions, ratios, percentages, circles, triangles, volume, distance/rate/time, etc. I did OK with timing, but definitely wasn't as quick as I've been on practice exams. I am not sure if my over thinking of each problem is what screwed with me…?

I'm just not sure where to go from here.
I work full time and graduated undergrad about 5 years ago, so it's been a while since I've taken a standardized test (and this was my first evil CAT, evil). :twisted:

My quant score was 18
My verbal score was 28
How horrific? I can't believe I'm even typing this out. :(

I've been able to get 40's on both sections in my practice exams.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I've already spent the money on the course and don't see the need to take another. In terms of strategies for the test, I get it. Data Sufficiency will be the death of me, I am certain. I can't believe how bad I bombed this exam…
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Re: First REAL GMAT test …DEVASTATION at my 420 [#permalink] New post   28 May 2014, 14:35
Sorry to hear that. Were you psychological prepared for the exam by using visualization and extreme positivity during your studies? Please take a look at this article to see what I am referring to: https://www.gmatpill.com/about/studying- ... trategies/

Make sure you are learning from your mistakes. If you need some assistance as you study OG questions, please see videos here: www.gmatpill.com/official-guide

Once you are feeling more confident, take a practice test here: www.gmatpill.com/gmat-practice-test/practice-test -- but most importantly, learn from your mistakes by reviewing over and over.
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DesiGmat
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Re: First REAL GMAT test …DEVASTATION at my 420 [#permalink] New post   29 May 2014, 04:03
Hi nrazavi,

Sorry to hear that.
My story is much similar to you.
Just before 2-3 weeks before my actual exam, i consistently scored 700+ in GMATprep mocks.
On actaul paper, I scored mere 480.

So I have again started my preparation and will give GMAT in coming month.

One thing to add on, GMAT doesn't only test your knowledge, but your attitude and state mind also play a significant role.
It's just an exam, mate and there is always a second chance.
Prepare again, brush up your skills and work on your weak areas.
I'm sure you will nail the exam in your second attempt. Just don't give up.
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DesiGmat
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Re: First REAL GMAT test …DEVASTATION at my 420 [#permalink] New post   29 May 2014, 04:06
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Hi nrazavi,

Sorry to hear that.
My story is much similar to your story.
Just before 2-3 weeks before my actual exam, i consistently scored 700+ in GMATprep mocks.
On actaul paper, I scored mere 480.

So I have again started my preparation and will give GMAT in coming month.

One thing to add on, GMAT doesn't only test your knowledge, but your attitude and state of mind as well.
It's just an exam, mate and there is always a second chance.
Prepare again, brush up your skills and work on your weak areas.
I'm sure you will nail the exam in your second attempt. Just don't give up.
Staying Calm and confident during the test are two key factors.
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samkhat77
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Schools: Duke '18 (D) McCombs '18 (WA) Kellogg '18 (D) Jones '18 (M$)
GMAT 1: 700 Q47 V38
WE:Account Management (Pharmaceuticals and Biotech)
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Re: First REAL GMAT test …DEVASTATION at my 420 [#permalink] New post   09 Jul 2015, 10:07
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Nrazavi,

I think I got a score in the high 400s, low 500s when I first took the GMAT. Do not let that discourage you! Put together a general plan like this:

- Learn the concepts and do a lot of practice questions (1 1/2 months). Make notes on where you are doing well and where you are struggling.
- Spend additional time on reinforcing the concepts that you struggle with by going over the concept again and doing more practice questions. This is a bit more straightforward approach for the quantitative section and trickier with the verbal section. With sentence correction, read things out to yourself to make sure they sound correct. For reading comprehension, go through tougher passages like LSAT passages to really test yourself. If you have trouble reading dense passages, pick up an economist or New Yorker and get used to reading that language.
- Take more practice tests to see where you are. Track where are you struggling and continue to work on the trouble areas. Keep doing this until fix those weak points.

Just remember to be as efficient as possible. If you are doing the questions, but not learning anything, don't expect to gain much. Additionally, do not rush through any of the practice. If you are making silly mistakes because you didn't read the question correctly or didn't do a calculation all the way through, then you're rushing. If you rush through practice questions and mock tests now, you'll do the same on the actual exam and make mistakes. The best test takers make VERY few mistakes. Lastly, make sure that you breathe and relax during the exam. A certain level of anxiety is good to keep focus, but too much anxiety can really hurt you.

Good luck!
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Re: First REAL GMAT test …DEVASTATION at my 420 [#permalink]
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