GMAT - third time around

Oh yes, I remember! The essays are a drain. They love to suck a lot of energy out of you before showing you the first Quant question! (and you actually feel tired by the time you start Verbal) So it is a test of your grit and determination too, not just concepts.
To do well in the Quant section, you should know the basics cold. The reason is that they are used in almost every Quant question and if you feel yourself lacking in them, you may not do well. Say, you know how to solve a time speed distance problem and you make equations (or ratios) to solve the question. But thereafter, if you are not comfortable with solving the equation or manipulating the ratios, you will not get the right answer. So it wouldn't matter how well you knew Time-Speed-Distance, the basics will kill you. If high school books help you, go with them, else you can try something like purplemath.com or khanacademy.com
And yes, reading will not only help you improve your language but also make you feel calmer. It is a great stress buster.

Don't forget the forum. In addition to being free, it has some great math and verbal sections right here, often with questions. Drilling lots and lots of questions (like with Kaplan 800, Princeton Review 1012, or the OGs -- particularly 10 and 12) seemed to help me get better at it.

But also don't give up your confidence and self regard. No matter what you do, I think that's the main thing. It's very hard to learn all this, but very easy to mess up if you panic during the test (that happened to me years ago). If you find yourself at that spot, take a deep breath, reassess, and keep going. (I know this sounds silly, but it helps me to visualize a relaxing beach on a sunny day.)

Don't give up and keep trying

Wanted to add:
My first GMAT was about 8 months back and I took it with only 3-4 weeks of prep. Never scored more than 530-550 in practice tests and got a 490 q39 V 20 on the test. This time I really(well, atleast according to me) studied for 2.5 months to score a 480(duh!, I know it sucks). I do recollect being a little worn out and tired on the G-day. This was another minus. Also, I never did the AWAs during my practice CATs. AWAs are imp. in every test, it gets our mind used to 3.5 hours instead of just 2.5 hours.

I have 10 days to go till G-day and I need around 660 to have a fighting chance to apply for the schools I want to go to. I'm feeling pretty sick today though... so I might take it easy and review some of my previous tests.

Don't get discouraged or mentally prepare yourself to get a low score. If you get in the wrong mindset, it won't matter how hard you study.

Thank you all for this support. I was overwhelmed with the suggestions and opinions that I have received here .

gmatGREdan,

I had really followed this approach in my last attempt too - the review process, still I ended up making a mess of the actual test

I plan to give myself 4-5 months time, unless I pick up speed suddenly..in this case wouldn't it be better to pick up some high school math materials?

desiaggie,
thanks for ur support here...your first two sentences gave me so much motivation!!!
Yes, I'm considering looking at Veritas books this time especially for Quant. I'm actually quite comfortable in the Verbal portion but the tired ness on test day drained me out expecially for RC questions and CR too.

windofchange,
Yes, I was also thinking of taking up Verbal first. Because once we get a hold of the Verbal section then practice alone will take us a long way and I can get this practice going along with Quant prep. Hope that helps me.

Karishma,
That's right, the esays suck up so much energy and I actually underestimated this . This time I'm going to do every single test with the essay...is there some work around this?
I actually never had problems with the algebra or arithmetic basics..my issues has been with solving word problems, Geometry, statistics and sets.Looks like all the GMAT related questions types are giving me trouble .I"ll need to get the basics right for such word problems and also learn to solve them within the time limit.
In my last attempt I clearly remember why I messed up Quant I took each question too seriosuly..I need to work on timing and test taking strategy this time around so that I know which questions to skip and which to spend those extra 30 seconds on. Also, I'm thinking of the VEritas books for Quant(heard good things about it).

Thank You all, again . I have got the motivation to pick up my books again...
I am yet to make a plan for myself. This plan will help me stick to deadlines. i'm not going to book the test this time until I'm consistently scoring above my target score in ever test. In my last prep, in Feb-march, I was scoring well during the peak of my prep and then the score started falling down by 30-40 points in the last 3 weeks leading to the test(may be test stress as well). I should have taken the cue but I didn't and went ahead with the test to see a score that I had never seen on any GMAT prep, including the ones before any GMAT study at all.

Another question on my mind - How does a third attempt on the GMAT score report look to admissions? I don't know if this matters but , I am not applying to MIT,HBS, Kellogg etc and the other top ranked schools; it is pretty much my local state university.

GMATgreDan,
Thanks for posting back. I was kind of confused on where to start the Quant part. Actually, what you say is right , I have gone through most OG questions and this may end up in me finishing the OG books pretty early. So I'm going to leave this for my last month of prep.
I've not booked the test yet and I have a target of taking the test in July or August. so this leaves me time to concetrate on every aspect of the test.

Try and conserve your energy for the Quant and Verbal sections. For that, be comfortable with the template of Essays so that you just need to plug in according to your topic. You wouldn't need to think for the essays very much in that case. Make sure you take every break and eat and drink appropriately during the breaks. May be wash your fresh to feel fresher- whatever works for you. Practicing along with the essays would be great if you can pull it off. Most people find it too tiresome!

Yes, Veritas books are pretty good! Though all of them are a great value add and have good tricky questions, I especially like the Geometry, Statistics, Data Sufficiency and Advanced Word Problems books.

If you are unable to grasp what the question is asking in the first 30 seconds, it's a good idea to guess and move on and save that time. Guessing is a part of the game, it is not 'giving-up'.

thanks again.
Yes,It is definitely a good idea to have templates ready for the essay section. This is something that I did not do in my last GMAT attempt.
I need help especially in the word problems area. So , am going to go and get that particular veritas book . If this book works for me, I"ll consider getting the other ones,later into my prep.

Seems like your math score is fine. Focus more on the verbal and just brush up on your quants a little.

haha, IMO, Q 33 is definitely not a worthy score either . Actually, my V and Q scores, both are low. This means both sections need brushing up.

I just came back from my first GMAT and scored a paltry 530.

Quant section let me down by quite a bit. The breaks were reduced to 6 minutes from 8. I got q31 v 33

My last few practice tests were 580, 600, 640.

I couldn't quite get used to the scratch pads as well and will definitely retake once I can guarantee q40+.

Thanks, I will do.

I think I will also get some Staedtler marker pens and plastic foil to practice on real paper. To be honest I think there are two pen sizes, the thinner one being easier to use during the quant section.

Having only 6 minutes during break times caused me to start with 9 seconds less, which probably broke my concentration. Anyway, I will make the official guide my priority reading companion.

I also have business week subscription to keep me entertained.furthermore I will also start reading some degree level management material to give me a broader understanding before I attend business school.

I am confident that I will be able to improve my score, regardless to if it's going to take me another two times to reach my target.

There ya go . Even a journey of 10,000 miles begins with one step (in paraphrasing a Chinese proverb).

Don't forget to create an error log or have a study plan in mind. I've found these two posts particularly helpful, use them as they befit your goals:

- Study Plan: gmat-study-plan-start-your-gmat-journey-80727.html

- Book Reviews / Plans: best-gmat-books-77703.html

Bonus: Of course, you can go through a *ton* of practice questions all on the forum too >>
- gmat-math-questions-and-intellectual-discussions-7/
- verbal-gmat-questions-11/

Keep at it! You'll make it soon enough!

What is your target score/ what schools are on your preferred list?