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25 Aug 2015, 00:44
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi All,
I would like to ask the help of the experts and experienced GMAT takers regarding my preparation for my next GMAT exam (yes, it is going to be a re-take and not even the first)...
Brief background: Eastern European male who studied and worked in Western Europe and the Middle East during the last 5 years. I got a pre-experience business Masters degree from a top European business school a few years ago. Now, I am planning to apply for an MBA (entrepreneurship-focused, US schools, top 5).
GMAT history:
PAST:
- I took the exam circa 5 years ago, related to my Masters applications (got 630, Q: 47, V: 29, AWA: 5.5). In general, I had a very strong application and I explained to the admission officers my difficulties on the Verbal side. Eventually, all of my applications got accepted.
- Since graduation, I have been using English for work and personal life for more than 4 years. Although, I feel highly comfortable with my English skills, I wanted to make sure that I will have a very strong verbal score on the GMAT, so I started my preparation very early this January (7 months before my exam day).
PREPARATION:
- On the first day of my preparation, I took the first official GMATPrep test and got 600 (Q: 42, V:31).
- In the following 6 months, I have reviewed the entire Veritas prep set (12 books and 40 hours of video). On top of this, I reviewed the quant notes of Manhattan and the GMATClub. While I was preparing, I took a few practice tests and hit around 630-640 on Veritas and MGMAT, consistently getting 34-36 on Verbal and 42-44 on Quant.
- At that point, I realised that my Quant part was not as strong as before, so I started focusing solely on that aspect. After a few weeks my speed and accuracy improved and I felt ready for the exam.
- Before my exam date, I took the 2 official GMAT practice tests with the following scores (5-10 days before my exam, with AWA and IR, realistic exam environment):
--- GMATPrep exam #1: 710 (IR: 8, Q: 48, V:38) (the same I took 6 months earlier)
--- GMATPrep exam #2: 750 (IR:8, Q: 49, V:44)
EXAM (FIRST):
- First trial: due to my good GMAT prep scores, I was hoping to get a 710+ on the actual exam day.
- While the IR and Quant part went well (IR: 7, Q: 49), apparently I had a terrible Verbal score (V: 23).
- To be honest, I still have no idea what happened. My lowest verbal score was 31 before (on my first practice exam), and in the last two months I have been consistently between 35 and 44 on every single practice test. I am fully aware of the GMAT Verbal strategies (decision points in SC, SWIM method for CR, etc.), but somehow I got this terribly low score...
- Score: 610 (IR: 7, Q:49 V: 23)
PREPARATION (SECOND):
- Due to the new rules, you can retake the GMAT in every 16 days and you can cancel it without any consequences. As I hoped to submit my applications within the first round, I registered for a second exam 3 weeks after my first trial. I spent the next 3 weeks with reviewing my notes with a strong focus on Verbal. I thought that my anxiety and the lack of focus were the main reasons behind my failed first trial.
- I also registered for e-GMAT and reviewed the first few videos in SC. Unfortunately, I didn't have the time to thoroughly review the entire course.
- I purchased the extra two GMATPrep exams to see whether the first two good scores (710, 750) were outliers or not.
- These newly purchased tests also went quite well, although the second one was not as good as I hoped (I took one of the tests on Saturday and the other one on Sunday)
--- GMATPrep exam #3: 720 (IR: 8, Q: 49, V: 39)
--- GMATPrep exam #4: 680 (IR: 5, Q: 48, V: 35)
EXAM (SECOND):
- I was in a fairly relaxed state during the second exam, although I felt that my timing was not as good as before.
- I couldn't finish the last 2-3 quant questions which clearly hurt my score.
- No matter how well I felt it went, my Verbal score was a disaster again (although slightly better than the first time)
- Score: 610 (IR: 7, Q:47, V: 27)
Bottom line: I feel very frustrated that my Verbal score was once again at least 7-8 points lower than my worst GMAT Prep test. While the scores show that I am fairly OK with IR and Quant, I simply can't get even close to the same results in Verbal that I had in the practice tests...
Next steps: Now, I am trying to figure out how I could prepare for my next exam. Based on the enhanced reports from GMAC, the scores show that Sentence Correction was my weakest point both times. I plan to go through the e-GMAT Verbal course in details, and I will also try to push up my Quant to 50. I would appreciate any suggestions regarding what tools, resources I should use for my preparation.
Many thanks for any advice in advance!!!
I would like to ask the help of the experts and experienced GMAT takers regarding my preparation for my next GMAT exam (yes, it is going to be a re-take and not even the first)...
Brief background: Eastern European male who studied and worked in Western Europe and the Middle East during the last 5 years. I got a pre-experience business Masters degree from a top European business school a few years ago. Now, I am planning to apply for an MBA (entrepreneurship-focused, US schools, top 5).
GMAT history:
PAST:
- I took the exam circa 5 years ago, related to my Masters applications (got 630, Q: 47, V: 29, AWA: 5.5). In general, I had a very strong application and I explained to the admission officers my difficulties on the Verbal side. Eventually, all of my applications got accepted.
- Since graduation, I have been using English for work and personal life for more than 4 years. Although, I feel highly comfortable with my English skills, I wanted to make sure that I will have a very strong verbal score on the GMAT, so I started my preparation very early this January (7 months before my exam day).
PREPARATION:
- On the first day of my preparation, I took the first official GMATPrep test and got 600 (Q: 42, V:31).
- In the following 6 months, I have reviewed the entire Veritas prep set (12 books and 40 hours of video). On top of this, I reviewed the quant notes of Manhattan and the GMATClub. While I was preparing, I took a few practice tests and hit around 630-640 on Veritas and MGMAT, consistently getting 34-36 on Verbal and 42-44 on Quant.
- At that point, I realised that my Quant part was not as strong as before, so I started focusing solely on that aspect. After a few weeks my speed and accuracy improved and I felt ready for the exam.
- Before my exam date, I took the 2 official GMAT practice tests with the following scores (5-10 days before my exam, with AWA and IR, realistic exam environment):
--- GMATPrep exam #1: 710 (IR: 8, Q: 48, V:38) (the same I took 6 months earlier)
--- GMATPrep exam #2: 750 (IR:8, Q: 49, V:44)
EXAM (FIRST):
- First trial: due to my good GMAT prep scores, I was hoping to get a 710+ on the actual exam day.
- While the IR and Quant part went well (IR: 7, Q: 49), apparently I had a terrible Verbal score (V: 23).
- To be honest, I still have no idea what happened. My lowest verbal score was 31 before (on my first practice exam), and in the last two months I have been consistently between 35 and 44 on every single practice test. I am fully aware of the GMAT Verbal strategies (decision points in SC, SWIM method for CR, etc.), but somehow I got this terribly low score...
- Score: 610 (IR: 7, Q:49 V: 23)
PREPARATION (SECOND):
- Due to the new rules, you can retake the GMAT in every 16 days and you can cancel it without any consequences. As I hoped to submit my applications within the first round, I registered for a second exam 3 weeks after my first trial. I spent the next 3 weeks with reviewing my notes with a strong focus on Verbal. I thought that my anxiety and the lack of focus were the main reasons behind my failed first trial.
- I also registered for e-GMAT and reviewed the first few videos in SC. Unfortunately, I didn't have the time to thoroughly review the entire course.
- I purchased the extra two GMATPrep exams to see whether the first two good scores (710, 750) were outliers or not.
- These newly purchased tests also went quite well, although the second one was not as good as I hoped (I took one of the tests on Saturday and the other one on Sunday)
--- GMATPrep exam #3: 720 (IR: 8, Q: 49, V: 39)
--- GMATPrep exam #4: 680 (IR: 5, Q: 48, V: 35)
EXAM (SECOND):
- I was in a fairly relaxed state during the second exam, although I felt that my timing was not as good as before.
- I couldn't finish the last 2-3 quant questions which clearly hurt my score.
- No matter how well I felt it went, my Verbal score was a disaster again (although slightly better than the first time)
- Score: 610 (IR: 7, Q:47, V: 27)
Bottom line: I feel very frustrated that my Verbal score was once again at least 7-8 points lower than my worst GMAT Prep test. While the scores show that I am fairly OK with IR and Quant, I simply can't get even close to the same results in Verbal that I had in the practice tests...
Next steps: Now, I am trying to figure out how I could prepare for my next exam. Based on the enhanced reports from GMAC, the scores show that Sentence Correction was my weakest point both times. I plan to go through the e-GMAT Verbal course in details, and I will also try to push up my Quant to 50. I would appreciate any suggestions regarding what tools, resources I should use for my preparation.
Many thanks for any advice in advance!!!
25 Aug 2015, 01:06
Kudos
Bookmarks
I think the biggest question we need to answer is what happened differently with verbal during the official tests.
*After the first GMATPrep exam, were you working with any familiar material? For instance, had you seen some of the questions here on gmatclub or in some kind of bootleg question bank?
*How was your verbal timing on the real test?
*Do you tend to catch meaning issues in SC? (Meaning has been emphasized more on the official test in recent years.)
*What was the week before the test like? Were you getting enough sleep, eating well, and maintaining a normal exercise routine? Were you cramming extensively?
*Are you using your breaks well on the real test? Are you having a snack and moving around?
Those are my first few ideas. You can certainly keep studying, but if there's something you're doing on test day that is undermining your performance, even years of study won't help!
*After the first GMATPrep exam, were you working with any familiar material? For instance, had you seen some of the questions here on gmatclub or in some kind of bootleg question bank?
*How was your verbal timing on the real test?
*Do you tend to catch meaning issues in SC? (Meaning has been emphasized more on the official test in recent years.)
*What was the week before the test like? Were you getting enough sleep, eating well, and maintaining a normal exercise routine? Were you cramming extensively?
*Are you using your breaks well on the real test? Are you having a snack and moving around?
Those are my first few ideas. You can certainly keep studying, but if there's something you're doing on test day that is undermining your performance, even years of study won't help!
25 Aug 2015, 03:12
Kudos
Bookmarks
Dmitry: thanks a lot for getting back to me! I really appreciate it.
Regarding your questions:
*After the first GMATPrep exam, were you working with any familiar material? For instance, had you seen some of the questions here on gmatclub or in some kind of bootleg question bank?
No, I have only used Veritas books, the Verbal Official Guide, and the Official Guide for practice questions. I haven't used any online question banks at all.
*How was your verbal timing on the real test?
The first time, I felt that I lost concentration by the time I started the Verbal part. The temperature in the room was around 38 celsius outside, and there was no air conditioning only a small fan in the corner. I am sure that my mental state played a big role in that one.
The second time, I was very relaxed and managed to pace myself properly - at least that was my impression.
*Do you tend to catch meaning issues in SC? (Meaning has been emphasized more on the official test in recent years.)
I think so, but it is definitely an area that I will focus on more from now on.
*What was the week before the test like? Were you getting enough sleep, eating well, and maintaining a normal exercise routine? Were you cramming extensively?
Before the first exam, I had an OK week and studied the whole weekend (reviewing notes, doing a practice test, scanning my previous errors). I even took Monday and Tuesday off, and I wrote the exam on Tuesday morning.
The second time, I took a very different approach. I had a very hectic week at work and then relaxed as much as possible. I briefly reviewed my notes, but my strategy was to go in with a fresh mind. I wrote that exam on Saturday afternoon after a long sleep and a relaxing morning. I felt that I was much fresher mentally that time.
*Are you using your breaks well on the real test? Are you having a snack and moving around?
Yes. Both times I took the breaks. I usually had chocolate and/or bananas with some still water.
Any ideas what I should focus on next?
Regarding your questions:
*After the first GMATPrep exam, were you working with any familiar material? For instance, had you seen some of the questions here on gmatclub or in some kind of bootleg question bank?
No, I have only used Veritas books, the Verbal Official Guide, and the Official Guide for practice questions. I haven't used any online question banks at all.
*How was your verbal timing on the real test?
The first time, I felt that I lost concentration by the time I started the Verbal part. The temperature in the room was around 38 celsius outside, and there was no air conditioning only a small fan in the corner. I am sure that my mental state played a big role in that one.
The second time, I was very relaxed and managed to pace myself properly - at least that was my impression.
*Do you tend to catch meaning issues in SC? (Meaning has been emphasized more on the official test in recent years.)
I think so, but it is definitely an area that I will focus on more from now on.
*What was the week before the test like? Were you getting enough sleep, eating well, and maintaining a normal exercise routine? Were you cramming extensively?
Before the first exam, I had an OK week and studied the whole weekend (reviewing notes, doing a practice test, scanning my previous errors). I even took Monday and Tuesday off, and I wrote the exam on Tuesday morning.
The second time, I took a very different approach. I had a very hectic week at work and then relaxed as much as possible. I briefly reviewed my notes, but my strategy was to go in with a fresh mind. I wrote that exam on Saturday afternoon after a long sleep and a relaxing morning. I felt that I was much fresher mentally that time.
*Are you using your breaks well on the real test? Are you having a snack and moving around?
Yes. Both times I took the breaks. I usually had chocolate and/or bananas with some still water.
Any ideas what I should focus on next?
