Need Help! Failed in GMAT.

Question

Hi All,

I took GMAT this week and got 660 (Q49 V32). I am totally shocked and confused. Please help me. What should I do now?? Should I retake the test? when?

I did the following.

1) Completed Kaplan, Princeton Reviews
2) Completed Manhattan SC
3) Went through 1000 SC 
4) Completed OG11
5) Took GMAT prep many times.

My practice test scores were

Manhattan : 640, 680, 680
GMAT Prep1: 640, GMAT prep2 :700.

I maintained error log. Please tell me in what books or area. I should concentrate. I am equally poor in SC and RC. I am okay with CR.

Thanks,
Leopard.

kyatin · Answer

Come on Leopard.

Dont say you failed for a good score of 660. I understand you may have been targeting different score, but I believe 660 is not a FAILURE.
There are people who have gone from 500s to 700s....so if you try hard its not at all impossible. In fact I believe anyone who scores 600s can at some point achieve 700..but whether efforts required are justified or not is something individual has to decide.

Out of SC and RC, SC is easier to improve. RC can also be improved but it takes longer. 
You may find some tips in my writeup  here  and many such writeups on "Share your GMAT Experience" forum

In short
RC - Gin's notes for RC + LSAT Superprep + LOTs of PRACTICE
SC - Manhattan SC + OG + 1000SC(of you have time) + GMATClub verbal forum.

For SC one thing I noticed is if you are picking up an answer without actually applying rules then it is possible you will miss that same question next time you do it...if thats happening then you will never score too well on SC. Its good to do guessing and POE but in exam you will see lot of questions with 2 answers very close and if you dont know rules then you not only have 50-50 odds which always work against you but also have risk of wasting too much time deciding this or that. (do last 30 SCs from OG11 with timer on , you will see what I mean)

Also NO Practice without timer since you already know basics.

If you are targeting 700 then you have to consistently score 30-40 points above that range as indication of you being ready for the actual exam.

Take a week off , rejuvenate and kick a$$.

Leopard · Answer

Thanks Kyatin. Thanks a lot! Thanks for the encouragement.

Yes, I will get my target this time. But, I have few questions. Please guide me here.

1) I want to improve in verbal. Hence, the plan is
RC - Gin's notes for RC + LSAT Superprep + LOTs of PRACTICE (as you said). 
SC - Manhattan SC + OG + 1000SC(of you have time) + GMATClub verbal forum. Yes, I will take with timer
CR - What should I do here?
I have kaplan 800. Is it of any use?

2) Next big question is how does university consider my scores. Will they average out or will the consider the latest one? Is there a way to find this?

Thanks again,
Leopard

Maple · Answer

2) Depends on the university. Most use the highest score.

Leopard · Answer

Thanks Maple..

kyatin · Answer

You said you are ok on CR , so I dint suggest anything. 
If you want to strengthen further, LSAT CRs from 1000 CR are way to go. Do as many sets as you can. I did around 4-5 sets.
Also LSAT Superprep is THE BEST for improving how you think. They have best OEs you I could find anywhere.

lsuguy7 · Answer

Interesting to think that 660 is a failure, which means that 84% of the people who take the test fail.

Maple · Answer

Defining failure depends on what the threshold of achievement is.

nevergiveup · Answer

I know how you feel because I am in the same boat. We even got the same score but different breakdowns. I got 50Q and 28V. I need to improve verbal as well. Reading comprehension is my major impediment to score high in verbal. I plan to give LSAT superprep a try and see what happens. Let's all hope we will succeed in our next try.

Leopard · Answer

Yes, it is not a failure. I just did not reach my target. I know I can get a good B school with this score if rest of the my app part weighs more.
Sorry Guys, I know how hard I tried for this 660. So, I dont want to hurt the rest who tried that hard.

ADMIN,

Could you please remove "I failed" in the subject.

Thanks,
Leopard

Leopard · Answer

Yes Kyatin. I am strong in CR. With more than 85% accuracy in OG. But want to make it 95%. I will work on LSAT Superprep now.

Actually, I was doing very well in the Verbal part. I got all my initial questions correct. I got a bold face CR (around 12th question). This point, I had more than 2 minutes for each question. At this point, I got a big (2 screen) science passage with terrible answer choices (All answer choices close to each other). I spent 10 minutes here and lost the way. That is after losing this 4 questions in a row, my confidence level dropped. Hence, I messed it up.

Do people who score more than 40 in verbal always face continuous tough questions? If yes, how they maintain stamina and attack science passage? Will the toughness ever reduce?

Leopard · Answer

Thanks eileen1017. Actually, I am not a V32 guy. I was scoring less than 30 all the time.

. I tried very hard to get to V32. But, I will try very very hard this time. Yes LSAT superprep, is the only book in my mind now. I will also be an active member in this forum from now. I also realized how useful the error log is. It can take us from 75% accuracy to 95% accuracy.

bsd_lover · Answer

Late post leopard - 660 - failed in GMAT??? you're kidding right ? my ex supervisor got into London Business School with a 640, a score definitely above the 80th percentile.

You just need a slightly higher verbal score to hit 700. Besides using all this other material, why don't you participate more often in the verbal forum ?

Leopard · Answer

Yes, i am kidding.

Yes, you will see me around verbal forum more often now.

Nihit · Answer

Is it possible to get a soft copy of LSAT super prep?

Nihit · Answer

CR bible is a super cool book .

Tarmac · Answer

You got 640 and 700 on the gmatpreps, there is no logical reason to believe these were inaccurate, and you got 660, which is precisely in that range.

Leopard · Answer

Tarmac, Yes 660 looks in line with 640 and 700. But in reality it is not. Because,

I did not finish GMATPrep1 (Did not answer last 6 verbal questions). Started maintaining error log and improved a lot (atleast I learnt how to avoid careless mistakes, learnt 3/2 patterns. Became more confident) after GMATPrep1. Did OG and OG Verbal review seriously after GMATPrep1. Even I was rushing during GMAT Prep2. But less careless error this time.

Hence, finally, I thought I am good for 700 (Q50, V35).

Leopard · Answer

Thanks Dharmil. Yes, till Death. 8-)

Leopard · Answer

Guys,

I used CR bible. It is good for fundamentals. But not much for practice.

Also, if you are consistent with 35 (like me). You can reach 40 only if you do not easy problems (I don't mean tough here). :-D

. So LSAT Super Prep might play a big role.

I am going to try my best this time. Thanks Guys......

Cheers!
Leopard.

. So LSAT Super Prep might play a big role. I am going to try my best this time. Thanks Guys...... Cheers! Leopard.

	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

Need Help! Failed in GMAT.

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