REAL GMAT SCORE 580 :(:(:(:(

I have a feeling you were just too tired and could not concentrate on the verbal section. There's a possibility the RC passages were longer than those in the manhattan gmat test/gmat prep test. The CR questions also could've been longer than usual. All of these factors just threw you off guard.

I've heard from some recent re-takers that the verbal section has gotten substantially harder in the past 6-10 months. I wouldn't doubt it!

I vote for you to take some time and retake.

Hi all,

Here is my short sad story till my first attempt to tackle GMAT which ended horribly wrong for me in verbal. I'm from India and basically a non-native speaker. having said so, verbal would of-course be tough to conquer, but I tried to conquer as much as possible. So first I schedule my GMAT on 30th of June in May 1st week, setting myself a deadline (I should not have done this)

These are the materials I used in my 6 weeks prep which I started back in mid May.
1) Manhattan series - only Verbal
2) Princeton 1012
3) Kaplan online and math workout
3) OG 12th edition and OG verbal
4) Powerscore CR and SC
5) GMAT club tests

I think where I failed in my prep was that I didn't follow an effective study approach. Month of may was all math and covering concepts from basics. So I solved as many math questions I could till June. From June 1st onwards I started with Manhattan verbal series coupled with OG questions and most of my study went in the office along with the work. I used the spare time to study when I was not working ( Biggest mistake 1), so I think the concepts and rules in verbal were not completely with me once I finished. Also I decided that I would be taking a weekly test to get a sense of how I'm progressing (mistake 2 - do not take tests until you prepare thoroughly). Also after studying a concept or a rule and solving some questions untimed, I did not solve enough questions in timed sessions (mistake 3). Although my untimed solving efficiency was something like - CR 80%, RC 80% and SC 70%, missing out on taking timed session hit me hard.

I took a break from June 18th till June 30th and decided that I would give 1 test everyday. Here are my scores and the tests I have taken (I did give full 4 hours for only 2 tests including the AWA's, other tests I just skipped them)

1) Princeton1 - 580 (Q47, V23)
2) Princeton2 - 610 (Q44,29)
3) Kaplan1 - 570 (Q45, V24)
4) Kaplan2 - 590 (Q48, V23)
5) MGMAT(D) - 590 (Q47, V25)
6) MGMAT1 - 630 (Q49, V27)
7) MGMAT2 - 660 (Q48, V33)
8) GMAT PREP1 - 630 (Q49, V27)
9) MGMAT3 - 680(Q50, V31)
10) MGMAT4 - 660(Q51,V28)
11) GMAT PREP2 - 660 (Q50,V28)
12) MGMAT5 - 660(Q50, V29)

For every test I analyzed when and where I made mistakes for every question, especially verbal. This continued till 29th of June. So I was pretty much confident on math, since I had covered every concept and was comfortable with except the Probability, P/C and some questions with MOD coupled with inequalities. Most importantly I minimized the careless mistakes I made on math. For the verbal part, you can see that it slightly increased towards very low 30's to high 20's. But I could feel the energy being drained out by the time I could finish the verbal and every time I took the test made me feel that I should just finish the verbal section as soon as possible.

Test day -
AWA's went well, but I started to get a little bit nervy before the math section.

Math section didn't go well since I saw many hard questions than GMAT prep ones and the question difficulty were same as that of MGMAT's (Thank god I could do most of the questions.

Verbal I was almost exhausted mentally, drank some water and decided to let go the fatigue and just asnwer the damn questions and follow the same approach as that of the test I had given. But to my surprise all the question in verbal were pretty long and passages were also long. Also at the same time my stupidest mind was singing the world cup WAKA WAKA song while I was going through the questions in the mid 20's. I was left with 4 mins and 8 questions to complete, so could not complete the verbal section (missed 2-3 questions I guess) and hoped that since I had done pretty well over all, expected a score of around 650. When I saw the score I was shocked to see my verbal score. I thought that the questions I left very much hit my verbal score.

580 - 58th percentile
Q49 - 86th percentile
V21 - 23rd percentile

Also I would say that my study methodologies were not effective enough and regard as the main culprit'\

Now after a week's break I have joined Knewton online course and hope to improve my verbal to the 90th percentile (yeah I will get that damn 90 percentile in verbal) and score 99th percentile overall (750 my target)

Please bear with my poor writing skills.

Don't worry sandeep! I am sure Knewton will help you out! Just keep practicing, and you'll do well!

Sandeep,

Tough break. I would suggest you shore up your verbal with MGMAT SC guide and do the exercises in the OG alongside. It will get you up there since your quant is pretty good. SC questions are more frequent on verbal so you can improve there. Good luck.

YOU CAN DO IT!!!!

Sandeep,

Your quant is very good. You just need to work on verbal(like me) and i think everthing will fall in place.

Another thing as per your debrief - "I was left with 4 mins and 8 questions to complete, so could not complete the verbal section (missed 2-3 questions I guess) and hoped that since I had done pretty well over all, expected a score of around 650."
One of my senior suggested to finish the test even if you have to guess some pending questions.

I concur, the steep drop in your score is primarily due to missing out on the last 2-3 questions. GMAT penalizes you heavily for not completing a section even though you have performed well in the previous questions.

Here's something to make you feel better. I am a US native and I had a similar experience. I studied for about 2 months and I was getting average 650 on my practice tests. I took the test and felt pretty confident about it. I was shocked but I wound up getting a 590 (although I did better in verbal, but my 2 months of studying was almost entirely math). The worst part is I got a 640 when I took the test 5 years ago while I was still in college, and I felt that I was bettered prepared this time around. I'm planning on taking the course and trying again, so just wanted to let you know you're not alone in being very disappointed with your score.

On another note I am still trying to figure out why I did so bad on the math ( i think i was 57th percentile) when I thought I was doing pretty well while taking the test. Does anyone know how much the following affected my score: I know that you are penalized for not completing the test, so throughout the test I tried to pace myself with the clock. When i got to question 31 I saw that I had 2.5 minutes left. I figured I could solve the problem, and then have time to put in random answers for the last 6 questions before the time ran out. Unfortunately when i was solving the problem I didn't realize how much time I was taking, and before I knew it I ran out of time, and I did not get to answer the last 7 questions (31 - 37). Does anyone know how much that could have potentially affected my score?

i think the reason why someones GMATprep scores and their actual GMAT score differs dramatically in verbal is that the verbal on the actual GMAT is a lot more difficult than GMATprep. I have no hard evidence to back this up other than its based on my experience with the GMAT.

I think anxiety also plays a part in poor GMAT scores vs. GMATprep scores. Professional athletes commonly refer to this phenomenon as "choking".

Hi!

I took the GMAT last week 30.08.10... score was horrible..480 (Q 39 V 19)! & AWA-5 Have been trying to understand what went wrong but just cant seem to figure out.. Found the questions much harder than before.

Well, I have taken the GMAT (1st attempt) in June. Scored a 580 (Q 42 V 27) & AWA-5. I knew RC killed me completely while CR was no good either. Also, in Quant, i had got nearly 5-6 questions in probability which is my weakest area along with inequalities. Also, i did mess up the VIC questions (dint use the technique and went endlessly solving the questions). Anyway, i decided i wont give up and thus started preparation after a week from my last test in mid-June..

As a matter of fact my preparation for GMAT dint start off quiet well. The first time i ever took the test without any preparation, i scored a 320 (Q 21 V 12) on the Princeton Diagnostic. Thereafter, i began coaching with Princeton Review itself.. As working and coaching together was not helping so i quit as i wanted to apply for 2011 in any case. Also, I had managed a work experience of 3 yrs by Jan..So thought it wise to quit and put in 100% just for preparations.
Slowly but steadily my score increased..and it almost stagnated at 550-570. I still thought i could do well and so took the actual GMAT in June...only to realise i scored a 580 and no higher. Was not happy at all with the score and decided will take the test again. After all, i did walk a long way from 320 to 580. I knew i could do much better and cross the 670 mark with more practice and dedication.. I prepared 2 weeks after my 1st GMAT test and then took the MGMAT CAT-1 ,scored a 630 (Q 44 V 32). Seeing my score improve i booked a date for 30.08.10.

For the Re-gmat (2nd attempt) i downloaded a lot of material from the net as well as bought a few books:
-NOVA math bible
-Manhattan video classes (although i dint quiet use them...as they were only theory)
-Kaplan Higher Scorer
-Princeton Tests
-1000 SC, CR,RC, & DS
-Kaplan 800 advanced workbook
-Manhattan SC guide

[OG 12 & GMAT prep- had taken them earlier and practiced them so many times that i could tell the answers just by looking at the first line of the question.. so dint refer to these again.]

Well, i had 7 weeks and so started my practice. I made sure i put in qualitative 8+ hrs practicing and understanding every question type. I took the Manhattan & Kaplan HS tests and took 1 test every week to gauge my performance. My performance did improve (although some days the score would fall back to 590-600) and my score went up to 640 (Q 45 V 33). 3 days before the actual test i scored a 600 (Q 42 V 32)... But on the test day... i just don't know what went wrong that i landed up with a 480 ..

I want to take the test again..but am scared, worried, and lost... I need help! i don't know what material should i refer to.. how should i proceed??? there is no material i dint read or practice. I have taken almost all the Tests.. GMAT prep, Kaplan HS,Manhattan, Princeton review. Sometimes i just feel i should not take the test again.. cause taking it again and not making it through would have a much adverse effect on the already existing score.. i don't know what to do..please advice!!!

Please please..i need advice and help!!

Aparna.Dont worry.I guess you need to leave all the past behind and start afresh.I too got 600 plus in all my gprep but my actual score was way below.Appearing again in Nov.Since you have given many tests,i would suggest you do get hold of Mgmat material because unless basics are strong,ther eis no point giving exams.Yes you might give a gmatclub test ,800 score say once in 10-15 days.Ur quant range is 39-42.I am sure it can reach 45.For verbal,may be you can start reading articles from nytimes.com,economist etc,national geographic.I got Manhattan Verbal Study companion and its good.Take 10 sc/Cr for eg daily and go in deep the analysis,all the options.I feel its more about knowing where you are doing wrong than just doing more number of questions.I am sure you will do well.Dont lose hope......

Thanks Suyash!
I definitely need to start up fresh..
I had gone thru the MGMAT Material. SC is too complicated. May be also becoz i have understood the basics in a much simpler manner as i undertook coaching at Princeton Review. Manhattan CR is very good..Has helped me alot. RC m not quiet sure as neither Manhattan nor Princeton was of much help. In the bargain of trying to balance CR & RC, i messed up SC.
Apart from Mgmat material is there any other material that is excellent to ace verbal?

reading this topic gives me a relief. I am a non-Native English speaker as well.
took my first free CAT exam, and the score was horrible(Total-580, Quant-70%, Verbal 44%). I need to study really hard to raise my score up to 720, which is my ultimate goal for this summer.