I started studying for the GMAT in March '09. My math was very rusty and I reviewed basic concepts with a private tutor. I was scoring around 650 on GMATprep, but when I took the GMAT for the first time in May '09 I scored 610, Q35 (42%), V40 (89%), AWA 6.0
I believe the nerves got the best of me.
I started preparing again in October. Verbal was not a concern. Even though I am not a native English speaker, I have good language intuition and I knew I will score high if I keep reading the Economist
I had to tackle two issues. One was reviewing all concepts again and filling in all the gaps - understanding stuff that simpler problems do not cover, or cover insufficiently. This forum was extremely helpful. I learnt a lot of new concepts that are missing in OG11 (my main textbook till I found GMAT Club). I found that the more difficult problems I did, the better I was doing with timing on simpler problems.
Timing was my second issue. I get nervous when I am pressed for time, and I knew I had to practice a lot on developing clear, consistent thinking under pressure. Data sufficiency problems are a big challenge for me under these circumstances - when I am nervous I loose the thread.
I did lots of problems, took about 15 different trial tests, and was scoring up to Q44 (on Manhattan and 800score) when I was relaxed and confident, and consistently above Q35 when I was more nervous or in an unfamiliar environment.
I took the GMAT for the second time today and scored 660, Q36 (45%), V44 (97%).
I was nervous again! To a point where I almost self-sabotaged myself and started thinking how I would score below my first result.
Now, although I am please I improved my score by 50 points, I know I could have done better in math.
Does anyone have a solution for feeling stressed on the exam? Do you think I should retake the test? I am targeting Columbia, NYU, Oxford, Cambrdige, INSEAD. My bio, professional and international experience are all convincing, I am just wondering if they are convincing enough to offset a relatively low score.