Stressed, worried and most likely under-prepared...HELP!
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Updated on: 30 Jan 2008, 10:32
Hey everyone,
I just joined the site today, after doing some Google searches and reading plenty of posts. You seem like a great community and hopefully I can learn from and be of assistance to others.
As for my current situation, I am in crisis mode since my test date is less than 2 weeks away, February 9th. To date, I have been meeting 1-2 times a week with a recommended private tutor from a friend who now attends Cornell. We have been working out of the Kaplan 2008 Guide as well as the Kaplan Math Guide. Additionally, I purchased the Official GMAC Verbal and Quant books when we began. Sadly, I’ve yet to crack those.
Last week, under less than ideal conditions (noise from roommates and late at night after a days work on 6 hours sleep) I took my first CAT test using the Kaplan software. I scored a 510 (24Q, 33V). My emphasis with the tutor has always been Math as that was historically my worst subject through the years. Verbal was normally an area of strength for me. Further, I had some timing issues on the CAT and had to guess on the last 5-7 of each section. Last night, after work (again on 6 hours sleep and with some NYC car noise) I took a second CAT and score 480...yikes! It killed my night and really hit my confidence.
As most of you have likely already thought to yourselves, I too feel Im not ready. Then again, I’ve been working on this since early December...admittedly not as hard as I should have. I am hoping to apply to three schools on the west coast (USC, UCLA and Pepperdine), all with 630 averages or better. I have strong essays, 3 years work experience with a large bank on Wall Street and already had a positive interview with Pepperdine. I’ve been promoted since my start and went to a competitive Big Ten school, graduating with a 3.3 GPA.
Bottom line though, Im hoping to hear some feedback. I know it may be unrealistic, but does anyone think or even have suggestions to help me crack the 600 barrier? Tricks, tips, etc.? Im anticipating a response that I cannot do much at this point, but am optimistic. At the very least, are the Kaplan CAT tests an accurate measure of my performance? My tutor seems to think they are harder and Id likely score 50-60 points higher on the real thing.
Thanks in advance for the responses!
Originally posted by
kilograms on 30 Jan 2008, 10:23.
Last edited by
kilograms on 30 Jan 2008, 10:32, edited 1 time in total.