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18 Oct 2023, 03:46
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi guys!
I just gave my second attempt of GMAT today an hour ago. Let me explain how both my attempts went.
FIRST ATTEMPT- 26th June 2023
I had decently prepared for the exam. I was averaging around 600-650 in my GMATprep scores. Eventhough i wasn't fully confident, i was expecting to get in and around that range. I started my exam with the verbal section. After 10 questions I realised that I was way behind my timing strategy and then nervousness and anxiety set in. I had a mini panic attack, and as a result, I started marking random answers, without even reading the questions and somehow managed to finish my verbal section. When the quant section started, I realized there was no point of scoring well in quant since my paper has anyway gone for a toss. Eventually I started marking random answers for quant as well. I got an overall score of 480. Wasn't very surprised with the score but I did go back home with the feeling of wanting to do 10 times better in my next attempt.
SECOND ATTEMPT-18th October 2023
I was extremely confident that i would get a 700+ this time. I had strengthened my QUANT by doing a lot of 700-800 level questions and made my concepts clear. I was particularly confident in sentence correction followed by reading comprehension. I knew my CR was not the strongest, but it was not weak enough to get a bad score. I was averaging 700-750 in my GMATprep tests(I had seen a few questions from verbal before). I started my exam with verbal because in my mocks, whenever i attempted quant score, my overall score would be somewhere in early 600s but whenever I attempted quant first, my score would find its way into the 700 range. Coming back to my exam, During my first 10 verbal questions, I realised I was taking a lot of time in understanding the questions, I was reading the questions but was eventually going blank and hence I had to keep re-reading. Even after marking the answers, i self-doubted myself a lot and kept re-checking if my logic was right or not. Post those 10 questions I realised that I had again lost a lot of time and was lagging behind in my time strategy. This led to me marking random answers again without even attempting the questions. After verbal section, I kept my courage up and decided to not do the same thing with quant. Surprisingly I scored a Q47 in quant. I was definitely out of time in quant as well but not as much as verbal.
MY ASKS
- I really need a strategy to improve my timing on the exam. I had done at least 10 mocks before my second attempt and had finished all of them in time.
- should I be reading some additional stuff to get better at improving my understanding speed so that I dont re-read everything and waste time? Basically how do I avoid re reading everything and get faster at understanding instantly?
- The mocks that I attempted had questions that I had already solved before (especially verbal), which I think somewhat inflated my score. I have exhausted all the free mocks of most of the prep companies. i am not interested in buying official mocks because I realised that they are much easier than the real GMAT tests (especially quant). Which mocks should I be investing my time and resources in?
Thank you so much in advance!
I just gave my second attempt of GMAT today an hour ago. Let me explain how both my attempts went.
FIRST ATTEMPT- 26th June 2023
I had decently prepared for the exam. I was averaging around 600-650 in my GMATprep scores. Eventhough i wasn't fully confident, i was expecting to get in and around that range. I started my exam with the verbal section. After 10 questions I realised that I was way behind my timing strategy and then nervousness and anxiety set in. I had a mini panic attack, and as a result, I started marking random answers, without even reading the questions and somehow managed to finish my verbal section. When the quant section started, I realized there was no point of scoring well in quant since my paper has anyway gone for a toss. Eventually I started marking random answers for quant as well. I got an overall score of 480. Wasn't very surprised with the score but I did go back home with the feeling of wanting to do 10 times better in my next attempt.
SECOND ATTEMPT-18th October 2023
I was extremely confident that i would get a 700+ this time. I had strengthened my QUANT by doing a lot of 700-800 level questions and made my concepts clear. I was particularly confident in sentence correction followed by reading comprehension. I knew my CR was not the strongest, but it was not weak enough to get a bad score. I was averaging 700-750 in my GMATprep tests(I had seen a few questions from verbal before). I started my exam with verbal because in my mocks, whenever i attempted quant score, my overall score would be somewhere in early 600s but whenever I attempted quant first, my score would find its way into the 700 range. Coming back to my exam, During my first 10 verbal questions, I realised I was taking a lot of time in understanding the questions, I was reading the questions but was eventually going blank and hence I had to keep re-reading. Even after marking the answers, i self-doubted myself a lot and kept re-checking if my logic was right or not. Post those 10 questions I realised that I had again lost a lot of time and was lagging behind in my time strategy. This led to me marking random answers again without even attempting the questions. After verbal section, I kept my courage up and decided to not do the same thing with quant. Surprisingly I scored a Q47 in quant. I was definitely out of time in quant as well but not as much as verbal.
MY ASKS
- I really need a strategy to improve my timing on the exam. I had done at least 10 mocks before my second attempt and had finished all of them in time.
- should I be reading some additional stuff to get better at improving my understanding speed so that I dont re-read everything and waste time? Basically how do I avoid re reading everything and get faster at understanding instantly?
- The mocks that I attempted had questions that I had already solved before (especially verbal), which I think somewhat inflated my score. I have exhausted all the free mocks of most of the prep companies. i am not interested in buying official mocks because I realised that they are much easier than the real GMAT tests (especially quant). Which mocks should I be investing my time and resources in?
Thank you so much in advance!
18 Oct 2023, 04:53
Kudos
Bookmarks
Consider getting the ESR of your recent attempt. If you share it here, people may provide some specific suggestions as well (may want to wipe any personal info off it first).
Question/time markers may be useful. If you feel your fundamentals are solid, working on your solving approach may help boost your score a bit. Had a 6-hour student for example who went from a V31 to a V40 in about 30 days. Perhaps include working with a study buddy who is strong on Verbal. There's a study buddy thread on gmatclub you can check out/sign up to.
-contact: gmatknight site | gmatclub dm
Quote:
Question/time markers may be useful. If you feel your fundamentals are solid, working on your solving approach may help boost your score a bit. Had a 6-hour student for example who went from a V31 to a V40 in about 30 days. Perhaps include working with a study buddy who is strong on Verbal. There's a study buddy thread on gmatclub you can check out/sign up to.
-contact: gmatknight site | gmatclub dm
18 Oct 2023, 04:55
Kudos
Bookmarks
Malzoo
Hi there,
To address your concerns:
Timing Strategy: It's essential to have a pacing strategy in place, but it's equally important to stay flexible and adapt. The fact that you're finishing your mocks on time indicates that you have a decent pacing strategy for those situations. Perhaps the difference lies in the heightened anxiety during the real exam. Consider introducing some "stress-test" scenarios during your mock tests – for example, setting a slightly shorter time limit to challenge yourself. This might help you get used to pressure situations.
Reading & Understanding: The GMAT expects test-takers to understand and retain information very efficiently. If you find yourself re-reading questions, it might be more of a focus or nerves issue rather than comprehension. For reading comprehension, summarizing each passage in your mind or noting down the main idea can help reinforce understanding without the need to re-read. Practice actively engaging with the content, asking yourself what the main point or argument is as you read.
Mock Tests: it's essential to remember that these are the closest representations of the actual GMAT. If you've exhausted all your free resources, consider purchasing mocks.
Lastly, it's essential to remember that while preparation and strategy are vital, mindset plays an equally critical role. Believe in your abilities, and try not to let a few challenging questions rattle your confidence during the test.
