strivingFor800 wrote:
Clearly I am disappointed, but to some extent I am also happy I did so poorly. If I had scored around what I have been averaging (upper 600's, lower 700's) I would have brushed it off and not paid much attention on improvement. So what happened?
I scored a (I think, don't even remember anymore) a 490. I received a 27 verbal (ouch!) and a 45 quant (whatever, not the worst). My aim was lower 40's verbal, mid-upper 40's quant. I don't care about a Q50. I think there are multiple reasons why I did so poorly:
1. It was my first CAT exam after 5 years and I am no longer used to test taking
2. My practice exams have always been in my PJ's in my comfortable home
3. In addition to 2, I do not practice with super uncomfortable headphones (they hurt my ears a lot)
4. I do not practice IR or AWA at home, though it doesn't matter because I push them to end I received a 6 on my IR which I will take any day (I score 8 on my practice exams when I do do it)
5. I did not follow ANY of my own advice when I did verbal. I read the passage, read the question, picked an answer I liked, and was done in maybe 1 minute. I had 5 minutes left at the end of my verbal section
6. I did not account for small things such as
do not wear clothing with too many pockets because they will security check you every time and take away valuable time or
don't drink too much water before a section because stress makes me want to pee more (don't judge)
Verbal was interesting to me. SC is my strongest subject because English is my native language. The verbal section had maybe 25 SC questions, 2 passages with maybe 3 questions each and 3-4 CR. Even if I answer every RC and CR wrong, I must have answered a really good amount of SC wrong. Which sucks because I know SC very well. I don't know what to pin this on other than stupid mistakes or stressful conditions.
I have 2 weeks under my next exam (I knew I would need more than 1 exam so I bought multiple in one shot). My goal now is simple: work with my private tutor and drill down RC and CR. Practice 20-30 SC every day and keep reviewing math.
Last thing: I found the official verbal to be easy. I know that sounds funny because I received my lowest ever verbal score in it, but it is what it is. I found the math to be easier than my average (I've been using GMAT Club) so I was shocked to see a 45 even though I score around 45 in GMAT Club Quant tests. IR was crazy hard so I was surprised to see a 6. I never practiced AWA so I could care less about it, though I did write over 4 paragraphs so kind of knew what I was doing.
As for my practice materials, I used:
1.
The official guide (all 3)
2. GMAT Club Quant tests
3. Manhattan exams (utterly useless IMO. Their math is easy, but requires too many steps and their verbal is a joke IMO. Never comes close to the real thing)
4. Starting now - a private tutor for verbal RC and CR
Completely unrelated to this, but why is there a tag in this forum called Worthless Post? Would anyone in their right mind actually use that?
I’m happy to provide some advice if you are looking for it, but I do have a number of questions that will allow me to learn some more about your situation with the GMAT:
1) How many times have you taken the actual GMAT? Please list the dates on which you’ve taken the GMAT, the total scores, the quant, verbal, and IR scores, as well as how you were feeling while taking the tests. Can you please include the Enhanced Score Reports from any GMATs you’ve taken in the last four months? Even if you’ve canceled the score, you can still order the Enhanced Score Report.
2) How many practice GMAT tests did you take? Please list the dates on which you’ve taken any practice GMATs, the total scores, the quant, verbal, and IR scores, as well as how you were feeling while taking the tests. Also, please tell me where these tests came from (ex: mba.com).
3) Please describe how you studied. How many hours a day did you study and for how many months?
4) To what programs will you be applying? What are the deadlines for these programs?
5) By when would you LIKE to take the GMAT? By when MUST you take the GMAT?
6) How many hours a day, on average, can you study between now and your next GMAT?
7) Have you ever had accommodations on any test? For example, extra time, a private room, or extra breaks? Do you have any medical diagnoses that could impact your studying or GMAT performance, such as ADHD, generalized anxiety, depression, or learning disabilities?
8) In your opinion, how prepared were you for the GMAT? It's important that you answer this question as objectively as possible.
9) Is there anything else that I should know? Anything else you’d like to tell me?
Thanks!
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14 Jun 2018, 13:28
