Horrible 520 on my 4th attempt

Question

I just returned back from my GMAT exam and scored a 520 (44Q and 19V) IR 6 The worst of all, this is my 4th attempt. My first attempt was in October 2015 (scores cancelled) and my second attempt was december 2015 (scores cancelled). Both times I was unprepared but I thought I wanted to apply to schools that year. My third attempt was december 2016 after getting professional help but I cancelled that score too. I joined another coaching class and My fourth attempt was today and I got a 520

For my 4th attempt, I studied from kaplan, manhattan, OG 15 and 16 and took some free online webinars. I took time off work. After investing so much time, money and my sanity, It is awful to get a score this low. I don't even know how this happened. My practice test was GMAT prep and I got a 650 (47Q and 33V) and then a 660(47Q and 35 V). Needless to say I was expecting scores atleast in the 600 range. I am considering to just drop the idea of GMAT altogether because the colleges that I want to get into would no way accept these scores. I don't even know what to do, I am so devastated right now....

origen87 · Answer

Well, Hi!

I get that feeling, when you have put everything and still it doesnt work!

But never ever give up ! Take a few days off, and then introspect, what exactly went wrong? Is it the fear? timing? basics?

Dont worry about the attempts, you cannot undo it. All you can do is score high now.

All the best!

Haardvark · Answer

You either 1) polluted your practice tests by (accidentally) doing some of the problems during your studying or 2) need to massively improve your test-day strategy -- if it's the latter, there are several threads to help you out. If it's the former, 520 is much closer to your true, current level of aptitude and you still have a mountain to climb.

pra1785 · Answer

Thank you. I am worried about the number of attempts because isn't that a red flag on the application if a candidate gave numerous attempts and still hasn't been able to crack it ? I am exhausted studying for GMAT now. I don't know how to get out of this rut.

pra1785 · Answer

I did read about the repeat questions on GMAT prep. But I tried to avoid that by purchasing GMAT prep test 3 and 4. There were no repeat questions except maybe 1 or 3. Additionally, I also gave Kaplan 2017 test before that where I scored 660 and 670. I gave Manhattan prep where I scored 580 and 590.

I chose the order Quant-Verbal-IR-AWA.

When I started Verbal, I was extremely fidgety because my pen wasn't working. I had to ask for a replacement 3-4 times. And my timing was definitely an issue because I remember being on the 20th question and having only 30 mins to finish it. My timing usually wasn't bad on the practice test. Infact I had 1 min to spare almost everytime in my practice test. And before I know it, Verbal section was done. It felt like verbal section just swooped right in front of me. There was definitely something off with me on the verbal section. I wasn't even able to apply strategies on the questions like I am able to during my practice tests. And since my pen wasn't working clearly, I was re-doing sentences that I had already crossed out.

The above could very well just be my excuses for doing poorly and maybe I was actually not prepared. Its just that my practice scores gave me a reason to believe I was ready.

kill3rlook5 · Answer

Hi there. I do know of people who scored 700+ after 5-6 attempts. Would you please not be disheartened??
Patience and perseverance are the key.
I would suggest buying the ESR to find out your weak areas. 
Definitely it was not your day, but I would ask you to remember the old adage "Every cloud has a silver lining"
Don't lose hope. Prepare well with all possible resources. If you are concerned about verbal scores I would suggest Powerscore for the Critical reasoning portion. It works wonders for me. Manhattan for Sentence Correction and a lot of practice for RC, GMATClub being a veritable source of questions for that purpose.

I think you should also try to appear as many mocks as possible while mimicking real time test situations, just to acclimatize yourself.

Lastly, GMAT cant defeat you....its there to be conquered.

pra1785 · Answer

I appreciate your response. I definitely needed it. Verbal section is definitely a challenge to me. Maybe I should try reversing the order and doing verbal first and see if that helps also. Thank you for your feedback and suggestions

premprabhs111 · Answer

i got a 720 in my last attempt and that was my third. The first attempt i wasn't well score cancelled (i was getting around 700 in my mocks after just one week of practise). anxiety was my main issue. Second attempt was a 640 had a q50 but only v27 again test pressure got the better of me. Third attempt i went like a boss carefree thinking that i already have a 640 in hand and got a 720 . I think you are being too hard on yourself. Just take a good break and then take a month for gmat improve your level to a 700 level and give the gmat confidently. i know a person who got a 740 in his 5th attempt so be positive. Start loving the gmat and the questions. think that you are learning something new

pra1785 · Answer

Hi Premprabhs, Congrats on a great score! I was pretty confident for my GMAT test this time though unlike my previous attempts. That is one of the reasons I am disappointed on a low score because I was relaxed this time and I know anxiety and fear didn't ruin my score. Thank you for your feedback and suggestions. I highly appreciate you taking the time out for that. I plan to focus on verbal for my next attempt. Hopefully it works out this time

jaewonton531 · Answer

Since it seems like you're struggling with Verbal, my advice is to be careful when you read V question threads here. I was reading one thread about an SC question and was surprised at how many people kept insisting how one answer choice was obviously superior to the correct answer choice; no one in the thread rebutted that the thread's popular choice was a clear run-on sentence. This could really hurt you if you're weak in Verbal.

I struggled more with Quant, so I followed my own advice when it came to Quant question threads lol. The forums here offer a lot of great advice, but I think people should be cautious/judicious when venturing into threads for specific questions in areas they're having trouble with.

Also, while I never had V timing issues, I did have Q timing issues. My problem is that I've always been horrible at estimating time. The workaround I found was to write down a timing "cheat sheet" on my notepad: I wrote down #1 - 37, and then next to each number, I wrote down how many minutes should remain by the time I'm on that question. It's a good thing I did too, because that timing sheet saved my ass on test day. The thing is that keeping time/estimation figures in your head the way Manhattan recommends takes a certain degree of executive functioning that isn't always possible depending on the person, so writing it down on a sheet frees you up. If you have the time prior to the test to do so, or if you finish Quant with enough time to spare, then I highly suggest setting up a similar sheet.

Good luck!

pra1785 · Answer

Hi jaewonton,

Thank you for your feedback and advice. It is very insightful. I will definitely keep this in mind while doing practice tests to see if it helps with my timing on the test.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Hi After 4 attemps, you must know your weaknesses and strengths. Start with Best comprehensive material Best Books 1. Manhattan GMAT Quant Guides 2. Manhattan GMAT Verbal guides or Aristotle Verbal Guide for CR critical reasoning bible is best book with 300+ pages of comprehensive Data Strategies Start with Quant, learn the concepts tested on GMAT. After learning, practice your learned section with timed practice. You can also take quizzes to meet the pace of GMAT. 1 Month for learning concepts and 15 days of practice and same with the verbal. When completed all the concepts learning and handsome practice. Take full lenght CATs, know your estimated score. Analyze the result with Correct/incorrect questions, pacing analysis trace your mistakes and learn from them, make an error log to know your mistakes in the previously attempted questions Best Mocks 1. Official GMAC (50+50$) 2. Manhattan GMAT (49$) 3. GMAT Club Quant CATs (80$) 4. Veritas CATs (49$ but you can buy at 15-20$ During sale period) Good Luck Cheers

Horrible 520 on my 4th attempt

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