Devastated after scoring 100 point less in actual GMAT than my mock!:(

Question

Hello All , Yesterday I took the GMAT after 3 months of preparation. I scored terribly

640 (V31,Q46) Mock Test Scores e-gmat diagnostic (without prep) : 590 (V26,Q49) Princeton review Mock :730 (V41,Q51) Veritas Mock : 680 (V34 ,Q49 ) GMATPREP1 : 700 (V34,Q50) Manhattan Mock : 640 (V30,Q48) (I wasn't in the right mindset while taking this test

) GMATPREP2 : 740(V40,Q50) GMATPREP1(reset) : 720 (V35,Q50) (severe test anxiety - though the test had many repeat questions) GMATPREP2(reset) : 780 (V48,Q51) (this had some repeat questions) (no anxiety this time) I have a bad bad test anxiety. When I stay calm , I can solve questions correctly but once the test anxiety creeps in , suddenly I am not even able to read the questions correctly! I had studied very hard for the past 3 months sometimes 6-7 hours in a day(even on the weekdays) I brushed up my concepts from Magoosh videos. I used the following material for my prep : 1) SC Manhattan SC guide Some sentence correction videos by GMATNinja Practiced a lot from GmatClub 2) CR Powerscore CR bible 3) RC Manhattan guide for RC After a month of prep , I realized that my concepts were not strong enough . So , I went through the concepts once again. I read the CR bible almost thrice! And then I practiced a lot of questions, noting down common patterns of reasoning in the CR questions that I practiced. Every time I got a question wrong , I would note that down in an Excel sheet where I maintained all of my strategies. I am terribly sad because I never scored less than 48 in Quant on any of my mocks and suddenly in the actual exam , i messed up

And I also know that this is not my level ! I can do much better .I am unable to understand what went so wrong that my score dropped by a 100 points. I had practiced and practiced questions till I couldn't get them wrong.I used to eliminate almost all wrong answers and when I was down to 2 answers (specifically in CR) , I was able to choose the correct answer with a proper logic. I don't get why my performance was so bad on the test . When I was solving the questions on the test , I was pretty sure that I was selecting the right answer and I had eliminated all the possibly wrong answers. I had practiced SC a lot too , I used the approach where you read the sentence and then eliminate the options with obvious errors and when I was down to two answers , I would look at the meaning of the sentence . For RC , I followed the summary strategy . I used to quickly summarize the details in the passage as mentioned in the Manhattan Guide for RC . I guess I faced some problems solving the questions .I would get too flustered looking for an answer in specific type questions. When I practiced the questions , I could solve them with high accuracy . But when It came to the timed part of the test , somehow I used to get too conscious and would bomb that attempt . Later on when I solved the questions in the tests without looking at the answers ,I was usually able to get them right in very less time! I am very disheartened because I put in a lot of work and practiced a lot. I kept improving my self and completely dedicated myself to the GMAT while working a full time job.I could squeeze out some time during the day too so that I could study or atleast practice a few questions.

I want to reach a 740+ and I am very confused right now as to what approach I should take while preparing for my next attempt

Should I take a professional help or should I try to solve few more mocks and try reappearing for the test in the next 16 days? Also, to improve my QUANT score , from where should I practice tricky questions targeted for the actual GMAT (I found the official questions to be a lot easier than the actual GMAT) What should be my strategy for the next attempt. Any help would be appreciated I am attaching my ESR for yesterdays test Thank you so much in Advance ! Shrujal

Toffelfabriken · Answer

I'm sorry to hear that you didn't get the score you were hoping for. However, remember that trial and error is part of any learning process, so no reason to quit; instead try to improve and then give it another shot.

Just a small comment: don't beat yourself up over not getting the same score as when you redid the GMATPrep mock tests; seeing just a couple of repeat questions can severely throw off the scoring algorithm, so those scores shouldn't be trusted.

SHRUJAL · Answer

Thanks  Toffelfabriken

I will try to give some mocks and improve on my accuracy !

Shrujal

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi SHRUJAL

Assuming that you took your official practice exams under realistic testing conditions, the results show that, on a good day, you are capable of scoring higher than 640. Thus, it’s quite possible that nerves, stress, tiredness, or a combination of all three negatively affected your test-day performance. However, it’s also possible that you have some lingering weaknesses that were exposed on test day. Although I’m unsure of how you prepared, it’s possible that, in your preparation, particularly in verbal, you did not really learn to do what you have to do in order to score high on the actual GMAT. Rather, you picked up on some patterns that were effective in getting you relatively high scores on practice tests. So, for you to hit your score goal, your preparation, particularly for verbal, probably needs to be more complete, meaning that you have to go through the various types of GMAT questions carefully to find your exact weaknesses, fill gaps in your knowledge, and strengthen your skills.

For verbal specifically, you have to become more skilled at clearly defining the differences between trap choices and correct answers. Otherwise, you will get stuck guessing between two choices or be surprised to find that you incorrectly answered questions that you thought you answered correctly. Becoming more skilled in this way takes carefully analyzing all of the answer choices to lots of verbal questions to develop an eye for the logical differences between the choices. In other words, you have to go beyond answering practice questions and reading explanations to doing deep analysis of questions to learn to see everything that is going on in them.

In order to follow the path described above, you may need some new quant and verbal materials, so take a look at the GMAT Club reviews for the  best quant  and  verbal courses .

You also may find it helpful to read the following articles:

how to score a 700+ on the GMAT

Why Was My GMAT Score Lower Than My Practice Test Scores?

If you’d like more specific advice on how to improve your quant and verbal skills, feel free to reach back out. Good luck!

SHRUJAL · Answer

Hi Scott ,

Thanks for your response !

I was very stressed out the day before and even the morning of the test. But I managed to stay calm when I entered the testing center. But I guess I seriously need to work on my test anxiety because that has cost me lot of points . Even in my mocks !

I will work on my verbal skills topic by topic and will do the same for Quant.
And once I am thorough with the topics , I will take mock tests (all official).
I read the articles you mentioned

I had not given all the official mocks when I was preparing for my first attempt.I will focus on that now.

How do I know that I am ready to take the test again ? (Should I take a decision based on the average of my mock scores ?)

Shrujal

I had not given all the official mocks when I was preparing for my first attempt.I will focus on that now. How do I know that I am ready to take the test again ? (Should I take a decision based on the average of my mock scores ?) Shrujal

EducationAisle · Answer

Since you seemed to be consistently scoring 700+ on official mocks, I would suggest you should look at reappearing for the test in the next 16 days.

See what you can do, to keep those  nerves  in place Shrujal; that alone might make all the difference.

Good luck!

SHRUJAL · Answer

Thank you for your advice !  EducationAisle

I will practice my timing strategy and will practice to calm my nerves by taking some mocks . 
And When I am pretty consistent with my mock scores , I will appear for the GMAT !

Shrujal

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Yes, set the test date once you are hitting your score goal on your practice exams. Regarding test anxiety, I have a great article for you to read:

How to Eliminate GMAT Test-Day Anxiety

CrackverbalGMAT · Answer

Hi SHRUJAL

We know the feel when you work so hard and test scores do not match up to expectations. Given the fact,that you are a full time working professional, the efforts you have put in are COMMENDABLE!
Now to come back to the scene we believe the following pointers may help you:

(i)ANXIETY- Like you have mentioned,anxiety is a huge obstacle. Anxiety creeps in when we are under prepped or over! We suggest have a balanced prep where you have internalised the concepts and have a positive healthy attitude all during your prep journey. That said, we also understand that its easier said than done! Try making GMAT prep a habit/like a routine so that the anxiety part is controlled to an extent. Just before the GMAT have a thorough revision and focus and train yourself to be calm. [link to our video on that attached][/u]

[u]In fact, teaching/training yourself to stay calm can be or rather should be considered an integral part of your GMAT prep.

(ii)We also suggest to reverse work on yourself and subject yourself to the pressure of time during practice/mocks by reducing the time to perform.
Target a reduced time! That way, the original paper can be relatively easier on your brain when you encounter it. That said, this is a tricky scenario. If you find it exhausting or creating anxiety in any form,try training yourself to not feel it and yet perform. If the same persists, then we suggest go for practicing increased number of questions per day.
Either ways, expose yourself to performance prssure under such a simulated yet controlled atmosphere and teach your brain to stay calm and focussed during the prep.

(iii)Now,once the anxiety issue comes under training,make sure that you "internalise" the concepts by practicing through questions relevant to every concept. That way you should NEVER need to go back to videos once you have completed it.(bcz it stays all in your mind by the time you complete!)

(iv)Take mocks and analyze your errors.Make sure you train your thought process enough to NOT repeat a mistake if you have analyzed it once.

(v)Revise,Revise and Revise!! Have the formulaes ready. Have the verbal flashcards ready. And most of all,make sure you have it all in our brain emedded.

(vi)Strengthen your STRONG areas. Make sure you do not make a mistake in them. Infact,you can prepare topics in descending order of your strength in topics.

(vi)Complete your prep with at least a week at hand where you train yourself intensively to be focussed and calm.
Given the real dealbreaker being your nerve reaction to the paper than the ability(which we do not doubt, given the way you prepare even with a full time job!)

(vii) Finally Shrujal, remember there is no do or die situation! Nothing in life is worth feeling "devasted" for.Prepare well,be confident and have a healthy,positive attitude throughout.If sometimes things do not work and life seems unfair, we have to figure out a solution and make the DEAL happen.Thats what you as a FUTURE CORPORATE is expected to do!

We know once you have reworked your startegies, there would be no stopping you!
And we cannot wait to see you out with flying colours from your envisioned B-School

You may refer to the following link(video series) before you restart your prep.
https://www.crackverbal.com/demystifyin ... at-video-2

Thanking You
Team CrackVerbal

We know once you have reworked your startegies, there would be no stopping you! And we cannot wait to see you out with flying colours from your envisioned B-School

You may refer to the following link(video series) before you restart your prep . https://www.crackverbal.com/demystifyin ... at-video-2 Thanking You Team CrackVerbal

SHRUJAL · Answer

CrackVerbalGMAT Thank you so much for the motivation and assurance

I am currently reworking my strategies and coming up with a plan for my next attempt. I will surely do it this time !! Shrujal Posted from my mobile device

SHRUJAL · Answer

Thanks Scott!

I will read the article you mentioned

Shrujal

Posted from my mobile device

Codinganalyst · Answer

I don't mean to discourage you but I had something similar happen many years ago. I finally decided to apply with whatever score I had and went to whatever school I was accepted to. If test day anxiety bothers you so much now - how will you cope up on the tests in B-School?

It wasn't until recently (4-5 yrs ago) that I realized I'm just ruining it for myself. I had performance anxieties and was always worrying too much. Despite that, I was the best on my team (but people walked all over me coz of my anxiety issues) so I just knew that I had to set my anxieties aside and start over. So tell yourself what's the worst that can happen? You mess up now you will learn and that's how you grow. Don't be so hard on yourself. Just tell yourself before the test that you can always cancel your scores and take the test again if you don't feel like it. That should help you relax.

Which section gives you the most anxieties? Maybe you need to practice that section a lit bit more and get used to it.

Best of luck. Hope you score well on your next test!

SHRUJAL · Answer

I get you  Codinganalyst

I never faced any test anxieties before taking the GMAT. I need to stop worrying and take the test with a clear head

Shrujal

Posted from my mobile device

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Great! I'm here if you need me.

MCBAS · Answer

Just had a similar experience. 
 SHRUJAL  - Could you please share some insights as to how you've managed to proceed?

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Devastated after scoring 100 point less in actual GMAT than my mock!:(

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