I wanna cry, I can't beat the gmat, 6 times

Question

YES, I TOOK GMAT 6 TIMES

YES, I STUDIED FOR EACH TIME HARD
 
YES, I FAILED ALL 6 TIMES

I really don't know what to do now.
Sorry, i don't want to be too dramatical here and this is my first post, but i read this forum a lot and i am just so upset that i can't beat the test.
I dont remember all my scores in the order, but my best score was 540 and the lowest 510
I took Kaplan class course, I thought I improved but , apprently that was a waste of time. Everytime i took a CAT test on Kaplan website i would always score in the 600's
Than I took GMATPrep test (2 of them) about 8 times and everytime i would score from 560- 700, mostly in 640's (but i guess that was b/c some questions would repeat) (also it seems like everytime i would get around 14 questions wrong on both sections but the score would still increase, does it matter?)
Anyway, I went to take the test today , very confident , thinking that i would score at least 600, but again 530!!
My english improved, but math went down!!!! I am even thinking of calling GMAT and asking them how come i score so low when on my prep test i score much higher ( and believe me i studies a lot from prep - i memorized every idiom out there). I am also thinking asking them if they cant send me a print out of my test or recheck it manually. Do you think they can do that?
I just can't understand WHY i can't do well on actual test, and yes, dont say maybe graduate school is not for you, IT IS FOR ME!!!!!!! (p.s. my work requires me to go to school, they will even pay) and yes, English is not my first language, russian is,...... i guess i am looking for a word of advice on what to do now, private tutor good idea???

lagomez · Answer

Try the Knewton course. They have a 50 point guarantee and it will be much less expensive than a private tutor. Send me a message offline and I'll be happy to talk to you about it.

But aside from that, there is no point in calling the GMAC. They explicitly make no guarantees regarding the GMAT prep and the actual GMAT exam. The whole thing would be a waste of time.

If graduate school is for you then keep trying. Ultimately, not only does it come down to knowing the fundamentals, but also extracting the fundamentals from a question. Also, you have to make sure you practice as you do on the test. Go through the AWA questions, quant, 8 minute breaks, verbal.

You can improve, but you probably need a different way of approaching problems. I took a course as well and my score went down. I took another course and my score went up. So it's not that one is bad and one is good, the second course is just better for my style of learning.

Hang in there. But, approach the next exam like it's going to be your last.

shaselai · Answer

sorry to hear this but we probably need a few new things to help.

1. How long in between tests have you been studying? it seems to be short if you have take it 6 times?
2. have you used error logs at all? at least get a feel of what section gives you the most problems.
3. any score breakdowns - quant/verbal ranges?
4. your study material - have you been using the OG and MGMAT guides?
5. your goal.

DAYNE · Answer

<img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_eek.gif" alt=":shock:" title="Shocked" /> WOW

arkadiyua · Answer

netakay As long as you do not give up, you'll do well. There are a lot of blanks in your story, so, as people correctly say here, one needs to know more about your story apart from the facts you described to suggest you something more meaningful than "work harder"

To make a long story short - I will be happy to speak to you over the phone and give some pieces of advice (I am not a professional, just want to help a fellow countryman). I am in Kiev. PM me and I will send you my number. Cheers!

nonameee · Answer

It seems like you are going in circles... But as said above, more information is needed.

tenaman10 · Answer

just remember one quote --
 if you do what you have always done , you will get what u hv always got ..to get different , work differently .. 
i think u need to ponder on your approach to gmat and may be this is the time to change your study pattern radically .

UD2 · Answer

I think the classes that you’re taking don’t help.

My take on this is to approaches it less like a test, but rather a little questioner on all the fundamentals that you've gathered throughout your life.

The classes that you take are sometimes designed for people to score 800 on the test, but that's obviously not what you're trying to achieve. You just want a decent score to get into a decent school.
My best advice would be to change your attitude towards it. Stop seeing it as a test. 
Try to look at the logic section as a court case, where you’re a lawyer trying to argue your point. What would you say to best cover your position and not leave any loop holes for your opponent to exploit?
Try to look at the quantitative section as you trying to solve a problem through your own reasoning, rather than using different types of formulas and methodologies that are given to you by your instructors. Instead of seeing a question and trying to remember an example that you’ve done in class or your practices, try to see every question as a problem that you’ve never encountered before and solve it through the fundamental knowledge that you know.
Approach the English section as everyday life. You know the basic grammar rules on what’s wrong and wrong, use and follow them. Forget the strategies that you’ve been taught in class and simply treat it as everyday life. What’s the simplest form of communicating a point?

It seems like that you’ve been trying very hard and it hasn’t been working. Maybe it’s time to take a new approach. The points that I’ve made above underlines how I’ve approached the GMAT and I was able to attain a score that’s higher than my target with next to no studying (comparatively of course). I had to come across as bragging and that’s not my intention but using myself as an example, I had spent no more than 25 hours studying for this exam, and that’s including going to classes. 
So anyways, good luck and hope what I’ve said here helps.

DAYNE · Answer

I think this guy is a spammer he/she hasn't responded to this thread.

NovemberRain · Answer

Hi,
What is the part of the exame in which you had more problems?

If its Math I would strongly advise you to purchase the 5 Manhattan books... Back in October last year I was a complete zero in Math (couldn't even get past the third question of the GMATPrep test 1, after 20 minutes...), and yeasterday I had q49 on the real GMAT exam.

Manhattan explains very well all the topics that appear in the test, from the most basic to the most advanced ones... and their exercises (especially the question banks on-line), tough demanding, are priceless.

If your problem is verbal, then i would advise you to try Powerscore CR Bible and Manhattan's Sentence Correction.

Above all don't EVER EVER EVER EVER GIVE UP....

Best of luck

bb · Answer

Привет!
Hi there - just wanted to see what you ended up deciding/doing.

	Manhattan Prep: $99 Bonus Score Higher on Your GMAT Exam. Guaranteed.
	Target Test Prep - Save up to $599 $400 Discount + $99 Bonus GMAT Club Tests
	e-GMAT: 60% Off on GMAT Focus Get to 735+ from any starting point
	Magoosh increases your score, guaranteed - 15% off ALL Magoosh GMAT plans with code GMATCLUB15 + Free GMAT Club Tests.
	Experts' Global - ~~$1720~~ $960 End-to-End GMAT Prep + App Support: 150+ Videos, 2000+ Questions, 15 FLTs +
	GMATWhiz - $299 ~~$499~~ Experience the course through a free trial.
	GMAT Club Tests - Free Included with every course purchase of $149+ View all deals

I wanna cry, I can't beat the gmat, 6 times

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards