Utter Disappointment... 600

Question

Yep, I took my exam today and got a 600 (45Q 28V). I am at a complete loss... I have been preparing for about 6 months for this test. I thought I was doing everything right and I felt good, or so I thought, during the test and I was expecting lowest 650. But a 600? I am very disappointed particularly because my practice test scores have been decent:

GMATPrep I: 710
PowerPrep: 750
GMATPrep II: 640
PowerPrep: 760
GMATPrep II (Retake): 750

I knew that for me the GMATPrep and PowerPrep test scores were going to be higher than my actual score because I have been using OG10 and OG11. But I did not expect a 600.

Anyone has the same problem? Any suggestions?

umbdude · Answer

You probably just had a bad day. Don't get discouraged.

CookieMonster · Answer

i had a similar situation.

In preparation for my first test, i pretty much shut out everything and everyone in my life. For several months, my life revolved around my GMAT studies.
i got around a 750 and a 730 on the two GMAT Prep practice tests, then on test day i got a dissapointing 670.

i decided that i had to take the test again, because a 670 was not representative of my true ability. I took 1 month off and then studied pretty intensely for the next month, focusing on SC only.
I went into test number 2 without having looked at any GMAT related material for 3 weeks. I treated the test day as just a regular day. I was extremely confident and even had about 3 drinks the night before.

anyways, i got a 760 the 2nd time around.

If i could do it again, i would slightly modify my prep for the 2nd test.
I would have taken 1 or 2 timed tests during the 3 week period leading up to my test. My timing was way off and I had to randomly guess the last 5 quant and the last 3 verbal questions.
I probably could have gotten a 780 or so...

anyways, given your performance on those practice tests, i am certain that in the near future, you can tell a similar story to the one that i just told.

Good Luck to you!

nevergiveup · Answer

Now you got me a little worried. My test day is less than two weeks now. I have been only scoring 710 the last GMATprep I took and 720 the last PowerPrep I took. But even though I did retake GMATprep several times, I have never seen any repeat questions. Probably I am improving and getting harder questions from different databases I hope. But don't lose your hope. You can always try it again.

ashkrs · Answer

BCC,
What was difficulty level of questions. Was it tougher than gmat prep or other course material .
just want to see if the trend is changing....

BCC145 · Answer

Thanks umbdude, CookieMonster, and eileen for encouragement. I am trying to recoup and hopefully I will go back to studying again soon.

ashkrs, to answer your question, yes, I felt that the actual test that I took was harder. For the math part I remember that there were a few really tricky questions that at first glance the answers seem apparent but they are not the right answers. I have been scoring in the 48-50 range on my practice exams but I got a 45 on the actual one. One contributor though might be that besides the practice tests, I did not study math at all during the past 3-4 weeks as I know it is my strength.

For the verbal part, I remember cruising to the 6th question or something then I start seeing really difficult SCs which I could POE to two answer choices but had no idea which one was right. I remember getting pretty long RCs in the middle of the test and I think, although I am still trying to conclude what I did wrong, those SCs and RCs were the major negative factor on my time management. So in a way, yes, I think the verbal was also more difficult on the actual test. But then again, I might need some rest since I have been studying non-stop everyday for the past few months to objectively evaluate if the verbal on the actual test was actually harder or my stamina just fell out in the middle of the verbal section.

yogachgolf · Answer

Yeah, you probably just had a bad day. What are your study materials in the past 6 months other than OG/gmatprep/powerprep?

kryzak · Answer

hi BCC, sorry to hear about the disappointment, but like CookieMonster, I think you just had a bad case of nerves, anxiety, or froze up. I would definitely do some intensive studying for 3 weeks leading up to your next test (if you take it and if you take it after 31 days), and then TAKE THE FINAL WEEK OFF! Let your brain relax. You might have been overloaded by questions and when you saw a hard one on the test, you froze and spent too much time on them. Gotta keep moving even if you're stuck. Guess and move on... otherwise it'll hurt the rest of the test too much.

hope that helps, and good luck when you take it again! you can definitely do much better! It's all in the attitude!

snow wolf · Answer

I took the test on wednesday as well.I got 620,least to say I was crushed.I still plan on applying to any school in Canada that would accept such grades.For now I will concentrate on other things like the SAP.Still would take the Gmat to at least 700.I hope to get into Investment Banking after the MBA.

BCC145 · Answer

snow wolf, 

So two days has passed now and I am thinking of tackling the materials again soon. I guess if there is one thing to learn from this is not to give up. I hope you do the same. I also want to share something that I thought of with you if it may help at all.

I think the actual exam tests all the concepts in many different ways. My sources were primarily the OGs (OG10, OG11, OG Verbal Review) and I feel that this contributed to my poor performance. For one thing, I feel that the questions in the OG books are rather bland - what I mean is that the questions there do not cover the vast arrays of how the concepts are packaged and tested in the actual exam. Thus, I feel that it will be good to go over some other non-OG materials such as the 1000 series, MGMAT or maybe even PR or Kaplan now and then come back to the OGs later to see whether I gain more perspective on them. This strategy will also help me to take some time off from the OGs since I now remember almost all of the questions there anyway... But take this with a grain of salt, as I don't have a proven score to back this up. 

Sincerely,

ioiio · Answer

It must have been a bad day man. If you had taken the same test again the same evening, I am sure you'd have scored a lot more.

Cracking practice CATs is not representative of the pressure you are under when writing the test that actually matters. Relax during the test the next time around.

Robin in NC · Answer

Eileen, I wouldn't worry too much. I agree with the others that BCC just had a bad day - I'm sure if he retakes, he'll do great. Like you, I got a 710 on my last GMATPrep, which was a week ago. Today I got a 720 on the test. I think the GMATPrep score is much more indicative of the real thing than Power Prep. If you didn't see any repeat questions when you re-took the practice test, that's probably a good indication that your skill level is going up.

kryzak · Answer

CONGRATS Robin! I guess I missed your score thread... =)

	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

Utter Disappointment... 600

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