Help.. Feeling lost...

Question

Hello everyone,

I am very happy to have come across this site. Have never tried to use many sites during my practise but now I am happy to see all the stories and whatnot to give me the push I need.

My background is in business with an emphasis in accounting and I decided to take the GMAT to pursue my studies further with a masters degree. My problem is that I do questions from the OG and have used the MGMAT quant books and when trying to do the prep tests I usually score between a 480-510. I thought it would be wise to try the test before it switched over to the new IR format so I took the test on June 2nd only to see a mere 400 on the screen which left me devestated. My program needs a minimum requirement of 570 and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions as to how I could achieve this goal. I hope to take the test again in mid september. Anything would help.

Thanks!!

gmatsaga · Answer

Hi, tisrar, First, I'd like to congratulate you for taking the test, regardless of the score you got. It takes a lot of will and grit to take the GMAT. Second, tell me how you felt during the exam? How were your nerves? How about your time management? How did you manage with the things you can't control? Third, what exactly was your strategy for studying? Did you use an error log? Did you practice the questions timed? Tisrar, listen to me. Life is a matter of attitude. One on hand you can feel hopeless and depressed. On the other hand you can take your first GMAT as a 'diagnostic test.' Your dreams are being tested here, Tisrar. I know you want to succeed, but the more important question is: are you willing to fail? Come on. Get up. Let's do this. I am also retaking it soon.

You are not alone.

tisrar · Answer

Hello Gmatsaga,

Thank you for replying back to my post to say the least. I started my prep about a couple of months back but I realized I was very iffy due to my work schedule. This time around I have cut my hours down and am trying to focus completely on the GMAT now. When I did my prep test and got a 510, I felt very good for some reason. I felt confident and was able to identify ket type of questions. When I went into the exam room, the first couple of questions got me VERY nervous as I did not know how to do them.

To be completely honest, I spent a whole lot of time focussing in on the math part of the GMAT. It seems to be very hard if you dont catch those small items. I am currently using the OG 12th edition and MGMAT math collection. I plan on purchasing PowerScore very soon for the Verbal as well and go at least 4-5 hours daily.

What do you think Gmatsaga? I know I haven't been putting in a whole lot of work but that will change very soon. Any tips as to what I could possibly do? I plan on re-taking by September.

Thanks

gmatsaga · Answer

Ok now let's go back to the drawing board here. Here are the changes that I made after my first take:

1. Keep an error log. It's good to have OG12 and MGMAT collection. But what really helped me breach 46Q (my quant right now hovers between 47-48) is an error log. I once heard/read someone say here in GMAT Club that after 45Q the GMAT is just testing MULTIPLE topics (e.g. combinatorics + geometry or percentages + rate/work). Other than testing multiple topics, the GMAT (after 45Q) is just testing HOW you think (e.g. Did you look at the problem this way? What assumption did you make?) Go back to the questions you got wrong. Ask yourself: "How can I make it easier for myself?" "Am I comfortable both with plugging numbers and with doing straight algebra?" "What topic/s is/are being tested here?"

2. Answer practice problems timed. When I first answered the OG I didn't time myself. And that was the problem. See, the dynamics of the GMAT are very different when you are under a timed environment. You are more prone to commit careless mistakes.

3. In terms of verbal, by the way, how are you doing?

tisrar · Answer

Verbal, I actually did poorly as well. I thought I should make the quant my stronger part for now but I will be going through the verbal in about 2 weeks for a good month and a half. I actually started an error log now. Im trying to note down specific question types I consistently get wrong as well as keep track of which questions in the OG I took long at answering. I think my whole strategy was not good. I did what you had initially had done and that was just plow through questions in an untimed fashion which is good but not the best way to pace myself come test time. I feel that I got most of the topics in the quant section down but its the question types and the wording that really throws me off.

How did you end up breaking the 600 mark if you dont mind me asking? Whats your study schedule like? Like I said, im aiming for a 570-600 which seems almost impossible for me at this point but I wont give up.

How did you end up breaking the 600 mark if you dont mind me asking? Whats your study schedule like? Like I said, im aiming for a 570-600 which seems almost impossible for me at this point but I wont give up.

gmatsaga · Answer

Well my schedule was:

April - May: Quant
June - July: Verbal
August: Test

Looking back, I noticed the following:
1. I didn't really have a schedule. I studied what I wanted to study. Of course, this meant disaster; I only studied my strengths and ignored my weaknesses. Now, I drew up a schedule that included both weaknesses and strengths. Of course, the error log is also helping me a lot as I can go back to my previous errors again and again and again.

2. I didn't take the AWA section when I took the CATs. This meant disaster. Why? Because of mental exhaustion. My takeaway here is that take the AWA section when taking the CATs. It will build one's mental stamina. Furthermore, take the necessary breaks (8 mins between AWA and quant and another 8 mins between quant and verbal)

3. I didn't time my practice. See, the dynamics are very different when you are answering a question under timed conditions. On one hand you want to answer the problem as fast as possible. On the other hand you don't want to commit silly and careless mistakes along the way. So practice under timed conditions to have the right concoction of ACCURACY and SPEED.

4. In verbal, what helped me the most in SC is MGMAT Sentence Correction Guide. It's the bible of SC. Read it over and over again while re-writing your notes over and over again and I'm telling you SC will just be like innate to you.

Hope this helps

tisrar · Answer

Thank you Gmatsaga. I will surely try to be more productive while I study away. I will surely use my error log more often as well. I hope you do amazing your second time around!!

gmatsaga · Answer

Yes! Let's keep each other updated and motivated!

I'll take a MGMAT CAT this weekend and I'll PM you how I did and what are my takeaways.

Let's go, tisrar. We can do this!

To the moon!

tisrar · Answer

Thank you very much Gmatsaga. I plan on taking a knewton practise exam today or tomorrow as I have just signed up for their online prep program. I will let you know how that went. Please keep in touch.

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