Still chasing success in GMAT/GRE.

Question

Hey everyone,

I have a long history of struggling with GMAT. Spent 2 years preparing and used a myriad of resources but I never crossed a 600 on the official tests, mock test scores have ranged from 660-680's (Manhattan). Even scored a 700 in the official GMAT practice test but when I attempted the Exam Pack 2 (Official GMAT), scored only a 590 and got the same score in the official test.

Tried my hand in GRE and scored a 312 (Q-159,V-153) which again converts to 590 in GMAT. Goal has always been to do MBA and the 'test score' has been a show stopper. Have achieved good things in professional life. Now I am thinking of scrapping my MBA plans and just do a master's., but there is a back thought that should I make one last attempt in GMAT.?!

Am I being foolish.?

DmitryFarberMPrep · Answer

Not at all. What you need to do is figure out the reason for the discrepancy in your scores. Did you have timing issues or severe anxiety? Were your higher scores on repeated exams? Did you drop in quant, verbal, or both?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi narendran1990,

The GMAT is a consistent, predictable Exam, so you CAN train to score at a higher level. Based on what you've described, there are either some 'variables' that you have not properly trained for OR you've developed some 'bad habits' that are keeping you from scoring higher. Before I can offer you any advice, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

1) How did you score on each of your Official GMATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)?
2) How long did you study before each of your attempts?
3) What materials have you used?

4) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
5) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

narendran1990 · Answer

rich  cohen

I have given the GMAT four times and in all fairness the first 3 times I never understood the underlying concepts and just gave the exam without adequate preparation. To answer your questions:

a) Official GMAT 3 - 560 (Q-35, V-32), Official GMAT 4 - 540 (Q-39,V-25). I was surprised with my verbal score in the last attempt because in the exam pack 1, I scored a V-36 in both the practice tests. (Don't remember the earlier scores)

b) I spent roughly 3-4 months before giving my Official GMAT 4

c) Magoosh, Kaplan, Manhattan & Jamboree

d) I have been planning to apply for b-schools for the past 2 years. Now I am contemplating to do a masters course with my GRE score and perhaps do an EMBA at a later stage as GMAT scores don't matter much. (But back of my mind, I still want do my MBA with a 680-720 GMAT score.

e) Kelley Business School, Mccombs, Georgia Tech (Scheller).

narendran1990 · Answer

DmitryFarber  : In my last attempt, I was nervous about Quants section because Quants has never been my strength and I made some mistakes in the first 10 questions and as a result the following questions became simpler and I scored a Q-39. (But the Q-39 is my highest official GMAT score). As far as verbal is concerned, I was very confident and relaxed. Approached each question with utmost patience and diligence. Was completely shocked to see a V-25 because in all the official practice tests I never scored below V-36.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi narendran1990,

In your original post, it wasn't clear that you had taken the GMAT 4 times. Regardless of how much you studied before each of those 4 attempts, did you ever end up using any of the same practice materials repeatedly? How many of the CATs that you took did you end up taking MORE than once?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

narendran1990 · Answer

rich  Cohen : For each of the attempts I went with different practice materials. When it comes to practice CAT's, I took the Manhattan tests twice and GMATprep official CAT's twice. Through my own observations, in all the practice CAT's I gave, there was a 'pattern' in the questions which I got used to and that resulted me scoring well in my mocks. But when I took the tests in exam pack 1 and official GMAT, there was a bit of an 'abstract' thinking that is required, something that I didn't possess. Perhaps, developing that would help me score better.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi narendran1990,

When you take a CAT, if your goal is to receive a realistic score assessment, then you really have to be strict about HOW you take the CAT. The more the 'CAT-taking event' deviates from what you'll face on Test Day, the more likely the score is to be inaccurate (and in most cases, that means "inflated"). As such, you should make sure to take a NEW CAT each time, with the Essay/IR sections, away from your home, at the same time of day as your Official GMAT, etc. Retaking a CAT that you've already taken will almost certain lead to repeat questions. Seeing even a few of those repeat questions will throw off the 'realism' of the experience and your pacing, stress and energy levels will all be 'better' than they normally would be. In this way, you didn't realize that you weren't training to score at a higher level - and that's part of why your performances on Test Day weren't higher.

You can (and probably should) continue to study for the GMAT - but you'll clearly have to make some changes to your study plan, and you would likely benefit from investing in some new resources and learning/practicing some new Tactics.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

narendran1990 · Answer

rich  Cohen : Thank you for the encouraging words. I am contemplating to give one more shot at the GMAT and as you rightly said with different tactics and new resources.

I have always been flabbergasted by your GMAT score. A '800' is such a rarity and achieving that is quite a feat.!!

HanoiGMATtutor · Answer

May I ask what your background is in English and math? I would like to see if there is a mismatch between your capabilities and your result.

Posted from my mobile device

narendran1990 · Answer

HanoiGMATtutor  : Hey there, I graduated with a four year degree in engineering. But I was always weak in Quants throughout my school days. In this past 1 year of studying I have built a decent foundation and to really excel in Quants I would have to work really hard. English wasn't much of an issue for me. Although RC has been a tough nut to crack. I tend to lose track of where the passage is heading, therefore leading to lower scores in both GMAT & GRE Verbal sections.

HanoiGMATtutor · Answer

Interesting that you survived an engineering program without being very good at math. It seems obvious that somehow your mathematical foundation is weak for a 700 GMAT score. Do you have a friend or a relative who can help you absorb mathematical concepts for the GMAT Quant section? I don't think math is easy to learn on your own.

If you are having difficulty with English reading comprehension, you should start reading books in English, especially those that cover GMAT-like topics that you are not familiar with. You can also re-read the practice passages, whether CR, RC, or SC, that you had trouble following. Read each of them slowly, make written notes (I hope that you have a physical copy of the Official Guide) on the key words and main points in the passage, and make sure you understand most of the passage. On the real test, of course you won't be able to do this, but you need to improve your general English reading comprehension before tackling GMAT passages in GMAT-taking style. Improving your reading abilities will also most likely translate to better performance in CR and SC, as these two areas also require that test takers understand what is written. Keep in mind that the GMAT Verbal section is essentially a very intense 75-minute reading test.

All this assumes, of course, that you have 3 months or so to prepare for the next GMAT attempt.

This forum is helpful for students that need GMAT tactics, and less so for those that don't possess adequate fundamentals. I would suggest that you spend a month or so tightening your math skills and English reading skills before getting back to practicing GMAT questions and asking for GMAT tactics.

narendran1990 · Answer

HanoiGMATtutor : Your post is helpful. So I do have a friend who is a maths wizard, I do disturb him with all kinds of doubts. As you said, I have started reading GMAT style topics and trying to look for transition words, main point etc.

Also I have started solving 600 level PS/DS questions and I am getting a majority of them correct. (Agreed that they are not difficult questions), but up until now I wasn't able to solve them correctly. I am not having a time frame as of now, but I want to make an attempt maximum by mid Sept.

Cheers mate.

Still chasing success in GMAT/GRE.

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