my first practice test, I scored 490.

Question

Hi All,

so I have been preparing for the GMAT since last 3 months now, and today I gave my first practice test and here are my results.

Scaled Score Percentile
Verbal 21 27
Quantitative 36 31
Total 490 26

so I thought of taking the verbal section first coz I thought I have fresh mind and stuff, to be honest my RC isn't that strong. I definitely did not manage the time well and I was not even 10-11 questions done when my half time was already over. the time got over and I was still left with 7-8 questions and verbal went so bad.

when I started off quant I already had a mind that everything just went for a toss and I missed up and I just gave quant for the sake of getting my score out and did not really use my mind enough but got 11 incorrect out of 31. if I would have used my mind right I am sure I would come to score 25 out of 31.

Please suggest what should I do about my verbal and how do I manage my time skills?

I have booked my exam on 3rd December, is it too soon? my score is too low?

My aim is 650+

logro · Answer

Hey Sahil - Timing is definitely an issue most test takers face and is one of the easies to overcome

The list of best resource for each of the Verbal topics is as follows
SC - E-gmat is one of the best prep providers for verbal. You can alternatively stick to just Manhattan SC guide. but i personally like the course for it's structure
CR - Powerscore bible (Hands down the best CR book out there)
RC- You can use the Manhattan RC or Aristotle RC to improve

Spend 1-2 weeks reviewing these books / course

Start doing timed practice for all the OG problems

Quant : Do a mix of 15 PS / 15 DS every day (Can do 2 sets per day if you have the time)

Verbal: Do a mix of 13-15 SC / 10-12 CR / 2RC's (Can do 2 sets per day)

This timed practice should help you

Kudos if it helps

Ansh13 · Answer

Hi  sahilcisco ,

I've been in your situation. I used to overthink a lot of hard questions and eventually used to end up with just 1 or 2 minutes to solve the last 7-8 questions.
But before we go any further, it's important to note that not all practice tests / mock tests give an accurate reflection of your preparation. For example - IMO the GMAT Club CATs have tougher Quants questions than usual (but it's great for practice if you want to aim for Q49 and above). I've read on almost every other forum that The Official GMAT Prep mock test scores are the most reliable.
Also, I haven't given my GMAT exam yet, but I have seen a considerable improvement in my mock test scores and time management during the test.
Here's what I did-
1. I started timing my questions even during my daily practice. I made a routine to solve 10 SC questions in 20 minutes, 10 CR questions in 20 minutes and 3 RC passages in 20 minutes. All the questions were of 600+ level. Similarly, I set a target to solve 30 quants questions (a good balance of almost equal number of DS and PS questions) in 60 minutes. The idea here is to get the mind used to the time constraint. After enough practice, you will be able to just know whenever you spend more than 2 minutes on any question.
2. This brings us on to the 2nd step- what should you do if you see yourself spending more than 2 minutes on a question. 
IMO 2 minutes should be enough to know whether you will be able to solve a quants question or not. If you come across a question where you are not able to come up with any approach under 1.5 minutes, I suggest you skip that question. You could utilize that time in solving a question that has a lengthy approach but you're clear about that approach and the steps to be followed.
Please note that GMAT quants questions do not involve very heavy calculations. So if you ever see yourself in such a situation, you can take a moment and review your approach (This has happened with me quite a few times with Probability related questions). It might save you a few seconds which would otherwise be spent on unnecessary calculations.
Unfortunately, I don't have any such tricks if I see myself spending more than 2 minutes on a verbal question. I just remind myself about the time and take a guess.
3. After enough practice of points (1.) and (2.), you will intuitively start spending only around 2 minutes on each question. Thus, you can now declutter your mind during the test by setting a target time for every 10 or 5 questions, instead of tracking 2 minutes on every question. 
For example- As soon as the test starts, I set a milestone to complete 5 questions in 10 minutes. So if I see the clock approaching 52 minutes remaining (for quants), I make sure that I am at the 4th or 5th question. Similarly, if I see the clock approaching 42 minutes remaining (for quants), I make sure that I am at the 9th or 10th question. This way I don't have to look at the clock after every question and spend time calculating how much time I've spent. I can now look at the clock after every 3-4 questions and speed up or ease accordingly.

Hope, this is helpful.

AndrewN · Answer

Hello,  sahilcisco . To be straightforward, it is highly unlikely that you will earn a score even close to your target by 3 December. I would say you left it a little late to take your first practice test, but at the same time, knowing what you know now about timing, perhaps a second practice test may help you even out your scores a bit. That is, maybe if you finished on time, a 600 could be on the horizon. (There can be a lot of variance at first.) To address your Verbal timing issues, I would recommend working on your conceptual understanding first and allowing your focus on the clock to come in later. Even if you have two weeks to go, you can still see a difference in how you approach questions by test day (with more confidence, which allows you to take less time). In addition to the beginners' guides series by  GMATNinja —just check the signature of any post by the guy—I would recommend you read over  this post  that I wrote to help a high-scoring candidate reach even higher, someone who also identified RC as a weak spot.

Sure, you have a long way to go, but treat each day and each question as another opportunity for you to learn. It is important to create and maintain a positive momentum. And of course, if you have further questions at any point in your journey, feel free to lean on the community. We are here to help each other succeed.

Good luck with your studies.

- Andrew

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi sahilcisco,

If I’m being totally honest, it’s going to be very challenging to improve your GMAT score from 490 to 650+ in about 2 weeks. Are you able to give yourself more time and take the GMAT at a later date? Also, do you want some general advice on how to improve your GMAT quant and verbal skills? Lastly, here are a few helpful articles:

How to Get Faster at Solving GMAT Questions

The Phases of Preparing for the GMAT

GMAT Sentence Correction: 8 Essential Tips

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi sahilcisco,

Many GMATers are unhappy with their initial practice scores, but you really shouldn't be. This 490 is just a measure of your skills right now - and you'll improve on that result over time as you learn more about the content, Tactics and little 'secrets' of the Exam. That having been said, statistically-speaking, raising a 490 to the point that you can consistently score 650+ will likely require at least another 3 months of consistent, guided study - and you will have to make significant improvements to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections. Thankfully, the GMAT is a consistent, predictable Exam, so you CAN train to score at a higher level. While I understand that you probably really want to take the GMAT on December 3rd, if you ultimately "need" a 650+ to apply to the Schools that you are interested in, then you have to give yourself enough time to train to earn that higher Score - so you should consider pushing back that Test Date.

Before I can offer you any additional advice for your studies, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

1) How many hours do you typically study each week?
2) What study materials have you used so far?
3) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

my first practice test, I scored 490.

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