GMAT 2nd attempt - 590 :(

Question

Hi Guys, Gave my 2nd Attempt on 9th Dec and ended up in a disastrous 590.. Here is a debrief. Gave my 1st attempt in a hurry, as the dead line for a prestigious services, which was in March, was nearing.. Due to some personal reasons, could not concentrate much until 10 days before the exam.. BTW, I booked my date just one month before. Ended up in 600 after a week of serious study..It was as though a soldier with almost no ammos going for a war with Nazis..Gunned down to the floor in the first attempt and got a score that was 50 less than what was needed for me to apply for the services. Did not think about GMAT 2nd try for almost 1-2 months.. Then started to think again as I have a very bad habit of taking exams..So booked a date for 9th Dec.. Though, my preparation was better than for the first attempt, and even got scores of 690,710,730,740,760 in GMAT Prep Softwares - Versions 1, 2 and 3..(Though there were repeats, I was able to benchmark myself above 650 or so), I ended up in a very bad score..

.. Now coming to the experience that I had on the D Day.. The whole reason of getting screwed up in Verbal in particular and GMAT in whole was - the first couple of questions were lengthy and tricky SCs and CRs till almost 7th question and a very very clumsy RC that canopied next 4 questions, on which, I almost spent more than half an hour (When I was taking my GMAT preps, I observed one thing which most of the people say, Yes.. the first 10 questions do matter A LOTTT) .. Not sure what happened, but I was completely exhausted and time was running at twice its usual pace (leastways, I felt so).. Half my concentration on timer, half of rest of the concentration on the questions I was reading.. But obviously, nothing went through my brains and was keen on completing the exam rather than getting penalized badly for leaving out questions.. There you go..590..thats that..Returned back home with my hearts in my hands.. I am completely blank now..My instincts are forcing me to take one more time.. but my practical mind is stopping to do so..Here are my scores in both the attempts 1st attempt - Quant - 48 Verbal - 24 AWA - 4.5 2nd attempt - Quant - 48 Verbal - 23 AWA - 5.0 Wow.. what a consistency huh??

I have a 4.2 years of work exp in an Indian IT company (Please hold on for a moment here.. though, I worked in an IT company, I have been working on Business Operations with my Client American Express for quite some time.. So, I am not an IT guy with my hands busy coding/programming) I want to join my MBA atleast in an year or two..Completed my Engineering in one the most reputed institutions in India..Have a decent Extra curricular life.. I would love to give my 2 cents to the GMAT takers, if they are looking for something from me... Tejos..

supereco87 · Answer

hey,
´sorry for the 590!!! that s the worst, because 600 seems 3 times better!!! maybe you just had a bad day!!

vicksikand · Answer

Do something different to improve your score. One thing is obvious - you need to improve your Verbal. Next questions is what exactly is your weakness in the Verbal section. What study material are you using? Lets take it one step at a time. DONT get disheartened, if you couldnt crack it the 2nd time means you probably didn't rectify the errors in the first place.

subhabrata1986 · Answer

I suggest you to take a break before starting back....

Dont feel down, there is a very famous quote " An quiet sea can't produce an expert sailor"

tejmankala · Answer

Thanks guys who replied..I was just wondering if ever anyone would read my post looking at the subject line..

@ Vicksikand
I understand that Verbal is my weakest area and SC is a completely malnutritioned area..But, after my attempts in GMAT Preps and the scores I got.. I felt quite confident (atleast to reach 30-35 in the main).. However, I still feel that SC,CR and RC is the descending order of my weak areas, provided I read the RC properly without the time ghost occupying my mind..

I thought of taking a break of 6-12 months..But, I would like to take inputs for my Verbal improvement and want to make it gradual rather than exponential.. Here, one thing to be noted is - the english I learnt i.e. the British english (different from GMAT english) has occupied my mind and has become a prejudice while deciding upon an answer.. However much I tried applying GMAT fundamentals, I am getting knocked down by some or the other way..So, Please advise keeping this constraint in mind..

Once again thanks for replying..One more thing, I have gathered an ocean of materials for my earlier preparations, so , if anyone needs it, I will be more than happy to share and assist..

Thanks

Once again thanks for replying..One more thing, I have gathered an ocean of materials for my earlier preparations, so , if anyone needs it, I will be more than happy to share and assist.. Thanks

vicksikand · Answer

For SC's - I recommend the following:
1. Pick the OG (Review v12 + v10 + Verbal Review2nd or 3rd)and go through all SC questions + explanations(even the ones you got correct)
 a) OG10 has in excess of 250 SC questions, quite a few of them were not included in later versions of the guide. 
2. Start 2 log's
 a) Keep track of which questions you get wrong
 b) Maintain a list of "take-aways" from the questions you do.
3. Start reading high quality articles such as those that appear in New York Times, The Economist, WSJ, and Scientific American.
4. CR - Skim through the Power Score CR-Bible. One piece of key advice I got from a member in this forum was - you only need to slightly tilt the balance in favor of an option(even though extreme tilts maybe correct).
5. RC - 3 short passages (read time 2-2:30mins + 30 seconds to assimilate what you read) 1 Long passage ( 3:30 mins read time + 30 - 45 seconds to assimilate).
 a) Always go back to the passage to check an answer (DONT rely on your memory).
 b) Dont choose extreme answers(they are usually incorrect)
 c) When answering Main point/purpose of a passage questions - dont pick answers that just talk about a particular section - pick options that talk about the passage as a whole. 
 d) Inferential / Highlighted questions can be tricky - always read the context in which the are mentioned.

rg1 · Answer

I won't recommend of taking such a long break. Couple of weeks should be fine. GMAT is an exam where you need to have all strategies and formulas in your RAM( Random Access Memory) all the time.
I will recommend using only trusted sources and not wasting time in unreliable sources.
Check out this thread also.
best-gmat-books-77703.html

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whiplash2411 · Answer

A long break is not a good idea. And I'm not sure what you mean when you say your exposure to British English is messing you up. The foundations of grammar are almost exactly the same. Its only the idioms that are different and if you're used to talking in English, the idioms will eventually become masterable.

I strongly recommend you to let go of whatever is holding you back, buckle up and study. Since you have time, diligently go through the SC Grail or MGMAT and take notes. Make a list of things you did different and keep practicing. There's no dearth of materials. Good luck.

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GMAT 2nd attempt - 590 :(

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