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Posts: 3
Hi everybody,
I took the gmat last Friday and scored 470 points. What a disappointment.
Maybe a little bit more information about me in general and how I approached the test first:
I do have a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering and therefore I am used to numbers and math in general. I am also quite comfortable with english as a foreign language. Nevertheless I said to myself that I need to study a lot because I wanted to reach at least (!) 600 points. I started studying in January and worked on the math section for about a month and then I continued with the verbal section. I used the official GMAT Guide (12th Edition) and did all the questions in the book. Before that I had worked through the entire Kaplan GMAT Premier book and also did all the excercises.
On the practice tests I scored:
GMAT1.: 510
GMAT2: 540
KAPLAN: 600
(always beeing at an avrg of 35-40 quant and a less in verbal)
I had difficulties with the timing at first, but then went through the tests at an average speed making a stretegic guess every once in a while but not that often on the other hand.
Then there was the testday...:
I worked my way through the essays and took the first break to relax a bit. Because I knew it's going to be tough now. Then there was the math section at first. The problem? I don't know ... I had the first strategic guess maybe on question no 8?! So in my opinion after 7 right ones. This should be okay I thought and moved on. I guessed 5 maybe, not random guesses, altogether. And maybe did some other questions wrong. But I didnt feel bad about it because the practice tests went the same way.
After the break the verbal section went more or less the same way. But I have to admit that this section was harder than usual on the practice tests. At least it felt like it. I have some problems with the sentence correction questions but I tried before the test to keep up with some of the typical errors I overlooked normally and worked my way through that section on testday. Again, I was making a few strategic guesses here (preferrebly on SC questions) but had no time problems in the end. So I thought it was alright.
Then I submitted my score .... ya, nothing to add. 470 made me feel so bad I dont even know what to do now. Is there any BIG mistake I made in preparation or during the test? Do you guys have some recommendations for me??? I need to improve that's for sure, but how? I need to get above 600 points next time. But this experience didn't give me self confidence for the next try at all.
Thanks for your help!
I took the gmat last Friday and scored 470 points. What a disappointment.
Maybe a little bit more information about me in general and how I approached the test first:
I do have a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering and therefore I am used to numbers and math in general. I am also quite comfortable with english as a foreign language. Nevertheless I said to myself that I need to study a lot because I wanted to reach at least (!) 600 points. I started studying in January and worked on the math section for about a month and then I continued with the verbal section. I used the official GMAT Guide (12th Edition) and did all the questions in the book. Before that I had worked through the entire Kaplan GMAT Premier book and also did all the excercises.
On the practice tests I scored:
GMAT1.: 510
GMAT2: 540
KAPLAN: 600
(always beeing at an avrg of 35-40 quant and a less in verbal)
I had difficulties with the timing at first, but then went through the tests at an average speed making a stretegic guess every once in a while but not that often on the other hand.
Then there was the testday...:
I worked my way through the essays and took the first break to relax a bit. Because I knew it's going to be tough now. Then there was the math section at first. The problem? I don't know ... I had the first strategic guess maybe on question no 8?! So in my opinion after 7 right ones. This should be okay I thought and moved on. I guessed 5 maybe, not random guesses, altogether. And maybe did some other questions wrong. But I didnt feel bad about it because the practice tests went the same way.
After the break the verbal section went more or less the same way. But I have to admit that this section was harder than usual on the practice tests. At least it felt like it. I have some problems with the sentence correction questions but I tried before the test to keep up with some of the typical errors I overlooked normally and worked my way through that section on testday. Again, I was making a few strategic guesses here (preferrebly on SC questions) but had no time problems in the end. So I thought it was alright.
Then I submitted my score .... ya, nothing to add. 470 made me feel so bad I dont even know what to do now. Is there any BIG mistake I made in preparation or during the test? Do you guys have some recommendations for me??? I need to improve that's for sure, but how? I need to get above 600 points next time. But this experience didn't give me self confidence for the next try at all.
Thanks for your help!
My opinion is that MGMAT materials are far superior to Kaplan and Princeton Review...
I used the Princeton Review only last time I did the test and got a 670.. I did their self study class and did all the tests and most of the drills/study material..
Now I am using the MGMAT books and find their tests are much tougher and feel alot more like the actual GMAT (in comparison to the PR tests).
The books are ~ $10 bucks each (I think) and you get access to their CAT's by buying any book.. I recommend finding which area you are week at by using a diagnostic test and then work hard on that particular area.
I used the Princeton Review only last time I did the test and got a 670.. I did their self study class and did all the tests and most of the drills/study material..
Now I am using the MGMAT books and find their tests are much tougher and feel alot more like the actual GMAT (in comparison to the PR tests).
The books are ~ $10 bucks each (I think) and you get access to their CAT's by buying any book.. I recommend finding which area you are week at by using a diagnostic test and then work hard on that particular area.
Posts: 3
Thanks for your reply! Do you maybe also have experiences with online tutoring? I heard a lot about it and it would be nice to hear if it really works out that well ... because yeah it is pretty expensive.
I did the self study online program by Princeton Review and that pretty much was a waste of money...
I don't have any direct experience but a few friends of mine took the Manhattan GMAT Live Online course and did really well on their GMAT after that...It's a 9 week course and it costs an arm and a leg but if you have the time and resources to invest in it I would look into it.. I think you can attend a free session before committing to it.
I don't have any direct experience but a few friends of mine took the Manhattan GMAT Live Online course and did really well on their GMAT after that...It's a 9 week course and it costs an arm and a leg but if you have the time and resources to invest in it I would look into it.. I think you can attend a free session before committing to it.
FatRiverPuff
Joined: 21 Sep 2008
Last visit: 29 Apr 2018
Posts: 145
Concentration: Strategy, Economics
GMAT Date: 07-17-2015
GPA: 3.57
Posts: 145
I'm using the pre-algebra (around 90 mins) and algebra videos (10 hours) from Khan Academy. I don't know how weak you are in math but if you need help with the basics and can't go back to middle school, you should check out the videos. They're free, too. My plan is to go through the MGMAT books once I'm done with the videos in 12 or so hours.
I like the Powerscore CR Bible; it's the only book I've studied for Verbal but I always see amazing reviews for MGMAT's SC guide.
I like the Powerscore CR Bible; it's the only book I've studied for Verbal but I always see amazing reviews for MGMAT's SC guide.
Posts: 3
Thanks for your reply FatRiverPuff! What is really is bothering me is that I had no time problems at all during the exam but scored so miserably low that I was almost embarrassed to tell my friends about it. I dont really know where my approach was wrong or anything I could do better next time. Maybe just doin more and more tests .... Thats why I was wondering if those online courses teach you anything new which has never been mentioned in this Kaplan book for example?!???
FatRiverPuff
Joined: 21 Sep 2008
Last visit: 29 Apr 2018
Posts: 145
Concentration: Strategy, Economics
GMAT Date: 07-17-2015
GPA: 3.57
Posts: 145
Patrick1234
I don't think you should do tests, you still need to focus on the fundamentals. I've never perused any Kaplan materials but math is math. You need to be strong in math to do well in the GMAT. Plus, if you had no time problems during the exam, it's clear you need to brush up on your understanding of the content.
1). Learn math
2). Do OG quant questions
3). Take the quant portion of a CAT (preferably MGMAT because you want to save GMATPrep for those special occasions!)
4). Do well
5). Focus on verbal
It's easier to improve your quant score, which is a good thing.
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