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Learn how Kamakshi achieved a GMAT 675 with an impressive 96th %ile in Data Insights. Discover the unique methods and exam strategies that helped her excel in DI along with other sections for a balanced and high score.
19 Oct 2010, 18:32
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I took the GMAT today, and I am very upset with my math score. I scored a 29 after lots of preparation mainly from the official guide. I scored a 35 in the verbal section, and my math score brought me down to a 530. I did not take a prep course. The problem I had even before the test is my quantitative score seems to fluctuate greatly. I took the two GMAT practice tests after registering for the exam. I scored a 29 on the first one and a 34 on the second. Yet, my verbal scores don't fluctuate at all. I took many other practice tests with the same result. I did not skip the easy questions in the official guide. I have been preparing for the math section for about a year on and off, but studied heavily the week before. I reviewed the first 160 or so questions in the multiple choice section and the first 120 or so data sufficiency questions and I felt I had a good understanding of them. I was able to answer the first 30 questions in each of the math sections with ease. Yet it seems like the questions I got on the actual exam were vague compared to what I was expecting and it took me a while to figure out how to approach them. The only reason I decided to study from the official guide is because I wanted to know exactly what the questions looked like, yet the exam questions were nothing alike. Math has always been very stressful for me, absolutely when I am not 100% sure what kind of questions to expect. I earned my bachelors degree in accounting, and I did fairly well on the exams because I had some idea of what to expect.
I will say that I am not mathematically inclined. A lot of questions that might be easy to some are a real challenge to me. Yet, some questions that are a little harder come more naturally to me. On top of that, I have never done very well at standardized tests but I have done well in school. My question is do you guys think my poor score is really a result of my being unprepared, or would taking the exam again give me a better representation of my math abilities? I am not 100% sure I want to go to grad school yet. I recently graduated from college and would prefer to get some full time work experience first. However if I do decide to pursue a graduate degree later on in life I will have to study all over again.
So what would you guys recommend is best for me? Take a class? get more studying material? or just take the test in another month and hope for a better score?
I will say that I am not mathematically inclined. A lot of questions that might be easy to some are a real challenge to me. Yet, some questions that are a little harder come more naturally to me. On top of that, I have never done very well at standardized tests but I have done well in school. My question is do you guys think my poor score is really a result of my being unprepared, or would taking the exam again give me a better representation of my math abilities? I am not 100% sure I want to go to grad school yet. I recently graduated from college and would prefer to get some full time work experience first. However if I do decide to pursue a graduate degree later on in life I will have to study all over again.
So what would you guys recommend is best for me? Take a class? get more studying material? or just take the test in another month and hope for a better score?
whiplash2411
Joined: 09 Jun 2010
Last visit: 02 Mar 2015
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Concentration: General Management, Nonprofit
Schools: HBS '17 (M) Stanford '17 (A)
19 Oct 2010, 19:17
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I think most people will agree with me when I say this; the OG is more of a practice book than a strategy book. Not mastering the strategy before the exam might have cost you your GMAT. I recommend studying the strategy thoroughly from the MGMAT or Veritas series and then retaking. If a course wins better, that's a good way to go too.
Posted from GMAT ToolKit
Posted from GMAT ToolKit 19 Oct 2010, 19:35
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I am also not mathematically inclined (or thought I wasn't). I tried the Kaplan Premier and OG books, but they often assumed I knew things I didn't actually know. What really helped me break through was the Manhattan GMAT Foundations of Math book, which I got as part of the Foundations of Math I and II online seminars. Frankly, the book helped me a lot more than the seminars did. I did not buy any of the other Manhattan GMAT books, but Foundations of Math was a godsend for me -- it helped me get a grip on the basics to the point where, when I revisited the Kaplan and OG books, I could understand them better. If you're someone who is very self-directed, I would recommend trying that book by itself. I can't speak to the quality of MGMAT's other math books as that's the only one I used; the seminars were somewhat helpful, but the book was what turned things around for me.
Happy gmatting. 
