Happy Ending 640 - 730 over 1 year on

Question

My experience so far has been different to most on here.

First GMAT attempt I got a 640 (Q38, V39)

Q38 was a shock. I scored 44 and 47 on GMATPREP. 
So have been working on quant for last 2 weeks. Will let you all know how it goes.

I took the knewton course with the 50 point guarantee. Although didnt finish everything or do any of the CATS, and I'm outta time!
Have taken 8 GMATCLUB quant tests.

So far my CAT scores have been

MGMAT 3: 680 Q46 V36
MGMAT 4: 700 Q47 V39

Am going to sit the GMATPrep again tommorrow.. even though I've already done it twice. (Although it was 2 months ago)

Will come back and update with other scores and my experiences with Knewton etc.

Really hoping to break the 700 this time or at least high 600s.

amma4u · Answer

afyl128 - best of luck. please let us know how it goes. Also, in the 2 weeks of your practice please share your work. I am in the same situation as you are and struggling to cross the 40+ in the real gmat. My practice tests are ranging between 40-45.
The real GMAT is a totally different experience I feel. Thanks

gurpreetsingh · Answer

I wish you good luck... Make sure you do not rush through the DS questions.

Work on timing strategy in the last 4 days.

Keep us updated !!

DaVagabond · Answer

Good Luck am certain You would crack it, but like the above post said , it could be DS that would need more attention cos , thats where we try to ''rush / assume'' through for the answer and make mistakes.

Also, I would say go with a Positive Approach.

Best

Also, I would say go with a Positive Approach.

Best

afyl128 · Answer

Thanks for the great advice on DS. I think I have adopted this approach over the last couple of weeks.

I feel that while MGMAT is far more comprehensive in terms of math theory and types of questions, from Knewton I learnt how to approach DS questions. How to pick numbers etc.

In the last 2 weeks I have been doing gmatclub tests averaging around 25/37. 
and over the last 3 days I've done 3 CATS.

I have ignored Verbal to an extent but I have started looking at the CR LSAT set from aristotle prep and I also did their SC set.

I just scored 760 Q49 V45 on GMATPREP
With only 1-2 repeat questions in Q/V (two of which I got wrong!)

Over the next 2 days I will be reviewing all my CATS thoroughly and look at some of my gmatclub tests. 
Want to continue doing the aristotle LSAT CR set and will look at some OG RC.

I find I'm quite weak on combinations/probability but I'm short on time and hoping not to get many of those questions on the real thing.

The GMATPrep score does not give me much confidence, because I scored so much lower on the real thing last time. Going to keep studying hard and hope for the best!

afyl128 · Answer

oh and on my Q49 on GMATPrep 1, I made 11 mistakes!! 
So the whole algorithm is just a big mystery to me. I know you can't get everything right but thats a lot!
How does someone get Q38 then?? must have got at least half wrong.

So yeh still very worried!

akshathbs · Answer

All the best buddy !

dcduke · Answer

The difficulty of the questions you get right is more important than the number you get wrong. Take the two scenarios below. In scenario 2, the test taker misses one more question than the test taker in scenario 1, but receives a much lower score. I have simplified things a bit, but the example illustrates the concept.

** SCENARIO 1 **
Question Level - Correct/Incorrect
40 - Correct
44 - Correct
48 - Correct
51 - Incorrect
49 - Correct
51 - Incorrect
49 - Correct
51 - Incorrect
...
49 - Correct
51 - Incorrect

Score: 50

** SCENARIO 2 **
Question Level - Correct/Incorrect
40 - Incorrect
36 - Incorrect
32 - Correct
34 - Correct
36 - Incorrect
34 - Correct
36 - Incorrect
34 - Correct
...
36 - Incorrect
34 - Correct

Score: 35

Matt1177 · Answer

Any news on the second try?

afyl128 · Answer

yeah did resit and it didn't go too well

660 Q42 V39

Just have to say my weakest areas was always geometry and I didn't expect so many questions on it.
The test was cruel though, it gave me question after question on geometry and as a result I was always struggling.

I read a post lately about MGMAT geometry being totally inadequate for the tough questions and I agree. 
Also got a few difficult prob/comb questions which I also struggled with.

Verbal I felt went really badly as I had to guess about the last 5 questions. Didn't manage time well at all. 
I think my main problem was that I approached verbal different to how I would in a practice test. i.e. I thought that since
this was the real thing I should be more careful but that threw my timing and I ran out of time. So V39 given terrible timing was not so bad.

Well I guess I need to improve on geometry and get back on the saddle! Don't think I'll do it more than 3 times.

spizzl · Answer

IMO your result is due to some kind of exam anxiety or sth similar .. your score seems really odd when looking at your test scores..

if i were in your position i'd investigate why there's such a gap between learning test performance + real test performance.. when looking at the other test takers it seems as if the test cats are quite good predictors / reliable to the final performance .. therefore i think it's not a lack of knowledge that makes you scoring lower than expected .. in my opinion there has to be another reason for the deviation in scores .. ?

IndigoIntentions · Answer

^Agree with the above. Your tests are not translating into actual score. Try to take some time off and then rethink afresh. It can do a world of good sometimes.

Matt1177 · Answer

Maybe it was not your day, man. Were you doing AWAs when taking mock tests?

afyl128 · Answer

thanks for the replies everyone..

i do think it is a combination of reasons that you all suggest.

For verbal I totally mismanaged time. For early RC questions I was overly careful and killed too much time.. (because it was the real thing) something I wouldn't have done on a practice exam.

and again for quant my inability to do difficult geometry/comb/prob questions hurt because I got so many of them early on. 
I guess I underestimated the importance of geometry as I was making a lot of mistakes on gmatclub tests.

Anyone suggest how to gain the knowledge suitable for tough geometry questions? I heard the gmatclub wiki is decent altho doesn't seem that detailed. I'm going to resit again ASAP. I feel (although maybe dillusionally) that I can crack 700 with a resit and improving weak areas should make it safe.

whiplash2411 · Answer

Go through the GMAT club math book and shrouded's posts. The math portion on GMAT Prep is woefully misrepresentative. When I took my exam I had at least 3 questions on three dimensional geometry involving spheres and planes and what not. This was beyond the coordinate geometry. If I'd gotten one more of those right (I figured it out right after I left, lol) I might have had a 51. But yeah. Take more tests. The MGMAT CATs while just computationally intensive and a tad bit tricky, give you great practice. My scores were all very aligned.

Posted from GMAT ToolKit

https://gmatclub.com/static/posted_from.png     Posted from    GMAT ToolKit

afyl128 · Answer

I recently had my FINAL attempt on the GMAT

730 Q48 V42

Since my last post I scored a 690 (Q47 V38) with which I applied to several schools.
I've had the GMAT hanging over my head since 2010 and I'm so relieved its finally over. I ended up sitting the exam 4 times. 
I always knew I could crack 700 and my ealier poor performances still remain a mystery to me to this day.
Fundamentally, I am no better now than I was during my first attempt, maybe in some areas weaker, but my approach has changed slightly.

My Biggest takeaways are:

1. Early on I read about the myth of the first 7 questions from MGMAT. I was sold on the theory that each question in the test is as important as any other. Towards the end of my prep I started to believe otherwise - especially on quant. I noticed in my GMATPrep quant attempts where I performed better earlier I would perform better given a similar amount of incorrect questions. I also observed a post on here where a member did some testing on the gmatprep software and also found a clear link to better earlier performance and higher scores. I therefore started focusing on earlier questions, being extra careful and spending extra time if required (obviously not excessively and definitely not far over 3mins)

I have another theory, which could be totally off, but the first few questions are used to gauge your level and the last few, and the last few questions if answered incorrectly have a significant impact on your score. Therefore I suspect it is unlikely that the first few and the last few questions are experimental. If 25% of problems are experimental and none of them are at the start then there is more the reason to focus on earlier questions. Also, I noticed in GMATPREP even if you were going quite well you still got some easier questions later on in the test which made me believe I could catch up time later. Lastly, if you get earlier questions correct and start facing 700 level questions and then getting them wrong you will be penalised less than if you were to get an easier question wrong.

2. Goes without saying. Sometimes fundamentals are not everything andbeing careful with quant can be more important. e.g. Providing the answer for b when they ask for b and not providing for a! Also keeping a conscious mind is crucial as you approach DS. You often get a feel for which wrong answers the GMAT are trying to lead you towards. e.g. often they try to do this with answer choices C and E.

3. For verbal I think I never totally mastered SC and even on the day, despite having read MGMAT SC 2-3 times I still resorted to using my ear to pick between some answers on the test. However, I feel Powerscore CR helped me immsenslely. I picked up CR quite easily, I feel I always got around 70-80% of OG / GMATPrep CR correct but I kept reading about how good Powerscore CR was so I took the plunge. I skimmed few the first part, and focused on the strengthen, weaken etc strategies. I struggled to with the practice questions and never felt like I really gained much from it. After scoring a V38 (my lowest ever) I decided to revisit powerscore CR. I read it cover to cover and read every part carefully (maybe less so the last few chapters). This totally improved my CR ability. The entire book is important especially the start on understanding the structure of a passage and reading every part carefully. I began to get every practice question right and those questions are quite tough. My confidence and ability on CR was very high after and it also helped me on RC questions that are similar in style to CR questions. I felt powerscore CR was the best GMAT book I read period.

Test Day

I went for a run before the exam to get the endorphins pumping and to boost my energy and concentration. Sometimes small edges can be worth 50 points!

For quant I stuck to my strategy of spending more time earlier. The questions were easy (perhaps I got one or some of them wrong). For the rest of the test I didnt get any more easy questions. I had to get the last 2-3 questions.

Verbal was very hard. The SC / CR were brutal to the stage where I felt another sub 700 performance was coming up.

Other Pieces of Advice

The MGMAT guides are quite detailed and can take a long time to complete. I initially opted for the GMATCLUB plan of spending 1 month quant, 1 verbal and 1 review. I couldnt get through MGMAT quant in a month working full time (after being out of high score for 10 years). So be prepared, you should start studying more than 3 months before you intend to apply. 
Also, I wish I just took a good GMAT class like MGMAT from the start. They might cost a lot but, the pain I went through to save a few bucks was clearly not worth it. The GMAT is a crucial part of your application and while high scores do not automatically open doors for you lower scores get you dinged. Do not listen to the rhetoric of admissions officers who say people are admitted with scores less than 600. This is very rare. Even a 690 starts hurting you at top schools.

As for me. My 730 has come after I've submitted all my applications. I'll be sending it around to schools for consideration but I think its too late for that. I resat the exam because I've heard many elite employers require 700+ scores to consider you for a job. So far I've been admitted to Ross which I'm estatic about but if I am dinged from my top choices I'll always wonder if it was because of my GMAT.

Tgt750 · Answer

Great piece of information, especially for someone hung on the same as myself. 700 is still a bump for me to cross. But as you suggested above, sometime trying different direction makes it more effective.

thanks for sharing and hope you be successful in getting your new score considered.

thanks for sharing and hope you be successful in getting your new score considered.

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