GMAT is funny !! GMAT - 750 ( Q- 51, V - 40, IR - 7)

Question

Finally !

I had always wanted to write a debrief but then GMAT never gave me a chance! Now that I have it - I don't know what to say!
For starters, it has been a very painful journey - indeed! But, like any other adaptive test, it pays off if you are determined and motivated ..

Background : 3 years WE Tech strategy, India, Male

GMAT 1st: 710 (Q - 49, V - 38, IR - 7, AWA - 6)
 
Completed almost every practice material that was available in the market - MGMAT Guides, Veritas videos, OG 11, 12, 13, Quant review, Verbal review & 1000 SC. In all of my mock tests, my lowest score was 670 (MGMAT - 3) and highest was 730 (GMAT Prep - II).

Took up the E - GMAT - tried only the SC since I was struggling with it badly that time. I did not like the course because I think it focuses more on grammar than use of common logic. Also, I did not like their support. I had mailed a query to the team and got a response after a week , apologizing that my mail had went through the cracks. Never touched the course after that.

Personally, Veritas video for SC was an eyeopener - I recommend it to everyone!

I did not prepare for Quant - Like any other Indian, I have a fair bit of experience with CAT.

GMAT 2 : 690, Cancelled

Appeared for the exam after a month - had extensively prepared for CR , RC and SC . Attempted a number of mock tests - my lowest score was MGMAT - 680 and highest GMAT Prep - III (760).

Was very confident of my performance as I had spent hours everyday and had good scores on my GMATPrep mocks too. 
But in all honesty, I think Quant was above my pay grade which reflected in the score too - Q:48.

I was very disappointed after this performance - had lost all hope but refused to accept that it was happening to me!

I wanted to give it one last shot ..

GMAT - 3 !!! 750 - (Q-51, V-40, IR - 7, AWA - awaited)

I took the date for December but did not start studying properly until the November 30th, the deadline for ISB.

Bought the Economist GMAT tutor course and Kaplan 800 and verbal workbook. At this point of time, I was busy with work, R2 apps and was actually tired of GMAT.

I referred to the Economist course ONLY - did not touch anything else and practiced for roughly 2 hours everyday. Wrote 4 simulation tests.

Simulation 1 : 700
Simulation 2: 730
Simulation 3: 720
Simulation 4: 740

I think the Economist team is brilliant with its strategy. I would definitely vouch for the Economist course - Brilliant technology, brilliant set of questions and prepares you to estimate the time you take in answering each question (huge benefit!). The  ask a tutor  is very effective and guarantees a response within a day! Best 30k spent.

However, I believe that the biggest factors are your mindset and temperament on the day of the test - in fact more than the preparation. I thought 750 would not be hard for me (considering my first GMAT prep 1 score was 690 w/o any preparation), but every time the score dipped, it took a toll on me!

My suggestion is to stay calm and focused. If you have a score in mind - do not give up !! 3rd time, 4th time, 5th time , eventually you will get it right.

Also, I think the GMAT club is a wonderful community - bb, ankur and everyone else! So its my turn to pay it forward -- If anyone needs help, please PM me. I would be more than happy to help with resources, personal guidance or tutoring (*free*).

Godspeed!

bb · Answer

Congratulations and thank you for a great debrief. Dumb question - why is it funny? :-)

ankurgupta03 · Answer

Thanks a lot for the mention. This feels good

Even I echo bb's question. why is it funny? And you applied to ISB with 710? Mail them this score, ho knows they might accept it

mbasidekick · Answer

Well it is funny! I went into the third attempt with zilch expectations and less preparations than the first and second attempts. In fact, I did not open up Kaplan 800 and Verbal WB because I was too lazy. I do not know what changed this time around - my mindset , my attention to detail or perhaps it was a luckier day!!

But to be honest, I find all standardized tests lucky (and funny) - at some point of time, more than preparations, your temperament comes into play.

Ankur - I called up isb guys the moment I came home . They have accepted to update my scores.

arjuns247 · Answer

Congratulations on such a great score! I'm in a very similar boat- Scored below expectations on my first attempt and again on my second attempt, (which I cancelled) despite having excellent practice exam scores (GMATPrep, Manhattan GMAT, Kaplan,... you name it) across more practice exams than I can count. I'll be hitting my third attempt in a month and my morale and confidence is very low at this point- any advice on how to handle all of this from an emotional perspective?

mbasidekick · Answer

Hi Arjun,

I just have this advice - just don't give up. If you think you can do better, go for it !

But at the same time, its important to analyze and find out your mistakes. See what you have been missing in your prep - the error logs, focused reading or perhaps, a wrong strategy. It becomes very easy to push yourself of the edge blaming luck or any other xyz factor for not doing well, without applying our mind into the game. Seek help from the experts available here!

arjuns247 · Answer

Thanks for the encouragement! Definitely will do!

havoc7860 · Answer

Hey can you please tell me how to get the score updated and who to call?

Even i gave the gmat again so wanted to know how to go about the process

coolredwine · Answer

Thanks for sharing this! Can I ask as to what you did leading up to the third attempt? What all did you study (again) and how did you manage to motivate yourself?

I am almost in the same boat. Took the exam in May and scored a meagre 620. That attempt was a trainwreck. I was nervous as anything, put too much energy into IR that I was totally drained during the Quant and Verbal sections. I took the test again last week and scored a 670 this time. This time, it was my stupidity which led to this score. After coming out for the break after the IR, I asked the invigilator after some time as to how much time is left, and she said 2-3 minutes. After 2 minutes when I sat for the Quant section, I realized I was already 2 minutes into the section. And the effect of those 2 minutes was felt later on when I had to guess a few questions.

Anyway, I am ready to have a crack at the exam again. I am ready to learn from my mistakes and my experiences with the exam. The only problem is, I have exhausted my resources (OG and GMATPrep exams). Hence I have this question: How did you study when you had already solved the material?

Thanks!

Anyway, I am ready to have a crack at the exam again. I am ready to learn from my mistakes and my experiences with the exam. The only problem is, I have exhausted my resources (OG and GMATPrep exams). Hence I have this question: How did you study when you had already solved the material? Thanks!

JTuquero · Answer

Hi bschool2k15,

Thanks for sharing your story, and congratulations! I'm glad that you found the Economist GMAT Tutor helpful. Whether your score is a result of your preparation strategy or of you just being plain "lucky," I'm glad that you achieved your target score.

Jessica

asmita15 · Answer

Hi ankur 
Congratulations for such a fab score.I am a first timer and have just started preparing ,attending the online sessions and practice material from jamboree..could yu guide how to practice for the AWA sessions??

Posted from my mobile device

mbasidekick · Answer

Hi Jessica, I am sure it is because of the course! I did not attempt a single mock test outside the course, neither did I refer to any study material ! So kudos to you and the team

mbasidekick · Answer

Well, it depends how much time you have - If you have two months, please look into the Economist Course. I tried it and it worked wonderfully for me !

mbasidekick · Answer

Even though the question is for ankur, I'll still go ahead and suggest - AWA does not need a lot of preparation - But if you still are looking for resources, go to youtube & search Sandeep Sharma (Top One percent GMAT guy) AWA session. It is an hour long and sums up AWA well!

mbasidekick · Answer

Please refer to the website. The contact details are mentioned there. I had mailed on ISB's support email too.

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GMAT is funny !! GMAT - 750 ( Q- 51, V - 40, IR - 7)

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