GMAT retake experience

Question

Hi, I'm Amira. I'd like to share with you my GMAT experience. I studied GMAT for 2-months, took about 7 online tests (the economist - Manhattan full version - veritas - GMAT prep) my scores were 490-530, when I took the real GMAT test I scored 350 (I have an issue with exams). I decided to retake the exam after one month from the previous one and I scored 400. I can't manage my stress during the exam although I tried every stress management tip. I need your advice, what can I do in order to achieve higher score?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Amira,

Before I can offer the specific advice that you're looking for, I'd like to know more about how you've studied so far and your goals:

1) What materials have you studied with?
2) What were your Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores on both of your Official GMATs?
3) Did you have trouble finishing any of the sections on Test Day? Did you have to rush through a bunch of questions (or leave some questions unanswered?)?

4) What is your score goal?
5) When are you planning to apply to Business School?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Amira58 · Answer

Thanks EMPOWERgmatRichC for your reply.

1) Veritas Books, OG 2015, some lessons from Manhattan and practiced on "The Economist" free tutor trial.
2) First attempt: (Quant: 22, Verbal: 17)..... Second attempt: (Quant: 29, Verbal: 17)
3) I rushed through the last 5 questions in each section on my first attempt, while in the second one I finished the quantitative section on time and the verbal I also rushed through the last five, but didn't leave any questions unanswered 
4) 500 (the minimum required by the program)
5) On the 10th of March 2016.

My previous trials on Manhattan:
CAT 1#: 530 (Quant: 37, Verbal: 27)
CAT 2#: 510 (Quant: 35, Verbal: 25)
CAT3#: 470 (Quant: 36, Verbal: 20)

GMAT Prep: 
Exam 1: 490 (Quant 40, Verbal 19)
Exam 2: 420 (Quant 31, Verbal 18) >>>> this one was the last one before the second test.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Amira,

Based on what you've described, your situation is part "good news" and part "bad news." The good news is that your score goal is absolutely reasonable and you don't have to answer any of the hard questions correctly to achieve that goal. The bad news is that you don't have much time before March 10th, so you might not be able to make the necessary adjustments to how you study (and handle the GMAT) in that time.

1) Have you scheduled another Test appointment yet? If so, then when is it?
2) If you can't score 500+ by March 10th, then how will you change your overall plans?
3) Is there a later application round? Are you guaranteed to get into that Program if you score 500+?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Amira58 · Answer

1) No,not yet. But the available dates are 5/3, 6/3 and 8/3
2) It will only narrow my universities' choices in the program that I've applied in; higher score means higher variety of choices and definitely better university. 
3) No, this is the last round, I'll be into the program with my current score but with only one university (not of my choice)
Higher score will only guarantee better and more university choices, it won't affect whether I'm enrolled in the program or not.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Amira,

If you push your Test back to the last possible date, then you'll have about 2 weeks of study time. Raising your Official Score 100+ points during that time will be challenging, but if you adjust the way that you handle the Full GMAT, then you might be able to hit 500+. In real basic terms, you have dump all of the questions that you think are too hard or too weird AND you have to correctly answer the questions that YOU are capable of answering (so you have to do enough work on those questions to eliminate little mistakes).

On your last CAT, how many questions did you think were just too hard? How much time did you spend on JUST those questions? If you had quickly guessed on those questions and moved on, then you would have had a LOT of extra time that you could have spent on all of the other questions in that section.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

WayneHam · Answer

If you have no choice but to rewrite and you're applying for the last round, you should just register for the latest possible test date now. Also, a 100 point jump may be difficult, but you're not going from 700 to 800. If you look at your percentile scores, you still have a lot of opportunities to get answers right. With your timeline you'll have to really dedicate the next few weeks to the gmat though.

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