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Let me get the stupid question out of the way which I’m sure you have considered, but would the practice test be unrepresentative of your realability for any reason? Would you have seen or known how to solve those questions? Even a few?
No, the mock scores are accurate, and the exams were not retakes. I am solid content-wise, but I deal with test-day anxiety that I believe is throwing off my score. Once I got into the rhythm, I found the verbal section similarly conquerable to my mocks. Initially, however, my nerves were high, which caused me to struggle with even simple questions. This pattern is reflected on my ESR
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Is there anything else that could have been different between your practice test and your official test?
I am honestly not sure. The only thing is that the scratchpad and pen I used for both exams were significantly worse than the ones I used at home (which could account for the quant score difference), but Verbal should have been similar. I know nerves definitely play a factor, but it is surprising to see such a marked score difference.
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Final dumb question, Do you have any sense of where things went wrong or different? Did you run out of time on any of your sections? Did you finish them on time and at a good pace? Did you get stuck on any questions?
Not a dumb question at all! The beginning of the Verbal section was pretty bad; I struggled to focus and haphazardly selected a couple of incorrect answers. In quant, I ended up guessing on two questions that I could have spent more time on, but in both sections, I did not struggle to finish.
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PS. 720 is very respectable by the way. If you have a high GPA, it will be very competitive. I can only see a need to get a higher score if you have a weak undergrad GPA or a weak undergrad brand.
Understood. I appreciate the kind words. I agree that a 720 is a good score, but it is a matter of personal pride that I want to score to my potential. Given that I have already put in so much time and effort, it would feel bad to stop just short of the finish line while feeling I could squeeze out a few more points. FWIW, I am still in undergrad and plan to apply to deferred programs, and I believe a 740 is typical for admitted applicants.
Thank you for the comprehensive reply; any further advice is much appreciated!