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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.
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At one point, she believed GMAT wasn’t for her. After scoring 595, self-doubt crept in and she questioned her potential. But instead of quitting, she made the right strategic changes. The result? A remarkable comeback to 695. Check out how Saakshi did it.
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05 Nov 2009, 12:13
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I am not here to bemoan my failures. But I seriously need some genuine inputs as I have put myself in a pretty awkward situation. I have not achieved my goal, so I am not in a position to advise anyone. But here is the mess I am in:
I took GMAT couple of years ago and scored 670 (Q48, V34). Economic gloom made me stick with my current job instead of going for an MBA. So, I did not apply to any schools as my score was also not that great. I have a decent job, although it doesn't excite me any more. In July this year, I decided to give GMAT another shot and ordered Manhattan GMAT SC and number properties (4th editions) although I had their previous versions. I focused mainly on Verbal this time and practiced lots of RCs, CRs, and SCs. I had around 85-90% hit rate for SC and CR in OG 12, and around 80-85% in RC. I was comfortable with all three sections before going into test again early this week.
I had decent practice scores, which made me comfortable before going for another round:
Manhattan GMAT 1: 680 (V 35)
Manhattan GMAT 1: 660 (V 36)
GMAT Prep 1: 680 (Q48 V 35) (Couple of months before Test)
Manhattan GMAT 3: 710 (V 41)
GMAT Prep 2: 680 (Q49 V 34) (A month before Test)
I was concerned after this test about my verbal score and put all my efforts in improving SC and CR. I was doing OK in CR. Dissected every SC and CR question in OG and was much more comfortable after finishing OG. So I started seeing real improvements in my verbal score.
Manhattan GMAT 4: 730 (V 42)
GMAT Prep 1 (Repeat): 750 (Q 49, V 42) (Few repeats in each section) (3 weeks before test)
GMAT Prep 2 (Repeat): 720 (Q 49, V 38) (Few repeats in each section) (2 weeks before test)
GMAT Prep 1 (Repeat): 760 (Q 50, V 44) (Few repeats in each section) (1 weeks before test)
GMAT Prep 2 (Repeat): 750 (Q 50, V 40) (Few repeats in each section) (3 days before test)
In most of my GMATPrep tests, I rarely made a mistake (1-2) on RC questions. Lately, I was pretty comfortable with SC and CR sections too.
So before going for second attempt, I was pretty confident that I would hit 700.
My test was scheduled for 11:00 AM.
I could not sleep well before test. I slept around 11:30 PM, woke up around 2:30 AM and then tried to sleep but couldn’t sleep until 5:15 AM. So slept for another two and half hours and woke up around 7:40 AM. I was not feeling terrible but I was not 100% either. Reached test center around 10:40 AM. Started exam around 10:55 AM.
AWA went fine. Math started OK, got some hard questions in first 10 (made guesses on couple of questions), and after that found some long statement questions and couple of lengthy geometry questions, which I answered correctly. Questions later on in the test were easy. I thought I did OK and was expecting no less than 49.
As I thought I did OK in Quant, started Verbal with confidence until I hit a second lengthy RC passage. I spent more time on it and from here onwards I started panicking little bit about my time (I was behind 7-8 minutes by question 20).
I was trying to stay calm but my bladder kept putting pressure on me and by third RC, I started loosing my confidence as I was way behind timing. For the last 12 questions, I had only 9 minutes left. From question 25 onwards my comprehending capability started deteriorating badly.
I somehow finished the test with lots of guesses at the end.
I was expecting a borderline score (690 – 700) with a breakup of (Q49, V 34-37), but screen flashed with 650 (Q 47, V 34). I was dumbstruck as I had not scored this low in my life in any of the previous tests. After three and half months of serious preparation, I had the worst score of my life. I couldn’t believe my Quant and overall score.
Now, I am not sure if I need to take another plunge third time or just forget about it. Somehow I am not able to digest this score.
By the way, I have covered a lot of ground in improving my RC area. I read a lot in these three months. I added hundreds of new words to my vocabulary. I increased my reading speed by around 30-40 words per minute. But unfortunately it did not translate into score.
Quant score caught me off guard. Time management and my bladder screwed my Verbal score.
I think I have the concept knowledge but somehow unable to execute it.
How you high scorers keep your physical and mental senses under control? Are these energy drinks for real to keep high concentration level? Any valuable inputs would be appreciated. Shall I go for another round or just put this score report in a trash and forget about MBA from a good school altogether?
I took GMAT couple of years ago and scored 670 (Q48, V34). Economic gloom made me stick with my current job instead of going for an MBA. So, I did not apply to any schools as my score was also not that great. I have a decent job, although it doesn't excite me any more. In July this year, I decided to give GMAT another shot and ordered Manhattan GMAT SC and number properties (4th editions) although I had their previous versions. I focused mainly on Verbal this time and practiced lots of RCs, CRs, and SCs. I had around 85-90% hit rate for SC and CR in OG 12, and around 80-85% in RC. I was comfortable with all three sections before going into test again early this week.
I had decent practice scores, which made me comfortable before going for another round:
Manhattan GMAT 1: 680 (V 35)
Manhattan GMAT 1: 660 (V 36)
GMAT Prep 1: 680 (Q48 V 35) (Couple of months before Test)
Manhattan GMAT 3: 710 (V 41)
GMAT Prep 2: 680 (Q49 V 34) (A month before Test)
I was concerned after this test about my verbal score and put all my efforts in improving SC and CR. I was doing OK in CR. Dissected every SC and CR question in OG and was much more comfortable after finishing OG. So I started seeing real improvements in my verbal score.
Manhattan GMAT 4: 730 (V 42)
GMAT Prep 1 (Repeat): 750 (Q 49, V 42) (Few repeats in each section) (3 weeks before test)
GMAT Prep 2 (Repeat): 720 (Q 49, V 38) (Few repeats in each section) (2 weeks before test)
GMAT Prep 1 (Repeat): 760 (Q 50, V 44) (Few repeats in each section) (1 weeks before test)
GMAT Prep 2 (Repeat): 750 (Q 50, V 40) (Few repeats in each section) (3 days before test)
In most of my GMATPrep tests, I rarely made a mistake (1-2) on RC questions. Lately, I was pretty comfortable with SC and CR sections too.
So before going for second attempt, I was pretty confident that I would hit 700.
My test was scheduled for 11:00 AM.
I could not sleep well before test. I slept around 11:30 PM, woke up around 2:30 AM and then tried to sleep but couldn’t sleep until 5:15 AM. So slept for another two and half hours and woke up around 7:40 AM. I was not feeling terrible but I was not 100% either. Reached test center around 10:40 AM. Started exam around 10:55 AM.
AWA went fine. Math started OK, got some hard questions in first 10 (made guesses on couple of questions), and after that found some long statement questions and couple of lengthy geometry questions, which I answered correctly. Questions later on in the test were easy. I thought I did OK and was expecting no less than 49.
As I thought I did OK in Quant, started Verbal with confidence until I hit a second lengthy RC passage. I spent more time on it and from here onwards I started panicking little bit about my time (I was behind 7-8 minutes by question 20).
I was trying to stay calm but my bladder kept putting pressure on me and by third RC, I started loosing my confidence as I was way behind timing. For the last 12 questions, I had only 9 minutes left. From question 25 onwards my comprehending capability started deteriorating badly.
I somehow finished the test with lots of guesses at the end.
I was expecting a borderline score (690 – 700) with a breakup of (Q49, V 34-37), but screen flashed with 650 (Q 47, V 34). I was dumbstruck as I had not scored this low in my life in any of the previous tests. After three and half months of serious preparation, I had the worst score of my life. I couldn’t believe my Quant and overall score.
Now, I am not sure if I need to take another plunge third time or just forget about it. Somehow I am not able to digest this score.
By the way, I have covered a lot of ground in improving my RC area. I read a lot in these three months. I added hundreds of new words to my vocabulary. I increased my reading speed by around 30-40 words per minute. But unfortunately it did not translate into score.
Quant score caught me off guard. Time management and my bladder screwed my Verbal score.
I think I have the concept knowledge but somehow unable to execute it.
How you high scorers keep your physical and mental senses under control? Are these energy drinks for real to keep high concentration level? Any valuable inputs would be appreciated. Shall I go for another round or just put this score report in a trash and forget about MBA from a good school altogether?
05 Nov 2009, 13:37
Kudos
Bookmarks
Time management is a big issue for lots of people on the test? But its OK, just try to learn from this lesson when you schedule your next test.
Are you doing all of your practice problems under timed conditions? Knowing exactly how much time you can spend on each problem usually helps build up some confidence during the actual exam.
Memorize a general timing schedule for the test. If you find yourself falling way behind (like 7-8 minutes behind schedule) it might be a good idea to quickly eliminate obvious wrong answers and just guess on a 1-2 problems to catch up. Your situation is a good example of how spending extra time on a few extra problems in the beginning really has a profound effect on the entire test downstream. So of course the best solution is to just to make sure you stay on track for your next test.
Lastly, in response to your question about test day jitters, most high scorers I know have a good understanding of how their body and brain work best. If you're having trouble sleeping maybe get some exercise the night and let fatigue put you to sleep. Other people I know take the entire day off just to relax. I recommend experimenting right now to find whatever works best for you and to stick with it.
Are you doing all of your practice problems under timed conditions? Knowing exactly how much time you can spend on each problem usually helps build up some confidence during the actual exam.
Memorize a general timing schedule for the test. If you find yourself falling way behind (like 7-8 minutes behind schedule) it might be a good idea to quickly eliminate obvious wrong answers and just guess on a 1-2 problems to catch up. Your situation is a good example of how spending extra time on a few extra problems in the beginning really has a profound effect on the entire test downstream. So of course the best solution is to just to make sure you stay on track for your next test.
Lastly, in response to your question about test day jitters, most high scorers I know have a good understanding of how their body and brain work best. If you're having trouble sleeping maybe get some exercise the night and let fatigue put you to sleep. Other people I know take the entire day off just to relax. I recommend experimenting right now to find whatever works best for you and to stick with it.
05 Nov 2009, 20:05
Kudos
Bookmarks
Thanks for your suggestions, Paul! Yes, I practiced most of the questions under timed conditions. Occasionally, I would exceed the time limit for practice questions. Anyway, I need to clear my mind before deciding which course to follow (whether to take it again or just let it go).
