KILL ME NOW... I AM IN TEARS...

Question

Prep done:
Two days at a kaplan course, dropped it, a waste.
One day at a princeton course, dropped it, a waste.
Manhattan course.

All Manhattan books
The 11th ed OG, front to back
The supplements both math and verbal, some of it (they seem easier than the OG)

Kaplan practice exam in late 2005, 600.
Princeton practice exam, 630.
Cambridge exam 1: 640 
Cambridge exam 2: 610 
Cambridge exam 3: 640
Cambridge exam 4: 640
Cambridge exam 5: 660
GMat Prep exam 1: 640

Quants were 42-46, verbals 36-42

 
Actual GMAT first time around: 640, weak verbal of 35, reasonable quant score of 43. 6.0 AWA. Take note of the quant score.  

Focused on verbal for 1 month

Gmat Prep exam 2: 720
Gmat Prep exam 1 (after re-installation): 690
Gmat Prep exam 2: 720 

 Math stayed in the 42-46 range, verbal jumped to 43-45. Every indication I was about to kick this exams butt. 

 Went to go take the exam again today.
 

Essays went well....

Math started, six or seven questions in I got what I thought was a ridiculously simple question. I got really nervous at this. Saw more simple questions later in the exam. I became worried I was not doing so hot on the math.

Verbal, got some really really hard questions, but tried as hard as I could.

I got to the end and hit submit.

I nearly had a heart attack.

Quant: 33, 41% percentile
Verbal: 44, 97%th percentile
Overall: 640

WHAT THE !@(#!@(# HAPPENED?
HOW DID I SCREW UP THE MATH SO BAAAAD? 

And now I find myself in a HORRIBLE POSITION...

I'm burned out... 
I dont think I can study anymore...
And I cant take the exam for 31 days even if I wanted to !

I AM SO UNHAPPY RIGHT NOW, I CANT BELIEVE IT.

I feel so defeated...

selene · Answer

hey rhyme,

Don't feel so bad.. 640 is a decent score.. Really, you don't need to talk as if it is the end of the world..

Do you need to get a higher score for the school you want ?

Paul · Answer

Did you focus ONLY on verbal on the second attempt? It is important to give yourself some time before the exam to rehabilitate yourself to the quant section as well. I practiced a lot on verbal b/w my second and third attempt but most importantly, 2 weeks before the exam, I trained myself to very hard quant questions such as the ones from the gmatclub challenges. I'm not necessarily suggesting you to do those in particular but it is important that you don't take quant for granted and that from one attempt to the next it ought to stay the same.

rhyme · Answer

The frustration selene is that I absolutely should have done better. My math scores on practice exams were consistent. My math score my first attempt was also consistent with my practice exams.

The reality of it is, I SHOULD have scored 42-44 on math, and 42-45 on verbal. That would have been a 690-720. Every practice exam I took indicated this was going to be the range. 

Thats why bombing the math SOOO BAD is SOOO frustrating. Something happened. I don't know what. If I'd been scoring all over the board on math to begin with (a 33 is lower than I scored BEFORE I EVER STUDIED!) then at least I could say, well, crap, I knew my math score was up in the air... It shouldn't have been. It was a known quantity. 

Part of me says, screw it, its a 640, its a good enough score for many universities, and since MBA reports both scores anyway they will see that I did good on both math and verbal the first time and then poor and amazing on verbal the second time. The hope is that they notice that.

Part of me says, I HAVE to take it again. 

The list of schools I'd like to go to, a 640 is within the ranges of the scores they accept. It's not a stellar score by any means. 

Possible destinations (I've yet to make up my mind really) include: KGSM part time (possible with a 640), Chicago Part time (no chance), Haas (hard sell), Tepper (possible), Tippie (possible), Cornell (possible), Darden (hard), Duke (hard), Sloan (hard), Georgetown (should be a gimme)... the list is, as you can tell, not short enough... A 640 is FEASIBLE but not the most likely either. 

My inclination right now is to stick to what I've always said - the school you go to will affect that first job out of school, but what you do in the five years following graduation will play a much bigger role in determining how your career plays out than what school you went to - the implication, of course, is to not retake the GMAT, accept that I failed, and move on.

I know I sound like one of those guys who comes in here and screams "I got a 720!! DO I RETAKE?" .... and you want to come through the screen and stab them. For that I apologize, I was just expecting better. The irony of it is, when I got a 640 the first time, I was happy with that. 

I'm going out drinking right after I stop crying.

gmatacer · Answer

Rhyme - first of all we all are glad you finished your GMAT. Well! I have been noticing you past few weeks and you seemed realy confident about your prep. I saw your mail today morning and was eagerly waiting to know your score. When I read your first post, honestly speaking I felt very bad looking at your score but your next post turned the tables around. You seem a person with a strong frame of mind who knows what to do and what to not. One score below your expectation cannot stop you from doing what you want to do in your life. Just relax and plan for your next actions. All the best.

GmatAcer

willget800 · Answer

1) You are good in math. (your prep scores show)
2) GMAT does not tell you are smart or dumb.
3) You were finding math too easy.. Guess what.. you made silly mistakes.. this happened to me in my prep test recentyl.> i thought i was doing really well.. easy easy easy.. next thing you know the following:
a) dollars to cents conversion
b) word translations silly stuff, 1/3rd of distance left vs 1/3rd of the entire distance
c) trying to be too smart.. sometimes i have seen.. not considering a few cases you actualyl do well, because you try to tjhink too much,. and then you make a silly mistake on the things you are thinking... fior instance.. the question says.. s and t are not equal to 0, but you still consider 0 as a value in your considerations of DS questions
4) YOU DID GREAT IN VERBAL. BE PROUD OF THAT IMPROVEMENT
5) I KNOW NTLANCER is a BETTER MOTIVATOR, AND I AM ACTUALLY WAITING FOR HIS MAIL.. I AM SURE HE WILL CHEER YOU UP

This is what I think... Reading your post out here.. I could be wrong.. from reading your post.. i dont know why i have a gut feeling.. YOU JUST MADE SILLY MISTAKES>>.. IT LOOKS LIKE YOU WERE FINDING IT EASY...

Anyways.. there is a saying in India.. "Karm kiye jaa fhal ki icha mat kar", meaning, work hard, think of the present, dont think of the fruits of the future.. thats all i can say... I am sure you will pick it up in the next few hours.. think about what yuou have right now........ and think about how many people in t his world dont even have that.. and then i am sure you will cheer up... think about your loved ones at this moment.. 

Over to NT lancer

rhyme · Answer

A friend who I hadn't spoken to in three years called me tonight, he was in town and wanted to have a drink. 

Perfect timing considering how I felt. 

Over drinks, I told him about the GMAT, how I was mad at my score and he told me his story.

He took its once. 550. Took it again two months later, 560. Took it again two months after that 580. Applied to a bunch of schools - they all told him no - your GMAT is too low. Studied for three months, took it again 650. Applied again this year. Just got rejected from a few, waiting on final decisions from a few others. For him, this has been two years in the making now. 

It put things in perspective and I suddenly realized... I'm being a sissy. 

I studied two months and got a 640. It took him a year to do that. I know I can do better, and I'm only one month away from proving that. If I don't take it again, I'll always wonder what I could have done. Better to have tried and failed to never have tried at all. I KNOW I can score a 660 or 680 or maybe even a 700. Its definetly within my range, I just need to stop feeling sorry for myself and do it.

The GMAT may have won this battle, but I'm going to win the war. 

I have therefore decided that tomorrow I will schedule my third attempt.

joemama142000 · Answer

hey buddy, don't be too upset, after 2 months of studying, 640 is a great score. You can take it again to prove that you can do better. Your verbal is great and a great improvement from last time. If you could share your strategy, i would appreciate it. :-)

You probably just slightly neglected math. If you take your highest scores from each, together they make a great combination. you know you are in reach of that level. For me, when i do subjects independently, i usually get a better percentage correct than when i take a full exam. After full concentration on math, i have much difficulty thinking in cr. Maybe you could work on your stamina if it is a problem.

Charlie45 · Answer

Don't let it get to you man. I know what you're going through right now, I went through a similar situation 3 weeks ago. I prepared over the last couple months, took the Kaplan course, did all the online exercises, and also completed OG. I felt like I didn't leave any stones uncovered. I went in and took the test and got a 650. Did fine on the verbal (90%) and AWA, but got slaughtered on the quant. section (63%). I felt like the questions were damn tricky and nothing like the ones that I had seen in the OG. It really dinged my confidcence and I was seriously disappointed. I asked myself the same question, namely whether I should settle and look into different schools or hit the books one more time and retake. I decided to re-take. I know I can do better than I did the first time. I also figured that I have spent so much time on the GMAT now, it would be stupid to give up. The incremental time required to improve my quant score is nothing compared to what I have already put in. 

You also you need to consider other factors. Maybe you were tired on the test day or just plain unlucky. IMHO the GMAT has alot to do with luck as well. You could be unfortunate and only get questions that you haven't reviewed in the recent past or simply have had difficulty with. 

I have also decided to re-think my strategy somewhat. When I started studying for GMAT I took the approach of covering as many problems as possible. I didn't spend enough time analyzing my mistakes. Now, whenever I confront a question that I either get wrong or don't understand, I won't walk away from that problem until I feel comfortable with the concept. 

Anyways, just some of my advice for whatever its worth. Don't let your score bring you down. The darkest hour is just before dawn and I am sure you'll do better the next time around. Good luck.

HongHu · Answer

I hear you, rhyme, and I can feel what you feel. It's frustrating to see something so close within range and let it slip away. Especially if you don't even know why and how it slipped away. But you are right to put things in perspective. You already have a high starting point that might be other people's ending point. You can choose to use this score and work on your other part of the profile. And if you want to retake it, you know you can go higher. No matter if the low math score is due to your own factor (nervousness? didn't put enough emphasis? simply not careful enough?), or if it is due to factors that is out of your control (test engine?etc.), you know you have room to go higher. You know you have the capability to get a higher math score. And you know the chance would be in favor of you too. So yeah it is right to stop worrying for what has already happened and focus on what is in front of you. 

I wish you good luck no matter what you decide.

giddi77 · Answer

rhyme,

Don't get discouraged buddy. You know that you are way better than what a piece of paper from ETS/PVUE tells you. After all you are the one who cracked the GMATprep s/w and its usage!
Moreover, as Paul, HongHu and others have mentioned, you can only get better from this point. Keep faith in your abilities, evaluate your overall profile and then give it another go if you feel it's really necessary. But definitely take some time off from GMAT.
Cheer up buddy!

Yurik79 · Answer

Hey Pal good score really don't be so dissapointed))
IMHO very competetive school!Just focus on your applications.

remgeo · Answer

I feel very sorry for you. I can understand how you feel. 
Its gr8 that you have decided to take the test again. You know what it takes to get there, as you have got good Math and Verbal scores individually. So just stay focussed and you will get the desired scores. 

Your score has been an eye opener for me. I am now concentrating only on my Verbal as I completely bombed in the Verbal section in my first attempt. But now I know, I have to be careful !!

NTLancer · Answer

Well I felt like posting yesterday was unnecessary as that sick feeling in your stomach overwhelms every other feeling. Now that itâ€™s over and you have time to reflect I think you should consider several factors. First you should most definitely congratulate yourself on completing the GMAT with a decent score! Second you need to realize that your verbal score is simply outstanding !!!! and that you were in a crunch with such a short prep time. Now its time to analyze what you learned in your experience. This way you can benefit during your next test. Were nerves a factor ? if so how can you make yourself calm before the exam ? was it really a fluke that you got such a low quant score compared to your practice tests or was it lack of concentration in certain areas ? these sort of questions are essential at getting the most out of your downfall. You will eventually look at this as a good experience as one of those moments when life slapped you in the face and you turned around and slapped it right back ( by ripping that test to shreds next time). I donâ€™t necessarily see this as a failureâ€¦ in general I donâ€™t believe in failure it simply a lesson of what not to do.. A lesson that will provide you with crucial information for your next step. When Thomas Edison was asked how he continued his research after failing so many times his answer was simple â€¦ He said that he did not fail he simple learned 3,000 different ways of how not to make a light bulb â€¦ and every time he failed he got a step closer to his final goal. I believe that persistence is the single most overlooked quality in people â€¦ I have said many times that in my few years of academia and work â€¦ I have seen people with persistence run circles around people with talent. So you most definitely have the right attitude of NOT giving up.

With all that said â€¦ take a week off .. donâ€™t go back to studying take it easy and enjoy yourself ! you will certainly feel refreshed recharged and ready to kick some gmat A#$

bsmith75 · Answer

Don't beat yourself up over it. 640 is a great score, my advice would be to take some time off before dedicating yourself to studying again.

I got a 640 the first time I took the test and was devastated b/c I wanted to go to a top notch program and needed a stellar GMAt to overcome my poor GPA. I took a few months off from studying before really dedicating myself. During this time off I began to mentally prepare my positioning effort and go through the self evaluation needed to create really good essays. 

When it came to start studying again I threw myself into it, killing my social life for a month, studying at lunch, literally having it consume me. The result was a 730. The essays flowed much easier b/c of the break I took and long story short I am starting HBS this fall, something I never thought possible when I saw that 640 pop up on the screen.

You've got plenty of time to refocus and get the score you are no doubt capable of. Best of luck.

B.

wlee76 · Answer

hmmm .. if you dont like your mark, send it to me ... :teleport

Paul · Answer

Now you're talking! Although I'm a bit of an extreme, it took me 3500 posts before I finally wrote my GMAT and reached my target score

I sincerely hope you get more involved here and you will not only see your own improvement but also the mental support needed to beat this test. Good luck.

GMATT73 · Answer

With the old ETS version, we could easily boost our Q scores with a few weeks of intensive practice. However, it is an undisputable fact that new PVue GMAT Q questions are significantly harder than any prep material available on the market (except possibly MGMAT/GMATclub challenges). I`d say if you are planning to apply later this year, then knuckle down for one more attempt after about 2.5 months of intensive training. You show clear potential to reach the higher eschelons, so no need to short change yourself.

drummond · Answer

Time may or may not heal all wounds Rhyme, but it can lend perspective.

As you have recognized, your score is good. And you know that you can do even better.

I would caution you to take the time to review what happened to your Quant the first time around. The one thing you want to watch out for, is whatever caused the problem this last time. I would suggest thinking through and asking yourself about your time pacing, about whether questions seemed too easy at one point, or whether you found yourself zoning out at times ( hey, it's a 4-hour test, you know? ), things like that .

Also, check your error log to see what kinds of Quant problems usually gave you the most trouble, and try to think whether that might have come up again. Remember that your GMAT may not have held the same balance of types as your practice exams, so if you had the misfortune to get a lot of questions in a type which give you trouble, that alone could affect your score.

For now, relax and enjoy that you have a good score, and all you're doing now is chasing the great one you deserve.

rhyme · Answer

Analysis of my experience: https://www.gmatclub.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=28646

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