Completely bombed my test

[cjj_0102]

Ok, I am completely devastated now. Took the GMAT the first time and got 550 (V27, Q39), which is lower than any practice test I have ever done. Even way before I started my preparation, I did prep once and scored 620.
I mainly used Kaplan. Here are the scores I did.
Practice 2 Q42V38 640
CAT 1 Q47 V31 660
CAT 2 Q50 V 32 680
CAT 3 Q45 V 32
CAT 4 Q49 V51 750

I have absolutely no idea how i could get a 550 on the actual test today. I have never done any Manhattan material. However, now I am thinking about purchasing some and start working on to take the GMAT again in 31 days. Can you analyze my situation for what have gone terribly wrong? Also please recommend some books for me that I will be working on for the next month.
Thx!

[jnelson0612]

Hi there,
Really sorry to hear it. A few things come to mind for someone in your situation; the first is timing. Were you able to pace appropriately and have time to answer every question in both sections? Second, I always consider test anxiety in a situation like this. Did you feel calm and confident during the test, or were you feeling tremendous stress and pressure? I have had students who have had so much anxiety about taking the test that it's dropped their scores 100+ points from their diagnostics.

From my own admittedly biased perspective, I think our materials are wonderful and do think that in 31 days you can turn this situation around, but first I'd like to hear more from you about how the test went.

[cjj_0102]

I was for sure under huge stress. I had not been sleeping well for weeks prior the test. So, I guess that can be blamed.
I did not really experience a math timing issue, which I normally do when doing practice tests. And I did have a huge problem in verbal in term of pacing, which I normally do not have any problems doing practice tests. I thought that was a little weird.
The AWA score came out a few days ago, 5.5. Given I am a non-native English speaker, I think that is fairly well. I am still not sure how I bombed the Q and V.
I know there are several books/online tools that MGmat offers, can you advise which ones would be good for me to improve my performance on the exam. Since I am applying to PhD programs, I believe I will need 700+ to be good score.

Thanks

[jnelson0612]

I was for sure under huge stress. I had not been sleeping well for weeks prior the test. So, I guess that can be blamed.
I did not really experience a math timing issue, which I normally do when doing practice tests. And I did have a huge problem in verbal in term of pacing, which I normally do not have any problems doing practice tests. I thought that was a little weird.
The AWA score came out a few days ago, 5.5. Given I am a non-native English speaker, I think that is fairly well. I am still not sure how I bombed the Q and V.
I know there are several books/online tools that MGmat offers, can you advise which ones would be good for me to improve my performance on the exam. Since I am applying to PhD programs, I believe I will need 700+ to be good score.

Thanks

Hi,
Well, given that you had huge test anxiety and couldn't sleep, I'd strongly advise you to look into dealing with that. To me, trying to take the GMAT with severe test anxiety is like trying to swim across the English Channel with one hand tied behind your back. It makes the process almost impossible. I have had several students who did a few sessions with a cognitive behavioral therapist and another student who worked with a hypnotherapist for about a month. All of these students were eventually able to perform at their best levels on the test.

A 700 will require a very high level of proficiency in both sections. Without knowing more about your breakdowns, it's hard to advise you on which books to use, but you may want to consider working through the entire set of strategy guides plus the 12th edition Official Guide from the GMAT test makers. If you don't want to buy all of the books, another possibility is to take a free GMAT test on our website and then post here again with more specific information from that test so we can advise you as to which specific books are most likely to be helpful. Good luck!