GMAT 1ST ATTEMPT 710 : SHALL I RETAKE: STACEY PLEASE GUIDE

[ANKITM638]

Hi Stacey

I gave my GMAT yesterday and scored a modest 710 ( Q50, V35).

Despite a decent score of 710 I am not much happy with verbal score because have worked hard on verbal and in the last 4 mock tests i have scored b/w 38-41 and was expecting a score in the same range.
I felt like i went close to touching a 730-740 and then fell short of achieving it because of low verbal on the D day.

i need your advice whether i should retake the exam . I am thinking this because of two reasons :

1. I feel that my verbal score could have been more if i had performed to my ability and that i could have scored a 730.
2. The disparity b/w my verbal and Quant score is significant ( q 88 percentile and verbal 76 percentile) and the IR is 67 percentile . I donot know how adcoms view this disparity

i am Targetting ISB only ( 2nd round in which competition is usually high) as i want to settle in india and would like to apply for a partial scholarship offered by ISB ( i have to check with some admission expert whether merit in merit scholarship is based on a GMAT score only or it takes into account your past academics also which is my case are good ). .

Below is summary of my mock test results and my test day experience . i think this can give you an idea that whether i am capable of achieving more if i decide to retake the exam after 30 days or whether the score was as per my current capability and i should be contended with it.

Recent Mock test scores:

MGMAT CAT4 700 : Q46 V39
MGMAT CAT 5 710 : Q48 V39
GMATPREP 1 710 : Q48 V39 ( 10 days before the exam)
MGMAT CAT 690 : Q45 V38 ( 2 days before the exam)
GMAT PREP 2 : 740 ( 1 day before the exam ) : Q49 V41.
Actual GMAT : 710 Q 50 V35 IR 6

Although i will count my Gmat prep 2 verbal result as a good day score powered by luck being in my favor, still based on my performance in other tests i consider myself capable of scoring V38-39.

Test day experience:

I think this is closest to what happened and it might help to explains in part why i got less on IR and verbal than what i could have scored otherwise.

Here it goes!!

AWA went good and i am expecting a score of 5+.

IR went horrible. spent 7 minutes on 1st two questions after which nerves overpowered me . Because of this i was hardly able to concentrate. My eyes were constantly moving b/w tickiing timebomb and the question. Result : i skipped 3-4 questions to make up for the lost time and felt like i messed up with the others.

( Though i scored an average 6 . i was surprised. i was expecting somewhere around 3 ).

Took my 8 minute break. I told myself that all that is gone is gone. I have to focus on the main part of the test ie Q and V. I know i can score 49 in Q ( as per my performance in practice tests). Reassured my self that i can do it and went in.

i felt like i did my first 5 questions correct and this feeling bolstered my confidence. I was relatively relaxed in Quant section and was performing to my ability. I finished Quant with 1 minute to spare.

Took the 8 minute break. ( Still at the back of the mind i had regret of messing the IR, i started thinking what if i scored a good score with an extremely poor IR, then i might have to retake. However i again reassured my self for the verbal section and went in.

The first question was an simple SC. Second question was a CR and i had a doubt in the last two choices. 3 more CR followed. again they were close in the last two choices. To add on to that i was finding it difficult to concentrate on the exam . Also based on my performance in practice test i knew i had a timing issue with the verbal. In the mock tests i was never able to finish the verbal part of the test on time
So i started to solve with an urgency so that i can finish it on time and avoid ending up with a string of wrong answers. but at the same time my concentration was breaking periodically. something subconscious was going at the back of my mind.
i felt like i am not performing good. I had to skip a few questions whenever i realized i am behind time. In short i was not performing with a relaxed state of mind.

Ended the test and saw the scores. Seeing a 710 despite a not so good test day experience (in IR and verbal) was soothing but when i glanced at the Verbal score i realized that i missed the 730-740 bus!!!

[StaceyKoprince]

Nice job! Really great work.

The discrepancy between quant and verbal is not very large, actually, and both subscores are good enough for any program out there. (They don't admit based on GMAT scores, so this doesn't mean you will get in - it just means that they won't reject you based on those scores.)

Oh, just saw your note about merit scholarships. Yes, you'll have to check. I sincerely hope that they take past academics into account, and not just for your sake. Anyone using the GMAT as the sole criterion for...well, anything, really!...is really not working in anyone's best interests.

Why do you think your verbal dropped? Were you starting to feel mental fatigue? Did you mess up the timing? Something else?

Note: mental fatigue is very different from phsyical fatigue. This is what mental fatigue feels like:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... you-crazy/

If you do take the test again, DO NOT take a practice test the day before and another one the day before that. You tired yourself out mentally. (On the plus side, that's one indication that maybe you could do better next time.)

Wait - the practice CATs were taken under official conditions, yes? With essay and IR? If not, the Q and V scores could be artificially infated.

Okay, I'm getting to the end of your post now. Yes, the nerves from "messing up" IR would also have taken a mental toll on you by the end of the test. And then you say you found it hard to concentrate during verbal; that is definitely a sign of mental fatigue.

First, now you know for next time that you can think you're messing up and still get a good score. :)

Second, this may help you to be able to keep your cool under stressful conditions next time:
https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/inde ... mat-score/

Third, given all of that, I think you do have a shot at lifting your verbal score if you take the test again. There are no guarantees of course, but your circumstances fit the profile of someone who might be able to pick up a few more points on a re-take.

So what to do? First, you need to fix the timing problem that you "always had," even before. Second, you need to work on managing your mental stamina - which includes both what you do on earlier sections and how you manage your nerves throughout the test.

For timing, have you read these?
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... -to-do-it/
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... nt-part-1/

For stamina:
First, now you know you can skip 3-4 IR questions and still get a 6. Do that again next time, specifically picking out the hardest questions as you see them. Save that mental energy for verbal!

Second, the last couple of days before a test are rest days. Do not take a practice CAT within 5 days of the real thing. The day before, do no more than 1-2 hours of review. The day before that, no more than 3 hours. (Really!)

These two articles talk about how to review for the last couple of weeks:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... an-part-1/
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... ew-part-2/

If you decide to take it again, I'd sign up to take it about 4-6 weeks from now to make sure that you have enough time to address the timing and stress management issues. You don't need to worry about diagnosing and fixing weaknesses in the usual sense, so just follow a general review plan that hits all question types and major content areas. Your main focus will be fixing timing for verbal, but don't forget to review everything in general, as you don't want your quant or IR performance to drop in the meantime.

Let me know if you have any questions!