GMATsecond time 630.. Should i retake..

[tanyatomar]

Hi,
i gave GMAT on 28 March 2012 and scored 630 (Q46, V31). I have given GMAT in sept 2011 also and score 620 (Q46, V30). Last time i had not given any prep tests apart from GMATPrep n my study material was not sufficient and correct.. So this time i used OG 12th edition + MGMAT Sc guide + MGMAT CR guide + Powerscore CR bible. i practiced almost all the GMATPrep questions on MGMAT forums. OG questions i practiced so many time that answer were by heart. I gave mock tests , following are my scores:
Kaplan : 570.
GMATPrep 620
MGMAT: 690
GmatPrep 660
Powerscore GMAT: 670
MGMAT : 660
MGMAT: 650
MGMAT 620( test was disturbed by many things so i dun wanna count this one)

i gave all my mock test in real GMAT situation. i practiced verbal very hard this time, trying to understand every concept. My strike rate of GMATPrep questions n OG questions by the end was roughly 17/20 for CR and 18-19/20 for SC. while giving thereal GMAT exam i thought that verbal is going well n i will atleast score 670.. However when the score popped up it was 630. There was no anxiety, no missed questions, no randon guesses. While doing the exam i marked all the answers after reasoning them out n i beleived whatever i am selecting is write.
i am clueless why this happened.May be after all the studies my understanding itself was not correct. I am clueless as to what to do next, should i give GMAT again because my score is just the same second time also, i dont know if third time it wil increase or may become 640. May be i dont know what i am doing wrong specially in verbal. i want to have atleast 690 to apply to colleges i want. i need advice as to what should be right for me to do now. apply with this score or try one last time. The format of GMAT is also changing from June:(

Tanya

[omkar.nadgauda]

Sorry to read that you did not set the score you wanted. It seems like Verbal is the killer. (Same for me).

I would like to know if you got any repeat questions or known questions on your MGMAT CATs. You say that you did all the questions from the forums. In my experience, I have seen some of the questions from the test being discussed on the forums. Just want to make sure whether you answered any known questions on your CATs. That might be a reson for good scores on your MGMAT CAT.

Regards

[tanyatomar]

i dint get any known questions in MGMAT mock tests. But i did get known GMATPrep questions in GMATPrep and Powerscore mocktests.

[danish.hasan.srcc]

Although its quite visible that verbal is the cause of ur low score, I believe that u can considerably do better in quant on which u r not focusing. Assuming u are an Indian, u should be having good quant skills already which if brushed should reach 49 50 easily and that should solve your low score problem to a great extent. Its a fact that verbal score are very fluctuating. I myself got scores from 24 to 46 in my mocks. Now what does dat mean :P quant scores dont fluctuate that much.

I gave my gmat last saturday and got a 710 49q and 35v. All the best. Go for a retake with a good strategy and u should succeed.

[StaceyKoprince]

What was the breakdown of your quant and verbal scores on your practice tests? You had one MGMAT at 690, while the other scores were lower - what was the difference on that test? Why was it higher?

Your practice test scores were in the same general range as your real test scores, but I need to know the subscores as well to see how things were changing. Also, you said the 620 score wasn't one that you want to count because the test was interrupted... but that was also closest to your real test score, so there may be important things to learn from that test.

Use this article to analyze your recent MGMAT practice tests:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... ice-tests/

Then come back here and share your analysis with us. Note: don't just give us the raw data. Tell us your analysis - what you think it means. You have to learn how to analyze your own performance and progress. Otherwise, you're going to continue to be frustrated adn feel like you're not making enough progress.

Next, you talk about "strike rates" on practice questions, but percentage correct means almost nothing in the absence of timing data - which tells me that you don't know enough yet about how the GMAT works and how the test is scored. Read this:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... to-win-it/

And you may also want to read the Scoring section of our free e-book The GMAT Uncovered (it's in your student center).

Next, if you have any timing problems (and you probably do - we all do!), read this and start doing what it says:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... anagement/

You're right that we only have a couple of months before the test changes. Given that you want a 690+ and that you're not sure where you're going wrong in your studying, there's a decent chance that you will not be ready to get that goal score before the test changes. The good news, though, is that the IR section is not going to be super important for at least the first year of admissions. So if you do have to take that section, you'll study for it to get a "good enough" score, but you'll still focus mostly on quant and verbal.

[tanyatomar]

Hi Stacey,
i have decided to give GMAT one last time before applications start this year. what should be the best time to give.. June end- july first week? Also i needed some counselling about gmat... is there anyway i can contact anyone n discuss how to proceed forward...

Tanya

[jnelson0612]

Hi Tanya,
There is not going to be any difference between taking the test the end of June or the first week of July. You mentioned that you need counseling about the GMAT--can you tell us more specifically what you are looking for? Then we'll be happy to advise you. Thanks!

[tanyatomar]

Hi Satcey,
basially i think i dont know where exactly i am going wrong.. may be i am making same mistakes again n again. i want to discuss about how i have prepared till now the material etc. and where was the problem in preparation. What should i change in my way of preparation. Basically my english score was a killer. wanted to discus how i can improve from what i have done till now..

Tanya

[tanyatomar]

Hi Nelson,
about dates i was doubtfull about is june end- july first week right time to give gmat. or i need to prepare more.. may be till july end???

Tanya

[StaceyKoprince]

Hi, Tanya

We offer free advice here in this folder on the forums. We also offer private tutoring (for a fee). If you want free advice here, then go back and take a look at my last post and do what it says - we need a lot more data from you in order to advise you. If you'd like to ask questions about tutoring, then please contact our office (contact info below) and they'll be happy to answer questions or to set you up with a tutor, if that's what you want.

phone (US and Canada): 800.576.GMAT
email: studentservices@manhattangmat.com
skype: m.gmat

In terms of when to take the test again, we can advise you but we first need more information about your current scoring levels, strengths and weaknesses, etc. Estimating a timeframe depends upon where you are now and how far you have to go.