re: score at real gmat

[hemant.rao110]

hello stacey,
my last three mgmat tests score are 660, 670, 700 but when i took my real gmat i ended up with 530.In all of my prep exam i got 48 or more on quant, but on real gmat i got 44 and i use to get 24 to 37 in verbal, but i got only 19. I am confused about what should i do now. If i have to write again then please tell some strategy and if i reuse the same prep tests then i can get repetition in question and my score will not be accurate.

[versatile801]

Am really surprised !!!

This really makes it difficult to gauge where do we stand ?? how do we actually decide whether we are prepared to take test or not ?

[StaceyKoprince]

I'm sorry you had a disappointing test experience.

versatile, most people score within 50 points of their practice test scores.

There are a number of things that can lead to a large score drop, such as timing problems, stamina issues, and nerves / anxiety.

Read this article and try to figure out what happened:

http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... ent-wrong/

If we can figure out what went wrong, then we can do something to help prevent the score drop from happening again.

Note that sometimes there really isn't much of a drop - sometimes the practice test scores are inflated. If you skip the essays, give yourself extra time, take longer breaks than allowed on the real test, see repeated questions that you've seen before, etc, then your practice test scores could be inaccurate.

[hemant.rao110]

stacey,
i took all my prep exams in perfect conditions .... i took my last exam two days before real gmat. On the day of my exam my stomach was little bit upset. earlier in prep test i had stamina problem, but later on it get resolved. Since, my prep exams are finished and if i refresh it then there will not be a chance of getting accurate results. so, i request u to present some solution for prep and some suggestions for how to write the next real exam.

[StaceyKoprince]

We need to figure out why your score dropped so much. We also need to know your strengths and weaknesses. Without those two things, we can't come up with a customized plan.

Use this article to analyze your last couple of practice tests, particularly with respect to timing:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... ice-tests/

Then come back here and post your analysis. (Note: NOT just the raw data; tell us what you think it all means. The ability to do this is an important skill.)

In particular, I'd like to know this: you said that, on practice tests, you scored 24 to 37 on verbal. Why is the range so wide? Do the lower scores represent earlier tests and the higher ones later tests? Or was there a lot of variability even in your later tests? You need to figure out why (often, variability has to do with timing issues, stamina issues, or both).

You do mention taking your last practice test 2 days before the real test. What did you do the day before? It sounds like you may have done too much in the last few days, which would increase your mental fatigue on the real test.

Note: mental fatigue does not present in the same way that physical fatigue does. You don't feel "tired" in the typical sense. Other things occur. You find that you have to read something two or three times before you understand it. You get distracted more easily. You start to get sick of the test - you just want it to be over. You care less about checking your work, working carefully and systematically - you find yourself picking answers more quickly or skipping steps in the process. Did any of that happen?

[hemant.rao110]

hello stacey,
my verbal score gradually increase from 24 to 37, the last two are 32 and 37. My quant was constant at nearly 48 or above, i analyzed my score earlier and same i have done now.In word translation probability was bit time taking and ratios were fine earlier before last two, my algebra is my strength.In numbers positives and negatives are bit problematic for me. These are the details of last two scores,
overall,
Word Translations 18 11 7 61% 2:01 2:56
Algebra 16 12 4 75% 1:33 2:39
Geometry 10 6 4 60% 3:55 1:18
Number Properties 18 12 6 67% 1:15 2:20
FDP's 12 7 5 58% 1:26 1:30

in detail

Probability 2 1 1 50% 1:24 4:59 SLOWEST

Combinatorics 1 1 0 100% 2:49 NA

Overlapping Sets 4 3 1 75% 2:17 3:43

Statistics 4 2 2 50% 1:36 1:21
Algebraic Translations 1 1 0 100% 1:34

Ratios 1 0 1 0% NA 3:03

Rates & Work 4 3 1 75% 2:08 3:25

Non-Standard Word Prob 1 0 1 0% NA 2:39

Quadratic Equations 3 3 0 100% 1:08 NA

Basic Equations 3 1 2 33% 1:28 3:44 SLOWEST

Exponential Equations 1 1 0 100% 0:09 NA FASTEST

Formulas 2 1 1 50% 1:40 2:43

Inequalities 3 2 1 67% 2:14 0:26

variables in Choices (VIC) 3 3 0 100% 2:06 NA

Functions 1 1 0 100% 1:16 NA

Polygons 1 0 1 0% NA 1:22

Triangles and Diagonals 4 3 1 75% 4:44 1:24

Circles and Cylinders 2 1 1 50% 6:20 2:04 SLOWEST

Lines and Angles 0 0 0 NA NA NA

Coordinate Plane 3 2 1 67% 1:28 0:21 FASTEST

Positives and Negatives 2 0 2 0% NA 1:57

Divisibility and Primes 8 5 3 63% 0:30 3:08

Odds and Evens 1 1 0 100% 2:12 NA SLOWEST

Consecutive Integers 2 2 0 100% 1:55 NA

Exponents and Roots 5 4 1 80% 1:38 0:43

Fractions 3 2 1 67% 1:06 3:32 SLOWEST

Digits 3 2 1 67% 1:23 1:09

Decimals 1 1 0 100% 0:59 NA

Percents 3 1 2 33% 2:41 1:21

Connections 2 1 1 50% 1:23 0:06 FASTEST
Operations 0 0 0 NA NA NA
In verbal RC is bit issue for me, when i get high vocab passage then i use to get divert from the main point even though i use ron's strategy.But rest on the score.

Critical Reasoning 28 15 13 54% 1:52 2:05 640 700
300 - 500 3 3 0 100% 1:55 NA
500 - 600 1 0 1 0% NA 2:21
600 - 700 11 6 5 55% 1:56 1:53
700 - 800 13 6 7 46% 1:47 2:11

Reading Comprehension 24 14 10 58% 1:52 2:30 640 700
500 - 600 7 6 1 86% 2:05 1:17
600 - 700 6 3 3 50% 0:58 2:36
700 - 800 11 5 6 45% 2:07 2:38

Sentence Correction 30 16 14 0 53% 1:11 1:26 660 730
500 - 600 6 6 0 100% 1:06 NA
600 - 700 6 3 3 50% 0:53 1:01
700 - 800 18 7 11 39% 1:23 1:32
in detail
Find the Assumption 5 2 3 40% 1:18 2:29

Draw a Conclusion 4 1 3 25% 1:32 1:44 FASTEST

Strengthen Conclusion 5 4 1 80% 1:55 1:50

Weaken Conclusion 5 2 3 40% 2:20 2:04

Analyze Arg Structure 4 3 1 75% 1:42 2:32

Evaluate A Conclusion 2 1 1 50% 2:31 2:15 SLOWEST

Explain A Situation 2 1 1 50% 2:17 1:35

Make an Inference about Premises 0 0 0 NA NA
Resolve a Problem 1 1 0 100% 1:41 NA

RC
Inference 8 4 4 50% 1:34 1:32

Specific Detail 10 7 3 70% 1:36 2:50

Main Idea 4 2 2 50% 3:53 4:37 SLOWEST

Passage Structure 2 1 1 50% 0:52 1:05 FASTEST
SC

Subject Verb Agreement 3 2 1 67% 1:07 1:42


Pronouns 2 2 0 100% 1:11 NA

Modifiers 4 1 3 25% 1:12 1:28

Verbs 4 3 1 75% 1:01 2:07

Idioms 3 1 2 33% 0:31 1:10

Concision 2 0 2 0% NA 2:03 SLOWEST

Clarity of Meaning 2 1 1 50% 2:15 1:23

Parallelism 3 2 1 67% 1:25 0:44

Comparisons 3 2 1 67% 1:36 1:05

Quantity Expressions 2 2 0 100% 0:40 NA FASTEST

Connecting Punctuation 2 0 2 0% NA 1:04

On the day before the test i prepared like half a day, revising all the formulea and checking all my error log. I got a good sleep then my exam is at 2:30 mid day so, i took my lunch then got into the room. My clothes are single layered so, i started feeling cold in the room. And my lunch is little bit heavy as i use to have daily. That might be the reason that i have done my QA questions in not a well format as i practised and i use to do in normal prep exams.

[StaceyKoprince]

I want you to actually analyze all that data in more depth yourself - it doesn't help you in the end if I do it for you.

Did you do the analysis discussed in the article? What is your analysis for the 5 categories described in the article?

What about your overall timing patterns? I can see from the data you pasted that you have a tendency to spend too long on problems that you're getting wrong anyway (on both quant and verbal). That indicates an overall time management problem - you're not always making good choices about where to spend extra time, you're spending too long at times, you're having to rush at times to catch up which increases the incidence of careless mistakes, etc.

Even more concerning, if you allow yourself to do this on practice tests, you're probably going to do it even more / worse on the real test. When you spend way too long, you mostly get those wrong - so that's what we call "being stubborn." :) If you're stubborn on a practice test, you're going to be even more stubborn on the real thing because now you know it counts. That will result in even worse time management - wasting even more time on problems you're getting wrong anyway, having to rush even more on others to catch up, making even more careless mistakes on things you really do know how to do.

You need to learn to be able to do the kind of analysis that I just did above (and I only looked at a few pieces of the data, because I want you to go and do this yourself!). It's really important to be able to read this data for yourself so that you can help yourself to keep getting better. Also, until you actually do that analysis for yourself, you're not going to "buy in" 100% to the idea that you need to change the way you're making decisions about where to spend your time - because you're still trying to be "stubborn" and prioritize accuracy over timing. If that's the case, you are going to find it very difficult to get the score that you're trying to get.

Read this:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... to-win-it/

For time management:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... anagement/

For content areas:

CR:
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2011/10/ ... ng-problem

http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2009/10/ ... -questions
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/01/ ... cr-problem
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... -problems/

http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2011/01/ ... cy-problem
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2011/01/ ... on-problem

RC:
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/09/ ... ading-comp

http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/04/ ... mp-passage
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/07/ ... rc-passage

http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/09/ ... prehension
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/11/ ... il-problem
RC: http://www.manhattangmat.com/articles/analyze-RC-question.cfm

SC:
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/06/ ... on-problem

http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2011/03/ ... sc-problem
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2011/03/ ... -problem-2

http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... orrection/
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... on-part-2/
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... h-meaning/

[hemant.rao110]

hi stacey,
I do think i get stubborn with some problem which kills my time.While doing the problem i know that i am gone out of the time even then i was not able to leave that problem. Give me a nice advice how to resolve this issue, since i already practiced what is written in that link. I am not able to get through this. Please help me.

[StaceyKoprince]

You've read the In It To Win It article?

You are NOT taking a test. You are playing a game. You're playing tennis. If you don't actually try to play by the rules and get better according to how the game works, you're going to lose the game.

Buy a can of tennis balls. Write "Nice shot!" on each one. Keep them on your desk while you're studying. When you feel yourself getting stubborn, pick up the ball, say "Nice shot!" and then move on!

Serena Williams won a match in a tennis tournament recently. The score was 6-1, 6-1. I don't know whether you know much about tennis, but that score indicates that she pretty much crushed her opponent.

The match had a total of 90 points. How many points do you think Serena won versus her opponent?

The opponent won 31 of the points. She got crushed and she still won a third of the points!! That's how tennis works. That's how the GMAT works, too.

Now, you're going to be the crusher, not the crush-ee, hopefully. :) But you're still going to lose a LOT of points, even if you do really well.

But only if you actually convince yourself that this is how you play the game. What if Serena had kept running after a ball even after she knew she had no chance, and maybe she ran into the wall at the side of the court and injured herself, or twisted her ankle, or just tired herself out before the match was over. Then she might have lost. That's the equivalent of getting stubborn on the GMAT and not letting go. You already KNOW you're going to lose that point. Now, the time that you're wasting means that you're going to lose even more points later as a result.

[hemant.rao110]

thanks stacey for the advice and i will surely work as u told me.

[StaceyKoprince]

good luck!

[hemant.rao110]

hello stacey,
i have doubt as u know my previous mgmat tests score are near to 700 and original gmat i ended up with 540 . I applied for hult business school boston campus, my application got selected now i am very much confused about about the school is it a good one or i should try to give my gmat again and look for other schools. Actually i have no idea about hult business school is it good or bad. Does they provide enough placements.

[StaceyKoprince]

I'm not all that familiar with the business schools, their various rankings, etc - I really concentrate only on the tests.

There's another folder here called "Ask an Admissions Consultant." Post your question in that folder and see what they say!

[hemant.rao110]

i post in that column but i am not getting a reply . Its kind of urgent sorry if i make u uncomfortable.

[StaceyKoprince]

If I could advise you, I would - but I really just don't know that much about admissions! I don't know anything about the b-school you mentioned.

In general, forums aren't a great place for time-sensitive issues. You may also want to post on Beat the GMAT, but you may want to contact some admissions consultants directly.

Some companies may offer a short free conversation or consultation (15 or 30 minutes). They will likely also want to ask you questions and then of course they're going to want to send you materials about their services. :) But you can still ask them some questions. Try MBA Mission and Clear Admit (and any others that you know about).