Scored 680 - Need Advice!!

[lucky_guy]

Hi,

I gave my GMAT today..N scored 680(M50, V30). I am very disappointed. I used to score in 700-750 range in the GMATprep Exam....It don't knw what went wrong...I was aiming the top b-schools..and took a complete 1 month off from the office to prepare for the test...My practice scores were

GMAT Prep:
Test 1: 710(M50,V33), & 750(M51, V38)
Test 2: 700(M50,V32), & 730(M51, V34)
Kaplan: 670 (M50, V32), 650
GMAT Live: (M50, V50)

Before Prep: Manahattan 630(M49,V28)

I know that there is a problem with my english(as usually the case with Indians). But I tried as hard as I could - I did OG10&12(twice), Manhattan SC(twice), some questions from test magic forums as well. Read articles from scientific american and other similar stuff.

During the test my maths section was ok, scored 6 in awa, but i was exausted at time of english, i became so tense that i was finding it difficult to breathe at the time of english section...

I am feeling very low, as GMAT was the only option with me...My academic record is very good, I was the school topper, and then stood 4th in the Delhi University(in commerce) but lack on work ex(only 1.5 years). Therefore a good GMAT score is necessay to make it to the top 5.

Please advice me what to do next...as i have already finished all the relevant material...I am thinking of taking another 2 months off and do extensive reading...would that help...is there anythin else i need to do...any other suggestions......Please rescue...

[Marshall22]

Check out my scores in the practice vs real test topic.

You will see mostly everyone have a stable math ... quant score that doesn't change much, it goes + or -5 ...... Math needs imagination

when it comes to VERBAL ... you need a clear MIND ... to comprehend what is said ... verbal is all about meaning !! reading comprehension is about knowing why the article is written and the message it is sending out ... SC is about conveying the proper meaning in the best way possible of a sentce ... and critical reasoning is about understanding the logic/meaning of the argument with no outside assumptions i.e. the question is your relm... and finding the proper answer to the question.

That said ... if you see my verbal score .. it goes up to 40 and comes down to 31 ... WHY?

I was either:

1. Tired... no sleep = can't read or understand right

2. Confidence ... yet usually am confident, because i have done the material and was ok with the hard stuff .. and got all easy questions right, and 90% of the medium ones ... so my confidence is high

So it boils down to STAMINA ... endurance ...

Like you ... after AWA and Quant .. when i get to Verbal am worn out ... and tired ... so you need to:

1. Sleep very very well before an exam

2. Excercise

3. Know the template for AWA .. i.e. how to respond with not much effort

4. Enjoy the Quant section .. dont be tense .. imagine you relaxed at home with you legs up and doing these problems.

5. When you get to verbal ... writing the info down or key words when it comes to reading comprehension or critical reasoning .. so not to put everyting in you head and exhaust yourself...

Its all about relaxing ! and think CARE FREE ... I DONT CARE IF I PASS OR NOT ... AM DOING IT FOR FUN ... Enjoy ... so what the world won't if I dont pass .. and if i dont pass i'll keep trying until I hit that mark.

Keep in mind ... keep reading and reviewing the stratgies and material .. until you can see them in you sleep (lol joking) ... well you can never review enough ... go over old problems in OG see how they solvved them ... try to simplify the explanation ... try to solve it in other methods .. in more than one way ... tell you self .. I KNOW THE INFO ... and I own the test ... its easy ... I done it in practice .. which has alot harder problems ... I can do it in the test ... dont think of anything during the test but what you see infront of u ... enjoy it .... keep reviewing ... and practicing what you review .. and understanding why you got a question right and why you got it wrong ! See where is your weakness and focus on it!

Enjoy .. you know the info ... dont be sad ... i think your problem is stamina and confidence ... you can do it !