530 (Q35 V28)- Seriously need advice

[skytrax]

I took the GMAT yesterday and as the above score shows, I only managed to get a 530. My target b-school requires a minimum of 550, so you can understand my frustration of having come so close yet so far.

 

Although I never considered myself very good in maths, but I never imagined feeling so clueless looking at a quant question until yesterday. The Quant questions were HARD. The Geometry and Permutation questions were quite manageable (probably because of my low bin), but what really killed me were the number property questions. Those Data Sufficiency type of questions such as the ones we see on the OG "Is x=y or is xy a factor of x/xz". Somehow, I managed to handle the OG questions, but on yesterday's test, the number property questions seemed to be of a much higher difficulty. It seemed to be two to three notches harder than Kaplan or OG 10.

 

Verbal was no walk in the park either. But at the very least, the questions appeared to be similar to that of OG 10. While my problem with Quant was that I didn't even KNOW how to solve the freakin' questions, my main problem with verbal was that my time management was poor. I need to strengthen my skills in SC and Bold Face CR questions. But my main issue is the RC passages. I got a total of 4 RC passages, and I must master the skill of being able to handle these faster.

 

After yesterday's test, I felt extremely sad and dejected. Mainly due to the fact that I put in 2.5 months of solid effort. I went through the OG 10 once, took note of all my errors, re-did the wrong ones, and used Kaplan and Princeton Review to strengthen specific topics. Also did about 6 practice tests, but in the end it was all in vain.

 

If I were to take the test again, I would appreciate any advice from anyone on how to study for the next time. My biggest fear right now is that my score will just go down instead of up.

 

1. Will using the OG 11 prepare me better than the OG 10?

 

2. For Quant questions (especially on number properties), are there any other books or materials (other than the OG) that can make me better prepared?

 

3. How does one handle an RC passage without actually reading and re-reading the passage many times?

 

Thanks

[Bright]

Skytrax.. relax man!!. Don't be so much demotivated. People score far below than you and again the same person hit a 700. So, at the moment, just relax for some days, and then again go for the GMAT with a Strategic preparation by the next 1/2 months........surely you will get the score more than wat you have expected.....but again, I am telling.DONT BE DEMOTIVATED. Think GMAT as a game and a game that you can be good at.:D

[skytrax]

Bright .... thanks for the encouragement. I sincerely appreciate that. :)

 

In your view, would my prep be better if I use OG 11 instead of OG 10? I'm contemplating whether I should get the OG 11. Some sources say there is more than 50% overlaps. While others say it is really worthwhile to buy.

 

Also need good materials for hard quant questions.

 

Cheers!

[Swizz05]

Hi Skytrax, Don't worry man. You WILL get your targeted score. Like bright said just relax for a couple of days, and then seriously study for this exam. Its all about practice? To answer your question, have you done all of OG 10? If not, i really dont think you need to be worrying about which one is better. They are both as good for studying for this exam. Also, you may want to invest in one of the 2 books, either princeton review or Kaplan. If you are just aiming to score a 550 I would go for the princeton review. it teaches u the basics.

Can I ask what school u want to get into?

[skytrax]

Swizz,

 

Thanks for the encouragement and advice! Regarding OG 10, yes, I've finished all of the questions. I've heard there are plenty of overlaps in OG 11, so I'm still contemplating whether I should get it. Anyhow, I'll still be going through the OG a few more times until my weak areas are rectified.

 

By the way, I'm thinking of applying to Cal State Hayward.

[Stormgal]

Those Data Sufficiency type of questions such as the ones we see on the OG "Is x=y or is xy a factor of x/xz". Somehow, I managed to handle the OG questions, but on yesterday's test, the number property questions seemed to be of a much higher difficulty. It seemed to be two to three notches harder than Kaplan or OG 10.

 

I feel for you. That's exactly where my weakness is. Never mind the fact that I can score 40+ in verbal or that I understand math all the way up the wazoo to trig and calculus. Or the fact that I scored a 5.5 on the AWA. I am as dumb as a stump when it comes to those annoying DS questions regarding number properties. I always have a tiny heart attack when I click on the "confirm your answer" and then see a DS #properties question. :eek: Half the math test must be DS # properties.

Then, when it's all over, I finish with the same 530.:mad: The last time I felt so embarrassed when that score was printing out at the front desk...

 

Anyway, I finally upped the money and hired a tutor to fill me in on the big secret as I am extremely desperate at this point.

[Swizz05]

Well if you guys did all this practice then maybe its not about the amount of work but about practise on speed and strategy. I have no doubt all of you weil get above 550. Maybe take a week to work on your weeknesses and plan a strategy and stick to it. I made the same mistake the first time i took the exam. I just did the OG without REALLY doing it. Meaning, i would come home from work and just did as many questions as a can, but i was soo tired and i would just browse through the answers. most of the time, I would look at the answer and tell myself that i made a silly mistake and i know how to answer it. But then u realize that u make the same mistake on another question and tell urself this one is easy too, it was just a careless mistake. but they all add up. i shoud've gone through the explanations in detail and seen where my faults are and analyzed it.... hope it helps.

[0123456789]

I am having the same problem with number property questions. They seemed MUCH lenghtier and MUCH more complicated than what appears on ANY of the books: GO, Kaplan etc. Does anyone have any clue where one can get a good comprehensive review of these topics and types of questions that actually match the difficulty of those on the test?

 

I just want to practice because I can't see what a tutor can possibly do other than tell you what you already know (what's divisible by 12 and that 0 is an even integer..DUH)

[SubZero]

Don't worry. Many people fumble during their exam but usually score better when they retake the exam within 30 days.

Do check what falanke reported on his post - he improved his score from 690 to 750.