620...SOS

[akbm77us]

Aftter studying of nealry 3 months and scoring well on my gmat prep tests, i appeared for my gmat exam a week ago. I dnt knw hw bt i landed with a astonishing score of 620 Q42 V34. I am still confused and dont knw wat exactly happened. All i can remember is tat i was sleep deprieved and my eyes were burning from the very first section. Can some1 plz suggest wat cud have gone wrong and when should i retake the test. Below are my prep scores.

Gmatprep 1 : 680 Q48 V35
Gmatprep 1 repeat (with very few repeats) : 750 Q49 V42
Gmatprep 2 (3 days b4 the main deal) : 720 Q49 V39

GMAT: 620 Q42 V34

I hav no clue why i got such a low score (specially in Quant)..

[StaceyKoprince]

It sounds like you were seriously burned out and stressed. You also mention taking a practice test 2 days before the real thing. Were you also studying a ton in the last few days? Did you get a good night's sleep every night for the last few nights?

I'm guessing you studied a whole lot and also maybe didn't get enough rest.

The closer you get to the real test, the more you rest and the less you do. Don't take a practice test within 5 days of the real test - you just tire yourself out!

Also take a look at this article to identify what else might have gone wrong:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... ent-wrong/

We want to figure out *everything* so that we know what to fix for the next time. Once we figure that out, we can set up a plan and also figure out how long that will likely take.

Also, use the below article to analyze your most recent MGMAT CAT:

http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... ice-tests/

Then come back and tell us your analysis (not just the raw data - the actual analysis!). Also tell us any ways in which you deviated from official testing conditions on the practice test (skipping essays, taking longer breaks than allowed, seeing repeated questions, etc.).

[akbm77us]

Thnx for the reply stacey.
I did go through the links nd yes, i did follow everything while taking the test except the AWA part .Also, i studied a lot during the last days, the last day for 8-9 hours. I was performing well on my verbal towards the end of my prep and was very confident bt in the test i could nt concentrate at all (mainly due to the burning sensation in my eyes) by the time i reached the verbal part. Due to this, i was nt able to complete the section in time and ended guessing on atlest 4 CR questions. Still a score of 34 with all those problems is justified bt what pricks me most is the Quant part. I never scored below 46 in any of the gmatpreps ( gt a 46 on the gmatprep repeat). Do u think the stress contributed to the test or skipping the awa's played a bigger role??????? and can u please suggest what should i do nw?????? as in when should i retake the test???? nd how can i improve my quant????

PS : I was nt able to sleep the earlier night ( slpet for 5-6 hours)

[StaceyKoprince]

Most people find that skipping the essays gives their multiple choice score a boost. That combined with burning yourself out (studying too much) and not getting enough sleep can lead to a not-so-great test experience.

So now you know for future to do the essays, to take the test under official conditions as much as you possibly can, to avoid burning yourself out leading up to the test, etc.

In terms of what to do and when to re-take the test, I need more data from you. In my last post, I linked to an article that you can use to analyze your most recent MGMAT tests. Here's the link again:

http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... ice-tests/

Please do that analysis and then come back here and share it with us. (Note: it takes a while to do this analysis - it takes me about 45 minutes! It takes most students longer than that.)

[neilferrini]

From what I have heard, nothing is more important than feeling your best on test day. I'm concerned that my biggest obstacle is test anxiety will stand in the way on game day.

This is ok though. Reschedule right away so you can get the closest test date possible and spend the next month working through weak areas knowing that you have hit your target scores before in practice tests. This way you will still be practicing, while hopefully improving, and will have another shot at the test under better conditions.

The fact that you have earned the scores before on the GMAT Prep software is strong enough indication the scores are attainable under the right circumstances.

[StaceyKoprince]

Thanks for commenting, Neil! I like it when students encourage fellow students. :)