No improvement with 2 exams in the 300's

[csryu16]

Hi guys. I know there a lot of the same topics on improvement. But everyone is different. I thought I could use your help.

I have taken the GMAT twice already. The first time I had gotten a 380...ouch. I taken the practice exam from the Manhattan GMAT online and received a 540. The second time I taken it which was today I got a 330 on the real deal. To be honest, I don't know actually what I am doing wrong. I figured it was my understanding of the material, but I do fairly well in the quant and the verbal. I may need to touch more into the grammar section. I was more aware of my timing during my second try.
I even kept a time check list to know where I should be during the exam.

Problem # 10 20 30

Quant time left 55 35 15

Verbal time left 56 37 19


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1st time 380

mood: relaxed and confident

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2nd time 330 :(
mood: a little stressed

time left: Quant: About 10 mins 8 mins


Verbal: 13 mins 4 mins

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I would like to shoot for at least a 600, but I actually feel a little lost because of my scores. I know in my previous Manhattan online exams I had a time pacing issue. To me it feels that the real GMAT and practice GMAT exams from the test software are a lot harder than the Manhattan online practice exams. I have a little test anxiety, but I do not know if it's hindering my score. Please bear in mind...I am not frustrated anymore as I am more open to improvement. I may have been tackling this with an academic approach rather than an executive reasoning approach.

Thank you guys

[StaceyKoprince]

I think some of what you posted didn't come through? For the 2nd test, I'm seeing this:

time left: Quant: About 10 mins 8 mins


Verbal: 13 mins 4 mins

Were you trying to say how many questions you had left at those times?

Okay, so you know you had timing issues on past tests - which means you probably still do. :) (Pretty much everyone has timing issues.) What issues have you been having - fast, slow, ...?

It sounds like you've already read this, but I'm posting again just in case:
https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/inde ... lly-tests/

So, yes, if you've been taking an academic focus, that's one thing to change.

This article talks about how to study:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... -the-gmat/

And this two delve into time management:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... -to-do-it/
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... nt-part-1/

How have you been studying? What materials have you used and how did you use them?

Do your real test scores reflect a pretty equal drop in both quant and verbal, or is one section contributing more to the score drop?

Use the below to analyze your most recent MGMAT CAT (this should take you a minimum of 1 hour):
http://tinyurl.com/analyzeyourcats

Figure out your strengths and weaknesses as well as what you think you should do based on that analysis (and everything else you read, above). Then come back here and tell us what you think; we'll tell you whether we agree and advise you further. (Note: do share an analysis with us, not just the raw data. Part of getting better is developing your ability to analyze your results - figure out what they mean and what you think you should do about them!)