I don’t even know what to write in the debrief. I was hoping that I’d do well but here I am sitting disappointed. Took the GMAT and got a meagre 640. I had studied quite well for the GMAT and preparation was not the reason for my poor perform…
I don't even know what to write in the debrief. I was hoping that I'd do well but here I am sitting disappointed. Took the GMAT and got a meagre 640.
I had studied quite well for the GMAT and preparation was not the reason for my poor performance. I had studied in a fairly systematic way and had finished OG11 and 12. Had also done Aristotle SC Grail ,Manhattan SC Guide,CR Bible and Aristotle RC Practice sets. The hardwork was evident in the fact that I was averaging around 700 on the practice tests. Though I did not get 730+ scores on the practice tests, but surely I was doing fine given that I hadn't set a crazy target and was aiming at 720 which would have been good enough for me .
Everything was fine till the day before the actual test date, I had some college friends coming over to Delhi and we were meeting after a long time. I did not want to study the last day and wanted to unwind and thought that this will be a good opportunity to relax and get the anxiety off me. We met in the evening and I had a few shots in a pub. Usually I have a huge capacity to gulp down and thought that a few shots wouldn't do harm,rather it'll help me sleep well. Everything was good; came back from the pub at 12 which is fairly a reasonable time.But I somehow started feeling giddy after that and I just could not sleep. My head was aching and realizing the fact that I have to sleep on time, I could not even fall asleep. It must be at 3-4 am that I feel asleep .
I had a morning slot and somehow I managed to get up on time but the hangover was still there.
I knew that I would have a hard time concentrating during the exam and that's what happened on the test. Phew!
I'm not sad but just angry with myself for being such a jerk.How can I be this stupid to "assume" things. I'm really mad at myself.Don't even feel writing more 
Thanks for putting up the post. I hope that we don't make such mistakes. But it was indeed stupid for you to do that .No offence intended 
Thanks for sharing the story. Frustrating though it might be, you had the guts to share it here.
Though you've already realised the folly of what you did, this would also be a good lesson for other GMAT takers who might've taken the last few days lightly and underestimated the impact of their last minute actions.
After having slogged for several months, letting the guard down at the last minute can prove to be very expensive.
Hope you can pick yourself up for another attempt at the test and score in the range you planned for.
- Sameer Kamat
Founder | MBA Crystal Ball
Yes, sometimes things can go absolutely unexpected. I had a friend who was a couple of months back denied to take the GMAT because in his passport he had his full name and while registering for the GMAT he had just put the initial of his surname as is the usual custom in India .His $250 went down the drain.
friendlyfire SaysYes, sometimes things can go absolutely unexpected. I had a friend who was a couple of months back denied to take the GMAT because in his passport he had his full name and while registering for the GMAT he had just put the initial of his surname as is the usual custom in India .His $250 went down the drain.
I don't mean to be rude but that is completely your friend's fault. The GMAC website clearly states the name must match that on the proof-of-id. You on the other hand, just had your stress affect your alcohol digestion 😃
friendlyfire SaysI don't even know what to write in the debrief.......
Lol. How sumtimes we smartly and intuitively plan and prepare, and then inadvertently end up doing the most silly stuff to wash it all off.
Not that i intend to make fun of the episode, for I had put myself in almost a similar place last Sept, but sans the drinking. 'Twas 2 hrs of sleep the night before, 3 hours of travelling to the centre for a 1 PM afternoon slot and a bad stomach! Although, and fortunately, the test was more gracious to me.
I wish you well for your GMAT. Its a damage of 250$, that's all it really is. Your 700++ score awaits you :). You got a glimpse of the testing environment and the actual test. You perhaps now know what to expect when you go for the kill on your next shot at the exam! Nail it!
Godspeed!
I don't even know what to write in the debrief. I was hoping that I'd do well but here I am sitting disappointed. Took the GMAT and got a meagre 640.
I had studied quite well for the GMAT and preparation was not the reason for my poor performance. I had studied in a fairly systematic way and had finished OG11 and 12. Had also done Aristotle SC Grail ,Manhattan SC Guide,CR Bible and Aristotle RC Practice sets. The hardwork was evident in the fact that I was averaging around 700 on the practice tests. Though I did not get 730+ scores on the practice tests, but surely I was doing fine given that I hadn't set a crazy target and was aiming at 720 which would have been good enough for me .
Everything was fine till the day before the actual test date, I had some college friends coming over to Delhi and we were meeting after a long time. I did not want to study the last day and wanted to unwind and thought that this will be a good opportunity to relax and get the anxiety off me. We met in the evening and I had a few shots in a pub. Usually I have a huge capacity to gulp down and thought that a few shots wouldn't do harm,rather it'll help me sleep well. Everything was good; came back from the pub at 12 which is fairly a reasonable time.But I somehow started feeling giddy after that and I just could not sleep. My head was aching and realizing the fact that I have to sleep on time, I could not even fall asleep. It must be at 3-4 am that I feel asleep .
I had a morning slot and somehow I managed to get up on time but the hangover was still there.
I knew that I would have a hard time concentrating during the exam and that's what happened on the test. Phew!
I'm not sad but just angry with myself for being such a jerk.How can I be this stupid to "assume" things. I'm really mad at myself.Don't even feel writing more
can u please forward Aristotle SC grail to me...my email is SNIP
Just wondering... for those who encounter a friendlyfire like situation and while taking the test can clearly feel it that they are grossly underperforming, would it be a smart move to cancel the GMAT score when the option shows up in the end? Is a score cancellation showing on your record worse or better than a modest score in its place?
Poor you.. Hope u can crack it next time! ATB
Can you guys suggest what all practice tests would be equal to GMAT standards and also equal enough to the actaul GMAT score.
Thanks in advance.
Apurv SaysJust wondering... for those who encounter a friendlyfire like situation and while taking the test can clearly feel it that they are grossly underperforming, would it be a smart move to cancel the GMAT score when the option shows up in the end? Is a score cancellation showing on your record worse or better than a modest score in its place?
Most colleges have a stated policy of looking only at the highest score. Unless of course they see multiple attempts with marginal-to-no increments in a very short span. If they see a drastic jump, then they think you were just having an off day.
As long as you are in the ball-park of their desired figure you are fine. The score isn't as important as a solidly well-put-together application.
Can you guys suggest what all practice tests would be equal to GMAT standards and also equal enough to the actaul GMAT score.
Thanks in advance.
I took the free practice test of Manhattangmat, Kaplan, Princeton,Knewton and Veritas and I can say for sure that none of them come close to the actual thing. The only tests which are close to the actual thing are the GMATPREP CATs- in terms of interface, questions, language and above all scoring alogrithm.
MGMAT CATs are the next best things in terms of scoring but not in terms of questions though. They have very difficult questions in Quant.
Thanks for sharing your story. It really was an eye opener. Can you please throw some light on Verbal questions ?How difficult or easy were they ?
The Verbal questions didn't seem very difficulty but I wasn't able to concentrate properly. Had I been able to focus better, then possibly, I could have commented on the difficulty level of the questions better.
Friendlyfire
You messed up big time,man.Your story should be at the top of Don'ts list of an aspirant.(hope you take the fire as friendly)
Anyways, the light at the end of the tunnel is that you still managed to get a not-so-bad score.Hope you nail it this tim 'round.
del@PG
Yeah, I know :-D Hopefully I should get a better score this time around. Been getting better results in practice tests. Earlier the average used to 700 on the practice tests but now it is 740. Maybe one time experience with the GMAT has helped me a bit :-D
The only tests which are close to the actual thing are the GMATPREP CATs- in terms of interface, questions, language and above all scoring alogrithm.
MGMAT CATs are the next best things in terms of scoring but not in terms of questions though. They have very difficult questions in Quant.
Hi,
I am planning to take my GMAT on 5th July. I have taken 3 tests till now.
MGMAT1 : 710
MGMAT2: 640
GMAT Prep #1 (without the new pattern) :700 (Relieved as took this just 2 days after disastrous MGMAT 2, solely to get rid of my bad score .)
Correct me if I am wrong but there are two problems with MGMAT CATs.
1. Level of the Problem Solving Questions is quite high. Not to say that you should not try to solve the tough ones. But solving tough question does not guarantee you that you won't make silly mistakes in a bit easier , but tricky questions (which is the case in GMAT Prep , or original GMAT)
If I take my case , I have got a 51 in MGMAT , but a 48 in GMAT Prep 1, I see that I made a lot of silly mistakes in that .
2. The Verbal section does of MGMAT does not penalise you as cruelly as GMAT .
Hi,
I am planning to take my GMAT on 5th July. I have taken 3 tests till now.
MGMAT1 : 710
MGMAT2: 640
GMAT Prep #1 (without the new pattern) :700 (Relieved as took this just 2 days after disastrous MGMAT 2, solely to get rid of my bad score .)
Correct me if I am wrong but there are two problems with MGMAT CATs.
1. Level of the Problem Solving Questions is quite high. Not to say that you should not try to solve the tough ones. But solving tough question does not guarantee you that you won't make silly mistakes in a bit easier , but tricky questions (which is the case in GMAT Prep , or original GMAT)
If I take my case , I have got a 51 in MGMAT , but a 48 in GMAT Prep 1, I see that I made a lot of silly mistakes in that .
2. The Verbal section does of MGMAT does not penalise you as cruelly as GMAT .
You are spot on about both the things about MGMAT CATs. Sometimes the quant questions look more like CAT questions than the GMAT questions.
I found the SC questions also quite easy. I mean they focus more on grammar and if you know the rules, you can do the questions very easily. It's not this easy on the actual exam.
Have finally decided to re attempt the GMAT on 23rd June. It's gonna be a big day for me because on that day my father incidentally has his birthday so I just hope that I am able to make everyone around me happy. Fingers crossed!
Holy Guacomole... can't imagine a thread running on this pretext.