Official gmat score: shocked

[a755230]

I had the Gmat yesterday, after 3 months of studying, and I was SHOCKED by the score that appeared on the screen: 550 (Q43,23)

i made several official and non-official CATs practice test in the last month; in 4 manhattan CATs i always got a score above 600.

GMAT PREP 1 620
GMAT PREP 2 690 (taken 3 days before the real GMAT)

what surprised me very much is the verbal score because in practice test i always got a score greater than 32.

What should i do? Should i retake the test in one month?
the problem is that i will not able to study anymore because i'm starting the new academic year.

i feel very bad :((

[StaceyKoprince]

I'm sorry that you had a rough test day. We'll figure out what happened.

Did you take your practice tests under 100% official conditions, including the essay and IR sections, the length of breaks, etc? If you did do essay and IR, did you take them as seriously as you did on the real test day?

If you didn't, then your practice test scores might have been artificially inflated. For instance, if you skip one or both of the two earlier sections, then you'll be used to finishing the test around the time you're either starting verbal or are only halfway through verbal. That could cause a score drop when your brain runs out of energy.

Next, what are your timing issues? (Note: everybody has timing issues. The issue is just what they are and how serious they are!)

If you're not sure, use the below to analyze your most recent MGMAT CAT(s). Actually, I'd like you to do this regardless.
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... ice-tests/

Figure out what you think the major issues are based on that analysis (even though your scores were high than on the real test, the data can still tell you a lot). Then come back here and tell us; 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!)

Serious timing issues can cause major score fluctuations, especially when you're dealing with the stress of the real test (and especially if you are also struggling with mental fatigue!).

Was your quant score about what it had been on practice tests?

Also, read these two articles:
https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/inde ... lly-tests/
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... -the-gmat/

Were you already aware of those things? Do you think a mindset issue might have contributed to your score drop?

[a755230]

I'm sorry that you had a rough test day. We'll figure out what happened.

Did you take your practice tests under 100% official conditions, including the essay and IR sections, the length of breaks, etc? If you did do essay and IR, did you take them as seriously as you did on the real test day?

If you didn't, then your practice test scores might have been artificially inflated. For instance, if you skip one or both of the two earlier sections, then you'll be used to finishing the test around the time you're either starting verbal or are only halfway through verbal. That could cause a score drop when your brain runs out of energy.

Next, what are your timing issues? (Note: everybody has timing issues. The issue is just what they are and how serious they are!)

If you're not sure, use the below to analyze your most recent MGMAT CAT(s). Actually, I'd like you to do this regardless.
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... ice-tests/

Figure out what you think the major issues are based on that analysis (even though your scores were high than on the real test, the data can still tell you a lot). Then come back here and tell us; 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!)

Serious timing issues can cause major score fluctuations, especially when you're dealing with the stress of the real test (and especially if you are also struggling with mental fatigue!).

Was your quant score about what it had been on practice tests?

Also, read these two articles:
https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/inde ... lly-tests/
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... -the-gmat/

Were you already aware of those things? Do you think a mindset issue might have contributed to your score drop?

I'm very grateful for your answer.
I've taken all the practice tests in real time conditions, including 8 minutes of break. I did't do the AWA and IR sections because the university i'm going to apply doesn't consider them. My worst quantitative score in gmat prep was 44, So i think the real result can be pretty normal because on the test day i dind't find any kind of difficult answer I studied for. But It's the verbal that shocked me, and i still don't understand the cause. I think the time could be the main problem, in fact i had like 20 minutes in the last 5 verbal questions. The time is an anxiety factor especially for RC questions (i'm italian and my english is not so good) , so probably the stress of the test day makes me to go too fast on these answers.
Another factor that was completely new for me on the real test day was the use of Ear Plugs, maybe shouldn't i use them on the next time?

[StaceyKoprince]

I did't do the AWA and IR sections because the university i'm going to apply doesn't consider them

Did you also not do them on the real test?

If you also skipped them on the real test, okay. But if you did do them on the real test, then that's exactly what I was talking about - the real test was an hour longer and you used up a bunch of brain power before you got to the Q and V sections. It's like you set out to run for a little while and ended up running a 10K instead. :)

If you had 20 minutes left for the last 5 questions, then yes, you were rushing and you likely made careless mistakes as a result. In fact, if you were feeling mentally fatigued enough, you likely wouldn't even notice. You'd think you were answering things correctly while actually making mistakes.

Do you think that might have happened? Did you usually finish practice tests that early, or did you take closer to the full time?

Did the ear plugs distract you? They're meant to help you not get distracted by others in the testing room. Were they uncomfortable or something?

I'm going to ask you again to analyze your practice CATs:

If you're not sure, use the below to analyze your most recent MGMAT CAT(s). Actually, I'd like you to do this regardless.
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... ice-tests/

I really need more detailed information in order to advise you about what to do going forward.