Stacey, your work on this forum is excellent. I have perused through most of it, but I am really at a loss of how to proceed.

I have been doing moderately well on the MGMAT CATs (640, 630, 620, and 610) and a 620 on the GMAT Prep. First, I can't understand why my scores are going down. Second, I took the actual GMAT yesterday and scored a 550 (40/26). I was shocked when I saw the score.

I read your previous articles, and I know that I am not studying effectively. But when I get my butt in the chair, I don't know how to put the good studying techniques you mentioned into practice. More so, I don't know what to do now. I don't know where to start.

Of course, I have a lofty goal of 650 and I have to retake the test on Jan 30 (I already made an appointment).

Any help will be great. Thanks and keep up the great work.

Thanks for the thanks. :)

If you are taking advantage of the free resources available but still find yourself struggling with knowing how to study, then you may want to invest in some outside help. Note that I have a conflict of interest in suggesting this, since I work for a company that runs courses and provides tutors - so you'll need to decide for yourself. But I am basing my suggestion on what you have told me - you've seen what's out there, you've read it, you've tried to do it for yourself, and you're still struggling.

A few things to note for future, or for others reading this: if your practice test scores are going down and are not yet at or above the score that you want to get on the real test, then don't take the real test yet. :) Possibly you just wanted to get in there and see what it was like, but the danger with that is that you hurt your confidence for future.

Now, in terms of what you need to do, we need to start by figuring out your strengths and weaknesses. Use the below article to analyze your most recent MGMAT CATs, skipping any that were taken a long time ago or under very non-official conditions:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... ice-tests/

Then come back here and tell us what you discovered. Because your real test score dropped, I'd also suggest you read this article and do the analysis described:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... ent-wrong/

Note that when you come back to post, we don't just want the raw data from your tests. We want your actual analysis - what you think it means. It's important for you to learn how to assess yourself because you're going to need to keep doing this as you study.

If you discover in your analysis that you have timing problems (almost everyone does!), then read this and start doing what it says:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... anagement/

_________________
Stacey Koprince
Instructor
Director of Online Community
ManhattanGMAT

Thank you. I will do the analysis over the weekend and post my personal findings.

we'll look forward to hearing from you!

_________________
Stacey Koprince
Instructor
Director of Online Community
ManhattanGMAT