I took the class from November 2007 - January 2008 in San Francisco and afterwards did reviewing on my own. I've taken over 10 practice CATs on my Manhattan GMAT online account and so far my scores have seemed to bottomed out at the 500 -510 level. I'm concerned that I haven't even cracked 600 on all the practice tests (including a dismal 470 on the mba.com GMAT prep). Does this simply mean that my abilities are only on that range?

Here are my scores on the practice tests:

12/5/07: 460 (Q 33, 39% V 21, 25%)

12/9/07: 490 (Q 30, 29% V 28, 51%)

2/24/08: 460 (Q 26, 19% V 29, 56%)

3/2/08: 510 (Q 32, 35% V 28, 51%)

3/22/08: 520 (Q 24, 41% V 27, 46%)

3/23/08: 550 (Q 38, 55% V 28, 51%)

3/24/08: 550 (Q 34, 41% V 32, 67%)

3/26/08: 510 (Q 32, 35% V 28, 51%)

5/4/08: 500 (Q 29, 25% V 30, 59%)

5/5/08: 540 (Q 34, 41% V 31, 62%)

Anyway, I'm concerned that my abilities seem to be stuck at this level and I feel that I cannot do any better. I've given all that I can within my limits (considering that I work full time and I'm susceptible to burn outs - which is why I didn't burn myself too much and devote all my free time to studying) to study the materials but cannot seem to crack 600. My maximum improvement score is just 90 points from initial test. This is concerning me because at this rate, I don't think I'll even qualify for any B-school!

Please let me know what you think.

Just did another practice test:

590 (Q 38, 55% V 33, 69%)

My exam is on Saturday. I hope to start hitting past 600 before that!

Well, there's not a lot we can do in a few days. So, first, let me say good luck! I hope you get what you want!

If you don't get the score you want, send an email to studentservices@manhattangmat.com and request a Post Exam Assessment. This is a free debrief with an instructor to figure out what to do for a retake. (This is obviously only free for our students... :)

Three things:

1) You said you "hope to start hitting past 600 before that!" which implies you might be planning to take more practice tests. Today is Wed. If you're taking the test this Sat, don't take any more exams. You will tire yourself out and that will make it nearly impossible to "peak" on test day.

2) Make sure you are using steady timing. If your timing is up and down, if you feel pressure at the end to work more quickly than you should, if you have to guess at the end because you've run out of time - all of those things are bringing your score down. You WILL get half of the quesitons wrong. Be honest with yourself when you've hit something you can't do. Let it go - literally, think of it as, "Oh, I want to get this one wrong quickly so that I have more time for the stuff I can get right."

3) On multiple occasions, you took two or three practice tests within a couple of days of each other. If you have to study and take the test again, don't do this the next time around. You don't actually learn much from the act of taking the test if you do not use your test results to set your study priorities and goals. And it takes about 2-3 weeks to build the new habits you want to build based on the results from your most recent test. Only then do you take another test to see what has and hasn't stuck and adjust your study priorities and goals accordingly.

Good luck! I'll be crossing my fingers for you!

Hi Stacey! Thanks for your insight. Well, the reason why I take tests within days of each other is because I work all week and only take the tests on weekends. What I did before was to devote an hour or so every night after work, studying the materials, and reviewing past mistakes. Then I go take the tests on Saturdays and Sundays. Maybe next time around, I'll take once a week? If I don't do well this time around, then I'll have to reconsider my strategy for the next test.

As for my timing, well, I usually just limit myself to a max of 3 minutes on the really hard questions but usually at 2-2.5 minutes, I drop it and guess. So far I guess my timing is alright. I realize though that I'm quicker with the Verbal; I finish with about 10 minutes to go (despite all that reading).

As for taking practice tests before tomorrow, I might do just one more later today (Friday). I need a confidence booster. If I can hit past 600 on this last one, then I'll be riding high and hopefully the momentum will carry me through. It will also help me review too.

My unofficial GMAT score: 530 (Q 33, 40%, V 38, 50%)

This is disappointing.

i used to be in the same position..i'm consistently hitting over 660 on MGMAT or GMATPrep..

there are a few things i learned..feel free to shoot me an offline email and i'll be happy to help

cornelius_furby@yahoo.com

email the office to set up that Post Exam Assessment (studentservices@manhattangmat.com)

Also, mbaforme, thanks so much for offering to help! You may want to post your email address as "cornelius_furbyATyahoo.com" so that it is not obviously an email address to web crawlers - that's how your email address can get on lots of spam lists.

While I got a lousy and dismal 530 on my Q/V, I got a 6.0 (89 percentile) on my AWA. I wonder if that has any bearing on my applications?

It's the highest score possible on the AWA, so that's a good thing in its own right - good job on that part of the exam. It is very unlikely, however, that a 6.0 will make much a difference to your how your quant/verbal score is seen by admissions offices. If you feel that you can improve your 530, then set up a study plan, execute, and try again. Any gains you can make in the score will far outweigh what the 6.0 brings to the table. And I'll reiterate what Stacey suggested -- sign up for that Post Exam Assessment to help you set up that study plan. Good luck!

Rey