700 debrief(Do not let your score drop from 750 to 700)

I took my test on 4th Jan and dropped dead to 700(Q51,V34) despite scoring 760 in mgmat5, 750 in mgmat6, 770 & 730 in GmatPrep12.

So, what went wrong?
Stamina - Although, I practiced tests(6mgmat, 2 PowerPrep, 2GmatPrep) I did not really took 8min break. 8min break is close to nothing; also, I used to have Coffee during my breaks and so my break used to extend to 12min or so. There was one more flaw in my strategy - I used to finish Quant in an hour and was hoping to utilize the remaining 15min to rest my brain on the test day, however, I finished my Quant just 3min before deadline. The point is my strategy shouldn't have relied on seomthing like this, should have taken less than 7min break during practice, shouldn't have included coffee during breaks. I can not emphasize enough on building stamina - this is one last big hurdle that you need to overcome before seeing that lovely 740+

I'd be taking the test again because I know my score doesn't reflect my potential and because the schools I'm targetting are a little out of my league with that score.

On the books/sources that I utilized:
Debriefs were great source to me - I read a lot of above 700 debriefs mostly because they motivated me. Also, if you combine many successful scorers' debriefs you would see common points, books, strategies - I tried to combine those books, strategies to create mine. I very much believed in what Abhay Prasanna wrote here http://gmatclub.com/forum/thank-you-gmatclub-97132.html that a complete preparation would involve doing problems from different sources.

Books - mgmat SC, mgmat CR, Aristotle SC Grail 2nd edition, RC-99, The PowerScore GMAT Critical Reasoning Bible and last but not least Grockit. All of these books are very good. Guys, I never used anything for Quant because when I started my preparation 3months back I was scoring 51 so, I can't really suggest the right source for Quant.

My goal was to get 740 or above - So, I decided not to take test unless my score saturate above 750.

Ron's free videos - Excellent videos; this guy is amazingly good at his stuff.

Stacey Koprice - She has fabulous understanding of what students do in tests, how they prepare, what they do wrong, what could be improved.... I regularly interacted with her on mgmat forum and a lot of her sugestions were spot on. I'd always be thankful for her because she puts in so much effort in understanding where I am coming from.

In a week or so I'd start my prep again and would take the test in February, this time my strategy would be to not take any break or coffee unless essential during practice session. Also, TAKE THE TEST IN THE MORNING.

Pl. feel free to ask questions or point out flaw in my strategy.

Thx!

Hi Syed

Congrats on your excellent quant score! On verbal, I have noticed a few other people on this forum report a similar drop in score on their G-day from the 40+ scores they were getting on their MGMAT mock tests.

This could be because:

- The MGMAT scoring algorithm is more lenient than GMAT's , and hence gives a higher score for the same number of mistakes

- The MGMAT verbal tests, although good, may not be an exact match to that of the GMAT's.

You could possibly look at going through the Brutal SC & CR guides on GMATClub and the verbal guides by whiplash, Gayathri, spidey etc - all free downloads. They would give you much needed practice and expose you to a wider variety of problems.

Also, if you are a non-native speaker, would suggest you go through the free sessions from e-GMAT and enroll for the course if you like the free sessions.

I've heard good things about GMATPill as well, though have not looked at it myself.

In short, if you believe your lower verbal score on GMAT day was a one-off, then it's fine - else, some more focus on verbals could help bump up your score.

Santanu

in which school do you want to apply? i think 700 is a pretty good score. why do you want to retake?

Hi Santanu,

Thanks a lot for replying!

you certainly brought some very interesting points on the table. I agree with you that mgmat verbal is probably more lenient than original gmat. I used to get above 40 despite making 6 or 7 mistakes.

Also, there is one more interesting point that you have mentioned in your debrief:
Another thread that I had read here at GMATClub helped me a lot - the author advised to do the first 12-13 questions in quants at a slow and steady pace given they probably have a significant weightage on the final score level. He also advised to speed up while answering questions 16-28, given this would be the place where a large number of experimental questions would likely be added. And finally, to take more time to solve the last 8-9 questions, as time pressure in the last section would mean panic could set in and lead to sub par scores. - I think this does make sense although relying on such strategy wouldn't be a good idea?? I mean what if they put easier questions between 16-28 along with experimental questions? we wouldn't want to spend less time on easier questions.


don't ever, EVER underestimate the GMAT - overconfidence can be your bane - I wish I had read your debrief before my test

I'm gonna try brutal SCs CRs etc for practice. This time, my goal would be to become sooooo comfortable with Quant+Verbal that I can finish the test in 2hrs during practice and without any break, while of course I'd take all the time & break in the original test. All this to build stamina. The reason is - my face was red hot during Verbal session even though I splashed water during break, I was stuck again & again between last 2 options for SC & CR, and my body was perhaps expecting coffee that I used to have during practice sessions.

2 Reasons:
1. Sloan, Stern & Kellog are my favorites; Average score is about 710-715 and I do not want to be below average in any section. Also, Verbal score is way too low as compared to what I was scoring(above 40) in mgmats.
2. Indian students generally score higher though I believe their work exposure is not as good as Americans'. - In my case, after completing my undergrad at IIT in India and working in India for 2yrs, I'm working in US for last 2yrs. So, I categorize myself as somebody who would be competing with Indian students and American professionals.

Let me know if my understanding makes sense to you?

Hi Syed

Regarding your point that speeding through the mid section of quants could lead to missing some easy questions, here's my take:

- Firstly, I don't think you need to worry about this strategy - you are doing great in quants and don't tinker with a winning combination!

- Secondly, my point is this: We should always give ourselves 30-60 secs to understand a problem and decide whether to attempt it, even the middle section questions. So, if we find that a question is simple and straight forward, am sure we will realize that in that 1 min timeframe and attempt it. However, the difference is that: For the first 10-12 questions, we might give ourselves those 30 extra seconds if we think we have not yet figured out the problem, but are close because the first 10-12 questions possibly carry more weightage. I would not give myself those additional 30 secs to 1 min during the mid section though. That way, we can ensure we do not miss out on the easy problems and also, we can speed up while doing the middle section.

Regarding verbals, am sure, some more focused practice will see you through. A month-long e-GMAT course could even add that kicker, only if you think you need it though.

All the best!

Santanu

There is no flaw in your strategy. There is only way to go from 700 to 750 - practise. People scoring 700 know all the concepts, but a 760 scorer can solve the easier questions faster and can give more time on the tougher questions. There is a reason scores saturate at 700 - people believe that they have solved all the books(OG12 Manhattan Series, 6 Tests) and they cannot do more. However 750+ scorers tend to practise to the point of boredom and torture. You can use some other tests for practise.

I can see that you need to foucs more on verbal:

I had 49Q and 35V = 710 total in first attemp
2nd: 50Q + 39V = 730

I am trying to improve the timing in verbal section. I stumbled upon Grockit and am having a lot of fun.

Verbal is the key to a good score on GMAT. You work exp is good and so is your alma mater. With this score, you do have a fighting change. Why not apply in a few school? At least, you may get an interview and in the end, in case you don't get selected, you can arrange for a feedback session. That would help.

In the meanwhile, prepare for a second round and see whether you can improve your score.

I couldn't have agreed more with you.

What you just said that scores saturate at 700 because people think that they have solved all the books(OG + manhattan) is exactly how I felt when my score was stuck at 700; then, I went through all the material again and my scores went to 750, 760, 730 and 770 - this made me confident that I'm on right path but then test day was a little different; stamina comes into pictute big time.


Exactly! This would be part of my strategy - to get so familiar(to the extent of boredom) with questions that I can solve the test in 2:10hr and in one sitting without any break.

Thanks a lot for your inputs! I think my thinking overlaps with yours and this overlap strengthens me.

Hi Someone79,

that's a very interesting name

Thanks a lot for replying!

Yes, Grockit is a interesting source but questions repeat a lot and it touches a limited number of concepts. But it's good.

Well, I've applied to a few schools but you see September is way too far; we have time and potential to improve. Now is the ideal time for me to enter - I mean my work ex is approx 3.5yrs, will be 5 by the time I step in B schools; average experience of students is around 4.5 I believe.

You have time to your favor. I am sure you will do great.

Thx a lot!

Question for you - you already have taken the test twice? and 730 is pretty good score for almost any school; why r u still working on grockit? Are u planning to take again? why?

Why I plan to retake? I don't want GMAT to feel that it's too tough.

I will take the test in Feb end.

Hey congrats on your great score.Can u please share your views regarding RC length and complexity in the real test.How was it

Hi ruturajp,

I think 3RC passages were of moderate length and the 4th was lengthy. - they are definitely not as small as some of those in GMATPrep. I thought, the language in RC was very clear and so would say they were not very complex - moderate complexity I'd say.

In retrospect, lack of efficiency affects CR way more than SC or RC. - to avoid this one may want to solve CR questions when he/she is very tired.

Ok so according to you the CR part had more complex terms than RC?

Great advice - I will make sure to apply this when I take my test. Thank you!

To be honest I do not know...Lack of caffeine very much kicked me and all I know is that I was stuck repetitively between 2 options.

Thanks for sharing your experience

Syedsan, thanks for the debrief. I also prefer to take my tests in the morning as they are the best time that I am very attentive and also the best times during which I concentrate best. Thanks for the advice and insights on needing very strong stamina when tackling the GMAT. I really appreciate it.