640 AFTER 6 MONTHS OF CONSISTENT STUDY. NEED PLAN FOR RETAKE.

Question

Hi Everyone,

I sat for my GMAT yesterday after 6 months of consistent study and was extremely disappointed with my result. Below is a list of all the prep material I used along with results on practice tests.

Background
Age 25, Male
Undergrad: McGill University - Desautels Faculty of Management
CGPA: 3.43, All three levels of CFA cleared
Founder of a Fintech in an Emerging Market, Extremely hectic routine but I managed to squeeze in time(2hrs average) for GMAT almost every day for the last 6 months. 
Target Schools - INSEAD, LBS, Oxford, NYU Stern, Columbia, Fuqua (DUKE), Haas.
Target Score - 730
Retake Date - 6th September 2019 - Want to meet the first round deadlines.

Practice Scores

GMAT 640 (Q44, V34) - Quant Score Dropped from what I was getting in GMAT Prep. (ESR Attached) - June 24th, 2019
GMAT Prep 1 690(Q49, V35) - 11th January 2019
GMAT Prep 2 700(Q48, V38) - 1st February 2019
GMAT Prep 3 690(Q48, V36) - March 15th, 2019
GMAT Prep 4 730(Q49, V39) - May 15th, 2019
GMAT Prep 5 660(Q50, V30) - June 8th, 2019
GMAT Prep 6 670(Q49, V32) - June 15th, 2019

Veritas Exam 1 670(Q46, V36) - May 28th, 2019
Veritas Exam 2 680(Q49, V35) - May 29th, 2019
Veritas Exam 3 660(Q47, V34) - May 30th, 2019
Veritas Exam 4 690(Q48, V37) - May 31st, 2019
Veritas Exam 5 620(Q44, V31) - June 2nd, 2019
Veritas Exam 6 650(Q45, V33) - June 3rd, 2019
Veritas Exam 7 710(Q51, V37) - June 4th, 2019

I also did MGMAT and 800 Score Cats but did not do them in timed conditions. Doing verbal and quant separately and resetting them multiple times.

Practice and Prep Material

Target Test Prep for Quant - Consistently met the accuracy requirement for the Target score in the Range 47-51 for all topics. Revisited wrong questions and assessed mistake towards the end of my prep.

GMATClub Tests - Did almost 1500 questions from GMATClub creating customized quizzes - topically. Went over incorrect questions.

E-GMAT - Watched the videos but did not learn all the rules. I was of the view that practice would make me perfect, hence started doing Scholaranium quizzes. Attempted almost 700 questions. The questions I got wrong, I did again and read the answer explanation.

Exam

I went into the exam with inadequate sleep, the anxiety the night before did not allow me to sleep well. I had also not slept well the day before. I selected the Quant-Verbal-IR-AWA sequence. Quant started well (as you can see from my ESR) but I had taken a lot of time and started getting anxious, after which my quant tanked and I ended the exam with guessing 4 questions towards the end. This did not happen to me in prep and I was pretty bogged down in the break - Don't know if it was the lack of sleep or fundamental conceptual gaps to blame for the low score.

Questions
I realize that this practice heavy approach that I took to the GMAT has not worked in my favor, though it usually works for other exams. I' be grateful to the community if they can push me in the right direction. I really want to tackle this exam but am lost as to what my strategy ought to be for the retake?
What insights can you guys derive from my ESR?, if there are any specific areas (exp Timing) that I should focus on etc?
Is two and a half months enough for me to work on these deficiencies?

Looking forward to your feedback.

Thanks in Advance guys.

ziyadttp · Answer

Hi,
I think you might have forgotten to attach the ESR

Posted from my mobile device

TheUltimateWinner · Answer

From your previous gmatprep test, it seems that there is a chance to improve your score. I think, your environment in the exam hall was not favor to you. Try again. All the best..

saukrit · Answer

uzairali1918 I think you forgot to attach the ESR.

Seeing your GMATprep score makes me feel confident about your ability. Though practising too many questions may not always be as helpful unless you have a solid foundation. Here are my 2 cents for you.

For SC: e-GMAT concepts are good for SC, and I think you can take them more seriously this time.
For CR I would highly recommend Powerscore Bible. To begin with, you can go through this thread by CR master nightblade354 https://gmatclub.com/forum/mod-nightbla ... 95316.html
For Quant, I feel you should create a better contingency plan to handle scenarios where you get stuck on a couple of questions. You can use the MGMAT timing strategy i feel. More on it here https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... nt-part-3/

MathRevolution · Answer

Hello uzairali1918,

As you stated that your target score is 730, we would say that you are very close to achieving your desired score. Also, 640 is not bad either, but yes, comparing the way you scored on the mock test, it is a bit disappointing.
GMAT math is logic, and verbal is a real language test of an individual. You need to make sure that you get any possible combination to achieve your target score of 730,which is 96 percentile and above. V37/Q 50, V39/Q49, V43/Q45 are some possible combinations to get your desired result.

We will first recommend you to appear for a free diagnostic test on https://www.mathrevolution.com. Also, check our free trial pack and free-video lesson.

Apart from this, what exactly you need :

1. A unique, alternative approaches to solve quant questions in a short period, thus saving the time of yours and increase accuracy and finally the score.
2. Up-To-Date questions that meet GMAT exam trends. You don’t need to waste your time on outdated questions here and there.
3. An expert to resolve your queries related to Quant sections individually.

You are close to the target score, but Verbal needs special attention. In addition to it, Quant need to be as strong as possible. You should look for an alternative approach to solve questions.

Let us know if you have further questions.

You can reach us at [email protected].

Success is within your reach.

Good luck!

gmatapprentice · Answer

Hi all,

I am looking for advice on how to boost my gmat score. I have been studying since last Oct (on and off) and decided to appear for the actual exam on Aug on which I managed to obtain Q42 V30 (590), which is my lowest score since April. The scores of my recent mocks are as follows:

GMAT Official Practice Exam 2: Q43 V33 (620) - July 6
GMAT Official Practice Exam 5: Q41 V32 (610) - July 27
GMAT Official Practice Exam 3: Q47 V37 (680) - July 28
GMAT Official Practice Exam 6: Q39 V38 (640) - Aug 5

As you can see there has been a fair bit of inconsistency in my performance on the mock exams. The approach I had taken was to identify and work on the areas where I struggled in the mock exams. I admit I was a bit frazzled during the actual exam as I had had my performance review (difficult conversation) with my line manager two days before the exam. Secondly, I was a taken aback by the score on Aug 5 after hitting a 680 a week earlier. The testing environment wasn't ideal - a portable AC was right next to my face because of which I was a) freezing b) a loud whirring sound was quite distracting. It is possible that I maybe using the above to justify the low score to myself and I may not have been as well prepared as I should have been. I would like advice on how I should leverage the enhanced score report which I had ordered and strategy, timeline to sit for the next exam pls. IMO, I can sit for the next exam within the month considering my target score is anywhere between 680-700. I wouldn't want to drag it on for any longer as ideally I would like to submit my apps in R1.

Apologies for this long drawn out post, would appreciate your input and advice.

Thanks in advance for your help.

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640 AFTER 6 MONTHS OF CONSISTENT STUDY. NEED PLAN FOR RETAKE.

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