Actual GMAT score vs Mocks

Hi!

I recently took the GMAT exam for the second time. Before the exam, I took the official practice exams (1-6) and consistently scored between 720-740. However, my actual score surprisingly dropped to 520 on test day.
After taking 6 official mocks I felt confident and certain I would score in the same range on exam day. I also practiced with questions in the OG books. So, I was very surprised to see my actual score on the screen after the real exam. I have read on forums that the official mocks should represent the actual exam; however, I felt the questions on the real exam and the questions on the official mocks were not that similar.

I was not stressed on the day itself and had a good night sleep the night before the exam. So I am not entirely sure how this drastic drop in score happened and how I can solve this. Would anyone like to share their (similar) experience? Does anyone know how this could be possible and how I can overcome this issue the next time I take the exam? Any tips/experiences would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks

Hi gmatvde189.

In most cases, such a score drop occurs because the test-taker prepared for the official practice tests specifically rather than for the GMAT in general. A GMAT aspirant can prepare for the practice tests by either using a course that's based on the practice tests or using methods of answering questions that are based on the questions on the official practice tests. Such methods are often popular on GMAT forums.

For some additional ideas regarding why your GMAT score was lower than your practice test scores, see this post.

Why Was My GMAT Score Lower Than My Practice Test Scores?
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Consider getting the ESR to get more insight into the 520. As you look over the data, try to recall what may have happened during the exam. Perhaps there were some RC questions you may not have been completely sure about, for example.



How to score high on the GMAT. Why solving approach is important.
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Need to concentrate on topics, wherein you got most questions wrong. Take the help of Forum Quiz to solve topic-wise questions to gain improvement.

real test environment vs conditions at mock can vary score ..
also chances of official scores being high can be because of solving same questions while practising ..
try GC tests and manhattan mocks for better analysis of your gmat prep standing.

Thanks Marty! I think I should indeed not merely focus on practice questions, but understanding the topics fundamentally and thoroughly. I was actually looking into TTP, is there a specific program you would recommend me doing?

You could use the TTP GMAT course set on the Expert+ or Expert track depending on your score goal.
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Took the GMAT after scoring 730-750 in mocks, got 770 in my second attempt, but should i apply this year or next year ? confused now

Hi gmatvde189,

I'm sorry to hear that Test Day didn't go as well as planned. When these types of score drops occur, the two likely "causes" involve either something that was unrealistic during practice or something that was surprising (or not accounted for) on Test Day. Before we discuss any of those potential issues though, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

Studies:
1) On what dates did you take your 2 Official GMATs and how did you score on your 1st attempt (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)?
2) How long have you studied in total? How many hours do you typically study each week?
3) What study materials have you used over the course of ALL of your studies? What “brands” of CATs/mocks have you used?
4) On what dates (or approximate dates) did you take EACH of your CATs/mocks and how did you score on EACH (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?

Goals:
5) What is your overall goal score?
6) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to?

If you took your Official GMAT at a Test Center, then you might also choose to purchase the Enhanced Score Report. While the ESR doesn’t provide a lot of information, there are usually a few data points that we can use to define what went wrong on Test Day (and what you should work on to score higher). If you purchase the ESR, then I'll be happy to analyze it for you.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Contact Rich at: Rich.C@empowergmat.com
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Feel free to reach out to us on live chat, and we can discuss how you can use TTP.
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Hey gmatvde189,

I’m so sorry to see that you could not score so well on your GMAT even after scoring well in your official mocks. This problem of having a high mock score and a low GMAT score is a common one. And this happens, primarily, because of a lack of a proper approach in preparing for the GMAT.

In this post, I will certainly help you understand what approach you should be adopting to reach a 700+ score in a structured and predictable manner but let me first give you a few of examples of students who faced the same issue and overcame it by adopting the right approach -

Students who scored high on mocks but scored low on the official attempt:

• Pritam started his journey with OG and could not improve beyond a certain point. He immediately switched to a structured preparation and with expert guidance, improved by 200 points in just 3 months. He focused on building conceptual understanding and mastered the right methods to approach questions (He improved from Q42 to Q50 in just a few weeks). Click here to watch his debrief.
  
• Abhinav practiced all the questions in the official guide and scored a meagre 580 in his first attempt. With the help of a Personalized Study Plan and the guidance of his mentor, he was able to make a 120-point improvement in 3 months and finally scored a 700 on the GMAT. Click here to read his debrief.

I'm sure you would be able to easily relate your journey to the above examples.

What should you do to improve your score?

To be able to take corrective measures, you first need to understand what went wrong and why despite putting in so much time and effort you did not manage to get to your target score:

1. Did not do the Learning stage of preparation properly:
   
   GMAT is a test of skills and in order to succeed in GMAT, you need to build and hone those skills. Unlike other traditional exams, merely practicing a bunch of questions without using defined methods and approaches will not help. A low score, despite putting in a lot of effort means that you did not follow a properly structured approach, you did not prepare in the right way and that you need to completely change the approach. If you can do this, then you can definitely succeed in GMAT.
   
   
2. Did not follow a structured study plan:
   
   While GMAT prep does require time and effort, it is necessary to have study plan which helps you allocate this time and effort in the right areas and in the right amount. It is essential that you make a study plan focusing on your personal strengths and weaknesses and your target score.
   
   
3. Did not track your improvement while preparing:
   
   It is essential for you to track your improvement regularly while preparing for GMAT to make sure that your processes and methodologies working out for you. In case they aren't, you can identify this at early stage and make the necessary changes to get your desired results.

Now to improve your score from 520 to 700+, here’s a step-by-step plan that you can follow:

• Start your journey by establishing a baseline of your current abilities for every individual sub-section of the GMAT. You can do this either by purchasing your Enhanced Score Report if you took the GMAT from the center or by taking a mock test on the e-GMAT platform. This will help you establish your current score for every individual subsection (SC, CR, RC, AR, ALG-GEO) which will further help us in creating specific plans for each individual subsection for you. Click here to take a SIGma-X mock ( free of charge ) . You will get an Enhanced Score Report along with this.
  
  
• Once you’ve identified your strengths and weaknesses, it’s critical that you build a Personalised Study Plan. This will help you cut down your prep time significantly (by around 40%). You can reach out to us on support@e-gmat.com for help with creating a Personalized study plan.
  
• Learn the right methods of solving questions - GMAT is a test of ability, a lot of students make the mistake of just practicing questions randomly without building the requisite core skills tested by these questions. You must avoid that trap.
  
  
• Track your progress continuously with the right data points and by using a milestone-driven approach.
  
  
• Before your test, make sure you spend enough time on revising your notes and error logs. Make sure you review all your quizzes and mocks in detail to make sure that you got questions correct for the right reasons. For the incorrect questions or questions where you took excessive time, try to figure the gaps and bridge those gaps.

How to choose the right resources?

To improve from 520 to 700+, you will need a course that offers you:

• A strong, adaptive architecture that can pinpoint your strengths and weaknesses at a granular level.
• Extensive lessons and exercises to cover concepts and methodologies to help you develop the right Core Skills.
• A robust and adaptive testing platform with advanced Data Analytics to help you Cement your core skills in each subsection.
• A reliable and integrated Mock Test Series that provides you with Enhanced Score Reports, especially since you’ve exhausted all of your official mocks.
• And, finally, dedicated support of Subject Matter and Strategy Experts to monitor your progress and guide you every step of the way.

How to decide?

We understand that choosing the right course for your GMAT preparation can be daunting. And to help you make an informed decision and save invaluable prep time and money, here’s how you can choose the right course - Experience the free trial courses, talk to a Strategy Expert, and visualize your journey by going through the reviews of students who have used these platforms.

I hope all this information helps you make an informed decision.

Your Immediate Next Steps

As discussed, please share your ESR with us via DM or by writing to support@e-gmat.com. If you don't have your ESR, you can take a SIGma-X mock (free of charge) (you will get an Enhanced Score Report along with this) and email us to schedule a 1:1 discussion with one of our Strategy Experts.

We hope this helps you and we look forward to hearing from you.

Best Regards,
Mansi
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