Advice regarding study plan.

Question

Hello Experts,
I gave my Gmat exam on 29 Oct 22 and scored a tremendous low score of 510. I gave 4 mocks before the exam (all official). I gave Mock 1,2 twice, so this was my second attempt & 3,4 for the first time. Even though I gave mocks 1,2 for the second time, hardly any question was repeated.
I scored the following:
Mock 1 630 Q 48 V28
Mock 2 600 Q44 V28
Mock 3 590 Q44 V27
Mock 4 550 Q37 V28
I gave the exam in the last 10 days before my exam and on alternate days. I was pretty confident after first two mocks. But my negative mind frame started when I scored 590 and 550. I was very anxious before my exam and couldn't even sleep properly the night before the main exam. Ultimately, my Q dropped to 37 V was 26 in the main exam.
I practiced through OG22 & Gmat club questions. Since I realised that my Q was better, I focused more on that rather than V. In the end it was Q, which backstabbed me.

Experts, I need your advice. I really don't know, how to move ahead and what to study or what to do! Should I buy ESR? Please help me out!
ExpertsGlobal GMATNinja egmat EMPOWERgmatRichC bb

Experts, I need your advice. I really don't know, how to move ahead and what to study or what to do! Should I buy ESR? Please help me out! ExpertsGlobal GMATNinja egmat EMPOWERgmatRichC bb

bb · Answer

Hi. Sorry about scores… interesting post - we seem to get a good picture of your logistics - you didn’t sleep the night before, and other details of your mindset. However, you seem to have forgotten to mention what materials you used to study strategies and timing and learn grammar, and other things. Is there a reason you didn’t mention that?

Posted from my mobile device

Posted from my mobile device

Vveeeeee · Answer

bb  
I had joined an institute for gmat training and did my basics from its lectures. The institute had its own books as well, from which I used to practice during the lectures. And later I shifted completely towards OG

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MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi Vveeeeee.

What's your score goal?

Given what you said, I would think that you would score higher than you did if you were in a better overall state. So, maybe you just have to do some more practice for a couple weeks and take the test again.

For some tips on how to practice for best results, see this post.

The Best GMAT Practice Methods

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

Probably fair to say this could have impacted your performance. If possible, try to "look forward" to your next attempt. Thinking of a plan B, for example, in case plan A doesn't work may help a person do Plan A more calmly to begin with. For motivation, consider reading some success stories on the Share GMAT Experience subforum.

All the best. Some quick Quant and Verbal tips on the gmatknight website you may find helpful too.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Vveeeeee,

I'm sorry to hear that Test Day didn't go as well as planned. I've sent you a PM with some notes and additional questions.

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

Contact Rich at: [email protected]

Sarmadk5 · Answer

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egmat · Answer

Vveeeeee  - I understand the above. Given that your verbal score was below the 50th percentile in every mock you gave, I have a few questions:

1. What did you study to build your Verbal skills?
2. What evidence did (feedback mechanism or otherwise) that you acquired those skills?

What kind of score were/ are you targeting? What is your target split?

All of the above are inputs that go into building a study strategy, which we then translate into a trackable action plan. You see results once you execute the plan and meet the metrics.

-Rajat

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

HI Vveeeeee,

I have the perfect article for you to check out:

How to Improve Your GMAT Score

Feel free to reach out with any questions.

GMATWhizTeam · Answer

Hi  Vveeeeee

Sorry about how things went with your GMAT.

Looking at your score break-up, you definitely have consistency issues. There are wild swings in your scores which implies that you may not have followed a very structured approach. The key to scoring well on GMAT is to focusing on the right aspects. First let us understand the right way to prepare for GMAT.

How to prepare for GMAT in the right way?  
Before you start preparing for any test, it's important to understand the structure of the test, what is tested on it and then prepare accordingly. In this case, GMAT is a test which focuses on your application skills along with the conceptual knowledge. So, just learning the concepts and practicing questions without focusing on the right methodology will not do any good. So, I suggest you to first focus on the methodology to solve questions of a particular topic and only then move to practicing questions of that topic.

So, the right way to prepare would be to first

learn the concepts of a topic,  
 learn the right methodology to solve questions of that topic 
 practice a few questions of that topic to solidify your learning and then move to the nest topic 
 Repeat the process for all the topics

And working on weak areas is equally important. You move to the next topic only if you get a decent accuracy in the previous topic. If not, you revisit the concepts, fill the conceptual gaps and then move to the next topic only when you are 100% confident. There are a couple of articles which you might find helpful.

How to effectively plan your studies for GMAT

How to score 700+ on GMAT

How to start preparing for GMAT

And you can go through the recording below to understand how to strategize your GMAT prep in an effective way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65n8_LIbPIM

What might have gone wrong?  
As we have understood the right way to prepare, now let's analyze what could have gone wrong with your previous attempt. You must have learnt the concepts of the topics and you must have practiced questions as well.  But did you focus on the methodology part? Did you focus on working your weak areas?

These two could be the major reasons for you not scoring well on GMAT. So, this time make sure you do your prep in the right way by focusing on all the above parameters. And regarding the resource, choose a resource which can help you with not only the concepts, but the methodology as well. And the questions to practice and their detailed solutions are equally important as the solutions help you understand where exactly you are making the mistake. And a study plan would be an added advantage as you will have clear deadlines.

And regarding how to proceed further and the study strategy, I think it would be better if we can get in touch over a call and discuss the same as I would like to ask a few questions about your current preparation strategy and your weak areas. You can use the below link to get in touch with me.

Click here to schedule a call

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Vveeeeee, I've sent you an email with an analysis of your ESR. GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made, Rich Contact Rich at: Rich.C@empowergmat.com

Advice regarding study plan.

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