Bad performance at exam

I won't say that it's *impossible* for you to achieve 720+, but it would take a lot of focused, high quality practice. You can read my study advice for free in the preface of my book.
With the right kind of GMAT practice (emphasizing reasoning over memorization), tenben, you'll benefit greatly in your life and career regardless of whether or not you end up achieving your goal.

Hi tenben,

I'm sorry to hear that Test Day didn't go as well as planned. Thankfully, the GMAT is a consistent, predictable Exam, so you CAN train to score at a higher level. Before I can offer you the specific advice that you’re looking for, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

1) What study materials have you used so far? What “brands” of CATs/mocks have you used?
2) 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)?
3) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to?

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). Since you purchased the ESR, then I'll be happy to analyze it for you. If you would rather not post it publicly, then you can feel free to PM it directly to me).

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

Contact Rich at: Rich.C@empowergmat.com

Hi tenben.

I have seen many people start off having trouble with the GMAT and end up scoring well over 700. Dalal and Dan are just two examples.

So, I can tell you that you can for sure score much higher on the GMAT. You just have to change how you have been preparing and keep going.

The following two posts provide general advice on how to prepare for the quant and verbal sections of the GMAT.

How to Increase Your GMAT Quant Score: Top 25 Tips

How to Score High on GMAT Verbal

At the same time, perhaps we can provide you with some more specific advice.

So, I'm wondering, how have you been preparing so far?

GMAT is just one of the criteria but too hyped. I have come across so many similar cases basis which I can confidently say "don't loose hope or confidence". If you meet rest of the criteria you can still make up for this loss. There are other smart ways to overcome this shortfall and come out winning. PM me and I will help you free of cost.

Posted from my mobile device

EMPOWERgmatRichC
First of all thank you for responding to my post.
I'll list out the info one by one as asked by you

1) What study materials have you used so far? What “brands” of CATs/mocks have you used?

I have used study materials from EGMAT (Verbal), EXPERTS GLOBAL(mix of both quant and verbal) and GMAT 760 course from udemy for quant by Mr.Jackson. For CAT's i purchased 6 months access of GMAT CLUB TESTS ,EXPERTS GLOBAL and 2 free tests provided by GMAC.

2) 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)?

OFFICIAL GMAC MOCKS
Practice Exam 1 by GMAC on 24 FEB 2022 580 V25 Q45
Practice Exam 2 by GMAC on 11 MAR 2022 600 V33 Q39
Practice Exam 1 by GMAC RETAKE on 31 MAR 2022 620 V36 Q39
Practice Exam 2 by GMAC RETAKE on 04 APR 2022 640 V39 Q39

Real GMAT 22 APR 2022 (590 V29 Q42)

GMATCLUB TESTS
verbal Test 1 RETAKE of the FREE on Dec 30, 2021- 42
verbal Test 2 Jan 17, 2022- 19
verbal Test 3 Feb 10, 2022 - 35
verbal test 4 Feb 17, 2022 - 28
verbal test 5 Feb 21, 2022 -33
verbal test 6 Mar 02, 2022-22
verbal test 7 Mar 03, 2022-31
verbal test 8 Mar 26, 2022-21

Quant test 1 Feb 10, 2022 32
Quant test 2 Feb 17, 2022 06
Quant test 3 Feb 22, 2022 45
Quant test 4 Mar 03, 2022 46
Quant test 5 Mar 20, 2022 36
Quant test 6 Apr 12, 2022 36

Experts Global Tests
05/Apr/22 620 Q44 V32
10/Apr/22 470 Q24 V32 (Couldn't finish the quant section hence penalized)

3) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to?

I'm planning to apply in the first round 2022 and the schools that i want to apply are:-
Stanford
Michigan Ross
Northwestern Kellog
Indian school of Business
IIM Ahmedabad
























3) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to?

avigutman
Do you suggest purchasing your book.
Will you help diagnose where I'm going wrong and what needs to be changed to achieve my target score

bb Any valuable suggestions for me.
This seems like the hardest phase of my life.
Left my job and everything just for a goal and performed so badly that everyone has lost faith on me and wants me to give up.
Been going through so much.
Any guidance would help.

Hi tenben,

I've sent you a PM with some notes and additional questions.

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

Contact Rich at: Rich.C@empowergmat.com

Hi tenben,

Do not give up hope, my friend. From what I can see, your issues seem to stem from "how" you have been studying more than anything else. So, if you can begin following the right study plan, and give yourself a realistic timeline, then I do think you can succeed on the GMAT. With that in mind, here is a great article you can check out:

The Best Way to Study for the GMAT

I never support the strategy of leaving your job to prepare for GMAT - may be a sabbatical of a month or two if your job requires you to work for 12-14 hrs a day. But for others, maximum a week off at the end to review and relax. If you quite everything and put all your hopes in one place, it is too much pressure and many of us crumble under it. Know that MBA is just another means to a goal, not a goal in itself.

You need 4 hrs of focussed study a day (2 Quant and 2 Verbal) and a positive mindset.
From this point, my suggestion to a student of mine would be to move the Mba plans to next year (if age is not a problem), take up a job and start focussing on regular, committed learning. Invest an hour or two every day in reading quality publications. Go through your Math high school books for 2-3 months if you need to. Practice as many questions as you can. Then start reviewing GMAT curriculum of a test prep provider. Go slow to ensure that you understand everything. Ask for help when you need it. With consistent effort, there is no reason to not get the score you want.
Sure your social life will not be vibrant for this time but it is worth the sacrifice. Discuss your plans with your near and dear ones only on need to know basis. Why should you carry the burden of everybody's expectations along with your own?

Best wishes!

Thanks ScottTargetTestPrep KarishmaB.
Your advice gives me a lot of encouragement to leave all the bad thoughts behind and start afresh.
If any of you would help me with the ESR, I'll be indebted.

Sure, send me your ESR and I will take a look though likely as of now, you will see gaps in most topics. The point is to keep patience and persevere.

Honestly, since you are currently a ways off from your 720 goal score, I would not really worry about the ESR and just focus on changing the way you are studying for the GMAT.

Hi scott,
Can you suggest what needs to be changed?
I have already covered 80% of the topics and reviewed the OG twice.

I think you need to do more topic-specific practice. For example, after learning about Rate questions, rather than practicing just a handful of those questions, try to practice at least 50 of them. By doing so, you'll be able to really nail down each topic.