Dejected & confused regarding GMAT Strategy (Score stuck at 720)

Question

Before y'all jump at me saying that 720 is a good score, I'd just like to say that I'm from a competitive applicant pool (Asia) and 720 just ain't gonna cut it.

So I've written the exam twice now in a span of 1 month. First attempt 720 (V-40, Q-49, IR-5) and second 710 (V-39, Q-49, IR-8). I thought I did everything I could to improve my score- got the ESR, placed special emphasis on weak areas. The entire month before the second attempt I did exactly that. My ESR showed that I was weak in Ratios/ Percentages & Counting/ Sets in Quant. In verbal I had a percentile of 90 in CR, 87 in CS and 80 in RC. Keeping that in mind I put a lot of emphasis on RC, taking up LSAT passages (did 8 each day) since I ran out of official guide material to practice. I made a daily schedule to practice a 10-20 questions each of SC (I know I suck at questions involving past perfect tense, for example) and CR, as well as Quant as well to not lose touch.

Just for background, I took up all six official mocks prior to my first attempt and scored in the range of 740-770 in all of those. Although now I'm very sure that the actual GMAT is harder than GMAT prep mocks (especially quant).

Did all of that and boom. Second attempt and I landed at 710 (V-39, Q-49), a score that I promptly cancelled. I was definitely disappointed after my score in the first attempt, but this second just adds insult to injury.

And nervousness had no part to play in this- I was surely nervous on my first attempt (so much so that my hands were shaking when the proctor was inspecting my hands before letting me enter the examination area), but on my second attempt I was super calm.

I feel completely dejected right now that all that effort the entire past month amounted to nothing. I'm gonna get the ESR for the second attempt as well to know what exactly went wrong and will definitely write the exam the third time (won't be beat that easily), but I have no clue where to go from here. I'm pretty sure a lot of people have been where I am right now and I would appreciate any advice.

Edit: Completely forgot to add while I was wallowing in my sadness, I need to score a 740+

And nervousness had no part to play in this- I was surely nervous on my first attempt (so much so that my hands were shaking when the proctor was inspecting my hands before letting me enter the examination area), but on my second attempt I was super calm. I feel completely dejected right now that all that effort the entire past month amounted to nothing. I'm gonna get the ESR for the second attempt as well to know what exactly went wrong and will definitely write the exam the third time (won't be beat that easily), but I have no clue where to go from here. I'm pretty sure a lot of people have been where I am right now and I would appreciate any advice. Edit: Completely forgot to add while I was wallowing in my sadness, I need to score a 740+

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi catinabox,

I’m glad you reached out, and I’m happy to help. So just to be clear, in total, you’ve been at the GMAT for about a month and have taken 2 official GMATs? Also, you really have been relying on the OG for your prep? Once I have those answers, I can provide some further advice. In the meantime, you may find it helpful to read the following article:

Why Was My GMAT Score Lower Than My Practice Test Scores?

catinabox · Answer

Hi Scott, I prepared for about a month and a half before my first attempt, and then after another month, I took my second attempt. For my verbal prep, I've been relying on the OG (current + all past year ones; I used the resources on Gmatclub to find links to all previous OG questions), along with LSAT for RC. For quant, I've been using primarily OG and the resources on this forum (I've been practicing questions from this thread: https://gmatclub.com/forum/are-you-up-f ... 09579.html) I was able to go through 200 each of the DS and PS questions on that thread before my second attempt. Also, thanks for sharing that link. I went through your article, and from what I can say, I have been doing all tests under realistic testing situations and I don't think I was nervous on my test day either. I'll be waiting for my ESR link to show up, but I'm pretty sure I'm committing some silly mistakes that are dragging down my score. Plus on RC, I'm often left with two options that seem equally good and frequently can't decide between them. On a bad day, I can safely assume that I will get all those questions wrong. Apart from that, I'm really out of ideas.

GeorgeA11 · Answer

Hi .
My 2 cent.. We need to diagnose the problem accurately . Perhaps you can discuss your error log with me..

Test takers, with the 690+ have come to me..
I have worked with them.. Together we pushed the score to 750.

I'm from Asia too.. So I understand the competitive need.

Based on my past experience, I feel
1. You have not come across the really tough questions in the different sections.
2. You are making mistakes in question 3,4,5 in verbal and quant section.
3. in RC if you are able to narrow options to two, and then, if you are still guessing.. that means you need to develop your critical reading skills, because in RC , only one answer option will emerge.

Also
How many RC passages have you completed till date?

Doing more mock tests wont improve your score, you need to get your concepts straight and your logical thinking right.( for example in critical reasoning are you answering questions based on gut feeling or is there a logic?

Actual GMAT is tougher than GMAT prep or OG.. Doesn't make sense for GMAC to give hard questions in the prep material..

Regards
George
GMAT coach

To reach me:
My linkedin profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgeanand/
My facebook learning group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/semanticsGMAT

Do check out my other blog posts here: https://letsgmat.blogspot.com/

GMATWhizTeam · Answer

Hi,

First of all, 720 is really good score and I completely understand your anguish of targeting a score of 740. It requires focus on minute details and the ability to solve 700+ level questions. I’m sure you must have focused on these things before giving your second attempt but a proper guidance will help you in a better way.

As you’re going to get your ESR soon, I hope analyzing it will provide more insights. So, let’s just not jump into conclusions pre-maturely. If you want any help in analyzing your ESR, I can definitely help you out with that. To give you an introduction, I am a GMAT Strategy Consultant and I have helped many students improve their score considerably. I like analyzing stats and I strongly believe that if you approach your preparation in the right way, then it’s definitely possible to get the desired result.

So, if you would like any help in your ESR analysis, feel free to contact me. I think the best way to do that is to  connect over a zoom session . It will help us analyze better and narrow down things that are holding you back from getting your desired score. Please use the below link to schedule a free consultation call.

Click here to schedule a call

catinabox · Answer

I did get my ESR, and my scores in the verbal section were mostly in line with what I had expected. 84th percentile in CR, 60th in RC and 96th in SC, which I find incredibly hilarious given how much I stressed about SC all the while. At least this gives me inspiration to know that putting the same amount of effort into RC, I should be able to improve my performance.

GMATWhizTeam · Answer

Hi catinabox,

It is good that you have identified that you are struggling with RC. But the struggle is only a symptom. It is really important to identify the actual reason behind it. Only doing that will help you improve your score. Let me tell you how to do that.

Please do not be in a misconception that solving 'N' number of passages daily will ideally get you the result. It is the methodology on which you have to focus. Let me explain you how a student who doesn’t know the right methodology solves a RC question. And ask yourself whether your strategy is similar to that or not.

Skims through the passage or reads the passage very slowly 
 Tries to remember the details mentioned 
 Goes back and forth to the passage for every question

This is the general strategy followed by students who do not understand what is actually required to solve RC passages. This will only result in a wastage of time and also doesn’t guarantee you the right answers. To solve RC questions, you need to use the right reading strategies. You don’t have to remember all the details because RC questions don’t focus on details. Of course, there are a few detailed based questions, but you can always go back to the passage to answer them. The main intention of reading the passage should be to understand the purpose of the passage. Having said that, let me tell you how a student who uses the right methodology solves a RC question.

Reads the passage carefully to understand the purpose of each paragraph 
 Makes a mental summary of each paragraph and finds the main intention behind writing the passage 
 Does not stuff himself with the details, instead draws the right inferences 
 Reads the question stem and answers the question based on the inferences drawn.

You can understand the gist of the approach by watching the following video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0VhuzaV6P0

I recommend you to focus on learning this methodology and then try solving a few passages by using the same. You might take a little more than the optimum time during the initial stages, but once you master the skill, time will automatically fall into place. I hope you get your target score this time. If you wish to analyze your ESR in depth or wish to know more about the study strategy,  you can schedule a free consultation call using the below link .

Click here to schedule a call

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

If you think careless errors could be your issue, then give this article a read:

Improving Your Accuracy on the GMAT

I'm here if you have any questions.

catinabox · Answer

Hey  ScottTargetTestPrep , thanks a bunch for the advice. It really did work out this time. I wrote the GMAT again today (3rd attempt) and scored a 770 (Q50, V44). Turns out my problem was indeed, silly mistakes.

GMATWhizTeam , thanks for your advice as well. I think I really improved at RC in my most recent attempt.

I'm really glad that this is finally over. I might post a complete debrief too once I calm down a bit. xD

GMATWhizTeam · Answer

Hi catinabox,

Congratulations!!! So glad that you scored a 770. Really happy that the advice helped. Please do post the debrief. A few students might find it helpful.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Nice job!!!

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Dejected & confused regarding GMAT Strategy (Score stuck at 720)

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