Devastated.. V36(Mocks) to V23(Actual test)

Question

Donno what to say. I am completely shattered. I had given GMAT 2 years back and scored 610. Today, after 6 months of dedicated preparation I saw same score flashed again. I didn't get < V34 in any mock till date. I found CR/RC sections difficult as compare to OG/GMATPrep In today's test, quant/verbal scores are completely skewed (Q50, V23). 
RC is demon. Can anybody please suggest how to tackle this monster. Lately, I am developing feeling that GMAT is implicitly biased towards natives.

Any help will be highly appreciated.

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AjiteshArun · Answer

A major score drop like that must be extremely frustrating.

Were all the questions on your GMATPreps "fresh", or were there some questions that you were already familiar with?

NonPlus · Answer

AjiteshArun 
Thanks for Responding.

While I gave GMATPrep-1, I encountered many familiar questions. Hence, score was inflated - 740. But in GMATPrep-2, all seem fresh. I scored 710.
I was not able to concentrate on exam. My concepts are clear as I have tried with other mocks as well(Veritas And Manhattan) with Q49/50/51 and V34-38.
CR questions seemed completely different. Those didn't have a familiar pattern. Also, do give me some suggestions as to how to control nerves.

Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks 
NonPlus

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EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi NonPlus,

GMAC has publicly stated that the Official Score that you earn on Test Day is within +/- 30 points of actual ability. Your 2 Official Scores - even though they are are 2 years apart - show that you essentially performed the same each time (about 610 +/- a few points). Regardless of how you may perform during practice, you 'respond' to Test Day in the same general ways. You handle certain aspects of the GMAT consistently well, but you also make certain consistent mistakes. This implies that you may have developed some 'bad habits' that are keeping you from scoring higher. To properly define what those habits might be, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

Studies:
1) What study materials did you use during the last 6 months and what materials did you use when you studied 2 years ago?
2) How have you scored on EACH of your recent CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)? How many of these CATs had you taken before?

Goals:
3) What is your goal score?
4) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
5) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

AjiteshArun · Answer

Your quant score has improved significantly (Q47 to Q50) and is in line with your practice scores, so I'd be hesitant to put this down entirely to issues with concentration. Which section did you do first, and do you think you were nervous specifically in the verbal section?

Also, get GMATPrep practice tests 3-6 (if you haven't already) and build your next attempt around those tests.

NonPlus · Answer

Thanks for responding  AjiteshArun

I did verbal first. yeah, I was nervous specifically in verbal section. I didn't face any difficulty in quant section. Even though I was thinking of my verbal performance after doing each quant question, quant score didn't go down.

I got 2 history paragraphs (based on civilizations and ruins). I found them very difficult especially because those were too dense. In 1st paragraph, after 2 dense statements, author changed tone and I felt very difficult going along with the passage. Because of the RC, I was not able to concentrate in other 2 sections as well.

Do suggest if I can do something to tackle all this.

Thanks..

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi NonPlus,

I’m sorry to hear how things went with your GMAT. I’m happy to provide some advice on how to improve your RC skills. Primarily, you need to focus on understanding what you are reading. When you are incorrectly answering Reading Comprehension questions, it’s partly because you do not truly understand what you have just read, right? Thus, you likely have to slow down in order to (eventually) speed up. At this point, your best bet is to focus on getting the correct answers to questions, taking as much time as you need to see key details and understand the logic of what you are reading. You have to learn to comprehend what you read, keep it all straight, and use that information to arrive at correct answers. If you don't understand something, go back and read it one sentence at a time, even one word at a time, not moving on until you understand what you have just read. There is no way around this work. Your goal should be to take all the time you need to understand exactly what is being said and arrive at the correct answer. If you can learn to get answers taking your time, you can learn to speed up. Answering questions is like any task: The more times you do it carefully and successfully, the faster you become at doing it carefully and successfully.

Another component of understanding what you are reading is being “present” when reading. Don’t worry about how things are going at work, or what you will eat for dinner, or even how long you are taking to read through the passage. Just focus on what is in front of you, word by word, line by line. Furthermore, try to make reading fun. For example, even if you are reading about a topic that bores you, pretend that you are the person making the argument. By doing so, you will make the passage more relatable to YOU, and ultimately you should be able to read with greater focus.

One final component of Reading Comprehension that may be tripping you up is that RC questions contain one or more trap answers that seem to answer the question but don't really. So, a key part of training to correctly answer RC questions is learning to notice the differences between trap answers and correct answers. You have to learn to see how trap answers seem to follow from what the passages say, but don't actually, while correct answers fit what the passages say exactly.

Also, you may find it helpful to read this article about  how to score a 700+ on the GMAT .

If you have any further questions, feel free to reach out.

Good luck!

AjiteshArun · Answer

1. I think you should consider going quant first, as you are very good in that section. A "cold" start can be really tough, especially with the weaker section.

2. If you decide to tackle verbal second, make sure you take a few practice tests with that order so that stamina doesn't become an issue (it's unlikely, but we should plan for it).

3. Get GMATPreps 3-6.

4. Practice RC passages on topics with which you are not comfortable. Take notes if necessary and ensure that you do the passages timed (2-3 passages back to back or mixed with SC/CR if possible).

ccooley · Answer

I'm sorry your test didn't go as well as your practice tests. I wrote something about this for our GMAT blog pretty recently - you might find something useful here: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... st-scores/

NonPlus · Answer

Thanks  AjiteshArun  ,  ccooley ,  ScottTargetTestPrep

Never thought that I'll get such help from this forum.
I'll follow your suggestions and give another try.

Thanks again.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

My pleasure!!

Feel free to reach out with further questions.

Good luck!

Asianyc · Answer

biased towards natives??? the test is in English ... You started with a huge advantage ... We (non-natives) have to study the Vocabulary both in Q & V ...and not matter how hard we try , we can not read as fast as ,as efficently as you can . Should we complain ? At least GMAC could test Q in one's native language ...It's a mere maths, logic test . .. I guess GMAC is really biased - it doesnt give natives ENOUGH advantages

EducationAisle · Answer

Hi  NonPlus , by any chance, do you have a ESR that you can perhaps post?

AjiteshArun · Answer

There's biased towards X ( X has an advantage ), and then there's biased against X ( X is at a disadvantage ). Just checking

Asianyc · Answer

Lol
amazing logic .. totally amazing 
Google the word “sarcastic” ,if you don’t know the meaning

Having the right attitude is the first step . GMAT is NOT biased agaist anyone . Study hard & study right ,and one will get a desired score .

Btw , I’m not here to argue with anyone . Enough is enough . No more discussions. Thanks

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AjiteshArun · Answer

As I said, just checking, on the off chance that you were not trying to be sarcastic.

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Devastated.. V36(Mocks) to V23(Actual test)

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