Dipping GMAT mock scores

Question

Hi there,

I have my GMAT exam in the next 8 days. However, there has been a sudden drop in my recent mock scores (sometimes even less than 600 inGMAT OG and Princeton mocks). Can anyone suggest any strategies to handle this crisis?

Thanks in advance!

oiploiloi · Answer

Can you give a history of all your mocks so far? With dates? Especially the OG ones? Has something specific dropped, verbal or quant?
What has changed? E.g. did you switch orders?
Are you sleeping well, eating properly, going outside too? How are you feeling before the mocks? Full of pressure or just normal? 
You need to give more information so that people can help you debug your situation. With just 8 days left, time is of essence but don't worry, it is fixable. You've already done all the hard work of studying afterall.

rishabharora98 · Answer

Recent mocks are as follows:

GMAT Official 1 (28th October) - 650 (Q49,V29)
GMAT Official 2 (5th November) - 600 (Q48,V25)
Princeton Review (9th November) - 550 (Q40,V25)

I realize my verbal scores are poor consistently but I have been spending more time lately on my weaker aspects in verbal.
Additionally, I have witnessed increasing pressure during mocks as I feel demotivated by the scores.

Would it be advisable to revise and consolidate everything I have done so far or adopt a different strategy in this short span to land a 700+?

oiploiloi · Answer

I have heard that princeton review scores can be lower than the actual GMAT so don't worry too much about it. But it might be difficult to go from OG mock 600/650 to 700 in such a short period. Your best bet is to quickly figure out where exactly in verbal you are making mistakes. Figuring out e.g. modifiers or parallelism for SC can do wonders for your score. What is your weakness: SC, CR, RC or are you unsure in all of them? Do you have an error log?

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

Consider purchasing/taking some more Official-Mocks. Fair to say they best represent what a person will see on an actual exam. May not be a bad idea to save one or two in case you retake for any reason.

5 Verbal tips

bb · Answer

You are comparing princeton review to the official practice tests… Do I really need to continue any further?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi rishabharora98,

Have you taken any other CATs/mocks besides these three? I ask because this data is from just the last 2 weeks - so it's tough to say what your actual 'ability level' is right now. The fluctuations in your results are likely due to a mix of lucky/unlucky guesses and little mistakes (that you either made or did not make on individual sections). In addition, if you had seen any of the questions before (re: you already knew the answers), then that would almost certainly lead to 'inflated' score results. Considering your Score goal and that you plan to take the GMAT in just 8 days, you will likely need more training time before you will be able to consistently score 700+.

Before I can offer you any additional advice for your studies, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

1) How long have you studied? How many hours do you typically study each week?
2) What study materials have you used so far?
3) If you took any other CATs/mocks, then 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)?
4) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

Contact Rich at: [email protected]
www.empowergmat.com

rishabharora98 · Answer

Per my analysis of the two GMAT OG mocks, RC and SC are the two areas where accuracy is being compromised (SC being the surprise element)
For RC, I have already started reading more and more passages on topics where RC questions come from.
For SC, I am planning to revise all concepts before my next mock.

Any other recommendations to the strategy? I have been studying religiously for GMAT and seeing lower scores now is a bit demotivating.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi rishabharora98,

Is it possible that you are pushing too hard and burning out? If so, why don't you take a few days off so that you can rest your head?

MartyMurray · Answer

Probably, part of the reason why your practice test scores aren't stable is that you haven't practiced enough with individual questions. So, once you've studied SC concepts, you should practice SC, first UNTIMED and then timed, to learn to apply the concepts effectively before you take your next practice test.

When you practice SC or other Verbal topics, be sure to achieve high accuracy along the lines of at least the following:

Easy - 90%+

Medium - 85%+

Hard - 75%+

You'll need to be able to achieve such accuracies to achieve your target score.

Score-Quest · Answer

Look for patterns in the questions you're getting wrong – are they in a particular section or topic? This can help you identify your weak areas. Also, consider if test fatigue or anxiety could be factors.
With 8 days left and aiming for a 700, a 50-point jump might be challenging. Focus on identifying and strengthening your weak areas. Practice progressively harder questions and solidify your fundamentals

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