Drop from diagnostic- 660 to practice test- 610

Question

Hi there!
I started my GMAT prep. last week and got a 660 on the diagnostic (official test #1) - V37 Q44. I've spent the last 4-5 days practicing sentence correction. Today, I took my first practice test (Economist GMAT) and got a 610 - V37 Q36.

I've been actively reading through GMAT Club materials to prepare for the GMAT. Picked up a lot of the books that this forum has recommended (OG bundle, MGMAT 10-book set, Powerscore), and am using an error log.

I'm worried about this 50 point drop. I know it's only the first week of practice, and only the first practice test. I'd appreciate feedback on how to analyze my practice test performance and the frequency with which I take practice tests. After all, my verbal, which is what I've practiced, has stayed constant and luckily not fallen. Willing to put in multiple hours a day to achieve my target score of 750. Thanks!

Kinshook · Answer

Hi  vdesai1 
Following questions may help you: - 
1. What is your target GMAT score?
2. What are your target GMAT quant and verbal scores?
3. What is the gap between your target score and actual score?
4. How are you planning to fill the gap? Make a study plan for filling the gap.
5. Which topics are your weakness? Devote more time on those topics to learn the concepts and practice well.

You can analyse test performance by seeing sectional scores and topic-wise scores. Find out your areas of weakness and work on them.

Hope it helps!

CAMANISHPARMAR · Answer

Hi!

Congrats! 660 is an above-average start on an official practice test. The split is also encouraging. With practice you can take both your scores by 5 points higher to a V42+ and Q49+ to get to your desired score.

Don't try to infer anything from the practice exams from various test prep companies. They should be used only for practice not to gauge improvements or otherwise. Buy the remaining official practice exams from mba.com and give them as and when you feel there is some improvement in your skillset/knowledge etc to gauge improvements. Also, you can have an off day due to bad exam strategy (i.e. getting stuck on one question or not able to concentrate etc). That does not mean that your preparation is not going well. It just means that you need a different fix to the problem.

All the best!

deferredmba · Answer

Thank you so much Kinshook ! Appreciate the feedback

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi vdesai1,

Many Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores, so since you're in the early phase of your studies, some variations in your practice CAT Scores shouldn't be a surprise. Beyond that, the scoring algorithm on the Official GMAT is far more complicated than most people realize. Since that algorithm is proprietary, no GMAT company has an exact match for it, thus CAT scores can vary a bit based on the 'biases' involved in their respective designs. The most realistic CATs available are the 6 from GMAC (the 2 free CATs, and each of the 2 that come with Exam Pack 1 and Exam Pack 2), but retaking a CAT that you've already taken is NOT a realistic way to assess your skills - since you will likely see some 'repeat' questions that you have already faced. Unfortunately, seeing even a couple of repeats can 'throw off' the Scoring Algorithm and impact your pacing, energy levels, fatigue, etc. (meaning that they would likely all appear to be better than they actually are). Thankfully, the CATs from Kaplan, MGMAT and Veritas are all 'close enough' to the real thing that they will provide you with a relatively realistic score assessment (assuming that you correctly take the CAT in a realistic fashion).

In addition, there are a variety of factors that can impact your performance on a Test, including the type of Exam that you're using, the time of day that you start the Exam, the testing conditions, how well-rested you are, etc. Sometimes the answer is based on one single assessment: how many questions did you get wrong because of silly/little mistakes?

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

1) When are you planning to take the GMAT?
2) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
3) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

deferredmba · Answer

Thank you so much! Really appreciate the insights. I plan to buy the remaining exams.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi vdesai1,

Since you really have just scratched the surface of your GMAT studying, I wouldn’t worry about the fact that your score dropped 60 points between your first and second test. Furthermore, you took practice exams from two different sources, so the difference between the two algorithms could have affected your scores.

In any case, moving forward, you really should not take any more practice exams until you get out of the “learning phase” of your preparation. Right now, your main focus should be to solidify your quant and verbal skills. Once you have done so, begin taking practice exams. Certainly, if you want more specific advice on how to improve your quant and verbal skills, feel free to reach out. Lastly, you may find it helpful to read the following articles:
 The Phases of Preparing for the GMAT

How to Score a 700+ on the GMAT — A Mini Guide for Success

deferredmba · Answer

Good insight  ScottTargetTestPrep ! You're definitely spot on about not doing practice tests too soon, will keep this advice in mind. I'll also take a look at the articles.

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