ESR Analyses

Many thanks, that's helpful.

2 issues - (a) I believe I've pretty much exhausted 95% of my OG question resources, thus most of the questions that I'll be practicing on will be questions that I'm familiar with (in some way); (b) My accuracy has actually been quite good accros the medium (25%-45% GMATClub difficulty indicator - 85%-90% accuracy), hard (55%-65% GMATClub difficulty indicator - 70-75% accuracy) and very hard (75%-95% GMATClub difficulty indicator - 55%-60% accuracy) questions in both SC and CR.

Given the above, I'm not sure on what resources should I base my next practice drills, or in what manner could I thoroughly analyze practice questions

Hi MCBAS,

We last discussed your studies after your 2nd attempt (back in September, 2021). Since you're still scoring at the same general level in the Verbal section that you did on your first 2 attempts, it's likely that you developed some 'bad habits' during your earlier studies that are keeping you from scoring higher now. Before we can define (and fix) those issues - along with the data in your recent ESR - it would help if you could provide a bit more information about how you've been studying since you took your 2nd Official GMAT.

1) What type of study routine have you followed over the last year? Did you take any time 'off' from your studies during that time?
2) What study materials have you used over the course of ALL of your studies?
3) Is your Score Goal still 720+?
4) What are your current application plans?

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

Thanks.
1, Following my last attempt (Sept. 2021), I took a 5-6 month break from studying for the GMAT. I've started my practice sessions in March 2022, focusing mainly on the verbal section. My practice consisted mainly of practicing OG questions and taking mocks. Given that my overall accuracy was pretty good, as well as my mock verbal scores, I was under the impression that I've made some progression with regard to the verbal.
2, OG questions; Manhattan guides (for both quant and verbal); TTP (for quant) and some GMATclub materials.
3, Yes, give or take. Given my profile, I'd say 700+ will do, but I really see no reason for scoring 720+ (I just need to improve my verbal).
4, Planning on applying on R2 (i.e., beggining of 2023).

Hi MCBAS,

I've sent you a PM with an analysis of your ESR and some additional questions.

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

Contact Rich at: Rich.C@empowergmat.com

You could use questions from other sources. I'm sure that, if you create a post on GMAT Club asking what you could do at this point to practice verbal, you'll get some good answers. For instance, TTP has about 1100 high-quality verbal practice questions, and there are Official Questions 1 and 2 on mba.com as well.

Hi MCBAS,

I see that you are focusing more on practicing questions, than on the process, which is not the right way to prepare for GMAT. GMAT is a test of application of concepts. So, before you start practicing questions, you should be conceptually clear and learn the right methodology. So, instead of directly practicing questions, make sure that you learn the right process to solve questions. Once you do that, you don't have to worry about the difficulty level of the question.

Coming to OG, it may be a great source for solving GMAT like questions, however, it is definitely not the ideal way to prepare in your case. Moreover, you may find that the OG is a good option as a question bank but lacks detailed explanations for you to use for improvement. It’s always better to prepare with a definitive resource to help you learn concepts while formulating a consistent strategy to solve questions before practicing them from the OG. This way, your preparation will be a lot more structured, and the chances of you leaving gaps in your learning will be significantly less. Focus on improving the method you follow to solve questions because that's what stops people from scoring 700+.

Please let me know a few more details such as your current study strategy, the number of hours you can study and your approach of solving questions. This information will help me guide you in a better way. You can write back to me here or on DM. Feel free to reach out if you need any help around your prep!