ESR Evaluation 670 Q48, V34 - Should I switch to GMAT Focus?

Question

I completed my GMAT Exam in August 2023 and I scored 670 (Q48, V34, IR 6, AWA 5). I need help understanding my ESR better because I'm planning to re-take the exam within 2 months.

Background  -
This was my second attempt of the GMAT. I gave my first attempt 7 years ago when I was in college, to see where I stand, and I had scored 590. (Q48, V23, IR 8, AWA 5)
I completed the whole E-Gmat course for Quant and Verbal. The course was really helpful in ensuring I got my basics right.
Specifically in SC the meaning based approach really helped.
However, in CR 'Pre-Thinking' didn't really work for me. It ended up confusing me more. I spent a lot of time going through the process but it was quite hit and miss most of the time.
In RC I started at a pretty good level and the course helped me cement my understanding and process better.
During my preparation and mock I always scored good in two out of three subsections (SC, CR and RC). I was consistently good at RC but struggled maintaining my level between SC and CR at the same time.

I also gave all GMAT Practice Exams.
1. Practice 1 - Diagnostic - 600 (Q47, V25)
2. Practice 2 - 660 (Q48, V32)
3. Practice 3 - 680 (Q49, V33)
4. Practice 4 - 620 (Q49, V25)
5. Practice 5 - 650 (Q47, V34)
6. Practice 6 - 640 (Q48, V30)

GMAT Exam - 670 (Q48, V34)

Note - I gave 5 practice tests in the last 10 days leading up to the Final GMAT Exam. I now realize, I should have spread out the practice test duration to extract more from each Practice Test and to really improve my score.

ESR Evaluation  - 
I have attached my ESR below. I have also tabulated ESR information about accuracy and timing in a table which is easier for me to understand. This can be found at the end of the ESR. 
Here are the points I could figure out looking at my own ESR.

GMATNinja  thank you for your video on How to analyze your ESR. It was really helpful!

Quant - 
 
1. I spent a lot of time on incorrect questions in Q1 and Q2 of the exam.
2. This meant I had less time for the final quarter of the test where essentially I guessed 3-4 questions.
3. Most of my incorrect questions where of a slightly higher difficulty and I never really missed any questions that I should have gotten correct.
4. I need to learn - "Bail when you fail!" and not be a perfectionist.

Verbal - 
 
1. I spent a lot of time in Q1 and Q2 which meant, I did not have enough time for the last section of the test.
2. In my opinion, my performance in CR and RC is not indicative of my mock performances.
3. The stark contrast in CR and RC within different question type is really confusing to me. I need help on how to interpret this.
4. In SC my performance was more or less inline with my mock performances.
5. I also, spent 15 minutes on the 6 experimental questions because I took a total of 50 minutes to answer the 30 scored question on the verbal section.
6. I'm not able to pin point the reason for my low score. Is it because I lack subject knowledge or skill application.  Any help in how I can figure out the root cause would be really helpful!

My IR score of 6 was after a 2 hour prep day before the exam reviewing the OG and E-Gmat course.

Way Forward  -

ESR Evaluation -
  I want to know if I have missed anything in my ESR and what more insights I can gather from it?

Which version to re-take?
My instinct is to give the new GMAT Focus Edition instead of the GMAT mainly because of a few reasons.

1. Data Insights could potentially help boost my score. Given that I'm quite comfortable with the IR section I believe with focused preparation the Data Insights section can actually be a positive to improve my overall percentile.
2. Removal of SC is a plus for me. This might seem ironic given that my highest sub section score is in SC. However, I have always struggled with SC and Grammar. Also not being able to consistently master all 3 sub sections during my last preparation and mocks doesn't fill me up with confidence that I can turn things around easily.
3. Lastly, the test is shorter so less fatigue and stamina is required - relatively - vs the GMAT.

Even after knowing the potential advantages of GMAT Focus Edition, I'm not 100% sure on which version to give. Hence, I need help to evaluate it further.

Thank you in advance for your help!

pintukr · Answer

If SC is a strong area , then need to go for GMAT Old editions.

All the Best.

naveengmat15 · Answer

pinged u for ESR

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

After hitting the requirement, you could try attaching the ESR to this post again. May want to wipe any personal info off it first.

If you decide to retake the current version, consider checking out Manhattan-Prep's 6th Edition for SC. For time management, using question/time markers may also be helpful.

SC Idiom list  - may help a bit

hallfootball · Answer

Hi Naveen, I have attached my ESR in the post now. Looking forward for your feedback!

hallfootball · Answer

I have attached my ESR in the post. Looking forward for your feedback!

I haven't decided to retake the current version. This is where I need some guidance. My instinct is to give the new GMAT Focused.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi hallfootball,

First off, a 670/Q48 is a solid Score, so it could be enough to get you into your first-choice School. As such, a retest might not be necessary. Depending on the Schools that you plan to apply to, you would likely find it beneficial to speak with an Admissions Expert about your overall profile and plans. Those Experts should be able to answer your Admissions questions and help define the specific areas of your profile that could use some improvement (and the more time that you have to act on that advice, the better). There's a Forum full of those Experts here:

https://gmatclub.com/forum/ask-admissio ... tants-124/

Before we get to the data in your ESR, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

Studies:
1) On what date did you take your 2nd Official GMAT?
2) How long did you study before that Exam? How many hours did you typically study each week?
3) What - if any - studying have you done since then?
4) What study materials have you used so far?
5) On what dates (or approximate dates) did you take EACH of your CATs/mocks?

Goals:
6) What is your overall goal score?
7) 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

KarishmaB · Answer

The conventional GMAT is well established and the adcom is clear on what score represents what ability level. With GMAT Focus, there will be a certain phase of uncertainty in the beginning. The scale has changed too and adopting that will take some time. So for people who have invested time in the conventional GMAT, I recommend conventional GMAT until and unless there is a strong reason to switch. Say if one is terrible at SC and/or Geometry but good at IR. You may have struggled with SC but you have reached a good place with it - great accuracy in less time! I would suggest you to continue with GMAT for at least one more serious attempt. Your ESR gives you a lot of information. Work on CR Construction and Plan. CR Construction - Best Completes the Passage - Inference/Conclusion - Explain the Paradox - Assumption CR Plan - All about Plans/Strategy/Course of Action - Question types are same as Construction types above and Strengthen/Weaken, Useful to evaluate. Work on the construction type and figure out how to evaluate plans. You are great at analysis and critique. In RC, you are great at finding what is given but do you understand the content and structure of the passage properly? Are you putting in time to do that? In GMAT, the questions are not all straight forward. You need to understand the passage fully. This is the strategy I advise for that: https://youtu.be/PtqSBl1D_wg In the second quarter you got some easy questions wrong. You put less than average time in these questions - perhaps careless mistakes? perhaps complacency? It did move your score down.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi hallfootball,

Considering the fact that you struggle with SC and feel as though IR is a strength, I think, at a bare minimum, that giving a practice GMAT focus a shot is a good call. Then we can take things from there.

egmat · Answer

Hi hallfootball Happy to help. I'd like to add the following to your already thorough analysis of your prep journey and ESR. I believe there's something to be learnt here. Your inability to Pre-think could be the root cause of your sub-optimal performance in both CR and RC. There are many incorrect notions of Pre-thinking doing the round. Chances are, even you haven't yet come to truly appreciate the art of Pre-thinking. I, personally, strongly recommend you get in touch with our resident CR experts, or watch one of the recordings of our Webinars on Pre-thinking on our YouTube Channel, or attend the next free session on CR. The ability to pre-think is at the heart of Critical Thinking, and entering the exam ill-equipped in this crucial skill can be disastrous. You're right that you didn't need to attempt so many practice exams. The other observation here is that your GMAT Score was very close to what you scored in your mocks. And from your scores, it's clear you hadn't/haven't cemented one or all sub-sections properly and/or completely. Your ESR indicates a 55th and 57th percentile ability in CR and RC respectively. That means you haven't even crossed Medium cementing in both these sections. We need to compare your ESR data with your prep data on the e-GMAT platform and get to the root cause. Bottom line, your preparation is lacking. You need to cross Hard Cementing in all three sections to expect a high overall score in Verbal. So, this is the immediate next step for you undoubtedly, regardless of which version of the exam you decide to attempt. Your Analysis of Quant is spot on. For Verbal, I'd like to add the following: If your SC performance is representative of your Mocks, but CR and RC are not, then chances are there are some specific weaknesses in terms of concepts or skill areas still persisting. You need to go through your Skill Data and identify these weaknesses. Cementing quizzes will also help improve ability in that subsection overall. If you're able to quickly fix your CR and RC and maintain SC, then you're already close to scoring in the 700+ range. If that's close to your target score, then it makes sense to fix CR and RC and retake the current format. Fewer the surprises, the better. To pin point the exact reason, we will need to dig into your prep data. Please write to support@e-gmat.com and get in touch with your mentor ASAP. I think you should take this decision after your consultation with your mentor. If you can confirm and fix what went wrong in CR and RC, then you can retake the current version very soon. Although taking the GMAT Focus has a few advantages, you will still need to adjust to the new format of the exam. This means doing test readiness all over. Besides, there is still the need for completing hard cementing in CR and RC regardless. So, by writing the current version, you save time on repeating stage 3 for the new format. Hope this makes sense and answers your questions satisfactorily. All the best for the next attempt! Happy learning! Abhishek

ESR Evaluation 670 Q48, V34 - Should I switch to GMAT Focus?

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