First attempt 600. Retake? Or not? Help!

Question

Hi,

Took the test today, scored 600 (Q42 V31). My primary study material was Maghoosh, OG and GmatClub. Spent about 5 months on the prep. My score averaged 650 across tests (lowest 610 and highest 690). 
So, I am confused. Should I retake? If so, when is the right time? How do I improve the score to get to a 710? 
Any other study material that I should have used? In desperate need of help here.

My profile otherwise:  
Indian, Female
BBA - Symbiosis International University (GPA 3.6/4)
Work ex: 4 years in Digital Marketing

Target school: NUS and MBS

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi KhyatiMaloo,

Before I can offer you the specific advice that you’re looking for, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

1) How have you scored on EACH of your CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?
2) Were your CATs in the "old" format or the new, shorter format?
3) When are you planning to apply to Business School?

Raising a 600 to a 710+ will likely require at least another 2 months of consistent, guided study - and you'll have to make significant improvements to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections. Thankfully, the GMAT is a consistent, predictable Exam, so you CAN train to score at a higher level.

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

AjiteshArun · Answer

I think you should take the exam again, especially if you got those high 600, almost 700 scores on GMATPrep practice tests. Give yourself some time though, as you are aiming for a score that's higher than any you've got till now. Get the  additional practice tests  from mba.com so that you have a set of good tests for the next attempt.

KhyatiMaloo · Answer

Thank you for replying. My test scores: Magoosh Test1: 610 (Q42 V32) - old format Magoosh Test2: 610 (Q38 V36) - old format Magoosh Test 3: 660 (Q45 V38) - old format Magoosh Test 4: 680 (Q48 V35) - new format GMAT prep test 1: 680 (Q44 V38) - new format GMAT prep test 2: 690 (Q47 V38) - new format I wish to start university in 2019. I am working at the moment, so I studied everyday post work and extra on weekends. I have always bee poor at mathematics, so I gave a lot of time to it. Went through all the videos on Maghoosh practised all questions and practised from OG. I also participated in a few webinars conducted by e-gmat, though I did not find them too helpful, the free ones. Let me know if you need any more information. Also, like an idiot, I accepted the score

. I am assuming I will have to cancel it. And does getting an ESR help?

EducationAisle · Answer

Hi Khyati, were you able to introspect on the reasons why your scores  dipped  so much in the actual exam (when you were getting higher scores on mocks)?

ESR might not be a bad idea.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi KhyatiMaloo,

When these types of score drops occur, the two likely "causes" involve either something that was unrealistic during practice or something that was surprising (or not accounted for) on Test Day. Since your last 3 CAT Scores were notably higher than your Official GMAT Score, I have a few questions about how you took those CATs:

When you took your CATs:
1) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT each time (including the Essay and IR sections)?
2) Did you take them at home?
3) Did you take them at the same time of day as when you took your Official GMAT?
4) Did you ever do ANYTHING during your CATs that you couldn't do on Test Day (pause the CAT, skip sections, take longer breaks, etc.)? 
5) Did you ever take a CAT more than once? Had you seen any of the questions BEFORE (re: on a prior CAT, in an online forum or in a practice set)?

Business Schools generally do not care if you take the GMAT more than once, so having this Score on your record is likely not a problem. While the ESR doesn't provide a lot of information, there are usually a few data points that we can use to define what went wrong on Test Day (and what you should work on to score higher). If you purchase the ESR, then I'll be happy to analyze it for you.

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

KhyatiMaloo · Answer

My answers in bold:

1) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT each time (including the Essay and IR sections)?  GMAT Prep -took the entire test. Maghoosh did not have IR and AWA section 
2) Did you take them at home?  yes 
3) Did you take them at the same time of day as when you took your Official GMAT?  Nope, maybe just 1 of them was at the same time of day as my GMAT 
4) Did you ever do ANYTHING during your CATs that you couldn't do on Test Day (pause the CAT, skip sections, take longer breaks, etc.)?  Nope, I did do anything unusual 
5) Did you ever take a CAT more than once? Had you seen any of the questions BEFORE (re: on a prior CAT, in an online forum or in a practice set)?  Highly likely. There definitely were repetitive questions

It will be great if you could help analyse my ESR, I would purchase and share the same. I am completely lost here, as to what strategy to use to increase the score. And if that is even possible.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi KhyatiMaloo,

Yes - I would be happy to analyze your ESR if you purchase it (so you can either PM it to me here or email it to me).

From your prior post, there were a few 'red flags' in terms of how you took your CATs. Before we discuss those details though, I have a few additional questions about the lead-up to Test Day and Test Day itself:

1) What did you do in the 3 days before your GMAT?
2) How did you sleep the night before your Test?
3) How long was the ride to the Test Center from your home?
4) Were there any distractions at the facility or during the Test?
5) What did you do during the two 8-minute breaks?
6) Did you finish any sections early?
7) Did you have to rush to finish any sections (and guess on questions just to finish on time)?

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

KhyatiMaloo · Answer

Answers in bold:

1) What did you do in the 3 days before your GMAT?  Took my last practice test 3 days before the exam. 2 days before the exam I reviewed questions that I answered incorrectly on all the CATs and I simply revised my notes a day before the exam. 
2) How did you sleep the night before your Test?  I sure was anxious, but as my exam was in the evening I slept longer than usual to avoid feeling lethargic later in the day 
3) How long was the ride to the Test Center from your home?  Rather horrible. I rode down to the exam centre and it started pouring midway. I had no choice but to continue riding.  
4) Were there any distractions at the facility or during the Test?  Not really. Though it was my first time using the noise cancellation head-phones and they were not the most comfortable ones 
5) What did you do during the two 8-minute breaks?  I took a washroom break, stretched a little and got back to the test. I took only one break. 
6) Did you finish any sections early?  AWA, about 2 minutes earlier  
7) Did you have to rush to finish any sections (and guess on questions just to finish on time)?  Yes, for sure! Both on Q and V. Especially Q, it was a race against time.

Will PM you once I purchase the ESR.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi KhyatiMaloo,

I've sent you a PM with some notes/suggestions.

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

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Hi

Best Books

For Concept Learning

Manhattan Quant Guides
Manhattan Verbal Guides
For CR: The Powerscore GMAT Critical Reasoning Bible
For RC: Aristotle RC Grail

For Practice

The Official Guide for GMAT 2015-18
The Official Guide for GMAT Quantitative Review 2015-18
The Official Guide for GMAT Verbal Review 2015-18

Strategies

You can start with Quant or Verbal which suits you. If you have started with Quant then Start with the Arithmetic but if started with verbal then start first with Sentence correction. One month for learning Quant concepts and one month for practicing question and same practice for Verbal. During you Practicing question don't forget to make an error log to track your weak areas after practice. Once you know your weak areas revise your Concepts related to those areas and do some more Practice. 6-8 CATs are enough for practice the real tests. Make your Stamina for sitting 3 hours in the test and don't study more than 2 hours in one sit and 4 hours per day

Top CATs for Practice

1. Official GMAC CATs
2. Manhattan CATs
3. Kaplan CATs
4. GMAT Club Quant CATs

Good Luck

rohan2345 · Answer

Hi KhyatiMaloo, You should study for around 3 months to improve your score. It’s a good thing you have taken a GMAT once. You now know your weaknesses and work on them. If you are willing to study dedicatedly for around 3 months, you are sure to achieve your goal. I believe you may benefit from taking a GMATPREP course. Your choice of using Magoosh for your preparation is great. Magoosh is a phenomenal course and covers the entire syllabus really well. I must add that if you are particularly looking to discover and improve on your weak areas in quant; a subscription to GMATCLUB tests is the best way to do that. They are indeed phenomenal and will not only pinpoint your weak areas but also help you improve on them. Also for verbal, I would highly encourage you to consider e-gmat verbal online or the e-gmat verbal live course. They are both amazing courses especially designed for non-natives. They offer almost 25% of their courses for free so you can try out their free trial to decide which one you want to go for. Plus the e-gmat Scholaranium which is included in both the courses is one of the best verbal practice tools in the market. Further taking multiple mocks might help. Apart from the GMATPREP, Manhattan GMAT tests and Veritas Prep Tests in my experience have a good verbal and Quant section and will certainly help you point out and improve your weak areas. Further another advantage of taking many mocks is to build up your stamina. Apart from the GMATPREP tests, taking practise tests of any major GMATPREP company ought to do that. I would also encourage you to purchase the GMATPREP QP 1 for some great additional practice. Here is a link that will help you with your decision. https://gmatclub.com/forum/best-gmat-ve ... ml?fl=menu Lastly, you can check out a very interesting article by Mike McGarry from Magoosh detailing a 3 month study plan https://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/3-month-g ... -students/. You will find it very helpful as it gives out a study plan as per your needs. Hope this helps. All the best.

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