First Attempt yesterday - Scored a 680. Advice?

Question

I took my first GMAT yesterday afternoon and got a 680 (Q44, V38). While 680 is a respectable score, I am rather disappointed as I was scoring in the 48/49 range in Quant on my practice exams.

I started studying around April 25th using the Economist GMAT course. When I did my first practice exam through the economist I scored a 640 (more than a decade removed from school/exams, so i clearly was rusty). In addition to the course, I used the OG for supplemental practice questions. Recently I have been only using the GMAC tests, as i figured it was best to use their actual exams and computer algorithm. In totality I likely studied for 150-70 hours...which is unusual as I never studied for the SAT's or any other standardized test.

I am still a little rusty with some algebra and number properties (ie exponents and subtracting/reducing them into different forms). I am curious if anyone has any suggestions in terms of how to move forward. I feel confident that if i took the exam today there would be a very solid chance I scored a 720/30 given where my math scores were pacing. Ideally, I am looking for a score in the 730-50 range as Columbia is my only target school. I have heard that the Magoosh product is quite good for quant. Does anyone have experience with it? recommend? I have scheduled my next exam for July 11th and plan on starting up my studies over the next couple of days (we all need a breather right??!)

Thanks in advance

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

A 680 is a good start. Did you take any Official MBA.com exams in preparation for your GMAT? If so, do you have the score breakdown for those exams?

In regard to your retake, there are plenty of resources you can use to improve your quant score. When deciding on what will material(s) will work best for you, I recommend that you use a prep resource that allows for granular and focused quant practice. For example, if you are reviewing Number Properties you want to make sure that you can practice a variety of questions from that topic, e.g., LCM, GCF, prime factors, divisibility, remainders, etc. The results of that practice will help you to determine how well you have mastered that topic and to determine your remaining weaknesses within that topic. Although this is just one example, you would want to follow this process for all sections tested on the GMAT. Also, how many hours a day do you plan to study for your retake?

In addition, I recently wrote 3 articles, featured on Poets and Quants, that provide some advice on how to improve your GMAT quant score. See if these provide some insight. The links to each article are below:

Part 1: https://poetsandquants.com/2016/02/05/un ... -the-test/

Part 2: https://poetsandquants.com/2016/02/20/un ... mpetition/

Part 3: https://poetsandquants.com/2016/04/10/gm ... t-section/

Feel free to reach back out if you need any further advice.

asotirhos · Answer

Scott,

Thank you for the response, and my apologies for the delay. I have decided to go with the Magoosh product as I have read from a number of member reviews that the videos helped individuals synthesize the information they had "learned" in prior studies. Akin to a "light bulb moment". I also like that the videos are rather targeted as you suggested.

In terms of my first go 'round, I took a practice exam on the Economist when I first started. Like i mentioned I used nearly 85% of the Economist course, per their instruction, then transitioned to the OG's to do all practice problems. After that I did three GMAC exams in the week leading up to the exam. I scored a 640 then 690, 710. My math scores on 2 and three were 48/9 with verbal being a little weaker....for some reason there is significant variability in my sentence correction performance. My verbal on the actual exam was a point higher if memory serves, but math clicked in at a 44. Overall I am disappointed as I typically score higher on standardized tests...but I haven't taken one in a long time. I am 32, so I'm a little rusty to say the least.

In terms of my preparation leading up to my second test I plan on spending 4-6 hours per day. I took a couple days "off"...light study over the weekend. Today I am kicking it back into high gear. I will go through all video modules on Magoosh and try to answer as many practice problems as I can (with a particular focus on my weaker areas). Practice test wise, I will purchase more exams from the GMAC as I feel it is best to use the "real thing". Thank you for the links, I will read through them to get some of your insights. Do you think this plan makes sense? Thanks again!

Anthony

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi asotirhos,

First off, a 680 is a strong score (it's right around the 85th percentile overall), 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. There's a Forum full of them here:

ask-admission-consultants-124/

Since your Quant Scaled Score on Test Day was considerably lower than your practice CAT scores, I'd like to know a bit more about how you took your 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 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?

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

asotirhos · Answer

Rich,

Thanks for reaching out. I agree 680 is a respectable score, but it is towards the low end of the 80% range for my only target school, Columbia. Their value investing program is second to none, I grew up and live in New York and I'm keen on beginning my studies in January. Additionally, I feel the math score is significantly below my abilities as I was scoring much better going into the exam. I would love to be able to send in my application as is, but a score at or above the school's average (around 720) would be preferable in my opinion. With that said, I do feel I have a number of advantages, including my age and experience. I have been an equity research analyst on the buy side since I was 21 years old, a unique background in my opinion. Additionally I have ties to the school through colleagues and bosses. I'd be curious what you think....

Regarding to your questions:

My last two GMAC CATs were full exams (essay and IR included). Each of the exams were taken at a similar time of day as the official test (within an hour or two). I took them in the library, which was considerably louder than the test center. Given that I wanted to take the test once (I only decided to begin this adventure towards the end of April) I decided it was best to purchase a package of exams so I could truly gauge my 'progress'. So none of the exams were repeats. In my next go round, I too will use new exams for the same reason.

Judging by your questions you're trying to see if I did anything on test day that significantly deviated from my prep routine and honestly, I did not. I prepared for the exam at that specific time, had similar meals (the exam was about an hour to an hour and a half earlier then I was taking the practices...this go round it will be almost the exact same time), etc. For those reasons, I feel like I "choked" to a certain extent. I'd love any additional thoughts you may have. Thanks again.

Anthony

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Anthony,

In your second post, I originally thought that you had taken 3 GMAC CATs in the weeks (plural) leading up to Test Day - but it actually states that you took 3 CATs in the WEEK leading up to the Exam. Taking a FULL-LENGTH CAT in a realistic fashion requires a significant amount of effort and energy - AND takes time to 'recover' from. That's one of the reasons why you generally shouldn't take more than 1 CAT per week (with the final CAT before Test Day about a week ahead of Test Day). If what you say is true, then you took THREE CATs in those final days... As a result, you were likely a bit 'burned out' by the time you got to your Official GMAT (and you might not have even realized it). Suffice to say, you should 'space out' your CATs a bit more as you continue to study.

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

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

So your next exam is in about ten days? If so, I think the best thing you can do is to work on your weaknesses, because fixing these problem areas will provide the greatest return.

In addition, you should take one practice exam prior to your exam. However, DO NOT take the final practice exam just before your test date. You’ll need a few days to recover from taking the practice test, and you’ll want to be fresh going into your GMAT. After that final practice test, spend the time to figure out why you’re getting questions wrong and then devote as much time as you can to working on those weak areas.

I think you need to be careful not to wear yourself out prior to test day. Taking three practice exams in the days leading up to you last GMAT likely tired you out.

Also – here’s an article I wrote that shares some helpful tips for the days leading up to exam day:

https://blog.targettestprep.com/t-minus- ... your-gmat/

If you need a more robust plan, please reach back out, and I’d be happy to help you.

Good luck!!!!

asotirhos · Answer

Scott,

Yes my next exam is in 12 days. I plan on finishing my background review videos in the next two days then onto practice problems again. Per your advice, and my own intuition, I will be spending the larger chunks of my time on the 'weaker' areas. I hope to do a test on Monday and maybe Tues/Wed to end it. Timing has not been a major issue, so I am more concerned with getting problems correct / understanding why I am getting problems wrong.

One area that concerns me is combos/permutations...with that said, it is my understanding that those basically comprise 1-3 questions on the exam. If that is the case, then time spent in that area isn't going to be hugely beneficial in my opinion as understanding and getting those question forms correct is really hit and miss. Therefore I plan on focusing on areas that are highly targetable and understandable. If you disagree, I'd love to get your rationale....I'm getting way more than 3 wrong anyway...if i get more of what I can systematically approach right my grade, in theory, would improve more (per time unit spent) on things I know, can better understand than these very complex problems.

Thanks again in advance.

A

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Since your test is just a few days away, I agree with you that spending copious amounts of time studying combinatorics and probability is probably not the best use of your time. Instead, as you mentioned, spend your time engrossed in fixing your highest value weaknesses such as number properties, word problems, and ratios. Also - in these final days, take some time to study the types of problems you consistently get wrong. If you see these types of questions on the test, give them a 30 second effort. If you’re heading nowhere fast, consider making an educated guess and moving on. Remember - you don’t have to correctly answer every problem to earn a high score, and you certainly don’t want to invest 3 mins on questions that you have a low probability of correctly answering.

Here’s a helpful article on some best practices in the days leading up to the GMAT. I wish you the best of luck. Please let me know if you have any more questions, and if we don’t hear from you before your test, would you please let us know how it went?

Scott

Here’s a helpful article on  some best practices in the days leading up to the GMAT . I wish you the best of luck. Please let me know if you have any more questions, and if we don’t hear from you before your test, would you please let us know how it went?

Scott

asotirhos · Answer

My apologies for the delay. I ended up improving my math score a mere point and got same verbal w/ an 8 on IR. All in, another 680. I decided I was a little burnt out trying to take the tests back to back...I had essentially been working for approximately 2.5 months total. I submitted my application on Columbia University with those figures. That is the only school to which I applied, as the program is exactly what I am looking for. It is certainly cuspy but my experience/background coupled with my letters of recommendation give me some comfort. It is no longer in my hands...

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi Asotirhos,

Look - a 680 is a good score. I wish you the very best of luck with Columbia. Would you please report back and tell us the results?

Best,

Scott

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