First GMAT score-highly disappointed!

Question

Hello!

I scored 570 yesterday for the in-person GMAT. (Q41 and V27) . My target score is about 670-680 (which I did score in the 2nd GMAT prep mock test- O47 V35) and some Manhattan tests where I scored around 630-640. I think it was a mixture of extreme anxiety, fatigue (I didn’t get much sleep the night before the exam), and lack of the right preparation. Furthermore, I could not concentrate on the GMAT RCs at all because of the lack of sleep. I have a full time job (in healthcare) and studying has also been a challenge. I was very out of touch with quants especially. I studied for about 3-4 months after work and on the weekends. I did create error logs and flashcards to track my mistakes. 
Is it possible to achieve my target score? Any insight would be highly appreciated as the score was a bitter disappointment!

Thank You!

NidhiR · Answer

Sure,,,You need dedicated study time , preferably early morning when the mind is calm and free from alll work-related thoughts,anxiety etc

AnirudhaS · Answer

Why don't you re-study the quant part for a few weeks and give it another go. There is a lot of chance to improve in this section. Have you tried some of the online courses on offer? (there are plenty). It keeps you on track by telling you how much you have progressed, so its easy to keep track off with a busy work schedule. All the best for the second attempt!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi NK15,

I'm sorry to hear that Test Day didn't go as well as planned. 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. Before we discuss any of those potential issues though, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

1) Over the last 3-4 months, how many hours did you typically study each week?
2) What study materials have you used so far? What “brands” of CATs/mocks have you used?
3) On what dates (or approximate dates) did you take EACH of your CATs/mocks and how did you score on EACH (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?
4) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to?

Since you took your Official GMAT at a Test Center, then you might also choose to purchase the Enhanced Score Report. 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

Contact Rich at: [email protected]

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

I scored 570 yesterday for the in-person GMAT. (Q41 and V27)

5 Verbal tips

Furthermore, I could not concentrate on the GMAT RCs at all because of the lack of sleep. I have a full time job (in healthcare) and studying has also been a challenge.

Consider taking a few days off work before your exam. Might help boost your performance.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

I’m sorry to hear how things went with your GMAT.

Assuming that you took your official practice exams under realistic testing conditions, the results show that, on a good day, you are capable of scoring higher than V27. Thus, it’s quite possible that nerves, stress, tiredness, or a combination of all three negatively affected your test-day performance. However, it’s also possible that you have some lingering weaknesses that were exposed on test day. Although I’m unsure of how you prepared, it’s possible that, in your preparation, particularly in verbal, you did not really learn to do what you have to do in order to score high on the actual GMAT. Rather, you picked up on some patterns that were effective in getting you relatively high scores on practice tests. So, for you to hit your score goal, your preparation, particularly for verbal, probably needs to be more complete, meaning that you have to go through the various types of GMAT questions carefully to find your exact weaknesses, fill gaps in your knowledge, and strengthen your skills.

For verbal specifically, you have to become more skilled at clearly defining the differences between trap choices and correct answers. Otherwise, you will get stuck guessing between two choices or be surprised to find that you incorrectly answered questions that you thought you answered correctly. Becoming more skilled in this way takes carefully analyzing all of the answer choices to lots of verbal questions to develop an eye for the logical differences between the choices. In other words, you have to go beyond answering practice questions and reading explanations to doing deep analysis of questions to learn to see everything that is going on in them.

In order to follow the path described above, you may need some new quant and verbal materials, so take a look at the GMAT Club reviews for the  best quant  and  verbal courses .

You also may find it helpful to read the following article:

Why Was My GMAT Score Lower Than My Practice Test Scores?

creatch08 · Answer

When I first started my GMAT prep, especially while I was working, I found that my studying was all over the place and I also had an error log, which helped in figuring out what my weaknesses were but that's only of limited use if there is no where to read up on the topics you are having problems with. After a couple of weeks I realised that all the work I was putting in was not going anywhere. I had the same problem as you, I was really out of touch with everything to do with quant. So after hitting a dead end when trying to study on my own I did some research on what courses and learning resources people recommend. After reading a ton of reviews and trying out a couple free trials, I decided to give TTP a try and I am really glad I did. Their course helped me build my quant skills from the ground up and it covers all the typical GMAT problem types and how to solve them!
I found that when I only had a limited amount of time to study every week, I got overwhelmed by the sheer amount of topics. So at least for me the guided approach of a course was the right choice. Maybe it could also help you in focusing your prep and making the most out of the limited study time that you have. There's plenty of companies offering courses, but like I said I went with TTP and I can only recommend you do the same!

BLTN · Answer

Dear  NK15 ,
I am in accord with creatch08 and could not have said any better. 
Just my two cents, since I have begun to utilize the TTP, my quant score is improved from 35 to 44. I also had tired several other services, and the only TTP helped me to make improvement because its approach and dedicated study plan work well for me. After each sections, I constantly go back to the error log and try to retake the wrong questions again.

Concerning the your tough schedule. I am in the same shoes. What I do is following: wake up 2-3 hours earlier and spend time for preparation because when I finish the job, I already exhausted, and my brain works not so well; Furthermore, I have noticed that I had made more careless mistake in the evening time, that in the earlier morning. Merely try to find your way of preparation.

Believe me, your current score is utterly not what you ought to be warry of ))))

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