From 710 in mocks to 630 in actual exam

@empowergmat

Here are the answers:

Studies:
1) How long have you studied?

I studied for around 6 months.

2) What study materials have you used so far?

E GMAT, Magoosh, Experts Global Mocks

3) On what 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)?

Experts Global Mocks:

25Dec2018 650 Q48 V31
01Jan2019 630 Q47 V30
11Jan2019 640 Q44 V34
17Jan2019 720 Q46 V42
29Jan2019 740 Q49 V41
07Feb2019 690 Q47 V38
18Feb2019 700 Q47 V40
25Feb2019 710 Q47 V41

Real GMAT Score 630 Q44 V32

Goals:
4) What is your goal score?
My score goal is 700+

5) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
Oct 2019

6) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

ISB, SP Jain, SDA Boconni etc

Posted from my mobile device

Hi Shlok, is there a ESR you can attach?

That will give us more view into your performance, rather than just conjectures.

Hello Shlok,

Just learnt about your query.

Stories of students scoring relatively much higher in mocks (including the official ones) are not uncommon. Such a steep difference between mocks and the real GMAT generally happens when a student has a bad day or is taken up by the exam pressure. Further, sometimes, the students take the mocks in non-GMAT-like conditions and get inflated scores.

Here are a few things that we need to analyze-

1. Did you have a bad day?
- Did you get stuck on a few questions, couldn't complete the test etc?

2. How is your exam temperament, generally?
- Do you feel extra pressure on the real test? Look back at your school and college days to reflect; if so, we need to work harder on exam temperament and ensure that how we take mocks is exactly how we take the real exam, without giving it any special treatment.

3. Were your mocks under GMAT-like conditions?
- Did you pause the test, took longer breaks etc?

One major lacking that we see in your prep is that you did not refer to any official material. Doing the official guide (and the two supplements- Quant/Verbal Review) are a must. Further, doing the official mock tests, especially closer to your exam, is strongly recommended.

All such important tips are included in the video we shared with you on the day you registered for the mocks- How to Use Experts' GMAT Platform.
Please spare 20 mins to watch this very important video.

Rest, we are arranging a call for you. You will hear from us on Monday and will be guided upon the way forward.

Important:
Only the real GMAT (and no mock including the GMAT Prep) can simulate the exam pressure and that is why we suggest that scores in our mocks are sometimes closer to scores in GMAT Prep than to the scores in actual GMAT as different students respond differently to the real exam pressure. If your (or anybody's) doubts are about the accuracy of scoring of our mocks, we suggest that you take a GMAT Prep test and chances are high that you will get a score similar to what you have been getting in our mocks.

All the best!
Experts' Global team

Hi shlokgupta,

To start, the scoring algorithm on the Official GMAT is far more complicated than most people realize. Since that algorithm is proprietary, no GMAT company has an exact match for it, thus CAT scores can vary a bit based on the 'biases' involved in their respective designs. The most realistic CATs available are the 6 from GMAC, but the CATs from Kaplan, MGMAT and Veritas are all 'close enough' to the real thing that they will provide you with a relatively realistic score assessment (assuming that you use the CAT correctly). From what you described, you do not appear to have used any of those CATs during your prior studies - so you should plan to use one of those sets during this next phase of your studies.

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. If you can answer a few questions, then we should be able to figure this out:

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)?

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

Hi shlokgupta,

First off, 630 is not a total disaster, so there is no reason to be depressed, OK? Many folks score lower on their first GMAT and eventually persevere to hit their goal scores. That said, since you have yet to take any official GMAT practice exams, I think a good next step is to take an official mock, so we can see how your score on an official practice test compares to the score of your actual GMAT.

Once you take the practice exam, please report back here, and I can provide some further advice.

Hello Shlok,

From my own experience, let me assure you on the quality of Experts Global mocks. The tests are really high quality and indicative of GMAT. The problem must be somewhere else. My sense is that the GMAT pressure got the better of you and partially that you did not time the test well as your performance towards the last few mocks dipped a bit.

Having said that, you must not leave the official mocks and study material. No matter how good these private resources are, official material comes from the test makers and has its own value.

I would suggest that you revise your prep, complete the official guides, take more mocks (GMAT Preps as well- one now and one at the end of prep), analyze your performance carefully (Experts Global's platform has great analytics and review system that really helps) and have a calmer and more confident attempt in a few weeks.

I think you will do well.

Best of luck!

Hi shlokgupta,

I am sorry to hear that your score wasn't in line with your expectations. Almost a third of all GMAT test-takers end up taking the test multiple times, so know that you're not alone in this.

One of our students, Prawee, improved to a 740 through sheer persistence. She remained confident during all the 5 attempts that she took. She is currently pursuing MBA in Kellogg.

Further, you may also learn from ourchat with Shaarang, our student who overcame similar test-day score fluctuations to score a 740.

What could have gone wrong?

Coming to your specific situation, please understand that the GMAT is not so much a test of knowledge as it is of skill and technique. Did you take your mocks in conditions representative of those of the GMAT? Did you go into the test centre with a robust exam strategy or did you have to rush through several problems? It is entirely possible to end up with a poor score despite a comprehensive knowledge of the concepts.

Your e-GMAT course attempts show that you need to work on building your ability as well to score a 700+. You seem to have focussed on solving as many questions as possible without focussing much on skill building.

If you have ESR available send it to us at acethegmat@e-gmat.com. It will help us get insights about your test day performance and give you precise inputs to plan your preparation.

Regards,
Zinnia