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demonawaits
GMAT 1: 710 Q51 V37
Posts: 21
31 May 2016, 13:32
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi everyone,
I gave my GMAT today and scored a disappointing 710 (I'll explain some time why). My interaction (:P) with GMAT started 3.5 years ago when in my very first attempt I scored a 650. Later next year, I got 640 and today, after 2 years I got 710. The interesting part and the one that bothers me the most is that I have consistently scored >40-50 below my GMAT prep mocks. I would like to highlight that (almost) all my mocks have been in exam-like conditions and have been full mocks with all scheduled breaks.
Just to provide some background before I get down to my real questions and tips, I started my preparation in March end week for ~1 hours every day and took a 2 week off before the exam. I studied extensively verbal with quant practice restricted to the mocks. I gave only GMAT PREP mocks except for one MGMAT at the very start (till I realized there are 6 GMAT preps and I don't need additional tests). My scores are as following-:
1) GMAT Prep 1 - 10/04 - 740 (first mock after around two weeks of prep)
2) GMAT Prep 3 (Paid) - 24/04 - 720
3) GMAT Prep 4 (Paid) - 08/05 - 740
4) GMAT Prep 5 (Paid) - 22/05 - 680 (a week before and I was sh*t scared)
5) GMAT Prep 6 (Paid) - 25/04 - 660 (another slap on the face and I wasn't sure what was happening)
6) GMAT Prep 2 - 28/05 - 760 (highly relieved)
With these scores, I was hoping to score somewhere between 730-750 but my actual score really disappointed me. I know that I have the potential to score above 730-740 and want to give again within a month. But now I'm in a fix as I'm not sure what's exactly happening in my actual exam. In earlier exams, I didn't have a clear timing strategy but this time I did have one. I couldn't follow it entirely and it did lead to rushing in the last 5-6 questions (though it was also the excitement of the test getting over). However, I don't think this is the only thing that's dragging me down. I would really like to use the help of the experts and gurus on this forum to help me formulate a strategy for next 2-3 weeks so that I can bump up my score to at least a 740.
Here are the resources I used for my study-:
1) OG 2016 (Completed and reviewed SC answers in a lot of depth)
2) OG VR 2 (did questions starting number 40 and above for each of the section)
3) Kaplan 800 for CR (as CR has been one of my weak areas where I believe I fared decently in GMAT)
4) E-GMAT CR course (solved 30-40 questions (hard and medium ones) from scholoranium)
5) Aristotle SC - for SC theory ( I personally feel MGMAT SC is a lot of jargon)
Going into this month, I plan to re-do tough questions of OG (also the ones I got incorrect; fortunately, I maintained an error log) and Kaplan 800 for SC. There are certain areas in SC where I feel I'm weak in. I have heard a lot about e-gmat SC course but I don't think I might have time to go through the entire theory of SC. I feel a good amount of practice should help me get to my score but would love to hear what you guys have to say. Also, please suggest good mock tests and source for quality questions. I definitely would prefer quality over quantity.
Lastly, the mock shocking thing about my today's result was my Q49. In my experience with GMAT, I have been able to score Q50 without much effort but since past 3 GMAT prep mocks I have been scoring a Q49. Though I was confident I'll score Q50 but guess, I was wrong. I can definitely say that Quant level has gone up in GMAT in past 2-3 years. I was thinking of going through GMAT club tests (at least 5-10 of them) to sharpen my skills. Please pitch in with your thoughts.
Feel free to ask anything that would help you in your journey.
Kudos to entire GMAT Club community!
I gave my GMAT today and scored a disappointing 710 (I'll explain some time why). My interaction (:P) with GMAT started 3.5 years ago when in my very first attempt I scored a 650. Later next year, I got 640 and today, after 2 years I got 710. The interesting part and the one that bothers me the most is that I have consistently scored >40-50 below my GMAT prep mocks. I would like to highlight that (almost) all my mocks have been in exam-like conditions and have been full mocks with all scheduled breaks.
Just to provide some background before I get down to my real questions and tips, I started my preparation in March end week for ~1 hours every day and took a 2 week off before the exam. I studied extensively verbal with quant practice restricted to the mocks. I gave only GMAT PREP mocks except for one MGMAT at the very start (till I realized there are 6 GMAT preps and I don't need additional tests). My scores are as following-:
1) GMAT Prep 1 - 10/04 - 740 (first mock after around two weeks of prep)
2) GMAT Prep 3 (Paid) - 24/04 - 720
3) GMAT Prep 4 (Paid) - 08/05 - 740
4) GMAT Prep 5 (Paid) - 22/05 - 680 (a week before and I was sh*t scared)
5) GMAT Prep 6 (Paid) - 25/04 - 660 (another slap on the face and I wasn't sure what was happening)
6) GMAT Prep 2 - 28/05 - 760 (highly relieved)
With these scores, I was hoping to score somewhere between 730-750 but my actual score really disappointed me. I know that I have the potential to score above 730-740 and want to give again within a month. But now I'm in a fix as I'm not sure what's exactly happening in my actual exam. In earlier exams, I didn't have a clear timing strategy but this time I did have one. I couldn't follow it entirely and it did lead to rushing in the last 5-6 questions (though it was also the excitement of the test getting over). However, I don't think this is the only thing that's dragging me down. I would really like to use the help of the experts and gurus on this forum to help me formulate a strategy for next 2-3 weeks so that I can bump up my score to at least a 740.
Here are the resources I used for my study-:
1) OG 2016 (Completed and reviewed SC answers in a lot of depth)
2) OG VR 2 (did questions starting number 40 and above for each of the section)
3) Kaplan 800 for CR (as CR has been one of my weak areas where I believe I fared decently in GMAT)
4) E-GMAT CR course (solved 30-40 questions (hard and medium ones) from scholoranium)
5) Aristotle SC - for SC theory ( I personally feel MGMAT SC is a lot of jargon)
Going into this month, I plan to re-do tough questions of OG (also the ones I got incorrect; fortunately, I maintained an error log) and Kaplan 800 for SC. There are certain areas in SC where I feel I'm weak in. I have heard a lot about e-gmat SC course but I don't think I might have time to go through the entire theory of SC. I feel a good amount of practice should help me get to my score but would love to hear what you guys have to say. Also, please suggest good mock tests and source for quality questions. I definitely would prefer quality over quantity.
Lastly, the mock shocking thing about my today's result was my Q49. In my experience with GMAT, I have been able to score Q50 without much effort but since past 3 GMAT prep mocks I have been scoring a Q49. Though I was confident I'll score Q50 but guess, I was wrong. I can definitely say that Quant level has gone up in GMAT in past 2-3 years. I was thinking of going through GMAT club tests (at least 5-10 of them) to sharpen my skills. Please pitch in with your thoughts.
Feel free to ask anything that would help you in your journey.
Kudos to entire GMAT Club community!
31 May 2016, 17:52
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi shonikjk,
First, a 710 is a great score. With another round of hard and focused studying, you should be able to hit your GMAT score goal.
In regard to your study plan for the next month, consider getting your enhanced score report. Although the report does not provide extensive information about your quant score, it provides valuable information about your verbal score (especially about your percentiles in Sentence Correction, Critical Reasoning, and Reading Comprehension). After reading it, you will have a good idea of the areas needing additional attention during your restudying. Assuming that report confirms that you do need help with sentence correction, it may be worth investing in a private tutor to help you with that section. Since you do not have a lot of time before your retake, a capable verbal tutor should be able to help you find and fix any weaknesses that still exist within sentence correction.
Because you already have a high quant score, you should study with a prep resource that allows for focused practice of fresh questions. For example, if you are reviewing Number Properties, be sure that you can practice 50 or more questions that test on all topics from Number Properties: LCM, GCF, units digit patterns, divisibility, remainders, etc. After doing each problem set, analyze exactly why you got each question wrong and fix any weak points.
Once you complete your prep, take a few more practice exams. Although you have taken all 6 GMAT prep exams, reset and retake the two free exams as you should see mostly different quant and verbal questions when you retake those exams. If, after completing those two exams, you still need more tests, you could take some of the free exams offered by most test prep companies (Kaplan, Manhattan Prep, Veritas, etc.)
Finally, I wrote a few detailed articles that you should read before your retake: one about some steps you can take during the next month to help improve your GMAT score and another about how to improve your accuracy on the GMAT.
Best,
Scott
First, a 710 is a great score. With another round of hard and focused studying, you should be able to hit your GMAT score goal.
In regard to your study plan for the next month, consider getting your enhanced score report. Although the report does not provide extensive information about your quant score, it provides valuable information about your verbal score (especially about your percentiles in Sentence Correction, Critical Reasoning, and Reading Comprehension). After reading it, you will have a good idea of the areas needing additional attention during your restudying. Assuming that report confirms that you do need help with sentence correction, it may be worth investing in a private tutor to help you with that section. Since you do not have a lot of time before your retake, a capable verbal tutor should be able to help you find and fix any weaknesses that still exist within sentence correction.
Because you already have a high quant score, you should study with a prep resource that allows for focused practice of fresh questions. For example, if you are reviewing Number Properties, be sure that you can practice 50 or more questions that test on all topics from Number Properties: LCM, GCF, units digit patterns, divisibility, remainders, etc. After doing each problem set, analyze exactly why you got each question wrong and fix any weak points.
Once you complete your prep, take a few more practice exams. Although you have taken all 6 GMAT prep exams, reset and retake the two free exams as you should see mostly different quant and verbal questions when you retake those exams. If, after completing those two exams, you still need more tests, you could take some of the free exams offered by most test prep companies (Kaplan, Manhattan Prep, Veritas, etc.)
Finally, I wrote a few detailed articles that you should read before your retake: one about some steps you can take during the next month to help improve your GMAT score and another about how to improve your accuracy on the GMAT.
Best,
Scott
31 May 2016, 21:26
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi shonikjk,
First off, a 710/Q49 is an outstanding score (it's right around the 90th percentile overall), so you should apply to any Business Schools that interest you. As such, a retest might not be necessary. You would likely find it beneficial to speak with an Admissions Expert about your overall profile and application plans. There's a Forum full of them here:
ask-admission-consultants-124/
You've mentioned your prior CAT scores as a reason for potentially retesting, but you've also mentioned that you've been studying (in some form or another) for the past 2 years. How many of those CATs did you take more than once? Retaking a CAT that you've already used almost always leads to an artificially 'inflated' score, so some of those CAT score might not be completely representative of your actual skills. This is all meant to say that you might be 'set' right now.
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
First off, a 710/Q49 is an outstanding score (it's right around the 90th percentile overall), so you should apply to any Business Schools that interest you. As such, a retest might not be necessary. You would likely find it beneficial to speak with an Admissions Expert about your overall profile and application plans. There's a Forum full of them here:
ask-admission-consultants-124/
You've mentioned your prior CAT scores as a reason for potentially retesting, but you've also mentioned that you've been studying (in some form or another) for the past 2 years. How many of those CATs did you take more than once? Retaking a CAT that you've already used almost always leads to an artificially 'inflated' score, so some of those CAT score might not be completely representative of your actual skills. This is all meant to say that you might be 'set' right now.
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
