GMAT 630 (Q49/V27) - eGMAT + OG Prep Strategy | 100 point improvement?

Hello, VanshikaBagdy. It is unfortunate that the test did not go your way yesterday. The consistency across your mocks is remarkable, so a 710-720 is within your grasp if you can simply approach the real exam in a similar manner to those mocks. Working on Quant gaps is a good idea. The difference between a 49 and a 50 can be marginal. Studying Verbal tricks, on the other hand, is often counterproductive. If you place stock in a trick, then you are looking to shortcut the logic of a given passage or sentence. Consider that V42 mock. How did you approach those questions? My guess is that you went into the section with the thought that you would give it your best shot and see how things turned out. The real exam should be treated no differently. (And to earn a 42 in the section, you have to know your stuff pretty well.) Yes, the Verbal section follows a fairly patent question design. GMAC™ is not reinventing grammar or throwing never-before-seen logical pathways in front of test-takers. You want to practice Weaken questions, for example, until you understand just how to weaken an argument, hypothesis, or plan. A few questions at a time is enough for practice and review. Do not worry about covering 50 questions a day or some such nonsense. That approach will not help you.

No one can tell you how many hours to put in to earn an extra 100 points. If there were a linear formula, I think Indian test-takers would be among the first to find the winning combination. You should place quality over quantity, though. And let go of this 100-point-improvement necessity. It is okay to establish goals. But you are way more likely to meet or exceed such a goal if you focus on what it takes to make an improvement, any improvement, and that starts with mastering Easy and Medium questions, not all the Hard material that people obsess over. I have seen test-takers earn 730+ scores by studying no Hard questions. This is a process that works from the ground up, not the other way around. So, just go through a few questions at a time (Medium), see if you can hit 5/5, and go back and pick those questions apart two, three days later. When you develop positive and productive ways of assessing questions, your performance improves. That is just how the process works.

Good luck with your studies.

- Andrew

How do I make a 100 point improvement in 20-30 days? Could I aim for a Q50, V40-42? How many hours do I need to put in, and how?

You're already at a consistent V38-40 level based on your mock data. You even hit a V42 once. It's likely therefore that you already have a strong grasp of the fundamentals. Consider working on your solving approach, making the way you tackle questions more efficient. May sound strange but it's a large part of what I tutor Verbal students. You may be able to quickly boost your score in a relatively short amount of time. Had one student, for example, go from an Official V41 to V45 in about 10 days.

How to get a V40 or higher on the GMAT? What about a V51?

Hi VanshikaBagdy,

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) Since your studies were 'inconsistent' over the last 5 months, were there any stretches in which you were not studying at all? Over the last 2 months, how many hours did you typically study each week?
2) Did you take any other CATs/mocks besides the ones that you listed? If there were others, then on what dates (or approximate dates) did you take those CATs/mocks and how did you score on EACH (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?
3) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to?

If 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: Rich.C@empowergmat.com

Hi VanshikaBagdy,

Do you still plan to take your GMAT in just 20 days?