GMAT reattempt or GRE ??

Question

I gave my 1st attempt of GMAT offline on 23rd Oct with almost 2.5 months prep and got a very disappointing 530 (V 27, Q 36).
Now I'm very confused, underconfident and scared. I was thinking of trying GRE so I gave a Kaplan GRE CAT yesterday after not studying anything since the GMAT test and got 304 (Q 158, V 146) but this mock was not given in real test circumstances as I wasn't fully focused and took it lightly. I did notice that I was much comfortable with GRE quant than GMAT quant but since I didn't study any vocabulary, the verbal score is bad. I converted this GRE score using the ETS converter and this GRE score is equivalent to GMAT 530. I have to give either of the exam by latest Jan 1st week 2022 so I have roughly 2 months. 
What will you suggest? Please help!

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

GRE quant is easier than GMAT quant, but since GRE verbal is vocabulary heavy, you won't likely find GRE verbal any easier than GMAT verbal, and you may find that learning the vocabulary you need for GRE verbal is a huge task.

If you prepare effectively for GMAT quant and verbal, you should be able to increase your quant and verbal scores significantly in two months, likely not from 530 to 700+, but to the 600s.

So, the thing is to be sure that you're preparing effectively.

Did you take a baseline test before your 2.5 months of preparation? If so, what were your scores on that test?

Also, did you take any practice tests during your preparation? If so, what did you score on those?

Nis20 · Answer

I want a score of 650+ or the GRE equivalent.
Yes, 410.
I took a few CATs. In the last 3 I scored 600 or 610. These were Veritas and Egmat mocks.

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

Honestly, going from a baseline score of 410 to practice test scores in the 600s and 530 on the actual GMAT is decent progress, and by making similar progress over the next two months, you should be able to get to your target score on the GMAT.

However, one thing that's concerning is that you scored so much higher on practice tests than the real GMAT, which could indicate that something about how your are preparing is resulting in your becoming better prepared for practice tests than for the real GMAT. One way in which such a difference in results can occur is through a student's learning about things the GMAT has done in the past rather than learning how to handle anything the actual GMAT may do on test day.

Also, some GMAT practice questions are based on questions from the official practice tests. So, if you use those questions, in a way, you'll have seen questions from the official practice tests without being aware that you have.

By reading the following post, you could gain more insights into why your actual GMAT score did not match your practice test scores and what you could do differently to so that you get better results next time.  Why Was My GMAT Score Lower Than My Practice Test Scores?

Also, since the verbal section is often the section that surprises people, you could read this post on  How to Score High on GMAT Verbal  to get a clearer sense of how to prepare effectively for GMAT verbal.

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

Here's a post of a student I tutored (Verbal only):

https://gmatclub.com/forum/gmat-online- ... 68599.html

They went from an Official V31 to V40 in about 30 days. There may be some insight in their debrief you can find beneficial.

GMATWhizTeam · Answer

Hi Nis20,

It's unfortunate that your 1st GMAT attempt didn't go as planned. But there is clearly scope for improvement. Before getting into details, do provide some context about 
 
1. The time you are able to devote to studying each day

2. Resources you used for prep

3. The structure and study plan you followed

4. Your target score

You can always write back to me here or the better way would be to connect over a call and have a discussion. You can schedule a free consultation call using the below link.
    Click here to schedule a call

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Nis20,

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. That all having been said, based on the information that you've provided over the last 3 months, you've been scoring in the 550 - 610 range during most of that time - so a 530 isn't too far outside of that range (re: with just a couple of additional correct answers - in the right spots - and you would have hit that same mark on your Official GMAT). This implies that 'your way' of approaching the Exam has gotten you 'stuck' at this particular level (and that you've probably developed some 'bad habits' that are keeping you from scoring higher). You likely would find the GRE Quant section to be easier than the GMAT Quant section, but the GRE Verbal section places a much greater emphasis on one's vocabulary knowledge (and when to use certain words instead of others) - so a certain amount of consistent, guided study will be required to hit your Goal Score either way.

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: [email protected]

Nis20 · Answer

1. 5 hours atleast
2. OG 2021, MGMAT 
3. After completing the OG and MGMAT in little over a month, I practiced from GMATClub Question Bank with the filters Official Guide and 600-700 level. I did 3 RCs, 5CRs and 8-10 SCs everyday then I used to study and solve a specific quant topic. I also watched recorded live sessions on the GMATClub Youtube channel.
4. 650+

Nis20 · Answer

Yes that's exactly what's bugging me. I believe I messed up because I got really nervous on the test.

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

Taking lots of practice tests - third party tests included - could help address that issue.

Also, maybe you'll get some ideas from this post.  How to Eliminate GMAT Test-Day Anxiety

GMATWhizTeam · Answer

Hi Nis20, Let me share my insights here. OG may be a great source for solving GMAT like questions, however, it is definitely not the ideal way to prepare in your case. Moreover, you may find that the OG is a good option as a question bank but lacks detailed explanations for you to use for improvement. It’s always better to prepare with a definitive resource to help you learn concepts while formulating a consistent strategy to solve questions before practicing them from the OG. This way, your preparation will be a lot more structured, and the chances of you leaving gaps in your learning will be significantly less. Focus on improving the method you follow to solve questions because that's what stops people from scoring 700+. Furthermore, you may find that the MGMAT guides aren’t very helpful as they’re targeted more towards native speakers of English. As such, following a resource which focuses on the right methodologies becomes even more crucial. The key to scoring well on GMAT is to focusing on the right aspects. If your score doesn't improve even after months of prep, then that means that there's something wrong with the preparation strategy. If you are at 530 now, you are probably struggling with concepts. I see that you are focusing more on practicing questions, than on the process, which is not the right way to prepare for GMAT. GMAT is a test of application of concepts. So, before you start practicing questions, you should be conceptually clear and learn the right methodology. So, instead of directly practicing questions, make sure that you learn the right process to solve questions. Once you do that, you don't have to worry about the difficulty level of the question. The importance of using a standard resource: The only method to make sure that you invest your time, money and effort in an effective way is to use a standard resource which teaches you the concepts, strategies and also helps you work on your weaker areas. Studying using OG or a few random resources might help you to solve GMAT like questions but I’m afraid that they won’t be able to help you much from a strategy perspective. I would suggest you to go for some standard course for your preparation which can help you prepare in a structured and efficient manner thereby increasing your productivity. It’s always better to spare some more time on your preparation until you are ready instead of missing out on your dream colleges/ b-schools in hurry. Anyways, 2 months is a good period to make a significant improvement if your efforts are guided in the right direction. GMATWhiz helps you with all these things as we follow a structured and methodical way of teaching things , which makes the learning process simpler and efficient. It also helps you to develop an understanding of the test maker’s intention behind asking the question. It uses an AI powered learning platform to provide you with real time improvement modules after every practice quiz. It provides you with additional concept videos and practise quizzes which helps you overcome your weaker areas in a specific topic right away without having to put in additional effort to identify your weaker areas. You can check out GMATWhiz and decide for yourself. Here’s a link to our free trial – https://learn.gmatwhiz.com/?page=signup Hope this helped and feel free to contact if you have any further queries. You can always write back to me here or the better way would be to connect over a call and have a discussion. You can schedule a free consultation call using the below link. Click here to schedule a call

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GMAT reattempt or GRE ??

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