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GMAT Retake Doubts

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Mario79
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GMAT Retake Doubts [#permalink] New post   20 Jun 2022, 15:18
Hi All!

About 2 weeks ago I took my first GMAT (online version) and got a 570 (Q35, V34). I was pretty frustrated as my target score was 640 and was scoring just that on official mocks, yet I can say that I did get truly nervous and have no doubt that affected my performance to a point.

I am now seeking to retake the GMAT, but I am somewhat unsure about how to tackle the study plan. Due to personal circumstances, I have just 1 month to prepare it. If I was to retake it later, I would only be able to start preparing again for the test around late September, but I am scared to loose the "fresh" knowledge. Given my last GMAT attempt was quite recent, I was thinking maybe a month of review was enough for the retake (although I´m definitely not sure).

But coming back to the study plan, what study strategy should I follow? Should I focus more on practice or review of content for weak topics? What sources or tools should I use? How often should I take CAT mocks? How many hours a week should I dedicate? I have read several blogs and articles about this, yet I feel some specific advice would be very useful.

To give you some context, for my previous GMAT attempt I had dedicated about 4 months to prepare using Magoosh, OG and official GMAC mocks. My clear weak point is Quant (specially PS). I tend to spend a long time on Word Problems and find some Integer problems extremely challenging. I also have my issues with Fractions & Decimals. I had targeted my prep to tackle this and got to a Q42 on my last mock, but I did terribly on test day (maybe I should have taken the Verbal section before Quant?). I did keep an Error Log, yet I feel I didn´t use it well. I generally do fine on Verbal, but my score dropped on test day as well (maybe I was too focused on Quant and lost focus here).

Any advice would be truly appreciated!!

Many thanks in advance for your help!

Mario
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EMPOWERgmatRichC
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Re: GMAT Retake Doubts [#permalink] New post   20 Jun 2022, 15:46
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Hi Mario79,

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 4 months, how many hours did you typically study each week?
2) 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?

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

Contact Rich at: Rich.C@empowergmat.com
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Mario79
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Re: GMAT Retake Doubts [#permalink] New post   20 Jun 2022, 16:11
EMPOWERgmatRichC wrote:
Hi Mario79,

1) Over the last 4 months, how many hours did you typically study each week?
2) 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?

Contact Rich at: Rich.C@empowergmat.com


Hi Rich! To answer your questions:

1) Most days I dedicated a relatively long time. Between watching/analyzing video lessons and answering/reviewing practice questions I normally dedicated around 5 or 6 hours a day, sometimes more. When I finished with the video lessons about two weeks before the exam, I reduced the time to about 3 or 4 hours a day.
2/3)
March 29th - GMAC Prep - 600 (Q35, V38)
April 16th - GMAC Prep - 610 (Q35, V39)
May 5th - GMAC Prep - 670 (Q40, V41) - This was actually a retake of GMAC Prep 1, thus the increased score
May 13th - Manhattan Mock - 600 (Q39, V34)
May 28th - GMAC Prep - 640 (Q41, V38)
June 4th - GMAT - 570 (Q35, V34)
4) I´m planning to apply around September-November to a number of schools, almost all of which ask for GMAT minimum of 600 and average selected students grade around 640.
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GmatKnightTutor
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Re: GMAT Retake Doubts [#permalink] New post   20 Jun 2022, 18:41
...got a 570 (Q35, V34). I was pretty frustrated as my target score was 640

You mentioned you were "nervous" and that it affected your performance. Try to go into your next attempt with a positive mindset. Having a plan B in mind just in case your plan A doesn't work may be helpful. At the very least this next attempt will be a free mock with 60 fresh questions.

I have just 1 month to prepare it.

For Quant, at a Q35 level, it's probably fair to say a person has some fundamentals that are a bit slippery. You may want to isolate and focus on your weak spots (perhaps you can leverage the ESR of this exam to find out where they are).

Here's someone who also scored a in the lower V30s and improved their score in about a month.

https://gmatclub.com/forum/gmat-online- ... 68599.html
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Mario79
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Re: GMAT Retake Doubts [#permalink] New post   21 Jun 2022, 08:03
GmatTutorKnight wrote:
...got a 570 (Q35, V34). I was pretty frustrated as my target score was 640

You mentioned you were "nervous" and that it affected your performance. Try to go into your next attempt with a positive mindset. Having a plan B in mind just in case your plan A doesn't work may be helpful. At the very least this next attempt will be a free mock with 60 fresh questions.

I have just 1 month to prepare it.

For Quant, at a Q35 level, it's probably fair to say a person has some fundamentals that are a bit slippery. You may want to isolate and focus on your weak spots (perhaps you can leverage the ESR of this exam to find out where they are).

Here's someone who also scored a in the lower V30s and improved their score in about a month.

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


Many thanks for the advice!! Having a solid plan B definitely sounds like a good idea to bring down the pressure!
I actually didn´t get en ESR (maybe online GMAT doesn´t include it?), but I´ll look into it.
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sakshi2022
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Re: GMAT Retake Doubts [#permalink] New post   21 Jun 2022, 14:18
Hi!

I think you should definitely take the retake within a month (and of course if you can see improvement in your performance) and not wait for September.

Since you mentioned Quants is your weaker section, I think it would be necessary to practice more. Of course, you can review some content you find particularly challenging, but I feel one can get comfortable with Quants only after actually solving a lot of problems. While practising you can make sets of 31 Qs to be solved in 62 minutes. Doing this often will get you ready for the test day.

If you are looking at signing up for any course, you must definitely consider TTP. They are simply the best for Quants. It might be challenging to finish the entire TTP course within a month because it is quite a comprehensive course and aims at making every concept crystal clear, but you can definitely try it for the weaker topics and solve all the chapter tests.

Hope this helps.
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ScottTargetTestPrep
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Re: GMAT Retake Doubts [#permalink] New post   21 Jun 2022, 19:26
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Hi Mario79,

I have the perfect article for you.

How to Improve Your GMAT Score

Feel free to reach out with any questions.
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EMPOWERgmatRichC
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Re: GMAT Retake Doubts [#permalink] New post   21 Jun 2022, 21:22
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Hi Mario79,

I've sent you a PM with some notes and additional questions.

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

Contact Rich at: Rich.C@empowergmat.com
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Mario79
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Re: GMAT Retake Doubts [#permalink] New post   22 Jun 2022, 06:30
Many thanks sakshi, Scott and Rich for your helpful advice!!
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LiamFudge
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Re: GMAT Retake Doubts [#permalink] New post   03 Jul 2022, 13:42
Mario,

I'm really sorry that your test day didn't go well but no issues friend.
I was also very shattered after my first attempt at the GMAT. So, I get your feeling. Nothing to worry about.

Since you've mentioned that Quant is your weak section, I would like you to go through the following link. You will find it quiet useful.
https://blog.targettestprep.com/how-to- ... Weaknesses

Practice, Strategize, Excel...
Hope it helps!
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Re: GMAT Retake Doubts [#permalink]
03 Jul 2022, 13:42

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