Got destroyed by Mock Score after 3 months of preparation

Question

Hello Gmatclub,

I need you now more than ever. I have been preparing myself since 17. February with the target score of 600. 
My materials - OG 2020, Quant Review, Verbal Review, youtube content from @Verritas and  manhattan . I bit tight on the budget. 
Since February I have spent about 160 hours on my prep - 15hrs a week. 
My Mocks were 
1. CAT 430 V15Q35
2.  kaplan  550 V21Q43
3. CAT 550 V30Q35
4.  Economist  GMAT 620 V35Q41 (23.4.)

Since then I practised a lot and planned GMAT on next week. Yesterday I just wanted to make sure that I am at this level - S cored 400 by EG V26Q18

I have no idea what happened but I feel totally demotivated, but still hope that it was just a bad day, with combination of a bit burnout after 30 hrs studies in the past week.

I feed bit timepressed, however I plan my application in October, I would like to finish GMAT before my Exam Period, starting June 1st - Ending 1st. July.

I will really appreciate any help, tips that you could give me. Especially regarding the date, if it does make sense to take in two weeks, or should I pause my studies and take in Summer.

Thank you Very much.

kntombat · Answer

Hey OndrejGMatTaker , Sometimes things go wrong but there is nothing to be disheartened about; you have ample amount of time in your hands to turn the situation around, and get your dream GMAT Score. As you happen to be on a tight budget, I would recommend that you give Target Test Prep a try. ScottTargetTestPrep They have an amazing free trial which I think you should check out here : https://gmat.targettestprep.com/ and take a call.

Iamprithwish · Answer

Dont get disheartened..keep enduring

HoneyLemon · Answer

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi OndrejGMatTaker,

Can you tell me whether you have taken any official MBA.com practice exams?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi OndrejGMatTaker,

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. In addition, there are a variety of factors that can impact your performance on a CAT/mock, including the type of Exam that you're using, the time of day that you start the Exam, the testing conditions, how well-rested you are, etc.

It's possible that you had a 'bad day' when you took this most recent CAT - but it's also possible that some of your other CAT results were 'inflated', unrealistic Scores. The immediate issue is clearly whether you should stick with your current plan to take the GMAT in 2 weeks. We'll need to better define your studies in more detail before we can decide either way.

Before I can offer you the specific advice that you’re looking for, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

1) Were your 1st and 3rd CATs the two free Official GMAC CATs from www.mba.com or some other 'brand' of CAT/mock?
2) On what dates (or approximate dates) did you take EACH of your CATs/mocks?
3) Are you planning to take the At-home GMAT or are you planning to take your GMAT at a Test Facility?
4) Have you actually scheduled your Official Test Date yet (and if so, then when is it?)?

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

OndrejGMatTaker · Answer

Hi 
Thank you for this quick reply and to answer your questions:
1,2)
1. MBA CAT 430 V15Q35 (17th February)
2. Kaplan 550 V21Q43 (17th March)
3. MBA Cat 550 V30Q35 (7th April)
4. Economist GMAT 620 V35Q41 (23.April)
Moreover, I couldn't bear the lat score, therefore today I have done the test from Verritas prep. I have scored 560 V31Q37. Which is not sufficient, but got me back to the standards.
3) I am definitely planning to take GMAT at a test facility 
4) I haven't scheduled the official yet, the center is pretty empty, therefore I could schedule it just a few days before. 
 
And one more update, I am seriously thinking about buying TTP course for a month and take the real gmat in 3/4 weeks. Through the test review, I have come to the conclusion, that my math knowledge is inconsistent, therefore there is a lot to improve, verbal seems pretty stable according to the last 3 mocks. 
Thank you again
Ondrej

OndrejGMatTaker · Answer

Hi  ScottTargetTestPrep

I have taken them 
1. MBA CAT 430 V15Q35 (17th February)
2. Kaplan 550 V21Q43 (17th March)
3. MBA Cat 550 V30Q35 (7th April)
4. Economist GMAT 620 V35Q41 (23.April)
5. Verritas GMAT 560 V31Q37 today.

I decided to go for TPP, but since I would really like to take the GMAT starting June I am a bit worried, I am pretty sure I can allocate to GMAT 20-25 hrs a week. I will really appreciate any tips, how to make it as efficient as possible. I have a math background from the highschool, but still I see some gaps there which I hope, I will be able to cover with TPP.

Ondrej

DisciplinedPrep · Answer

OndrejGMatTaker - Even though most test prep companies that offer full-length practice tests have tweaked their scoring algorithm, these tests do not provide the most accurate score estimation, as do practice tests offered by GMAT Prep. You did take a few unofficial practice tests intercepted with two GMAT Prep practice tests. While you have improved your score by 100 points in two months' time, you have a long way to go. That said, you mentioned you decided to go for the Target Test Prep course; so, where are you with that decision? Having gone through the course myself, I strongly recommend that you sign up for the 5-day trial for 1 USD.

Cc: ScottTargetTestPrep

Cc:  ScottTargetTestPrep

anirudhrao · Answer

I had the same situation, I was doing well on the magoosh practice tests and was confident to do well. But when I took up the GMAT practice test it went horrible. My suggestion to you is try working out more questions from the OG because that is what helped me.
atb!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi OndrejGMatTaker,

Based on most of your recent CAT Scores, you are actually closer to a 600+ than you probably realize - and it's worth noting that to earn that type of Score, you do NOT need to correctly answer any questions that you think are too hard or too weird. Since you've scored above Q40 a couple of times already, your overall math knowledge is probably fine, so we need to take a deeper look into WHY you're getting questions wrong. For example, on this last CAT, how many questions did you get wrong because of a silly/little mistake? In those situations, the issue wouldn't have been your math knowledge or skills - it would have been how you chose to approach the question (including your Tactics, note-taking, etc.). You could potentially take the GMAT in a few weeks and hit your Goal Score, but if "your way" of approaching the Quant and Verbal sections leaves you open to making little mistakes, then THAT is what you ultimately need to focus on going forward.

1) Going forward, how many hours do you think you can consistently study each week?

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

760+: What GMAT Assassins Do to Score at the Highest Levels

OndrejGMatTaker · Answer

Hi  EMPOWERgmatRichC ,

this really helped me and motivated me, so thank you very much.

However, I may seem pretty inconsistent with my two last replies and strategies. I would like to let you know my up to date plan. 
Since I have already spent about 200 hours on Gmat and I have to start learning for big law exam in 3 weeks, I feel really drained. 
So to, be able to learn for the Law Exam and be fresh I decided to pause my preparation for a month. Even though it may not seem reasonable I have scheduled the real Gmat on this Friday. There is a little chance I may be successful, but I would regret not trying it after this draining preparation. If I don't succeed I will buy the course for a month or two and will take my second attempt in summer.

I know it may seem unreasonable, but apart from money, I have nothing to lose. And as you already mentioned I may be closer than I may really think.

Thank you all for this huge support, Ondrej

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi OndrejGMatTaker,

Business Schools generally do not care if you take the GMAT more than once, so there's no 'harm' in taking the GMAT this coming Friday. While you might be tempted to do a lot of studying in these next 4 days, you have to be careful about doing too much studying - since you do NOT want to accidentally "burn out" before Test Day (and 'cramming' rarely leads to great results with Exams such as the GMAT). In these last few days, you should limit your studies to general practice and light review (NO CATs and NO 'cramming') - you would be better served by getting some extra rest so that you can go into Test Day calm, clear-headed and ready to work.

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

KarishmaB · Answer

After consistently standing in the Q35+ range, Q18 could have been just a bad day. Taking a shot at GMAT at this time is not a bad idea. Ensure that you do put it to good use since you anyway do not have high hopes from it. 
What I mean by that is focus on the kind of questions you get and make mental notes on the topics that seem to be easy and those that seem to be hard. Immediately after the test - jot down your notes on paper. Basically, you can take the test as a practice run and figure out the areas in which you need to improve. Get the ESR after the test and that should give you some more insights. If you get a 600, great! Else, when you start your prep again after a month, these notes will come in very handy. 
Mind you, you are not supposed to share any questions or anything about the test with anyone, not even your tutor.

If you do end up retaking in summer, we can provide better guidance based on this score and ESR.

Naheedmir · Answer

Firstly relax. There are many ways to master specific sections. Still, you have some time to get your dream GMAT Score. I will suggest dedicating 1-2 hours daily to practice with more time for review than solving and also you need to take 1 GMAT practice test per week.

GMATWhizTeam · Answer

Hi OndrejGMatTaker,

From what you have mentioned, it seems like you have focused more on practicing questions. Your score indicates that you are having a few conceptual gaps. And as your target score is 600, make sure to be conceptual clear.

And why don't you take an official mock and see where you stand? That will give you the actual prediction. Please get in touch with me once you take an official mock. And I don't think 2 weeks is ample time to reach 600. Please get in touch over a call and we can have a detailed discussion on what could be done and when to plan your GMAT.

Click here to schedule a call

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

I'm glad to see you are using TTP!! Regarding how to get the most out of the course, reach out to us on live chat, and we can discuss things in detail.

OndrejGMatTaker · Answer

Hello everyone,

ScottTargetTestPrep   GMATWhizTeam   VeritasKarishma

I would like to thank you all for the tips and all the support. As I expected I was not able to reach 600 today. It does not matter, it is just half time of this adventure. I will come back starting July with Course from TTP. I will happily reach out to you with an enhanced score report to plan my further approach. Wish you all luck and a great weekend.

Ondrej

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Thank you for the update! I'm so happy to see that you will be using TTP!!

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