How to go from 730 to 770?

Question

Hello Everyone,
I recently took GMAT exam and scored a 730 on the test (Q48,V41), however, I am a little disappointed as i was expecting a 760 score . My gmat prep mocks were ranging between 740 to 760 and I always managed to score Q49 / Q50 on the tests. I have exhausted all the gmat prep mocks and gmat club tests and was wondering if there is any other good material out there that would help me improve to Q51 and V44+ .
Any tips and suggestions would be very helpful.

AndrewN · Answer

Hello,  yashvic . I would say congratulations on earning a 730, but such well wishes would seem misdirected. I am a little curious as to how you were  expecting a 760 score  when that appeared to be the upper limit of your mock scores. Had the last few all been in the 750-760 range? Many test-takers fail to account for test-day variables, such as anxiety, that can alter performance. In any case, speaking to material, have you gone through an OG? The supplemental guides? I ask because your post makes it sound as though you just took practice tests. If so, there are plenty of fresh questions just waiting for you. Simply check the  Question Directory , tick the boxes for official sources in a given column, and practice away.

If you need more conceptual assistance, you can watch YouTube videos from  GMATNinja  and others. The "Thursdays with Ron" series is also still accessible through this site. Many high-scoring candidates have praised these resources. If you are more of a book learner, you can always purchase a dedicated study guide. But first, you will have to sit down and come to terms with the types of questions that are preventing you from reaching your target score. Are you really adept at CR questions but so-so at RC? A master at work/rate problems but just average at combinatorics? You need to set aside some time to single out your weaknesses and then address them head on. For a 770 aspirant, simply hoping that you will not see the kinds of questions that cause you grief and knocking on wood will rarely result in the desired outcome. Hold yourself accountable for the material and stick with a plan. No one can tell you exactly what you need to do. Everyone is a little different. But I think that the type of person who can score a 730 is probably smart enough to pick up on a few patterns among 99th-percentile scorers. Read some of those debriefs. (I read one from a recent 790-scorer, and it reinforced the advice I dole out day in, day out.) You could even try an online prep course to hone your technique. As long as you end up with the score you want, trust me, you will not care about the additional expense.

Whatever you decide to do, I wish you good luck. I hope to read your debrief when you reach that peak.

- Andrew

yashvic · Answer

Hey  AndrewN  
Firstly, Thankyou so much for taking out your time and giving me such a detailed response.
You are right that I should have been expecting a 740, but you see,in each test the variable part was verbal and not quant, being a non native speaker and someone who has always been good at quants, along with the fact that I was consistently scoring Q 50 on the practice tests, scoring a Q48 is disappointing. However, my Verbal score somehow made up for it on the test day.
Talking about anxiety,
I took the GMAT Online Exam and hence I believe that although it did play a role but not to a great extent.
 About my prep 
I saw All the videos on E GMAT forum
Quant
1. I did my prep E GMAT and solved all the questions on the portal.The number of questions available were good enough for a lot of practice, and there were tough questions available on the topics like work/time as mentioned by you.
2. I consistently took Gmat Club Maths Tests everyday.

Verbal
1. Again, I solved all the questions on E GMAT Platform
2. I solved all the SC questions from OG and Verbal Review.
3. For, CR , i have honestly been a natural at this, but I did make sure that I solve complete all official questions.
4. RC : I just saw Veritas videos and practiced a few questions from 1000 RC.

Now, I do understand that it might be tough for me to go from V41 to V44+ could be a task because, it wasnt like I was scoring more than V42 before the exam as much as I would have loved to.
However, I strongly believe that I could have done a way better job when it comes to quant and therefore, plan to take the test again.
I would take your suggestions and go through  GMATNinja  conceptual videos along with Thurdays with Ron Series and try to do maximum practice from the Question Directory.
Although, I do understand that everyone has their own pattern , but I would love to know your thoughts regarding my prep and the elements you think were lacking in my prep ,now that I have detailed it down.
Also, I am aim to take the test again in 15 days, Do you think that is a good idea?
Once again, thankyou for your time and reply!

MathRevolution · Answer

Hello Yashvic,

A score of 730 (Q48/V41) is excellent! It is a great start, and considering your target score of 760 or above seems realistic. Remember various possible combinations to achieve a score of 760 or above: Q48 V47 or Q49 V45 or Q50, V42, or Q51, V41.

The maximum difference if we compare the desired score with the one you have got is (Q3/V4). So, if you manage to get Q51, then V 41 suffices a score of 760. On the contrary, keeping Q48, you will require to score at least V47.

As a GMAT instructor, I would suggest you follow the below-mentioned plan for each section. You may also connect with our other experts or me to discuss the topics/ concepts or lessons.

Take a separate practice test for each section to get to know the weaker areas so that you learn and strengthen those topic(s) or concept(s).

For Verbal– Revise your grammar basics by GMAT grammar book or Aristotle grail for sentence correction. For RC and CR, try solving the 760+ level question.

For Math - We recommend you learn quick and alternative approaches to solve questions to save you the time. Q 51 shortcut will help you do so. You may check our free lesson plan, take a diagnostic test, and can strengthen your concept related to any topic.

Visit https://www.mathrevolution.com/member/signup. Consider a 7-day full on-demand course for free to see if this fits your needs. Get access to our free trial lessons and free videos.

Also, solve 760+ level questions for Math and try to be consistent, scoring Q49 at least to give an upper edge on verbal.

Let us know if you have further questions.
You can reach us at info@mathrevolution.com.

Success is within your reach.
Good luck!
Punit Joshi

AndrewN · Answer

Hello again,  yashvic . If you are pleased with the e-GMAT platform, then why not utilize it some more while you have access? Go through the video tutorials again on questions you have missed or do not understand. If you still do not understand how to approach such a question, look it up on the forum and see if another explanation makes more sense to you. Just do not let matters stand still or tell yourself—lie to yourself—that you get it when you do not. (No one else has to know.)

Speaking directly to your question, a retake in 15 days puts you in that volatile area in which the pendulum could really swing either way, based on nothing more than different administrations of the test. This is why GMAC™ puts score estimates at +/-20 points of your actual score. I can think of numerous counterexamples to this supposed measure of ability, but it is rare that someone retakes immediately and walks away with a target score. In fact, sometimes the score drops the second time around. You have to put everything into each effort, and I think in some cases, test-takers may be mentally worn down after pouring so much into the initial effort that they go in overconfident about their prospects on the retake.

Put in the amount of time you need. If you can make demonstrable progress, say, two mock test scores in that 760+ range, with no outlier in between, then yes, you are probably ready to give this thing another go.

Keep your nose down and work, work, work. You can get there, trust me.

- Andrew

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