Huge Disparity in Mock Scores and Actual Scores

Question

Hi everyone,

I just completed my very first GMAT online exam. I got a Q49, V33 (670).

But this score is unlike any mock score that I got in my preparation period.

Here are my mock scores (for reference) -

GMATPrep1 - 640 (Q49, V27) (cold mock)
GMATPrep2 - 690 (Q49, V34)
GMATPrep3 - 710 (Q49, V38)
GMATPrep4 - 750 (Q50, V40)
GMATPrep5 - 730 (Q49, V40)
GMATPrep6 - 720 (Q51, V37)

Is my score just bad luck or was I not prepared enough?

Were the mock scores regular glitches in the matrix or was my actual score a glitch in the matrix?

I worked hard on verbal, reached (and maintained for the last 3 mocks) near 95% accuracy on SC and RC in mocks, and around 67% accuracy on CR. I am not able to understand why my score is low.

I would like some guidance here from the experts and fellow colleagues of GMAT-land.

P.S. - Before anyone asks, I mock tested in the exact setting that I gave the exam in, same room same setting, same time of the day, same diet, same schedule, etc. Also, I do not get test anxiety, just to get it out of the way. I work fairly well with tests.

GMATinsight · Answer

The gap is absolutely normal.

The GMAT Prep scores are inflated always as most practice questions around are based on those official questions. You have have trusted Manhattan tests for more precise prep and score prediction (in Verbal section). MGMAT Quant scores are slightly on conservative side.

But howsoever disappointing or late you find this information, the fact is the GMAT Prep tests and Pack-1 and Pack 2 give scores on higher side and one must expect a score slightly less than scores achieved in these official Mock tests.

rengoku · Answer

On Manhattan mocks, I scored V36-V37 on most tests (V35 on one test) and Q47-Q48.

Is this helpful?

sivatx2 · Answer

Sorry to hear that you couldn't reach your targeted score. Check your ESR to see where there the gap is. You may need to get closer to accurate mock scores with Official mocks from GMAC. All others either too tough or not equally tough to exactly predict what your score likely be. I'm sure, once you identify the weak area to cover, you will get your expected score. Good luck!

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

Consider working on solving approach for Verbal. And whether there was something you did different on the Actual exam compared to the Official Mocks (i.e. were you double checking more often?).

5 Verbal tips:

https://www.gmatknight.com/post/5-verba ... gmat-tutor

RetaketheGMAT · Answer

Hi rengoku

Score drop offs (from mocks to actual test) are a very common problem (75% of our retake clients have it). But the answer isn't going back to same concepts / practice problem / practice test ritual. If you were getting higher scores in the mocks then your problem isn't concepts.

It's your Test Taking Skills. Everything from pre-processing and visualization in quant to vertical reading (SC) and lawyer like reading (CR) in Verbal. These just a few of many process skills you need to develop to solidify your score potential on test day.

Test day is different than any mock (people around you waiting for your score, testing centre environment, feeling like it's your last chance, lots of other things). The all contribute to a distracted mind -- one that you have to adapt to by answering questions is more efficient ways.

Assessing your Test Taking Skills isn't easy -- it works best in a live practice test environment, with an expert GMAT performance coach working along side to extract critical insights across 20+ metrics that we use to assess your Test Taking Skills.

We offer a FREE Testing Simulation Diagnostic Live with a Performance coach to help you understand your exact Test Taking Skill shortfall.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi rengoku,

To start, a 670/Q49 is a solid Score, so it could be enough to get you into your first-choice School. As such, a retest might not be necessary. Depending on the Schools that you plan to apply to, you would likely find it beneficial to speak with an Admissions Expert about your overall profile and plans. Those Experts should be able to answer your Admissions questions and help define the specific areas of your profile that could use some improvement. There's a Forum full of those Experts here:

https://gmatclub.com/forum/ask-admissio ... tants-124/

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:

Studies:
1) How long have you studied? How many hours do you typically study each week?
2) What study materials have you used so far? Did you use any other CATs/mocks besides the 6 Official CATs you listed?
3) On what dates (or approximate dates) did you take EACH of your CATs/mocks?

Goals:
4) What is your overall goal score?
5) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

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

GMATWhizTeam · Answer

Hi rengoku, You may find this article helpful: https://blog.gmatwhiz.com/scored-low-on-gmat/

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Assuming that you took your official practice exams under realistic testing conditions, the results show that, on a good day, you are capable of scoring higher than V33. Thus, it’s quite possible that nerves, stress, tiredness, or a combination of all three negatively affected your test-day performance. However, it’s also possible that you have some lingering weaknesses that were exposed on test day. Although I’m unsure of how you prepared, it’s possible that, in your preparation, particularly in verbal, you did not really learn to do what you have to do in order to score high on the actual GMAT. Rather, you picked up on some patterns that were effective in getting you relatively high scores on practice tests. So, for you to hit your score goal, your preparation, particularly for verbal, probably needs to be more complete, meaning that you have to go through the various types of GMAT questions carefully to find your exact weaknesses, fill gaps in your knowledge, and strengthen your skills.

For verbal specifically, you have to become more skilled at clearly defining the differences between trap choices and correct answers. Otherwise, you will get stuck guessing between two choices or be surprised to find that you incorrectly answered questions that you thought you answered correctly. Becoming more skilled in this way takes carefully analyzing all of the answer choices to lots of verbal questions to develop an eye for the logical differences between the choices. In other words, you have to go beyond answering practice questions and reading explanations to doing deep analysis of questions to learn to see everything that is going on in them.

In order to follow the path described above, you may need some new quant and verbal materials, so take a look at the GMAT Club reviews for the  best quant  and  verbal courses .

You also may find it helpful to read the following articles:

how to score a 700+ on the GMAT

Why Was My GMAT Score Lower Than My Practice Test Scores?

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