Manage My Expectations re Scores - Need Advice

Question

Hello everyone :-D

. I started studying about 2-3 months ago, part time. On January 15, after a little over a month of studying, I took my first MGMAT CAT and scored Q38 V33 (580 combined). On January 25 I took the official GMATprep CAT and scored Q38 V41 (650 combined). Today I took another MGAT CAT and scored Q37 V33 (combined 580). I have 3 questions... 1) Why is there such a large discrepancy in my verbal score between the MGMAT and GMATprep CATs? 2) I've devoted 90% of my study time the past 2-3 months to Quant. I've learned a lot and feel much better equipped than when I started. Why am I not improving here??? :!:

I have a solid plan in place where I go over each question I get wrong - understand what I did wrong - and focus on those topics I am less confident in. I keep track of my strengths and weaknesses and focus my studying on my weaknesses. 3) I would like to score above 700 :oops:

, with a target test date in two months from now. Is this realistic? I'm an otherwise high performer academically - I don't understand - there is just no reason I shouldn't be scoring higher than I am right now! Thank you to anyone who can offer advice! I really appreciate it! 8-)

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi mbah191,

There are a variety of factors that could influence how well you score on a practice CAT, including (but not limited to) the 'brand' of CAT, whether you take the FULL CAT or skip sections, the time of day that you take the CAT, how well-rested you were before you took it, the environment you take the Test in, etc.

From the timeline that you've described, you've taken 3 CATs over the course of about 3 weeks. Your Quant Scaled Scores are remarkably similar, which means that you're doing certain things consistently well, but you're making certain consistent mistakes. The 'swing' in your Verbal scores in such a short period of time is tougher to assess. The Official GMAC CATs are the most realistic ones available, so maybe that V41 is a measure of how well you might perform on the Official GMAT. However, you might have just gotten a bit 'lucky' when you took that CAT and it's the other two scores that are a more realistic measure of your current skills.

Regardless of which score is "more" accurate, you can still make some big improvements to your scores in the time that you have. Before I can offer you any advice on how to adjust your studies, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

Studies:
1) What study materials have you used so far?
2) Did you take the FULL CAT each time (with the Essay and IR sections)?

Goals:
3) What is your exact Test Date for the GMAT?
4) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
5) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

mbah191 · Answer

Hi Rich, Thank you very much for your response :-D

I feel much more confident with Verbal and given how little time I've devoted to studying Verbal, I really would like to see an increase in my Quant score. You're right - my Quant score has been consistent on both CAT brands - and this score is well below what I am hoping for. To answer your questions.... 1) I purchased the full MGMAT prep guide (set of 9 books). To date I've read all 5 Quant books and one Verbal book (i.e. Sentence Correction). I've also parsed through a Kaplan GMAT Premier book, although it was an outdated version and I don't have access to the online materials. 2) I have not yet taken a full CAT. I've always skipped the Essay and IR sections. I had planned on focusing on the Essay and IR sections closer to my test date, after I felt confident with Quant (and Verbal). 3) I plan on signing up for a test date this week. I was planning to sign up for April 25/26 (or around then). There is availability in my area on those dates and that time would be most convenient for me, given work and other commitments. 4) I'm not rushing to take the GMAT based on application deadlines. I'd be interested in attending business school in Spring 2018 or Fall 2018, which is still a long way away. However, I would prefer to be finished with my GMAT asap - definitely, before this summer. 5) I'm still doing my research on business schools, but most generally, I would hope to get into a top(ish) program. I'm based in NYC and would likely be attending a part time MBA program, while continuing to work (e.g., NYU part-time MBA). Thanks again for taking the time to respond! :-D

-Max

Nevernevergiveup · Answer

Mgmat CATs are known to be the toughest esp in quantitative section.
Please dot let it stress you which can affect your performance in verbal section coming up.
GmatPrep CATs are the best representatives of your official GMAT.

To answer your questions....
1) I purchased the full MGMAT prep guide (set of 9 books). To date I've read all 5 Quant books.................... go through all Mgmat quant books for good basics 
2) I have not yet taken a full CAT. I've always skipped the Essay and IR sections. I had planned on focusing on the Essay and IR sections closer to my test date, after I felt confident with Quant (and Verbal).................. .take full tests only as that will prepare you to write exam without getting exhausted by the end.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi mbah191,

Test Day is a rather specific 'event' - the details are specific and they matter, so you have to train as best as you can for all of them. The more realistic you can make your CATs, the more likely the score results are to be accurate. The more you deviate, the more "inflated" your scores can become - and that's likely what has happened here. By skipping the Essay and IR sections, you took shorter, easier Exams - so these score results are likely a bit 'off.' If you've done anything else that would be considered unrealistic (such as taking the CATs at home, pausing the Tests, taking the CATs at different times of day, etc.), then those choices could have also influenced the results. For the sake of making this process as efficient as possible, you really MUST take your future CATs in a more thorough and realistic fashion.

If you've been studying for about 2 months and your Quant scores are 'stuck' in the high-30s, then you're likely going to need to invest in some new practice materials that will teach you the Tactics, patterns and little 'secrets' to the Quant section - so that you won't have to try to figure all of that out on your own. In addition, there's some question as to how well you know the necessary math rules/formulas and how strong your "math skills" actually are. Thankfully, the Quant section is remarkably predictable, so you CAN train to score at a higher level. You also appear to have plenty of time to study, which is good.

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

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

mbah191 · Answer

Hi Rich,

I plan on taking a full CAT next time - in about 3 weeks or so. In the meantime, what practice materials do you suggest I invest in, in order to improve my Quant score?

On average, I probably spend 4-8 hours studying each weekend day, plus 1-2 hours each weeknight. I plan to (at least) maintain this momentum until test day. Is that enough?

Thanks again!
-Max

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Max,

Many Test Takers who use a 'book heavy' study approach end up getting 'stuck' at a particular score level. Even the best books are limited in what they can teach you; they also can't force you to approach questions in a certain way and their explanations are often one-sided. Since your studies have been so book-heavy, and your CAT scores are likely inflated, you will likely need at least another 3 months of consistent, guided study to score 700+. You would likely benefit a great deal by investing in a GMAT Course of some type (either Guided Self-Study or instructor-led).

1) Is there any way for you to take that next CAT some time sooner than 3 weeks from now?
2) Do you have the flexibility to push back your Test Date?

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

mbah191 · Answer

Hi Rich,

Which courses do you recommend? Or do you suggest I get a tutor, to focus specifically on Quant?

1) Yes, I can take a CAT sooner, if that's helpful? I will have sufficient time next weekend. Which CAT brand should I take?
2) Unfortunately, I can't really push up my test date past the end of April, given a number of commitments I have in May. I can take some time off from work between now and then - perhaps a week - to focus exclusively on studying full time, in addition to my normal planned study schedule.

As an aside, just out of curiosity, I took a practice GRE exam a few weeks ago and scored very very well in Math, but rather poorly in Verbal. I found the GRE math to be very straightforward, but the verbal to be vocab heavy, which was a whole different challenge for me. Given where I am right now and my time frame, might you suggest taking the GRE instead, and spending my study time memorizing vocab words instead of doing math? I would hate to give up on the GMAT at this point though. I've also heard schools tend to favor GMAT scores over GRE scores.

Thanks again for your help.
-Max

mbah191 · Answer

I would also add... my issue on quant seems to be time. I've always been nervous about the clock - and find myself having to rush midway through the quant section on each CAT to just barely finish (or running out of time before the last question or two).

When I review the questions I get wrong - I'm always able to understand what I did wrong. It always makes sense to me after. I feel I can solve *almost* any problem, but my issue is, solving the problems quickly while racing against the clock (and being anxious about the clock).

In contrast, I typically finish the verbal section with a few minutes to spare.

-Max

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Max,

To start, I wouldn't have you switch to the GRE just yet, especially since you already have a certain degree of familiarity with the GMAT. It's also worth noting that while having a strong vocabulary would certain help you to deal with the GRE Verbal, there is a lot more to scoring at a high level in that section than just your vocab skills.

Right now, since we need the most realistic practice score possible, you should plan to take one of the Official GMAC CATs; in addition, you have to take that CAT in the most realistic way possible (so take the FULL CAT - with the Essay and IR sections, take it away from your home, at the same time of day that you plan to take the Official GMAT, etc.). You don't necessarily need a tutor just yet; you need to become more efficient in how you work (and that will likely involve learning/practicing new Tactics that will help you to ultimately answer questions faster than however you currently go about approaching GMAT questions).

I'd like to get a better sense of WHY you're getting questions wrong, so before you take your next CAT, you should plan to review the last CAT that you took. After reviewing the Quant and Verbal sections, how many questions did you get wrong....
1) Because of a silly/little mistake?
2) Because there was some math/verbal that you just could not remember how to do?
3) Because the question was too hard?
4) Because you were low on time and had to guess?

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

mbah191 · Answer

Hi Rich,

I can take a full CAT on Monday, February 20th (President's day). I will take it away from home (in my empty office) under conditions that best mimic test day. From that point in time, I will have exactly two months until test day.

Either tomorrow or on Tuesday, I will go over my last CAT and create a breakdown of all of the questions I got wrong. I'll get back to you with this information.

Separately, I read about EMPOWERgmat today and I was impressed. It seems like a solid (and cost-effective) program. Pending the results of my next CAT, I might be interested in going that route - if you feel it would be effective, in my specific case.

Thanks again for your time and assistance!
-Max

mbah191 · Answer

Hi Rich, Below is a breakdown of how many questions I got wrong, by category. :-D

Quant: 1) Silly mistake: 8 2) Math I couldn't do: 4 3) Question too hard: 3 4) Low on time and had to guess: 3 Verbal: 1) Silly mistake: 4 2) Verbal I couldn't do: 6 3) Question too hard: 8 4) Low on time: 0 What I also found interesting was the contrast in overall difficulty of the questions I answered (not just the questions I got wrong) between Quant and Verbal. According to MGMAT, I didn't receive any 700-800 difficulty Quant questions, and I received 16 questions in the 600-700 difficulty range. In contrast, I received 34 Verbal questions in 700-800 difficulty, while the rest were 600-700 difficulty (except for the first question, which was 500-600 difficulty). Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks again. -Max

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Max,

Many Test Takers become overly concerned about the 'implied level' of the questions that they get on their practice Exams - and they really shouldn't be. Instead, you should be focused on whether you're correctly answering the 'gettable' questions or not. Based on the breakdown of your last CAT - 12 of the 36 questions that you got wrong were ones that you COULD have gotten correct (but didn't because of a silly/little mistake). It's important to note that there are only 78 total question between the Quant and Verbal sections - and if you're going to get about 15% of the questions wrong for a silly reason, then THAT will significantly hurt your score. You can get lots of questions wrong and still score at a high level, as long as those questions are the hard ones. To hit your score goal, you have to keep the little mistakes to a minimum.

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

mbah191 · Answer

Hi Rich, I was able to take my first full-length CAT today, away from home, under conditions that mimic test day conditions. I took the GMATprep test and I scored much better

I scored a combined 700 (!), with the following breakdown: Q43 and V42. My integrated reasoning score was rather poor (3), but I've never taken this section before, and I feel confident I can improve t. I'm happy finally to see some improvement in Quant! I think today's Verbal score validates that my Verbal is strong - and I feel I should continue focusing my study efforts on Quant. I signed up to take the official test on April 24th. Given this outcome, what do you suggest for me, going forward? Thank you so much for all of your help! -Max

spitfire1 · Answer

I can say quite confidently that the GMATPrep exams (especially 1 and 2) are easier than the normal exams and most other providers' exams. I get 770 and 780 in the first two tests which were not only easier in terms of questions, but also punished me less for the number of wrong questions. I think it maybe a cheeky tactic of theirs to make sure test takers are dissatisfied when they sit the actual GMAT (because of the lofty expectations set by the GMATPrep exams) and then go and sit the exam again (money!).

You're target score of 700+ is definitely realistic, with two months left and plenty of practice you should be well on your way to that score - but don't neglect Verbal, that's where the value lies.

You're target score of 700+ is definitely realistic, with two months left and plenty of practice you should be well on your way to that score - but don't neglect Verbal, that's where the value lies.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Max,

This recent CAT score is a good sign, although with a Q43 you would still have made some little mistakes in the Quant section and missed out on lots of 'strategy-based' points. Thankfully, an April 24th Test Date gives you plenty of time to continue to study and improve (and you might not actually need all of that time).

Based on everything that you’ve described, I think that you would find the EMPOWERgmat Quant Score Booster to be quite helpful. Most of our clients complete that Study Plan in less than a month, so it would fit your timeframe perfectly. We have a variety of free resources on our site (https://www.empowergmat.com), so you can 'test out' the Course before setting up an Account.

If you have any additional questions, then you can feel free to contact me directly.

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

AjiteshArun · Answer

The GMATPreps are not "easier" than the actual GMAT. If you can get a 770 or a 780 on the GMATPreps (timed and without any known questions), it means that you are capable of doing that well on the real thing. Actual execution will, however, involve management of exam day pressure, which the GMATPreps cannot simulate.

mbah191 · Answer

Thanks Rich. I will give EMPOWERgmat Quant Score Booster a try, beginning this weekend.

	Manhattan Prep: $99 Bonus Score Higher on Your GMAT Exam. Guaranteed.
	Target Test Prep - Save up to $599 $400 Discount + $99 Bonus GMAT Club Tests
	e-GMAT: 60% Off on GMAT Focus Get to 735+ from any starting point
	Magoosh increases your score, guaranteed - 15% off ALL Magoosh GMAT plans with code GMATCLUB15 + Free GMAT Club Tests.
	Experts' Global - ~~$1720~~ $960 End-to-End GMAT Prep + App Support: 150+ Videos, 2000+ Questions, 15 FLTs +
	GMATWhiz - $299 ~~$499~~ Experience the course through a free trial.
	GMAT Club Tests - Free Included with every course purchase of $149+ View all deals

Manage My Expectations re Scores - Need Advice

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards