Need help to determine what my current level is and how I can improve

Question

Hi all,
I have been preparing to give GMAT for the last 4 months. I gave my first practice test on 11th January 2020 and scored 550(Q46 V21) with no preparation. I was engaged with project so I did not ponder over it that time. I gave my second practice test on 23rd August 2020 and scored 590(Q46 V26). I started prepping for the exam and retook practice test 1 and got 680(Q49 V33) followed by a retake of practice test 2 and got 660(Q47 V34). I tried to improve this and retook practice test 1 and got 710(Q49 V38). I know retaking the test may set me behind soo I wanted to know what should I consider my current GMAT capability to be. Also what should I do to improve and get 700+. I am planning on giving the test around December 3rd week.

Please help!
Thanks in advance.

Kinshook · Answer

Hi xxZero Please check the following link regarding GMAT mock tests to check your current GMAT capability : - https://gmatclub.com/forum/all-gmat-pra ... 28289.html

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi xxZero,

While the most realistic CATs available are the 6 from GMAC, retaking a CAT that you've already taken is NOT a realistic way to assess your skills - since you will likely see some 'repeat' questions that you have already faced. Unfortunately, seeing even a couple of repeats can 'throw off' the Scoring Algorithm and impact your pacing, energy levels, fatigue, etc. (meaning that they would likely all appear to be better than they actually are). Since all of your Scores after August 23rd are from retakes of CATs, it's likely that those more recent results are 'inflated' - meaning that there's no way to know what your actual 'ability level' is right now.

Beyond the 6 Official CATs, the CATs from Kaplan, MGMAT and Veritas are all 'close enough' to the real thing that they will provide you with a relatively realistic score assessment (assuming that you correctly take the CAT in a realistic fashion that matches the parameters that you will face when you take the Official GMAT) - so you can use any NEW CATs from any of those sources next. I strongly recommend that you take a NEW CAT sometime soon and make sure to take it in a realistic fashion that matches-up with what you will face when you take the Official GMAT (take the FULL CAT - with the Essay and IR sections, at the same time of day as when you'll take the Official GMAT, if you will be at a Test Facility, then wear a face mask, etc.). Once you have that Score, you should post back here and we can discuss the results and how you might best proceed with your studies.

Before I can offer you any additional advice for your studies, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

Studies:
1) Over the last 3 months, how many hours did you typically study each week?
2) What study materials have you used so far?

Goals:
3) What is your overall goal score?
4) Are you planning to take the At-home GMAT or are you planning to take your GMAT at a Test Facility?
5) 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

xxZero · Answer

Thanks for the reply. I have been studying for around 30 hours each week. I am using Manhattan GMAT guides, Kaplan GMAT premier 2017, GMATClub question banks and notes, and official GMAT guide 2019 for my preparation. My overall goal is to get 700+ but I am trying to reach 750. I am planning on taking my GMAT at-home. Lastly, I am planning on applying for MiM business school in round 2.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi xxZero,

To start, you have to be careful about confusing "quantity" of study with "quality" of study. I've never asked anyone to study 30+ hours a week - and while it's great that you might have the available time to study that much, with that number of study hours, you would run the risk of 'burning out' before Test Day (and that is something that we want to avoid). If you are going to try to study that much, then I suggest that you take one hour "off" for every two hours of study. For example, you could study for 2 hours, then stop for an hour, then study for another 2 hours, then take an hour off, etc.

In addition, there is a significant difference between scoring 700 on the GMAT and scoring 750, so we need to better define the type of GMAT Score that you might 'need' to apply to the MiM Programs that you are interested in. As such, 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/

I want to reiterate that we really need to define your current ability level, so you should plan to take a NEW CAT sometime soon.

1) What are the exact application deadlines that you are facing?

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

xxZero · Answer

Today I gave a Manhattan GMAT mock and scored 600(Q42V33). I understand that my verbal is weak and am constantly trying to improve it, but my quants score is like a outlier. I scored 49 constantly in two other mocks I had given( didnt mention cause I was not trying seriously and was distracted in the middle in one i scored 640 Veritas and 660 in another. Can you help me understand if I really am 600 as the MGMT suggests cause I read a few articles which stated that they are generally more difficult than Official GMAT.
Thanks in advance

Posted from my mobile device

GilbertG · Answer

Dudes, thanks for your competent answers, it is really useful for me

MathRevolution · Answer

Hello xxZero,

A score of 650 or 650+ in the GMAT mock test tells the entire story about how well prepared you are for the GMAT official test and how to change the gear now to meet the target score in reality.

With my GMAT tutoring, guidance, and counseling experience, we have to accept a fact with a pinch of salt that diagnostic/ mock test scores are above then what one should expect in real test. There is often dropping in the score. Some students have even experienced a drop of 100 pointers. It is one of the realities, and your preparation should not sideline this fact.

You can schedule a Free counseling session for 20 mins with one of our experts:https://calendly.com/mathrevolution/1-on-1-session for detailed advice on your current study plans

A couple of things that can be a noticeable barrier to your scores would be some or all of the below.

• Inefficiency by using time-consuming Conventional method to tackle DS and PS questions still
• No expert support (maybe) who can tutor, analyze, and guide you during your learning especially on hard level questions while stably hitting middle-level questions.
• Lack of many updated questions and practice in the recent exam trend
• Not well aligned with time to solve questions.

Since we are a math expert, we will recommend you go through our post on the GMAT club: Breakdown of GMAT math questions and types: https://gmatclub.com/forum/overview-of- ... l#p1641411

We recommend that you must learn the Variable Approach for solving DS questions and the IVY approach for solving PS questions in order to improve your accuracy and save time while solving the question types.

Register with MathRevolution https://www.mathrevolution.com/member/signup to get access to our 7-day full on-demand course (27 topics, 490 subtopics, and 1,500 questions) for free trial lessons.

700+ level questions https://www.mathrevolution.com/gmat/questionbank are separately available, too. Start with the learning of the concepts. Make a habit of taking notes during the initial learning of the concepts.

The day regular mock tests show the consistent score of Q48+ with V37+, then it will reflect the positive change in the score, and hence, your confidence will boost up. Gradually, with the help of mock tests, you will be able to compete with time and therefore, will be able to learn time-management.

We appreciate your time and patience in reading this reply.

Should you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected]

Success is within your reach.
Good luck!

Punit Joshi
Math Revolution Team

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

When do you plan to take your next "fresh" official GMAC practice exam?

xxZero · Answer

When do you suggest I take another official practice tes? As taking it without practice will be of no use and also limit my available practice tests. I will like to add that I will be taking my GMAT in January 1-2nd week as I am having issues with my passport.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi xxZero,

The MGMAT CATs are generally regarded as being a little tougher than the Official GMAT, but they're 'close enough' that they will give you a reasonable assessment of your skills (assuming that you take the CAT in a realistic fashion that matches-up with how you will take the Official GMAT).

I want to reiterate that while the most realistic CATs available are the 6 from GMAC, retaking a CAT that you've already taken is NOT a realistic way to assess your skills - since you will likely see some 'repeat' questions that you have already faced. Unfortunately, seeing even a couple of repeats can 'throw off' the Scoring Algorithm and impact your pacing, energy levels, fatigue, etc. (meaning that they would likely all appear to be better than they actually are). Your first two Q49s were from 'retakes', so we have to be a bit suspicious of those results. It's also not clear how realistically you took those other 2 Exams (especially since you did not feel compelled to mention them until now), meaning that it is probably NOT same to assume that your current 'ability level' in the Quant section is a Q49.

All things considered, your current level is probably in the low-600s. You will almost certainly have to make significant improvements to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections before you will be able to consistently score 700+ on the Official GMAT and statistically-speaking, that type of training will likely require that you commit to another 1.5 - 2 months of consistent, guided study.

1) What are the exact application deadlines that you are facing? 
2) Going forward, how many hours do you think you can consistently study each week?

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

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Can you take it in a few weeks?

xxZero · Answer

Most of the universities I am applying to have rolling application. Few of them have round based and their round ends in January 1-2nd week. I think I will have to skip the round based ones for this round as I am getting delayed by my passport so I will be applying to them in round 3.
Coming back to your second question, I can effectively study for about 5 hours daily with 1-2 short breaks in between. So I will be having around 4-5 weeks before my GMAT. I analyzed my test and found that I need to improve my CR and SC part as most of my RCs were correct. Can you suggest how to improve in these areas, also how do I optimize my time to achieve a better result?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi xxZero,

Considering all of the 'variables' that you have described, you have to be really specific with your goals and plans so that we can properly plan out this next phase of your studies.

1) Can you go into more detail about the issue that you are facing with your passport? If you cannot resolve the 'issue', then what will happen then - and how will that impact your ability/options to take the GMAT?

2) What is the lowest GMAT Score that you would apply with? If you are going to keep studying (and retesting) until you score 700+, then you could potentially save some time, money and frustration by pushing back your planned Test Date (since 4-5 weeks is probably NOT going to be enough time for you to hone the necessary skills to earn that type of higher Score).

3) If you're not going to be submitting for the January application Rounds/deadlines, then what deadlines are you facing?

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

xxZero · Answer

Hi,
About my passport, one of available documents was rejected during application so I need to apply for another document. The document will arrive in 13-15 days. After getting the document it will take me around 4-5 days to get my passport. As the colleges I was trying to apply were of two different types, rolling admission and round based, I think the ones whose deadlines are there I will be skipping on then for this round as they require GMAT. Coming back to the ones with rolling admission some of them require GMAT but most have waived it. The average GMAT score of these schools was in 600-680 range. So now I am confused if I should apply early or wait a few weeks for GMAT and then apply.
The lowest score I would apply with would probably be 660+. The schools I am planning to apply are Cornell, Michigan, Warwick, UCL, Cranfield, UCD, and Rotman. If I get 700+ I will apply to LBS and Imperial in round 3. 
What do you suggest?
Edit:- I will be applying to MiM programs of the aforementioned universities.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi xxZero,

Since your situation is somewhat complicated - and involves a number of different deadlines and decisions to consider, I want to reiterate that you should discuss your application profile and plans with an Admissions Expert. We certainly do not want you to take a path forward unless it gives you a good opportunity to earn the type of GMAT Score that you might 'need' AND puts you in the proper position to apply to the Programs that you are interested in.

There's a Forum full of those Experts here:

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

Once an Expert has assessed your profile and defined what your Goal Score should be - and we know when you need to send in your applications - then we can create an appropriate Study Plan.

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

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