Official GMAT Mock Score Dropped by 160 points

Question

Please give your inputs  GMATNinja   KarishmaB   ScottTargetTestPrep   AjiteshArun   MartyTargetTestPrep

While I had dedicated myself to rigorous preparation and had felt confident in the lead-up to the test, regrettably, I experienced a substantial decrease in my score.

My GMAT score plummeted by 160 points when compared to my previous practice test results.
My Mock scores were always in between 600 - 680.
2 days back I scored 660 in GMAT Official Mock 2.

This significant decline can be primarily attributed to the Verbal section. My Quantitative score of Q49 was in line with my expectations.
I was utterly taken aback when I saw my Verbal score of V12 because, until now, my lowest score in the Verbal section had been V22. 
This was even more surprising because during some of my practice exams I was continuously getting distracted but still I managed to score better than this..

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

Might be worth checking out Manhattan-Prep's 6th Edition for SC and CR. For RC, becoming familiar with how inference questions work could also be useful. If you feel your fundamentals are solid, consider working on your solving approach. May help boost your score a bit. Had a student for example who went from a V31 to a V40 in about 30 days. Perhaps include working with a study buddy into your prep. If you can find someone who is strong on Verbal and needs help with Quant, that could be a good fit given your Q49.

5 Verbal tips

slk00 · Answer

you said you always scored in between 600-680, and you scored a 660 in mock. how is that a 160 point drop? did you mean 560?

Priest321 · Answer

2 days back in official mock I scored 660. Today, I scored 500 in actual GMAT..

Posted from my mobile device

slk00 · Answer

I had the same thing happen to me, but I was scoring in the 600s range on Princeton Mocks. I scored 580 on the Official mock and 530 in the real exam. Pretty much anxiety played a role for me. Giving my next attempt in 5 days.

It could be that you had already solved questions that appeared in your mock -that could possibly have inflated your mock score. 160 point drop is very unlikely though, I do think something else may have played a role in your case, if your prep was great.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Priest321,

I'm sorry to hear that Test Day didn't go as well as planned. 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? What “brands” of CATs/mocks have you used?
3) On what dates (or approximate dates) did you take EACH of your CATs/mocks and how did you score on EACH (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?

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?

If you took your Official GMAT at a Test Center, then you might also choose to purchase the Enhanced Score Report. While the ESR doesn’t provide a lot of information, there are usually a few data points that we can use to define what went wrong on Test Day (and what you should work on to score higher). If you purchase the ESR, then I'll be happy to analyze it for you.

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

Contact Rich at: [email protected]
www.empowergmat.com

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi Priest321,

I see that you did very well on quant, but do you think that, at least on the verbal section, nerves were an issue for you?

KarishmaB · Answer

Here is what I would suggest - get the official practice tests 3 - 6. Take one of them strictly under timed conditions. Or take an official GMAT Focus practice test. At least you will get an idea of how you perform in CR and RC. You will find out what your actual baseline is. Is it that your practice test scores were inflated because of familiar questions or is it that your actual GMAT score dropped because of test day nerves. You seem to be fairly comfortable with the language. In either case, I would suggest you to go through the Verbal content of a test prep to ensure better understanding of Verbal concepts. It will help you bring your Verbal up from 20s to at least 30s. Check out my Verbal videos here: https://www.youtube.com/@karishma.anaprep

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Official GMAT Mock Score Dropped by 160 points

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