MSGmat1 wrote:
ScottTargetTestPrep wrote:
MSGmat1 wrote:
Hi Experts,
I took my GMAT today and got a disappointing result - 610 (Q49,V25) while on GMAT prep mocks I scored 710(Q50,V36) and 730(Q50,V40). Clearly, verbal is my weaker area. After the test, I accepted my score thinking that if I cancel my score, I will not be able to order ESR and identify my weaknesses.
Immediately after the verbal section, I realized that I lacked on time management skills as I guessed almost last 7-8 questions of verbal section including one RC passage. Out of the the three verbal sub-sections, I know that my SC is the strongest. I thought that I'd order the ESR and see if I actually did well in SC or not. But I read the use of ESR
https://gmatclub.com/forum/7-reason-why-gmat-esr-isn-t-useful-detailed-analysis-193100.html and I am quite confused whether I should order one or not. The only reason I accepted the score was that I could see my ESR.
Now, I am worried if such a low score will have a negative impact on my chances of acceptance in the target B-schools. I have quick 2-3 questions:
(1) Should I still order ESR? Does it indicate for each question from 1 to 36 whether my answer was correct or not ? I think if I order one, it will take 20 days but I am planning a retake in 3 weeks as application deadlines are approaching. So will the ESR really be useful ?
(2) Should I call GMAC and cancel my score now ? My target score is 720-740. Does my current low score,i.e., 610 will have a negative impact on my application and
scholarship chances as well ? (At ISB and LSB specifically)
(3) Should I enroll in any test series for Verbal ? Which ones are closest to the real GMAT experience ?
Thank you everyone for your help ! I really hope one fine day, I will post my GMAT experience and not my queries in GMAT Club community.
Glad you reached out and I’m happy to help!
1 and 2) Your ESR will not show you how you did on each individual question. Rather, for verbal, you will get a percentile score for SC, CR, and RC. So, at a bare minimum, you should be able to see which particular section(s) drove down your score. With that said, you can still get your enhanced report despite canceling your score, and furthermore, if you are committed to scoring a 720+, there is no reason to have a 610 on your record.
Regarding cancelation of your score, the following is from GMAC:
“You will be able to cancel your GMAT score online within 72 hours of your scheduled exam time for a $25 fee. We recommend that candidates carefully consider their strategy and decisions for cancelling their scores before their GMAT exam date.”
3) Regarding verbal courses, it may be helpful to do some research to determine which courses work best with your learning style. You can check out reviews on GMAT Club for the
verbal courses.
Also, if you’d like some more verbal tips, check out my Poets and Quants article about
how to improve your GMAT verbal skills.
Finally, I have an important question for you. I see that your practice exam scores were significantly higher than your score on your actual GMAT. Were your practice exams from MBA.com? Were those tests taken under realistic test-day conditions?
Feel free to reach out with any further questions.
Thank you for getting back. So as I understand I should cancel my score since I am anyways targeting scholarships from B-schools. Regarding whether to request ESR, the only reason I wanted to do so was because I clearly know that I guessed last 7-8 questions including one RC passage. Hence, the drastic drop in score. I still wanted to understand from my ESR how many of my first 25 questions (which I carefully attempted) were correct. But because ESR does not give question wise result, there is no point in ordering one.
And yes I took GMAT prep mocks from MBA.com and that too with new GMAT format under 90% realistic test conditions. (Took the test at same time as real GMAT exam and no breaks within one section but took a break of 15 minutes after Quant before heading to Verbal). But in real GMAT, I was just stuck with one passage which consumed my 10-12 minutes and hence I lost the game then and there.
You know, I think the ESR could be valuable for you because you will be able to see how you scored on SC, RC, and CR individually and thus will be able to make tweaks/improvements to the necessary sections prior to retaking your GMAT.
Beyond your ESR, it would be helpful to complete the remaining 4 GMAT prep exams so you can get a better handle on your timing, and thus ensure that you will not repeat the same timing mistakes come test day. Take those exams under 100% real conditions, so you can really mimic the test-day experience. It’s quite possible that your 15 minute break after quant helped enhance your practice test score.
To make your practice test conditions as realistic as possible, I recommend adhering to the following:
1) Plan to go the library and rent a private study room, or go to another quiet location to take the practice test. Do not take the test at your home. After all, you will not be taking your actual GMAT at home.
2) Do not skip any of the sections of the test. Yes, that means you must do the Integrated Reasoning section and the essay.
3) Do not take any additional breaks or do anything that you could not do on test day (such as pause the exam and go for a walk). It’s extremely important that you simulate test day in every way possible. Turn your cell phone off.
4) Do your scratch work with a wet-erase marker and pad similar to those provided at GMAT test centers.
5) Try to take the test on Saturday or Sunday morning, when your mind is fresh. It would not be a great idea to come home after working all day and sit down to take a practice GMAT.
In general, you should always give a practice test your best effort and treat it like the real deal! Remember, the practice test will not be an accurate gauge of your current GMAT skills unless you adhere closely to actual GMAT testing conditions when taking it. If you allow yourself to pause repeatedly, go over the allotted time for a section, or use a calculator during the Quant section, your score will not be accurate.
After taking each practice exam and getting some rest, you need to analyze your results. Begin by reviewing every question that you CORRECTLY answered. Take note of what you’re doing well and what skills and concepts are coming naturally to you. Take note of what question types you feel strong with.
Your next task, and probably your most important, is to carefully review each of your INCORRECT answers. When you examine each incorrect answer, you can use forums such as GMAT Club or Beat the GMAT to seek out reliable explanations for the questions. You will probably find it helpful to read a number of the experts’ solutions to each question and stick with the ones that make the most sense to you. Keep a detailed log of the types of questions that you answered incorrectly. For example, perhaps you got a rate-time-distance question wrong, an overlapping sets question wrong, two weakening problems wrong, and two subject/verb questions wrong. Really strive to fill in any gaps in your understanding of how to answer these types of questions. You will find that by giving yourself time to strengthen these weak areas, you will develop a level of comfort with them that you did not have before.
Unless you simply made a careless mistake on a question, it’s very important to use these wrong answer topics as a snapshot of your areas of weakness. Do not say to yourself, “Oh, I got two weakening questions incorrect, but really I understand how to solve weakening questions.” I have news for you: If you knew how to solve weakening questions well, you would not have gotten two of them wrong.
Once you complete all 4 tests and thoroughly analyze and fix any mistakes, you should be good to go for test day!
Feel free to reach out with any further questions.
Let’s do this!!
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22 Jun 2018, 01:58
