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Intern
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Joined: 18 Aug 2019
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GMAT 1: 700 Q48 V38 (Online)
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GMAT 1: 800 Q51 V49
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Re: 650 on 1st Attempt - Study Plan/Guide for Improvement (Target=730) [#permalink]
Expert Reply
Hi fasih96,

I'm sorry to hear that Test Day did not turn out better. First off, a 650/Q44 is a solid Score, so it could be enough to get you into your first-choice School. That having been said, since you're interested in some highly-competitive Programs, retesting (with the goal of scoring higher) makes sense. A 730+ Score requires a high level of commitment - and a focus on learning and practicing the proper Tactics. While I understand what you described about some of the challenges that you faced during your prior studies, you cannot afford to 'lose interest' or you might never achieve your Score Goal. Raising a 650 to the point that you can consistently score 730+ will likely require at least another 2 months of consistent, guided study - and you'll have to make significant improvements to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections. Thankfully, the GMAT is a consistent, predictable Exam, so you CAN train to score at a higher level.

Before I can offer you the specific advice that you’re looking for, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

1) Did you use any other study materials besides the books that you mentioned?
2) On what 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)?
3) What application deadlines are you currently facing?

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
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Joined: 18 Aug 2019
Posts: 39
Own Kudos [?]: 11 [0]
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Location: Pakistan
GMAT 1: 700 Q48 V38 (Online)
GPA: 3.16
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Re: 650 on 1st Attempt - Study Plan/Guide for Improvement (Target=730) [#permalink]
EMPOWERgmatRichC wrote:
Hi fasih96,

I'm sorry to hear that Test Day did not turn out better. First off, a 650/Q44 is a solid Score, so it could be enough to get you into your first-choice School. That having been said, since you're interested in some highly-competitive Programs, retesting (with the goal of scoring higher) makes sense. A 730+ Score requires a high level of commitment - and a focus on learning and practicing the proper Tactics. While I understand what you described about some of the challenges that you faced during your prior studies, you cannot afford to 'lose interest' or you might never achieve your Score Goal. Raising a 650 to the point that you can consistently score 730+ will likely require at least another 2 months of consistent, guided study - and you'll have to make significant improvements to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections. Thankfully, the GMAT is a consistent, predictable Exam, so you CAN train to score at a higher level.

Before I can offer you the specific advice that you’re looking for, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

1) Did you use any other study materials besides the books that you mentioned?
2) On what 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)?
3) What application deadlines are you currently facing?

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

Hi! Thank you for taking out the time to help me.

1) I only used the 2013 Manhattan Guides pack (with 10 guides) and to go with that I only practices from the Official GMAT Review 13th Edition.
2) CAT Dates and Scores
a. September 9th - 650 (Q46,V34)
b. October 13th - 670 (Q48, V34)
c. Dec 8th - 860 (Q47, V36)
3) I plan on applying for the 2021 Fall Intake so even the earliest date would be in August of 2018.
4) I rejected my scores so I'm not entirely sure if I can order the ESR for this.

Thank you again for the help :)
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Re: 650 on 1st Attempt - Study Plan/Guide for Improvement (Target=730) [#permalink]
Expert Reply
Hi fasih96,

GMAC has publicly stated that the Official Score that you earn on Test Day is within +/- 30 points of actual ability. Assuming a similar 'swing' in how your CATs function, your 3 CAT score results (I assume that the '860' is supposed to be a '660') - along with your Official Score - show that you essentially performed the same each time (about 660 +/- a few points). You handle certain aspects of the GMAT consistently well, but you also make certain consistent mistakes. By extension, since you've been performing at the same general level for the last 3 months, it's likely that you've gotten 'stuck' at this score level for some time - and you may have developed some 'bad habits' that will take time to fix (and replace with new 'good habits'). Thankfully, the GMAT is a consistent, predictable Exam, so you CAN train to score at a higher level.

You're also given yourself plenty of time before you plan to apply to School - which is good. From what you've described, your studies so far have been "book heavy"; unfortunately, many GMATers who study in that way end up getting 'stuck' at a particular score level - and that is likely a contributing factor in your situation. 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. As such, you would likely find it beneficial to invest in some new, non-book study materials for this next phase of your studies.

You CAN purchase an Enhanced Score Report - even for a canceled Score. While we can use your prior CAT Scores to determine what probably happened on Test Day, the only way that we would know for sure is if you purchased the ESR. If you purchase the ESR, then I'll be happy to analyze it for you.

1) Do you want to continue your studies immediately or take a little 'time off' (for end-of-the-year festivities, etc.) and restart your studies in a couple of weeks?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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Intern
Joined: 18 Aug 2019
Posts: 39
Own Kudos [?]: 11 [0]
Given Kudos: 9
Location: Pakistan
GMAT 1: 700 Q48 V38 (Online)
GPA: 3.16
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Re: 650 on 1st Attempt - Study Plan/Guide for Improvement (Target=730) [#permalink]
EMPOWERgmatRichC wrote:
Hi fasih96,
You CAN purchase an Enhanced Score Report - even for a canceled Score. While we can use your prior CAT Scores to determine what probably happened on Test Day, the only way that we would know for sure is if you purchased the ESR. If you purchase the ESR, then I'll be happy to analyze it for you.

1) Do you want to continue your studies immediately or take a little 'time off' (for end-of-the-year festivities, etc.) and restart your studies in a couple of weeks?

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

I purchased the ESR, there's a delay before it becomes available to you but I'll send it over as soon as I get it.

1) I want to start immediately and in fact I was taking a week off to just relax and wanted to start again on Monday. Till then I wanted to form a game plan over the weekend. I do plan to take a week off in the end of January but even in that I'm committed to studying whenever I can find time.
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GMAT 1: 800 Q51 V49
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Re: 650 on 1st Attempt - Study Plan/Guide for Improvement (Target=730) [#permalink]
Expert Reply
Hi fasih96,

Once we have your ESR, we'll be able to put together a specific Study Plan for this next phase of your studies. In the short term, there is some work that you can do before your ESR becomes available:

"Review" is an exceptionally important part of the GMAT training process; your ability to define WHY you're getting questions wrong is essential to defining the areas that you need to work on (and the specific things that you need to 'fix'). As such, I'd like to know a bit more about your last CAT. While a full Mistake Tracker would provide a lot more information, there are some basic questions that you should be able to answer (and the more EXACT you can be with your answers, the better):

After reviewing each section of this recent CAT, 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?
5) How many Verbal questions did you 'narrow down to 2 choices' but still get wrong?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
Intern
Intern
Joined: 18 Aug 2019
Posts: 39
Own Kudos [?]: 11 [0]
Given Kudos: 9
Location: Pakistan
GMAT 1: 700 Q48 V38 (Online)
GPA: 3.16
Send PM
650 on 1st Attempt - Study Plan/Guide for Improvement (Target=730) [#permalink]
EMPOWERgmatRichC wrote:
After reviewing each section of this recent CAT, 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?
5) How many Verbal questions did you 'narrow down to 2 choices' but still get wrong?

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

Hi!
So based on the last CAT these are my answers. Also, the ESR report is attached below.

For Quant: 9 Mistakes (5-Silly Mistakes, 4-Some Concept I couldn't remember)
For Vebal: 12 Mistakes (2-Silly Mistakes, 6-Some Concept I couldn't Remember, 3-Hard Question, 1-Narrowed Down to 2 Choices)
Time never seemed too much of an issue for me in both the official and the practice CAT though I was finishing sections on the dot of their full time.
Attachments

Fasih Ur Rehman_359688633_ESR.pdf [506.85 KiB]
Downloaded 40 times

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Joined: 19 Dec 2014
Status:GMAT Assassin/Co-Founder
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GMAT 1: 800 Q51 V49
GRE 1: Q170 V170
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Re: 650 on 1st Attempt - Study Plan/Guide for Improvement (Target=730) [#permalink]
Expert Reply
Hi fasih96,

I've sent you a PM with an analysis of your ESR and some additional notes.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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Re: 650 on 1st Attempt - Study Plan/Guide for Improvement (Target=730) [#permalink]
fasih96 wrote:

Guidance Required:
I want to make a proper study plan for my next attempt along with whatever books/resources/online courses I would need to execute said study plan. I'm willing to spend some cash for resources but I'd rather not spend needlessly. I can manage two hours of studying on weekdays and at least four on weekends. So my questions are.
1) What is a suitable time period for an improvement from my score of 650 to my target score of 730.
2) What resources and tests are the best for improving both Quant and Verbal from a grass root level. For Quant specifically I want to ensure I have an in depth understanding of the concepts being tested so I can score really well.
3) How should I structure my study plan? (should I do Quant an hour, then verbal in the next session or should i structure it differently)
4) Any other tips that helped you or someone you know improve their score?

Thank you in advance for all the help :)


1) Time frame: depends upon case to case basis but given your background you should give your self 3 months of a systematic guided study. Since you are eyeing 2021, you can afford to give yourself sufficient time and if things don't go your way for any reason then you can always go for one more attempt.

2) Try to use newer material. Go through the advanced OG questions. Ensure you don't lack understanding of any basic topics. Focus more on quality than quantity.

3) You need to be patient and persistent in your efforts. Don't give up and don't let other things bother your studies.

All the best!
GMAT Club Bot
Re: 650 on 1st Attempt - Study Plan/Guide for Improvement (Target=730) [#permalink]

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