Advice needed after missing my GMAT target score of 710 twice

Thank you very much for your replies EMPOWERgmatRichC , GmatTutorKnight & kntombat !

I will definitely reflect on the points you mentioned and check out the resources you posted.

Nevertheless, one big question remains for me: Were my official CATs representative (within the range of +/-30) or is it likely, that my preparation material (ManhattanPrep & OG22) was so close to the questions in the official CATs that I obviously scored better in these than on test day?

Thanks again,
Chux

Hi Chux,

You ask a broad question - and the answer will depend a great deal on how you prepared for the GMAT (and by extension, how you took your CATs). Thus, if you can answer my prior questions (which I've copied below) - along with a few potential follow-ups - then we should be able to figure this all out.

1) On what dates did you take your 2 Official GMATs?
2) How long have you studied in total? How many hours do you typically study each week?
3) Did you take any other CATs/mocks besides the 6 Official CATs?
4) 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)?
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

Hi Chux,

I see you have a number of questions regarding your score drop, so I'm happy to share my thoughts.

Assuming that you took your official practice exams under realistic testing conditions, the results show that, on a good day, you are capable of scoring higher than V35. Thus, it’s quite possible that nerves, stress, tiredness, or a combination of all three negatively affected your test-day performance. However, it’s also possible that you have some lingering weaknesses that were exposed on test day. Although I’m unsure of how you prepared, it’s possible that, in your preparation, particularly in verbal, you did not really learn to do what you have to do in order to score high on the actual GMAT. Rather, you picked up on some patterns that were effective in getting you relatively high scores on practice tests. So, for you to hit your score goal, your preparation, particularly for verbal, probably needs to be more complete, meaning that you have to go through the various types of GMAT questions carefully to find your exact weaknesses, fill gaps in your knowledge, and strengthen your skills.

For verbal specifically, you have to become more skilled at clearly defining the differences between trap choices and correct answers. Otherwise, you will get stuck guessing between two choices or be surprised to find that you incorrectly answered questions that you thought you answered correctly. Becoming more skilled in this way takes carefully analyzing all of the answer choices to lots of verbal questions to develop an eye for the logical differences between the choices. In other words, you have to go beyond answering practice questions and reading explanations to doing deep analysis of questions to learn to see everything that is going on in them.

In order to follow the path described above, you may need some new quant and verbal materials, so take a look at the GMAT Club reviews for the best quant and verbal courses.

You also may find it helpful to read the following articles:

how to score a 700+ on the GMAT

Why Was My GMAT Score Lower Than My Practice Test Scores?

Hello Chux,

A score of 680 in the GMAT is decent and 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.

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 a real test. 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

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

Register with MathRevolution https://www.mathrevolution.com/member/signup to get access to our 7-days on-demand course 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 info@mathrevolution.com

Success is within your reach.
Good luck!

Math Revolution Team

I'm certain your final 30 points can come from a focus on your Test Taking Skills. A clear diagnostic of your test taking strategy gaps, targeted skills drills and finally a full testing simulation will bridge the gap much faster than going back to the old practice problems / practice test approach.

Happy to discuss in more detail and schedule a FREE diagnostic / planning session to identify your gaps and map out your (final) retake prep path.