Pitfalls of scoring too high on the first mock exam

Question

Hello,

I have been passively browsing for quite a while, but it's time to request advice that will be more tailored to my situation.

My situation is: I would like to get into Harvard; I have just finished my last job and will not search for a new one until I finish the GMAT; and with no preparation whatsoever... my first mock exam yielded 700 (48Q, 37V, 8IR).

Based on my colloquial understanding, TTP is overwhelmingly focused on quant. Would it be a good idea to skimp on the >$400, or is it something I'll regret?  
 What are the best resources/guidance that money can buy?  
 May I skip directly to crunching those final ten percentiles, or should I go over a comprehensive plan from start to finish? Depending on your answer: which guides/books do you recommend? 
 What would be a realistic goal, given that I have time? 
 What are some pitfalls to avoid? Have I already fallen into them?

Thanks

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

Consider adding the score you are aiming for. Researching what a gap in your CV may mean for MBA applications could be helpful as well.

bb · Answer

Welcome to GMAT Club! You won't be the first one Harvard or bust so join the club! You seem to be at a good spot/place. The average in HBS and H/S/W is 725 or so - that means you are about 30 points from the average. This means you can hack it pretty quickly and rather than covering all the material, you can focus on your weaknesses/gaps. I don't know if TTP allows you to skip around but you could just get the MGMAT books with the Official Guide and use them as a reference to shore up your weak spots... that's assuming your initial mock is not inflated in any way. I would go deeper and figure out why you have made the mistakes (e.g. DS or CR or SC or RC but Q48 and V37 is a VERY strong result. You can improve to Q49 (not hard) and V40 (harder) and walk out with a 730/740 score based on the handy percentile table I just updated 10 mins ago - shamless plug

https://gmatclub.com/forum/gmat-scoring ... 88156.html and you could probably cover TTP and walk out with a 780. It really depends on what your set your sights to. I would say getting anything above 760 is not reasonable to pursue unless you really like the chase. Also, with that high of a score, TTP may have a score guarantee that may cover you (but read the T&C carefully as there are many implications and conditions sometimes that may be hard to meet). I would say in terms if pitfalls, you may have a few: 1. Quitting your job. I am not sure what line of work you are in but the top schools are not expecting you to drop everything and focus on the test. The expectation is that you are a crazy busy professional who is balancing job, test, applications, and a slew of additional passions. That is the bar set by HBS. 2. Choosing HBS or bust. There are many roads and as one person said, it is not that HBS makes people into amazing individuals but rather it attracts them so you can be just as amazing at Darden or McCombs or poor man's HBS - Sloan

. It is fine to set your sights but I would encourage you to apply to a range of schools. 3. Applications and your overall package is significantly more important for Top school admissions than scores. Everyone at HBS has a 700+. It is really not a deciding factor by any means. What else are you bringing to the table?

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi theGisforGorilla.

Regarding what you need to do to prepare, it's a little tough to say since you took that practice test completely "cold," if I understand correctly. So, it may be that, with even some basic preparation to familiarize yourself with the test and the questions, particularly Data Sufficiency questions, you'd score significantly higher, perhaps 730 or 740.

Regarding whether you need to take a comprehensive approach to preparing, what you need to do is learn enough to achieve your score goal. If your goal is 730, which is the Harvard average, then you can probably achieve your score goal by learning more about how to answer Data Sufficiency questions, tuning up a couple weaker areas of quant, and practicing verbal some, so without taking a comprehensive approach. If your goal is higher, you'll need to do more, but you still may not need to work on very many topics to achieve your goal.

Regarding TTP, assuming that your true starting point is 730 and your target score is 760, one option is to subscribe to TTP for a month and use the accelerated study plan to improve in some weaker areas of quant and work on all of verbal.

You can learn more about how to score in the mid 700s from this video I just made.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZATRSWlJ5T8

egmat · Answer

Hey theGisforGorilla , Good job on the mock test! 700 is definitely a great place to start. However, it is good that you’re wary of the possible pitfalls of a high initial score. Possible Pitfalls: There is such a thing as “Beginner’s Luck”, when it comes to the GMAT. So, you certainly want to confirm whether you’re truly at a 700 with a second test. The only way to confirm this is to take a second Mock. However, herein lies the second Pitfall . As I’m sure you're aware by now, there are only 6 Official Mocks. These mocks are the closest things to the actual exam, especially w.r.t. the Verbal Section. So, you do not want to solve these indiscriminately . It is better to save them for the final stage of your prep and use a reliable Unofficial Mock to confirm your starting abilities, especially one that offers you high level data analytics. I'd recommend you take a free SIGma-X mock test . You will get an Enhanced Score Report along with this. This will help you establish your current score for every individual subsection (SC, CR, RC, AR, ALG-GEO) which will further help you in creating specific plans for each individual subsection for you. Not knowing precisely what your strengths and weaknesses are could amount to an unnecessary waste of time and effort. There is no sense in boiling the ocean for someone who’s already at a 700. Relying on poor resources and focusing on incorrect or irrelevant concepts and skills can do more harm than good and lead to a score reduction instead of an improvement. Consulting accomplished and dependable Strategy Experts can get you the right information you need. Securing an Admit to Harvard Business School Considering that you are currently at 700, you should try to improve your score further to improve your chances of making it to HBS. Your GMAT score accounts for 22% weightage (16% for total GMAT score + 6% for GMAT quant score) in your application. For HBS you should target 750, which is around 20 points more than 730 – the average GMAT score of last year’s batch. Click here to understand how you could make it Harvard Business School Click here to learn more about the Class Profile and Employment Report of HBS MBA Class of 2024 Read this report to understand how a high GMAT score can substantially increase your chances of making it to HBS and other M7 B-schools. I hope these resources give you some clarity and help you understand what is it that you need to do to make it HBS. Your Journey From 700 to 750+ on the GMAT Now that you understand the importance of a high GMAT score for your B-school application, here’s a step-by-step plan that you could follow to get to a 750+ score: Start your journey by establishing a baseline of your current abilities for every individual sub-section of the GMAT. You can do that by taking a mock that presents you the complete picture of where you stand today. You can take one of the SIGma-X mocks in our free trial course . Here is the link for the mock - https://e-gmat.com/sigma-x/ (free of charge). Once you’ve identified your strengths and weaknesses , it’s critical that you build a Personalised Study Plan . This will help you cut down your prep time significantly (by around 40%). You may reach out to us on support@e-gmat.com if you need help with creating a study plan. Learn the right methods of solving questions - GMAT is a test of ability, a lot of students make the mistake of just practicing questions randomly without building the requisite core skills tested by these questions. You must avoid that trap. Once you are aware of your sub-sectional scores and you have your study plan in place, start with preparing for one sub-section at a time and follow the below process for every individual sub-section: Stage 1: Learning Concepts and Methodologies This is the phase wherein we learn all the concepts in a sub-section and learn the process of solving the questions in that sub-section. Stage 2: Cementing In this phase, we cement our learnings by first solving medium-difficulty questions and then hard questions. We start with relaxed timing and then progress to standard timing. Standard timing is the speed at which you will be expected to take the actual GMAT. Stage 3: Test Readiness This is the final phase of your prep. This is where you write full-length mocks to determine whether you’re ready for the GMAT or need to work on cementing your individual skills further. Mastering one sub-section at a time entails completing the first two stages for a particular sub-section before moving to the next. Track your progress continuously with the right data points and by using a milestone-driven approach. Before your test, make sure you spend enough time on revising your notes and error logs . Make sure you review all your quizzes and mocks in detail to make sure that you got questions correct for the right reasons. For the incorrect questions or questions where you took excessive time, try to figure the gaps and bridge the gaps. What Resources Do Your Need to Improve to 750+ on the GMAT? You will need a course that offers you: A strong, adaptive architecture that is able to pinpoint your strengths and weaknesses at a granular level. Extensive lessons and exercises to cover concepts and methodologies to help you develop the right Core Skills. A robust and adaptive testing platform with advanced Data Analytics to help you Cement your core skills in each subsection. A reliable and integrated Mock Test Series that provides you with Enhanced Score Reports. And, finally, dedicated support of Subject Matter and Strategy Experts to monitor your progress and guide you every step of the way. How to Choose the Right Resources? We understand that choosing the right course for your GMAT preparation can be daunting. And to help you make an informed decision and save invaluable prep time and money, here’s a list of factors that you should consider while choosing a course: Experience the free trial courses – most important step that you need to take so that you can decide which platform works for you. Talk to a Strategy Expert in a free one-to-one session. This will help you address your apprehensions, understand the process that you need to follow, and help you design a personalized strategy for your GMAT journey. Visualize your journey by going through the reviews of students who have used these platforms. Both companies have a YouTube channel as well. You’ll find a lot of reviews there as well. Use them to take a decision. I hope all this information helps you make an informed decision. Some Motivation for You I’m also sharing a few success stories of students who made it to HBS just like you aspire to: Valentin scored a 760 in his first attempt by leveraging GMAT Online course. This enabled him to secure an admit from Harvard with $120k in scholarship . Click here to watch his journey. Mansi aced the GMAT in her first attempt and scored a 770 . She then went on to receive admits from Harvard Business School, Stanford GSB, The Wharton School, Kellogg School of Management, and INSEAD . She decided to join the Harvard Business School class of 2020. Click here to watch her speak about her journey. You can read and watch more stories of successful students here: https://e-gmat.com/blogs/news/gmat-success-stories/gmat-750-success-stories/ I sincerely hope that you find this insightful and motivational. Feel free to reach out to us on support@e-gmat.com if you need any help with creating an actionable study plan for you to improve from 700 to 750+. Wishing you luck and success with your GMAT! Best Regards, Mansi

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi theGisforGorilla, I've sent you a PM with some notes and additional questions. GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made, Rich Contact Rich at: Rich.C@empowergmat.com

bb · Answer

Thank you for keeping us updated about your private message communications. 👍

Posted from my mobile device

bb · Answer

Thank you Mansi. This is a pretty impressive post and I give you a huge credit for formatting it in GMATClubForum style. That is no easy fit so you get my salute!

A few quick questions.:
1. What is G is for Gorilla? I see all of those links peppering this post - are you tracking this users clicks? Are you trying to tie your reply to this user? It is a little creepy… 
2. I counted more than 20 highlights. I’m not sure if I need to highlight this more… 😇🤷‍♂️

Posted from my mobile device

theGisforGorilla · Answer

I'm wondering what score to aim for. On one hand, there is no downside to having a higher score. However, diminishing returns paired with the opportunity cost means I'm not bolstering my application in other ways. 
Regarding the gap, at what point would it be considered problematic?

Thank you for the warm welcome. GMAT club is proving a tremendous asset so far.

A mean of 725 doesn't *feel* like much. However, mine may have to be higher.

My fixed-duration contract of a few years has expired. I've decided not to immediately go for a new job; instead, I will use this time to transfer into a new field of work. This includes studying for the GMAT and my HBS ambitions. I hope this is not seen as me quitting my job to do the GMAT.

What do I bring to the table? Good question. First off, I should say that I'm an engineer. I have a mediocre GPA from an unremarkable university. However, I had shone enough in other ways to be hired by NASA immediately out of school  (note: I'm from Europe; it was a company of equal prestige) . My hopes are that a strong employment history - if paired with a strong GMAT score - may make up for a poor GPA.

I have put in a tremendous amount of work over the last couple of years as far as becoming business- and finance-literate, in parallel with my current career. All to better facilitate a change.

Thank you for the detailed outline. Frankly, I am quite embarassed by my quant performance - I even clicked and confirmed a wrong answer, despite having spent 4 minutes calculating the right one. There is definitely room for improvement, however. Even more so with verbal.

The $150 plan does look enticing. I think I will give it a go, rather than risk regretting it later.

Likewise, thank you for the detailed response. I will give the sigma test a go. After having gone through my official mock exam and marking everything in an error log by hand - I have a new appreciation for analytics. It takes a lot longer than expected.

bb · Answer

Just to clarify, I did not mean to question your profile or your chances of admission, just asking a rhetorical question instead that every applicant should be thinking about.

I would say that as an engineer, you do want to improve your quant significantly. Otherwise if they look at your Quan score they will require a lot more proof that you are an engineer 😇 i’m just kidding and messing with you a little bit but your story has to add up. If it doesn’t, then the admissions starts wondering why it does not add up. Did you not put any effort into your application and test prep? It could be your mind works in a different way, clearly you’re extremely talented so that could also be an explanation and you can use the optional essay for that. I guess the whole Harvard essay is like an optional essay …. But if you already have a strike on your GPA, then I would very highly recommend investing time and resources into a solid test prep strategy. I am all for being frugal, and limiting you, I am the guy who was too cheap to buy the official guide Which is stupid, but the bottom line is that there is a line in the limit where you end up just wasting time by trying to be too frugal.

The test costs $300 with tax. If you have to retake it, that’s a lot more than 150.

Posted from my mobile device

theGisforGorilla · Answer

Hah, no worries. It's a very good question to ask. It's a question to which I will need a beyond-perfect reply. A reply that's... Harvard-worthy

And yes, my quant performance is lacking. Given my field of work, I need to do better. The GMAT is generous to give 48/52 points despite 10 wrong answers.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi theGisforGorilla,

I think TTP would be perfect for you. Have you had a chance to check out our trial?

egmat · Answer

Hey theGisforGorilla , I'm glad to know that you found my detailed response helpful. Please PM us or reach out to us at support@e-gmat.com once you have taken the mock test to discuss your next steps. Looking forward to hearing from you. Best Regards, Mansi

egmat · Answer

Dear bb , Thank you for the appreciation. Yes, Mansi puts a lot of passion and effort into composing comprehensive responses to queries by GMAT Aspirants. We believe that the better the response, the less the struggle students have to face to get to their target score. As for your questions, although I'll be responding to you in detail in a private message, you can rest assured that there's nothing "creepy" about anything we do at e-GMAT.

None of the links are tied to this user or any other for that matter. More on this in the PM. Let's not dilute the impact of this thread by discussing such matters here. Thanks again. We look forward to continuing to help students realize their GMAT dreams. Best regards, Abhishek Team e-GMAT

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