Help Needed. 7th GMAT Attempt after 3000 hours of studying :(

Question

Hi all,

I created this post a while ago and am updating it now.

I've just taken my 7th official GMAT and got another disappointing result of 580 (Q47 V23).
It's really hard to accept because I think I've spent over 3000 hours, studying almost every single day for 4 hours over the last 2 years and a bit, and yet my score has been going the wrong direction.
But it does not matter how many hours one has spent. Probably the quality of studying was not good enough. Honestly, I am starting to get a bit depressed, thinking that I am just not good enough to get 700+ score from the beginning and my life won't be worthwhile anymore.. Anyways, although extremely hard to keep myself motivated right now, I am thinking of taking my 8th GMAT in the coming months.

Could any body give me some advice on how to improve skills etc?
And has anybody taken GMAT eight times and got the desired score on the final attempt? I would like to hear about your experience.

-----------------------------------
Score
2021/03/19 1st GMAT 360(Q6 V31) online
2021/04/14 2nd GMAT 600(Q44 V29) online
2021/09/29 3rd GMAT 630(Q47 V30)
2021/12/07 4th GMAT 640(Q43 V35)
2022/02/25 5th GMAT 640(Q47 V31)
2022/04/14 6th GMAT 560(Q45 V23)
2022/08/04 7th GMAT 580 (Q47 V23)
-----------------------------------
Resources (I started my prep 2020 May)
Manhattan Fundamental Verbal and Quant (completed)
Manhattan All Verbal and All Quant (completed)
eGMAT both Quant and Verbal (completed)
Math Revolution (completed)
Power Score RC and CR (completed)
TTP Quant (completed)
TTP Verbal (ongoing)
OG Quetsions
GMAP Prep Questions
Varitas Mock (completed)
Manhattan Mock (completed)
Official Mock #1to#6(done twice)
GMAT Knight Tutoring 3 Verbal sessions
-----------------------------------

Hi all,

I have made a similar post a few times in the past, so please excuse me for doing this again, but I really need some advice.

I have taken my 6th official GMAT and got 560(Q45 V23).
I have been preparing for GMAT for about 2 years now, and have quit my job 3 months ago to fully focus on my prep.
So it was very disappointing to see the result I got.

Since I have only two attempts left, I would like to make sure as much as possible that what I work on in the coming months is effective to score 700+.
So if anyone could give me some advice, it would be much appreciated. Honestly, at this stage, I feel like I am not cut out for this exam.... but do not want to give up (but at the same time I feel like I might be trapped in sort of sunk cost fallacy).

The way I prepare at the moment is that I am working on TTP Verbal, and I have a study buddy whom I have found here in the GMAT club. And we have online study sessions about two times a week to improve PoE by discussing our answers, mainly Verbal questions.

Any advice would be appreciated, or if anyone experienced the same problem or used almost all attempts, it would be great if you could share your experience with me.

Thank you

2022/04/16
ESR for 6th GMAT uploaded

Attachments

File comment: 6th GMAT Q45 ESR

Q45 ESR.jpg [ 729.47 KiB | Viewed 4243 times ]

File comment: 6th GMAT V23 ESR

V23 ESR.jpg [ 795.98 KiB | Viewed 4212 times ]

2022/04/16 ESR for 6th GMAT uploaded

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

Seems the Quant is hovering around Q45. For Verbal, perhaps around the V30 level (if we consider the last mock an outlier). It's difficult to say precisely why your score is at a V30 level, but if you believe it's to do with slippery fundamentals, slowly going over why an answer choice is correct and why the others are wrong may be helpful during your prep. There's also stuff you could do to make your way of tackling questions more efficent.

Here's someone I helped who went from a V31 to a V40 in about 30 days. They took some tutoring (6 hours SA) and did other stuff that may provide some helpful insight. All the best.

https://gmatclub.com/forum/gmat-online- ... 68599.html

lostminer · Answer

More power to you. You are a great fighter.

bb   GMATNinja   KarishmaB   ExpertsGlobal  help this poor soul by throwing some insights.

Posted from my mobile device

Sivatorne · Answer

lostminer

Thanks a lot!! Appreciate that. probably the only way is to give my best to the left two attempts.

Sivatorne · Answer

GmatTutorKnight 
Thank you for your reply.
Yes I am not sure why I get around V30 on the official tests. On the official mock tests, I get late 30's or something 40 or 41. 
I am going to check out the story!

KarishmaB · Answer

You saw a big dip in your Verbal score in the last official GMAT; that is a bit surprising. I doubt even the ESR will be of much help at this point. It will likely show issues in all question types. I also see you have run though the prep curriculum of many prep providers so it seems that the self study routine is not working for you. All of us have the capability to learn but all of us learn differently. I would suggest you to work with a private tutor for a few hours. You might get insights into some core issues. You can take it up from there on your own if you so wish.

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

Here's a blog post that may be helpful, too. How to get a V40 or higher on the GMAT? What about a V51?

UserMaple5 · Answer

I would recommend personal tutoring if it's feasible for you. Seems like a professional tutor will be able to help nail down the specific issues you're facing. For verbal I would also recommend going through all the videos posted here by GMATNinja https://www.gmatninja.com/videos/gmat/verbal For more verbal improvements, I would also recommend reading academic / newspaper articles every day. Lastly, you are incredibly strong for giving it so much effort - if there's anything positive to take away from this experience, it's your resilience. I really hope you attain your goal score in your next attempt. Take care and good luck! If you ultimately choose to not proceed with the GMAT however, I would consider schools that offer waivers on the basis of other professional designations or in light of your overall profile. Stay strong!

Sivatorne · Answer

UserMaple5 
Thank you for your reply. 
I am considering seriously taking some private tutoring since some people have suggested me taking it. 
Ok, I am going to watch GMATninja's videos.

Could you please recommend any academic / newspaper articles?

And also, thank you very much for your kind words. Appreciate that. And it really motivates me to keep going. Thx!

Sivatorne · Answer

KarishmaB 
Thank you for your reply. 
As you mentioned, I think it's time that I took some tutoring. It seems like I need to get some fundamental approach right, not only approach to tackle GMAT questions but also approach to make use of prep courses as I am not getting as much value from the courses I've done as I should.

UserMaple5 · Answer

Hey if you have access to a local public library, you could pick up any non-fiction book. You can also find free open source journal articles online. There are tons of databases that are open to the public. Check out this link https://www.scribendi.com/academy/artic ... es.en.html Newspaper articles: literally anything as basic as New York Times or Wall Street Journal can help. It'll just help you with comprehension which is a big piece of the verbal section (including SC which relies on meaning more and more with harder level questions)

Sivatorne · Answer

UserMaple5 
Thank a lot. I will have a look!

GMATWhizTeam · Answer

Hi Sivatorne, I know how it feels to not be able to hit your target score repeatedly despite consistent and dedicated efforts over a considerable period of time. However, it’s good to see that you are eager to work on your weak areas to achieve your goal. Let me help you. A lot of students spend a lot of time studying from various resources but see little to no improvement. One of the major reasons is that they fail to identify the gaps in the preparation. The courses that you have mentioned above are all great ones. However, the biggest problem with them is that they are all static courses which means you need to start studying from scratch and complete everything and while doing so you may not get an additional input on where you need to improve. Looking at your scores, there is a clear lack of consistency in your scores as well. One possible reason could be that since you’re following too many sources of information, you have now confused yourself. I would suggest you to only focus and study from one source, whatever it may be. I would highly suggest that you try out https://www.gmatwhiz.com once. The best part about GMATWhiz is that it comes with an inbuilt study plan and personalizes your courses on the basis of your strengths and weakness. It will provide you exactly what you need to "improve". The course content is quite comprehensive, and we have detailed videos explaining everything from basics. And we also provide detailed videos explaining the best way to solve Quant questions and the right methodology to ace Verbal. Also, the mentors are always available to guide you in case you get stuck somewhere in your preparation. They'll help you understand where you went wrong and recommend the right course of action. You can checkout how Akshay managed to improve his GMAT score from 540 to 710 in around 60 days while working full time and got an admit from ESADE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1U2CQBhhJE Hope this helped and feel free to contact if you have any further queries. You can always write back to me here or the better way would be to connect over a call and have a discussion around the plan of action for your next attempt. You can schedule a free consultation call using the below link. Click here to schedule a call

GMATWhizTeam · Answer

Hi  Sivatorne

Sorry to hear about your experience. I know it must be very disappointing after putting in so much time, effort and money. A lot of students hit the score plateau and struggle to overcome it repeatedly. The best thing to do would be:

Get in touch with a Strategy Consultant  
 Share your doubts and ask your questions  
 Seek guidance on how to proceed

Considering the effort you have put, I would like to know your concerns and help you hit your target score this time by devising an action plan for you. Feel free to reach to me on DM if you wish to connect.

AjiteshArun · Answer

Hi  Sivatorne ,

You most likely don't need advice on how to improve skills, as you've spent more time preparing for the GMAT than many instructors. I was looking at another post today, and I asked that forum member to pull back a bit. I think you should do the same. There's a lot of material out there, and it's not all good. Focus on a very small set of very high-quality resources, and make an effort to let go of everything else.

Bookmarking, and hoping to see another, positive "updated" post in the future.

lostminer · Answer

Dear  AjiteshArun  pls suggest quality resources as well.

Posted from my mobile device

kungfury42 · Answer

Hi Sivatorne , if you're still looking for help I would be glad to do my best possible for you. I don't think it's just a chance that I stumbled upon your post

Godspeed to you, my friend.

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Help Needed. 7th GMAT Attempt after 3000 hours of studying :(

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