Low Mock scores

Question

Hello GMAT experts,

I am preparing for GMAT for sometime now. But my mock scores are not improving. Before I started preparing for GMAT, I had made target score of 700+. Right now, it appears to be a distant thought. I have given 3 MGMAT mocks with score of 550(Q40 V27), 490 (Q30 V28) and 530 (Q39 V24). I am attaching my detail reports forthese mocks.

I am not sure if I am taking lot of time in each of the Quant questions or trying to attempt too hard ones in timed conditions. I am weak in CR and RC because I have not started studying both of them. I am not able to start CR and RC, since my Quant and SC are still lagging behind. For SC I take lot of time figuring out answers( around 6 mins for very complex ones).

At this point I really dont know what should I concentrate on as I am not able to find a strong section to bank on. I have seen so many success stories on this forum, but my hard work is not reflecting in scores. 
Can you please point where I need to concentrate and how can I plan my further studies. Can you please guide me.

I have planned for GMAT score date of 8-April-16. Also wanted to let you know I have signed up for e-GMAT verbal.

OptimusPrepJanielle · Answer

Hi FollowurDream,

Your mock CAT scores show a clear lack of understanding of the fundamentals. Also, you said that you have not started studying for the CR and RC sections, so you should not expect good results in those sections.
 
1. Where did you prepare for the Quants section?
2. Have you solved the questions from the OG?
3. How long have you been studying?

To prepare well, try to do the following things:

1. Understand the concepts and fundamentals before jumping into problem solving
2. Solve full length CATs including AWA and IR. You can get two free GMAT Prep mock CATs and can purchase two more from mba.com
3. Make sure you solve the official questions from the Official Guide

KarishmaB · Answer

I see you get RC questions wrong in a sequence - this shows that you did not really comprehend the passage. You are also making mistakes in CR. I suggest you to do the following: Start immediately with CR - work on the basics and understand each question type. Practice some questions of each type. Also, check out RC question types and start practicing passages from various topic areas. Improving comprehension takes a lot of time. Leaving it for the end will not help at all. Continue working on SC side by side. Note that it has the same weightage as the other two sections, not higher, so you cannot focus on it alone. Also, no way can you afford to give upto 6 mins to an SC questions. 1-1.5 minutes is enough and if you are unable to get to the answer in that time, you may want to guess and move on. SC is where people try to save time because RC and CR are more time consuming. I see you guess a lot in between - you will need to work on increasing speed. Practice in a timed environment and push yourself to read faster. Check out our blog for more Verbal and Quant tips and tricks: https://www.gmatclub.com/forum/veritas-prep-resource-links-no-longer-available-399979.html#/category/gmat/

egmat · Answer

Hi FollowurDream , Thank you for enrolling in our course. Preparing for GMAT is a very scientific process and you need to make sure that you are follow a methodical and strategic approach for the same. I see from your post that you are not preparing in a organized and step-wise manner. Here are few things that you should do and change your approach. 1) The first thing is you should do is to define your target Quant and Verbal scores for reaching your target score of 700+ (This can be Q50 V36, Q48 V37, Q49 V36 etc. You may also refer to this post if need any help: gmat-scores-83890.html). Most importantly, please go through the recording of our Strategy Session 1: https://goo.gl/i1pLaf. This session will help you define you GMAT strategy and create your own study plan. 2) Follow the study plan given to you. Do not deviate from that. This study plan will dictate when and where from should you practice. It will cover all official sources. You are not required to use any other study material. Our courses are 4-5X more comprehensive than any book. Your score improvement will be much higher and faster if you just use our courses. Here are some examples: o My Journey from 600 (Mock 0) to 750 (First attempt): my-journey-from-600-mock-0-to-750-first-attempt-158468.html o Debrief – 720 (Q48 V41): debrief-720-q48-v41-152235.html 3) Do not study Quant and Verbal in parallel , if you have sufficient time to prepare. Concentrate on one section at a time, master it and then only move on to another section. Also, while doing a particular topic in Quant and Verbal, concentrate on that topic only. Don’t study anything else during that time. For example, if you are doing Number Properties, don’t study Geometry at the same time. Similarly, while doing SC don’t do CR or RC at the same time. 4) Check whether you have mastered a topic or not after completing it. How? Use our Scholaranium platform. You may take our ability quizzes to check your current level of preparation: https://e-gmat.com/blogs/how-to-take-an-ability-quiz/. Only when you have mastered a section (say SC), move on to the other sections (CR and RC). 5) Do not hurry through your preparation . Give required time to understand the concepts. Do check each and every solution, even if your answers are correct. 6) Attempt mocks only after all completing your preparation for the all the sections . Essentially, the purpose of mocks is to understand your current level of preparation and there is no point in taking them if you have not done the courses. Also, go through the recording of - Strategy Session 2: https://goo.gl/npxTvM before you attempt mocks. This session helps you refine your preparation to get the maximum score improvement in the last days of your preparation. Folks who were in your shoes If you’re looking for further motivation to achieve your target score. Here are few success stories that will help you plan further and get inspired! 1. Learn how Nikhil, improved from V19 (19 percentile) to V38 (85 percentile) . In the interview (https://goo.gl/UqfcbW), Nikhil articulates his struggles, outlining what worked for him and how was he able to finally improve to V38. 2. Richa improved from 12 percentile (V16) to 85 percentile (V38) on GMAT Verbal improved her overall score from 470 to 720. Read Richa's debrief: https://goo.gl/8Gu2oS. 3. Suren improved from 470 (V17) to 740 (V40) . Click here to read his debrief: https://goo.gl/K2gUgU. If you have any questions regarding your preparation, do let me know. I’ll be happy to help you but do go through the recordings of the Strategy Sessions before that.

Regards, Rajat Sadana

FollowurDream · Answer

Thanks!!! I do follow some of your blogs on Quant. I will follow the approach which you have suggested.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi FollowurDream,

About 6 weeks ago, you posted your progress (at that time). For anyone else who's interested, the story is here:

from-600-to-760-q51-v41-secure-700-with-5m-plan-4-take-aways-210980.html#p1625167

Since then, it does not appear that you have been able to make the necessary changes to hit your goal score (700+). GMAC has publicly stated that a Test Taker's Official Score is within +/- 30 points of actual ability; assuming a similar 'swing' in how your CATs function, "your way" of approaching this process is likely going to get you a score in the low-500s. As such, you will likely need to invest in a full GMAT Course of some type (either Guided Self-Study or instructor-led) to hit your goals. You'll also likely need more time than you've allotted; an April 8th Test Date now gives you less than 2 months of study time remaining and you'll almost certainly need more time than that raise your score 200 points.

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

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