ESR Evaluation

Question

Hi,

I took the GMAT on 11th August after 4 months of rigorous studies and ended up with a 690 (Q47 V38). This was my 2nd attempt at GMAT. I had previously scored 680 (Q46 V37) on July 17th. This was quite shocking because I had been performing much better on the mocks.

All the mocks were given in real exam conditions and at the same time as the actual exam.

Mocks given prior to first attempt (over the course of 3-4 weeks)
- GMAT Prep 1: 720 (Q49, V39)
- GMAT Prep 2: 750 (Q49, V42)
- Veritas 1: 710 (Q50, V37)
- MGMAT 1: 680 (Q46, V37) 
- MGMAT 2: 700 (Q47, V39)
- GMAT Prep 6: 730 (Q50, V39)

Mocks given prior to second attempt (over the course of 2 weeks)
- MGMAT : 740 (Q49, V38) - I had seen some questions in this mock before and the overall level of difficulty seemed easier than other MGMAT mocks
- GMAT Prep 3: 750 (Q50, V41)
- GMAT Prep 4: 750 (Q50, V41)

I have tried to analyse my ESR but not sure where I am going wrong. 
I performed terribly on CR although my accuracy in mocks is always above 80%. I am also unable to understand why Quant scores are stuck at 46/47 despite consistently scoring higher levels in mock exams.

I am willing to give another attempt at GMAT and aiming for 720-730. Any kind of help will be highly appreciated.

EMPOWERgmatRichC 
Thanks in advance.
Rachit

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi Rachit25,

Since CR and Quant seem to be your pain points (based on your latest GMAT exam), would you like some general advice on how to improve in those areas? Also, in the meantime, here is a helpful article:

Using GMAT Divisibility Rules to Answer Quant Questions Faster

RetaketheGMAT · Answer

The ESR is useful when you have clear problems with specific content areas (like probability or number properties) or question types (eg. DS or SC) but if there's no clear pattern then it gets tougher to create an action plan to address a score that falls short of your target.

Often, when there's a problem breaking through the 700 mark, it's because of problems with your in-test process more than content practice. A diagnostic session with a GMAT coach focused on in-test process improvements can be the most effective way to quickly identify those types of barriers to your target score. If you want to know more about how that can happen, feel free to reach out.

Rachit25 · Answer

Hi Scott,
Thanks for the revert. Will be happy to get some general advice. One concern regarding quant is that I am not facing issues during mocks.

Posted from my mobile device

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Rachit25,

I'm sorry to hear that your 2nd attempt did not turn out better. Your initial 690/Q47 is still a fantastic Score though, so it could be enough to get you into your first-choice School. As such, a retest might not be necessary. Depending on the Schools that you plan to apply to, you would likely find it beneficial to speak with an Admissions Expert about your overall profile and plans. There's a Forum full of those Experts here:

https://gmatclub.com/forum/ask-admissio ... tants-124/

GMAC has publicly stated that the Official Score that you earn on Test Day is within +/- 30 points of actual ability. Your 2 Official Scores are remarkably similar to one another, so you clearly handle certain aspects of the GMAT consistently well, but you also leave yourself open to making certain types of mistakes. When these types of score drops occur (re: higher CAT Scores to lower Official Scores), the two likely "causes" involve either something that was unrealistic during practice or something that was surprising (or not accounted for) on Test Day. Before we discuss any of those potential issues though, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

Studies:
1) For this 2nd attempt, how many hours did you typically study each week?
2) What study materials have you used over the course of ALL of your studies?
3) Did you list ALL of your practice CAT Scores or were there any others? 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)?

Goals:
4) What is your overall goal score?
5) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to?

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). Since you purchased the ESR for your 2nd attempt, I'll be happy to analyze it for you. If you would rather not post it publicly, then you can feel free to PM it directly to me.

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

Rachit25 · Answer

Hi  EMPOWERgmatRichC ,

Please find my responses below

Studies:
1) For this 2nd attempt, how many hours did you typically study each week? 
 I was spending 3 hours on an average every day.

2) What study materials have you used over the course of ALL of your studies?
 -OG 2020 + Verbal Review + Quant Review
-Advanced OG
-GMAT Question Pack 1
-Jamboree Books

3) Did you list ALL of your practice CAT Scores or were there any others? 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)?
 I did take another 4 mocks given by Jamboree. The scores were ranging from 710 to 740. 
Overall I took about 13 mocks (2 each week). Have listed all the scores in my main post along with the scaled scores.

Goals:
4) What is your overall goal score?  720-730 
5) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to?  Columbia, NYU Stern, Duke Fuqua, LBS and Rotman. This is my initial list of schools. Target was to apply in R1 but I feel 690 is not enough for most of these schools.
 
I have also PMed you my ESR. Look forward to hearing from you.

Regards,
Rachit

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Rachit,

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

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

What is your exact issue with quant?

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