Requesting Help in ESR Analysis

Question

Dear Experts,

Your help in guiding me would be greatly appreciated. Please give this your consideration.

I studied for 3 months and took multiple official practice tests in last 3 weeks. Here are the results:
# Q V IR Score
1 48 32 4 650
2 49 31 8 660
3 49 39 5 710
4 47 36 8 680
5 49 38 6 710

I was pretty confident of getting around 700 but here is what I got on GMAT test:
Q V IR Score
47 31 4 640

I am devastated and not sure what went wrong or what to do. Attaching my ESR. Please help me understand where I went wrong and what should I do to get 700 score. I'm retaking test within next 2-3 weeks. I don't know why I'm getting such inconsistent scores. Please help!

Score-Quest · Answer

It's understandable that you're feeling a bit down about your GMAT score, especially after the effort you've put in. Looking at your practice tests, it seems your quant performance in the actual exam was more or less in line with your mocks, but your verbal score took an unexpected dip. It's not uncommon for test-takers to score slightly lower on the actual exam compared to their mocks, often by about 10-20 points, though some do score higher.

From your Enhanced ESR, it's clear that your SC is good, both in accuracy and timing. However, RC appears to be a significant challenge. Reflecting on how you prepared for RC would be helpful. Did you encounter similar issues with RC in your mock exams? Your CR also needs attention. The ESR indicates that you made several mistakes towards the end of the section, due to time constraints.

The same trend is visible in your quant performance. This suggests that time management might be a key area for you to focus on. Consider whether you're spending too much time on certain types of questions due to conceptual misunderstandings or simply a lack of practice. Improving in these areas, especially in RC and CR, should help boost your verbal score. With your current quant performance, achieving a 700 score seems within reach with these adjustments.

sumitrmane · Answer

Score-Quest

Thank you very much for your analysis.

My RC in mocks was not bad. I always got 60-70% RC questions right in mock tests. I don't know what happened in exam. I feel I take slightly more time for reading RC passage but it helps me to get firm understanding at first go. Also I never felt any specific difficulty in RC passages in mocks. Maybe it was just a bad day for me at exam. I never finish my verbal section on time and I have decided that I'm going to attempt only 32 questions and guess 4 to focus on accuracy. Also, in CR on medium/hard questions I get stuck between 2 choices.

Would you please be kind to suggest any strategy for me to improve in RC and CR? Do you suspect anything wrong regarding my strategy or approach as mentioned above?

Thanks again!

Score-Quest · Answer

For RC, continue reading the passages attentively. Pay attention to the perspectives, the structure, the main point, the primary purpose, and the tone of the passage. Remember, you don't need to memorize every detail - you can always refer back to the passage for specific information. Try to anticipate what might come next in the passage and maintain a genuine interest in the content; this approach, coupled with more practice, should help improve your score.

In CR, your strategy should involve a clear understanding of the argument's premise and conclusion. Familiarize yourself with the different question types. For example, for strengthening and weakening questions, focus on attacking or supporting the conclusion. For assumption questions, identifying the conclusion is key. Go through each option methodically, eliminating those that don't fit.

I wouldn't recommend going into the test with the mindset of guessing 4 questions. This approach could be truly detrimental to your score. It's essential to focus on time management instead. Practicing with a clock is a great way to improve your timing. Try to simulate the test environment as closely as possible during your practice sessions. This will help you get a better sense of how much time you're spending on each question and where you need to speed up. You might find that with more practice and better time management, you won't need to guess any questions at all.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi sumitrmane,

I see that quant came in pretty much as expected. Regarding verbal is it possible that nerves were an issue or you just had a bad day?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi sumitrmane,

I'm sorry to hear that Test Day didn't go as well as planned. When these types of score drops occur, 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 - along with the data in your ESR - it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

Studies:
1) How many hours do you typically study each week?
2) What study materials have you used so far? What “brands” of CATs/mocks have you used?
3) On what dates (or approximate dates) did you take EACH of your CATs/mocks?

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?

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

Contact Rich at: [email protected]
www.empowergmat.com

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

For time management, using question/time markers may be helpful. You spent 0:17 per question on average during Q4 Verbal, for example. For RC (18th percentile), becoming familiar with how inference questions work could also be useful. If you feel your fundamentals are solid, consider working on your solving approach. Had a 6-hour student for example who went from a V31 to a V40 in about 30 days. Perhaps include working with a study buddy who is strong in areas you're not. There's a study buddy thread on gmatclub you can check out/sign up to.

3 RC tips

3 RC tips

sumitrmane · Answer

Score-Quest

Thanks again for your tips and guidance! I will surely try to take into consideration your suggestions. I have booked test for 6th Dec. Hope it helps me!

sumitrmane · Answer

ScottTargetTestPrep my Quant is 47 (54th percentile) which is not acceptable to me at all.

I am trying for at least 49 as I had got twice on mocks. Regarding verbal either of what you said is possible. I think it was a combination of nerves and a bad day. Thank you very much for asking!

sumitrmane · Answer

EMPOWERgmatRichC

Thank you very much for your reply! Here are my answers:

1. I studies ~20 hrs per week. 
2. I used Magoosh prep material. I took official GMAT mock tests. Also I took 1 free MGMAT test which I found very difficult in which I got only 610. 
3. Don't know the exact dates but were all within 3 weeks of test.
4. Overall goal score is at least 700.
5. I'm planning to apply for Fall 24 intake and by R2 deadline of 10 Jan.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi sumitrmane,

Since you are planning to apply to Business Schools in Round 2, you would likely find it beneficial to speak with an Admissions Expert about your overall profile and plans. Those Experts should be able to answer your Admissions questions and help define the specific areas of your profile that could use some improvement (and the more time that you have to act on that advice, the better). There's a Forum full of those Experts here:

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

I've also sent you a PM with an analysis of your ESR and some additional questions.

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

Contact Rich at: [email protected]
www.empowergmat.com

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