How to Improve GMAT Please Help Analyze My Score Report

Question

Hi everyone,
I just took the GMAT and would love your help analyzing my performance and advising me on how to improve to reach a score of 665. I’ve attached my score report below.
 Test Order: Q 78 – DI 72 – V 80 
Quant
This is where I made the biggest mistake.
 
 I spent  10+ minutes on the first 3 questions , which were heavy word problems. 
 I solved them correctly, but my pacing collapsed afterwards. 
 As a result, I got several very  simple pure math questions wrong  later—questions I’m sure I could normally get right.  
Data Insights
Because of the Quant disaster, I couldn’t focus properly when starting DI.
 
 I was distracted and couldn’t concentrate on the first 3 questions. 
 Time management wasn’t a problem overall, but I somehow got the  last 6 questions wrong in a row . 
 For reference, my prep scores in DI were  78 (Prep 1)  and  77 (Prep 3) . Could my poor performance here have been mainly due to my mental state?  
Verbal
I took a break between DI and Verbal.
 
 Verbal felt like my usual performance level. 
 However, I was surprised that a raw score of  80 is only 56th percentile . Should I focus more on the  scaled score  or the  percentile  when tracking progress?  
Another confusing point: two days before the exam, I took  Prep 3 and Verbal is 77 . In that test,
 
 I got  almost all CR questions wrong  
 RC mistakes were fewer.
 But in the actual exam, my Verbal performance was much more balanced. Why would there be such a big difference between Prep and the real exam?  
 Questions: 
Based my current score profile, what should I do to  significantly improve DI (especially G&T) , how can I raise my  Quant to around 87 , and what else can I do to strengthen  Verbal ?

Thanks a lot for any advice!

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

For Verbal, consider checking out Manhattan-Prep's 6th Edition for Critical Reasoning. For RC, becoming familiar with how inference questions work may also be helpful. In case you find it takes you a bit of time to warm up, it may help to do a few questions beforehand (i.e. not letting the first questions you see on the day be those of the actual exam).

How to score high on GMAT Verbal.

How to score high on GMAT Verbal.

bb · Answer

Mistake 1.  You should have skipped one of them or a few. May have been experimental. The new test (Focus edition) does not penalize as harshly for mistakes in the first 5-6. There was no reason for you to spend the time you did not have.

Suggestion #2  (don't let the sections or questions influence each other. It is very hard so I would suggest taking your weakest section last so that you don't ruin the test. The reality however is that most people are bad judges of their performance, myself included.

I would focus on percentile as it is easier to manage between Q, V, and DI where 80 means very different percentiles.

So I would say that the official test report is very helpful but not very useful. You should be analyzing your  PRACTICE TEST  scores and results. With this test, you have no questions to check and no other details. Sure, it is the real test, but it would be much better to analyze GMAT Prep where you can actually see the questions and topics and take actions.

It is really hard to say ANYTHING helpful about the real test result. A lot is in play. It is much better when they are looking at their practice tests and consistency across those.

bb · Answer

I would say go to your practice tests and start there, not the GMAT official PDF report.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi qiwang,

A great way to move forward with your quant prep is with topical learning and practice. In other words, focus on just ONE topic at a time and practice that topic until you achieve mastery.

For instance, let's consider your study of Number Properties. First, immerse yourself in all aspects (formulas, properties, techniques and strategies) of this topic, and then, focus solely on Number Property questions. After each problem set, take the time to delve into your incorrect answers. This self-reflection is a powerful tool that allows you to understand your learning process and make significant improvements. For instance, if you made a mistake in a remainder question, ask yourself why. Was it a careless error? Did you not apply the remainder formula correctly? Was there a concept in the question that you didn't grasp?

By meticulously analyzing your mistakes, you will efficiently address your weaknesses and, consequently, enhance your GMAT quant skills. This process has been unequivocally proven to be effective. Number Properties is just one example; be sure to follow this process for all Quant topics.

For some more advice, here is a great article you can check out:

GMAT Quant Preparation: Top 10 Tips

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