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Q48 mock, Q44 actual - how do I not let it happen again?

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catsandpizza
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Joined: 13 Sep 2020
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Location: Pakistan
Concentration: Entrepreneurship, Other
GMAT 1: 640 Q44 V34
GMAT 2: 660 Q47 V34
GPA: 3.47
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Q48 mock, Q44 actual - how do I not let it happen again? [#permalink] New post   04 Dec 2020, 07:42
Hi guys,
So I just got done with the GMAT yesterday and I have to say I was severely disappointed. I started preparation on Nov the 10th and gave the test on the 1st of December - which is around about three weeks of prep (however, I had familiarized myself with the exam beforehand).
I gave three practice tests and got decent Quant scores in all of them:
Kaplan: Q45, V35 IR 5, 650 overall (one week into preparation)
OG1: Q46, V28 IR 7, 610 overall (around 12 days into prep)- I 'wasted' this one because I didn't give half of it seriously and kept getting interrupted
OG2: Q48 V34 IR 5, 680 overall (two days before the exam).

I honestly paid fairly little attention to the verbal section and simply focused on doing all of the OG quant questions and the 2019 Quant Review questions.
I was quite happy with the third test as I thought it represented my abilities quite well. I noticed I made a few silly mistakes in the quant section so I thought I could even get to a Q49 if I got lucky in the actual test. My aim was to get a Q48-49 and a V34-36.

On exam day, I thought I did quite well in the quant section, coming across a few 'difficult' problems, but nothing too extraordinary (I never found difficult problems too difficult during prep). I thought I flunked the verbal section as I ended up guessing the last 3 answers due to lack of time. To my surprise, I get a scorecard of 640, with Q44 and V34... My quant was lower than every single one of my mocks!
I didn't expect that at all, and to be frank was quite annoyed with myself. I spent most of my time prepping for quant, and it was my strong suit already, but I managed to mess up that section. Nevertheless, it was what it was.

Now, I just want to know how I should approach studying for my second attempt. I do feel as though the low quant score was a freak incident, but I'd rather it not happen again. I also think I'll be spending more time on the verbal section. I think I'm going to spend another 4 weeks on prep and will aim for a 700+ with a Q49-50 V38-V40.
I need help in devising a proper strategy and plan to get to that sort of score. If anyone could help me, I'd be very grateful. Thanks!
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ScottTargetTestPrep
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Re: Q48 mock, Q44 actual - how do I not let it happen again? [#permalink] New post   04 Dec 2020, 11:44
Expert Reply
I’m glad you reached out, and I’m happy to help. Looking at your study routine, I see that you are following a plan that I call “practice first and figure the rest out later.” In other words, you are doing practice problems before understanding the concepts on which those problems are based, and thus you are trying to learn solely from reading solutions to problems. Following such a study plan will lead to disorganized studying and ultimately hold you back from improving your quant and verbal skills. Thus, in addition to using your current resources, you may consider using a resource that allows you FIRST to learn the concepts and strategies related to GMAT quant and verbal and SECOND to practice with a large number of realistic questions.

If you decide to use some new prep materials, check out the reviews here on GMAT Club of the best quant and verbal courses.

You also may find my article with more information regarding how to score a 700+ on the GMAT helpful.

Feel free to reach out with any further questions.

Good luck!
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EMPOWERgmatRichC
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GMAT 1: 800 Q51 V49
GRE 1: Q170 V170
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Re: Q48 mock, Q44 actual - how do I not let it happen again? [#permalink] New post   04 Dec 2020, 17:11
Expert Reply
Hi catsandpizza,

Many Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores, so since you studied for just 3 weeks, that was simply not enough study time to master all of the skills needed to consistently score 700+. By extension, you might naturally improve as you continue to study. This result does show that you have strong overall critical-thinking skills, so your focus now should be on learning the Tactics, patterns and little 'secrets' of the Exam. Thankfully, the GMAT is a consistent, predictable Test, so you CAN train to score at a higher level.

Before I can offer you any additional advice for your studies, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

1) What type of study routine have you been following so far? How many hours do you typically study each week?
2) What study materials have you used so far?
3) For your next attempt, are you planning to take the At-home GMAT or are you planning to take your GMAT at a Test Facility?
4) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to?

You might also choose to purchase the Enhanced Score Report. 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). If you purchase the ESR, then I'll be happy to analyze it for you.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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catsandpizza
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Joined: 13 Sep 2020
Posts: 9
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Given Kudos: 2
Location: Pakistan
Concentration: Entrepreneurship, Other
GMAT 1: 640 Q44 V34
GMAT 2: 660 Q47 V34
GPA: 3.47
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Re: Q48 mock, Q44 actual - how do I not let it happen again? [#permalink] New post   04 Dec 2020, 23:48
EMPOWERgmatRichC wrote:

1) What type of study routine have you been following so far? How many hours do you typically study each week?
2) What study materials have you used so far?
3) For your next attempt, are you planning to take the At-home GMAT or are you planning to take your GMAT at a Test Facility?
4) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to?


Hi Rich! Thank you for replying!
Right now, I've been putting in about 20-23 hours per week.

I've used the official guide and the Quantitative review.

I am planning to give it in a test center because my internet is fairly inconsistent and it would give me anxiety throughout the exam. I also think test centers put me into an exam giving 'zone' so I think it's a better option for me.

My dream schools are LBS and Imperial (Finance Masters). I want to get done with before the LBS round 3 deadline.
If you have any more input, it would help me a lot.

I know that my main weaknesses in quant are inequalities and combinatorics.

Posted from my mobile device
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EMPOWERgmatRichC
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Joined: 19 Dec 2014
Status:GMAT Assassin/Co-Founder
Affiliations: EMPOWERgmat
Posts: 21846
Own Kudos [?]: 11669 [0]
Given Kudos: 450
Location: United States (CA)
GMAT 1: 800 Q51 V49
GRE 1: Q170 V170
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Re: Q48 mock, Q44 actual - how do I not let it happen again? [#permalink] New post   05 Dec 2020, 21:55
Expert Reply
Hi catsandpizza,

I've sent you a PM with some additional notes and questions.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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vamshikaithi
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Joined: 24 Dec 2018
Posts: 202
Own Kudos [?]: 179 [0]
Given Kudos: 41
Location: India
GMAT 1: 570 Q43 V26
GMAT 2: 680 Q45 V38
GMAT 3: 720 Q50 V38
GPA: 3
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Re: Q48 mock, Q44 actual - how do I not let it happen again? [#permalink] New post   07 Dec 2020, 03:45
catsandpizza wrote:
Hi guys,
So I just got done with the GMAT yesterday and I have to say I was severely disappointed. I started preparation on Nov the 10th and gave the test on the 1st of December - which is around about three weeks of prep (however, I had familiarized myself with the exam beforehand).
I gave three practice tests and got decent Quant scores in all of them:
Kaplan: Q45, V35 IR 5, 650 overall (one week into preparation)
OG1: Q46, V28 IR 7, 610 overall (around 12 days into prep)- I 'wasted' this one because I didn't give half of it seriously and kept getting interrupted
OG2: Q48 V34 IR 5, 680 overall (two days before the exam).

I honestly paid fairly little attention to the verbal section and simply focused on doing all of the OG quant questions and the 2019 Quant Review questions.
I was quite happy with the third test as I thought it represented my abilities quite well. I noticed I made a few silly mistakes in the quant section so I thought I could even get to a Q49 if I got lucky in the actual test. My aim was to get a Q48-49 and a V34-36.

On exam day, I thought I did quite well in the quant section, coming across a few 'difficult' problems, but nothing too extraordinary (I never found difficult problems too difficult during prep). I thought I flunked the verbal section as I ended up guessing the last 3 answers due to lack of time. To my surprise, I get a scorecard of 640, with Q44 and V34... My quant was lower than every single one of my mocks!
I didn't expect that at all, and to be frank was quite annoyed with myself. I spent most of my time prepping for quant, and it was my strong suit already, but I managed to mess up that section. Nevertheless, it was what it was.

Now, I just want to know how I should approach studying for my second attempt. I do feel as though the low quant score was a freak incident, but I'd rather it not happen again. I also think I'll be spending more time on the verbal section. I think I'm going to spend another 4 weeks on prep and will aim for a 700+ with a Q49-50 V38-V40.
I need help in devising a proper strategy and plan to get to that sort of score. If anyone could help me, I'd be very grateful. Thanks!


Hey catsandpizza,

I was in a similar situation a few months. I scored a 570 with 43 on Quant. Then I started approaching my prep differently. I focused on the right methods and strategies to solve questions. I realized that the I have to approach the questions in a certain way. I finally scored a 720 with 50 on quant. You can go through my debrief to understand how I approached my GMAT prep.

https://gmatclub.com/forum/my-journey-f ... l#p2648110
GMAT Club Bot
gmatclubot
Re: Q48 mock, Q44 actual - how do I not let it happen again? [#permalink]
07 Dec 2020, 03:45

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