Requesting Support Based on ESR *WILD*

This is my personal preference, and is not the only way to do it; other experts here may have better suggestions.

My preference is that I'd like to go over as many OG questions as possible prior to the test for repetition purposes. It's like practicing for a sports game - we perform well on the day of a sports game not only because of our raw talent but also that we're prepared and we've seen the scenarios, therefore we know what to anticipate on the various scenarios thrown at us.

With ample preparation, it'll get you to the point that you're not seeing new types of questions on test day that you have never seen before that may throw you off your game.

With limited time, yes, definitely focus on CR, but be sure to go back and FULLY understand why you got the CR wrong when reviewing questions that you got wrong during your practice. Is it because the conclusion and/or premise were misidentified? (I did that a lot) Are the available techniques such as negation for assumption type questions and Variance Test for Evaluate Argument - things I learned from Powerscore CR, though you can learn about these techniques from online sources also - used correctly? If the techniques are used correctly, assumptions and evaluate argument types of questions are virtually "free".

Nice thing about Powerscore CR (which I absolutely recommend, as do others here on GMAT Club where I saw the recommendation myself) is that there is a guide on how to study the Powerscore CR given limited time - meaning it tells you the chapters to focus on if study time is limited.

Finally, be sure to keep up the other sections besides CR and Quant if possible. To replicate Q47 on test day from your prior mock exam means your mind needs to be fresh to recall the knowledge and strategy quickly, and practicing OG questions will help with that. Similarly, your reading comprehension and sentence correction may be strong on your first test, but be sure to refresh it so your mind can get back into the rhythm for your next exam. Case in point, I did well on my reading comprehension on my first exam, and I wanted to focus on quant for my retake, so I didn't practice reading comprehension for some time. Coming back to it recently was a shock to me, as it felt like I was doing these questions for the first time (somewhat true as it had been nearly a month and a half before I touched a RC question). So, you'll still have to balance what to study and practice on given your time constraint prior to end of March.

Hi xGuardians,

I’m sorry to hear how things went with your GMAT. Regarding your ESR, although there is some helpful information in there, be careful to avoid falling into the trap of focusing too much on the micro-details of your ESR and thus misdiagnosing your weaknesses. Since your ESR is based on only 31 quant questions and 36 verbal questions (a very small sample size), it may not give you a complete picture of what to focus on going forward. For example, does your scoring 100% in Rates/Ratio/Percent mean that you are devoid of weakness in those topics? Not necessarily. Perhaps you were given many lower-level questions or had some lucky guesses on those topics. Furthermore, there is no way to know HOW MANY questions you were given from those topics, right?

A few things do seem clear. For one, your ESR seems to indicate that you are not strong in Equalities/Inequalities/Algebra. So, by becoming super-strong in those areas, you’ll likely score a few points higher in quant. Regarding verbal, it seems as though CR and RC are your weakest topics. Again, if you can improve in those areas, you likely can increase your verbal score.

With all that said, if you need any advice regarding how to attack the next few weeks, feel free to reach back out. I’d be happy to help.

Hi Devin,

I'm sorry to hear that Test Day did not turn out better. GMAC has publicly stated that the Official Score that you earn on Test Day is within +/- 30 points of actual ability. Assuming a similar 'swing' in how your CATs function, your 3 of your last 4 CAT score results - along with your Official Score - show that you essentially performed the same each time (about 640 +/- a few points); the 700 was an 'outlier' and included a much higher Quant Scaled Score, so we cannot assume that you had honed your skills enough to consistently score at that higher level YET. You handle certain aspects of the GMAT consistently well, but you also leave yourself open to making certain types of mistakes.

Assuming that you're planning to apply to some highly-competitive Programs, 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. There's a Forum full of those Experts here:

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

Before we get to 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:

1) How long have you studied in total? How many hours did you typically study each week?
2) Did you take any other practice CATs besides the five that you listed?
3) What is your overall goal score?

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