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03 Dec 2015, 09:06
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Hello everyone,
First for my background, I am an Indian (26 years old) and currently enrolled in the first year of a PhD Finance program in France. (A Grande Ecole but not very fancy like HEC or INSEAD). So my main motive is to get into either HEC or INSEAD or go to US.
So I have a question regarding retaking the GMAT. First you can have a look at my first GMAT attempt. I took it about a year and a half back in 2014 (with that I got into a decent Masters program in Europe and also a PhD program in Finance). The breakdown of my scores is as follows:
1st ATTEMPT (Early 2014)
Score: 710
Quant: 49
Verbal 38
I got that score without consulting this forum and did it with a study plan of about 20-25 days. I practiced all the OG problems related to PS and DS questions. And also did CR and RC. But I never did a lot for the Sentence Correction portion. Took Kaplan tests and here are my max and min scores if I remember correctly:
Kaplan CAT (Min): 580 or 590 (don't remember correctly. This was my diagnostic test)
Kaplan CAT (Max): 720
And in the last 2 days I gave the GMAT Prep tests:
GMAT Prep 1: 680 (Do not remember the breakdown but pretty much balanced)
GMAT Prep 2: 710 Q(47) V(41)
2nd ATTEMPT
But I wanted to get into a better brand name. So decided to give it again.
Just gave it 2 days ago and very disappointed. Here's my score breakdown (I cancelled that score btw):
Score: 650
(December 2015)
Quant: 48
Verbal 31
This time for my preparation I mainly focused on the quant portion. Also as I had classes so wasn't able to give proper time to verbal (and only practiced one Exam for it).
Did all the OG problems for PS and DS. Gave 5 MGMAT tests (but only the quant portion), and tried to do a bit of Advanced Quant book by Manhattan.
I only practiced the Quant potion and here's the results for Manhattan and GMAT Prep:
MGMAT CAT 1: Q(43)
MGMAT CAT 2: Q(45) V(34)
MGMAT CAT 3: Q(44)
MGMAT CAT 4: Q(45)
MGMAT CAT 5: Q(45)
GMAT Prep 1: Q(49)
GMAT Prep 2: Q(50)
I should have practiced Verbal too, but was thinking that I would get above 38 (my previous score). Wanted to get a higher quant score as it is very much required for a PhD in Finance.
For my preparation this time I again spent about 20-25 serious days of preparation (Focusing on quant but still got less than last time).
But I am very disappointed. Thinking about giving it again but with proper study time. Might apply next year (will get a Masters in Research from my PhD program here during this time)
QUESTIONS
First I know that I should have given Verbal its proper time. So will try to do it now
I just go with my gut feeling on SC, and during the test I had two RC passages that I found to be quite complex. Didn't fully get their meaning. So what should I do to ensure that I get a >=45 on verbal?
What should I do to ensure that I get a 51 on Quant. I just can't leave it to 48-50 range. NEED a 51
And lastly is my 710 good enough to apply for INSEAD's PhD?
Your help will be much appreciated. And I HAVE to get a really good score this time for my 3rd attempt ....
Please provide any suggestions that you can .......
First for my background, I am an Indian (26 years old) and currently enrolled in the first year of a PhD Finance program in France. (A Grande Ecole but not very fancy like HEC or INSEAD). So my main motive is to get into either HEC or INSEAD or go to US.
So I have a question regarding retaking the GMAT. First you can have a look at my first GMAT attempt. I took it about a year and a half back in 2014 (with that I got into a decent Masters program in Europe and also a PhD program in Finance). The breakdown of my scores is as follows:
1st ATTEMPT (Early 2014)
Score: 710
Quant: 49
Verbal 38
I got that score without consulting this forum and did it with a study plan of about 20-25 days. I practiced all the OG problems related to PS and DS questions. And also did CR and RC. But I never did a lot for the Sentence Correction portion. Took Kaplan tests and here are my max and min scores if I remember correctly:
Kaplan CAT (Min): 580 or 590 (don't remember correctly. This was my diagnostic test)
Kaplan CAT (Max): 720
And in the last 2 days I gave the GMAT Prep tests:
GMAT Prep 1: 680 (Do not remember the breakdown but pretty much balanced)
GMAT Prep 2: 710 Q(47) V(41)
2nd ATTEMPT
But I wanted to get into a better brand name. So decided to give it again.
Just gave it 2 days ago and very disappointed. Here's my score breakdown (I cancelled that score btw):
Score: 650
(December 2015)Quant: 48
Verbal 31
This time for my preparation I mainly focused on the quant portion. Also as I had classes so wasn't able to give proper time to verbal (and only practiced one Exam for it).
Did all the OG problems for PS and DS. Gave 5 MGMAT tests (but only the quant portion), and tried to do a bit of Advanced Quant book by Manhattan.
I only practiced the Quant potion and here's the results for Manhattan and GMAT Prep:
MGMAT CAT 1: Q(43)
MGMAT CAT 2: Q(45) V(34)
MGMAT CAT 3: Q(44)
MGMAT CAT 4: Q(45)
MGMAT CAT 5: Q(45)
GMAT Prep 1: Q(49)
GMAT Prep 2: Q(50)
I should have practiced Verbal too, but was thinking that I would get above 38 (my previous score). Wanted to get a higher quant score as it is very much required for a PhD in Finance.
For my preparation this time I again spent about 20-25 serious days of preparation (Focusing on quant but still got less than last time).
But I am very disappointed. Thinking about giving it again but with proper study time. Might apply next year (will get a Masters in Research from my PhD program here during this time)
QUESTIONS
First I know that I should have given Verbal its proper time. So will try to do it now
I just go with my gut feeling on SC, and during the test I had two RC passages that I found to be quite complex. Didn't fully get their meaning. So what should I do to ensure that I get a >=45 on verbal?
What should I do to ensure that I get a 51 on Quant. I just can't leave it to 48-50 range. NEED a 51
And lastly is my 710 good enough to apply for INSEAD's PhD?
Your help will be much appreciated. And I HAVE to get a really good score this time for my 3rd attempt ....
Please provide any suggestions that you can .......
03 Dec 2015, 11:34
Kudos
Bookmarks
Dear OrangeAhmed,
I'm happy to respond.
My friend, remember that taking the GMAT is a complex thing, not to be underestimated. The score one achieves depends on several factors. I am going to estimate that all the time & energy that one spends studying & learning cognitive material (Math, Verbal, study strategies, etc.) account for maybe around 30% of what contributes to your GMAT score. The rest is the person you bring in to the testing center---your energy level, your stamina, your mindfulness, your eye for detail, you ability to remain relatively calm & cool in the face of challenge, etc. It's very hard to regularize all of this: we all have "good days" and "bad days" just as part of our natural fluctuations. Thus, when you already have a strong score, a 710, this means that, in addition to the knowledge in your head, all kinds of physical & emotional & psychological factors aligned with you to create a strong performance. The risk of a second attempt after such a performance is that even though you have the same head knowledge, and maybe a little more, there's no guarantee that everything else will be magically lined up in the same way. Students are extremely naive when they believe that more head-knowledge automatically will produce a higher score. The human psyche is nowhere near that simple.
I am not an admission consultant, so I have no idea whether that GMAT score is good enough for any school. I will tell you my suspicion: GMAT score is only one piece of the package for a candidate for a program. If you have this score, but in every other way, you are like a 1000 other people in what you want and what you say motivates you, then your chances anywhere are not superb. By contrast, if you are a vibrant and exciting person who has a compelling vision and who can get other people excited about your unique vision, then I suspect that your GMAT score would be quite fine as is. I will hasten to add, though, I recommend getting advice from someone qualified to address matters of admission.
If you decide to go for a retake, I have a few thoughts. First of all, on the verbal side, read this blog:
https://magoosh.com/gmat/2014/how-to-im ... bal-score/
The best way to get to excellence on Verbal is to develop a daily habit of sophisticated reading. Also, here are some free GMAT Idiom flashcards:
https://gmat.magoosh.com/flashcards/idioms
To get in the realm you want, above 710---that's elite territory. Read this blog very carefully:
https://magoosh.com/gmat/2014/gmat-stud ... 0-or-more/
You can't get into that elite territory casually. You can't afford to take anything for granted. On every question type and every point of content, you have to push yourself to come to the deepest possible understanding. You can't afford to consider yourself "done" with any area of the test. You have to push yourself, on every single practice question you get wrong, to study the mistake so thoroughly that you know that you will never make that mistake again. You need to practice seeing and appreciating every last detail in every question. These are all habits of excellence. Ultimately, to integrate the idea of excellence, you have to bring excellence to every aspect of your life, regardless of whether it's GMAT related. Excellence is not someone can do part-time. Excellence is a whole-life habit and attitude. Excellence comes from the heart.
Finally, I will point out a very low-risk high-reward opportunity for you. If you sign up for Magoosh, we have a score guarantee for which you would qualify. If you fulfill the requirements of the score guarantee, we guarantee a 50-point increase or we give you your money back. Think about that. If you sign up for Magoosh, either you get 760+ or you get all your money back!
I hope you find all this helpful. Let me know if you have any further questions.
Mike
I'm happy to respond.
My friend, remember that taking the GMAT is a complex thing, not to be underestimated. The score one achieves depends on several factors. I am going to estimate that all the time & energy that one spends studying & learning cognitive material (Math, Verbal, study strategies, etc.) account for maybe around 30% of what contributes to your GMAT score. The rest is the person you bring in to the testing center---your energy level, your stamina, your mindfulness, your eye for detail, you ability to remain relatively calm & cool in the face of challenge, etc. It's very hard to regularize all of this: we all have "good days" and "bad days" just as part of our natural fluctuations. Thus, when you already have a strong score, a 710, this means that, in addition to the knowledge in your head, all kinds of physical & emotional & psychological factors aligned with you to create a strong performance. The risk of a second attempt after such a performance is that even though you have the same head knowledge, and maybe a little more, there's no guarantee that everything else will be magically lined up in the same way. Students are extremely naive when they believe that more head-knowledge automatically will produce a higher score. The human psyche is nowhere near that simple.
I am not an admission consultant, so I have no idea whether that GMAT score is good enough for any school. I will tell you my suspicion: GMAT score is only one piece of the package for a candidate for a program. If you have this score, but in every other way, you are like a 1000 other people in what you want and what you say motivates you, then your chances anywhere are not superb. By contrast, if you are a vibrant and exciting person who has a compelling vision and who can get other people excited about your unique vision, then I suspect that your GMAT score would be quite fine as is. I will hasten to add, though, I recommend getting advice from someone qualified to address matters of admission.
If you decide to go for a retake, I have a few thoughts. First of all, on the verbal side, read this blog:
https://magoosh.com/gmat/2014/how-to-im ... bal-score/
The best way to get to excellence on Verbal is to develop a daily habit of sophisticated reading. Also, here are some free GMAT Idiom flashcards:
https://gmat.magoosh.com/flashcards/idioms
To get in the realm you want, above 710---that's elite territory. Read this blog very carefully:
https://magoosh.com/gmat/2014/gmat-stud ... 0-or-more/
You can't get into that elite territory casually. You can't afford to take anything for granted. On every question type and every point of content, you have to push yourself to come to the deepest possible understanding. You can't afford to consider yourself "done" with any area of the test. You have to push yourself, on every single practice question you get wrong, to study the mistake so thoroughly that you know that you will never make that mistake again. You need to practice seeing and appreciating every last detail in every question. These are all habits of excellence. Ultimately, to integrate the idea of excellence, you have to bring excellence to every aspect of your life, regardless of whether it's GMAT related. Excellence is not someone can do part-time. Excellence is a whole-life habit and attitude. Excellence comes from the heart.
Finally, I will point out a very low-risk high-reward opportunity for you. If you sign up for Magoosh, we have a score guarantee for which you would qualify. If you fulfill the requirements of the score guarantee, we guarantee a 50-point increase or we give you your money back. Think about that. If you sign up for Magoosh, either you get 760+ or you get all your money back!
I hope you find all this helpful. Let me know if you have any further questions.
Mike
03 Dec 2015, 11:53
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi OrangeAhmed,
You're ultimately asking Admissions questions, so you would likely find it beneficial to speak with an Admissions Expert about your overall profile. There's a Forum full of them here:
ask-admission-consultants-124/
From what you've described, even though you've scored at a really high level overall (right around the 90th percentile on your first GMAT), there's a limit to how high you've been able to score approaching this whole process 'your way.' A Test Taker who can score Q49 almost certainly has the skills to score Q51, but that hasn't happened. By extension, you likely have some 'bad habits' (in both the Quant and Verbal sections) that are keeping you from scoring higher. At this level, the GMAT becomes really 'sensitive' to silly/little mistakes; making just a few too many will bring your score down quickly.
To raise your score to a Q51/V45, you're going to have to make some fundamental changes to how you handle the GMAT. You'll have to learn some new Tactics and be flexible enough with your thinking to properly practice them.
1) Do you have a particular deadline in mind to take the GMAT?
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
You're ultimately asking Admissions questions, so you would likely find it beneficial to speak with an Admissions Expert about your overall profile. There's a Forum full of them here:
ask-admission-consultants-124/
From what you've described, even though you've scored at a really high level overall (right around the 90th percentile on your first GMAT), there's a limit to how high you've been able to score approaching this whole process 'your way.' A Test Taker who can score Q49 almost certainly has the skills to score Q51, but that hasn't happened. By extension, you likely have some 'bad habits' (in both the Quant and Verbal sections) that are keeping you from scoring higher. At this level, the GMAT becomes really 'sensitive' to silly/little mistakes; making just a few too many will bring your score down quickly.
To raise your score to a Q51/V45, you're going to have to make some fundamental changes to how you handle the GMAT. You'll have to learn some new Tactics and be flexible enough with your thinking to properly practice them.
1) Do you have a particular deadline in mind to take the GMAT?
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
