Should I switch to Gmat Focus?

Question

I took the "old" gmat few days ago and got 620 (Q48, V27). I never really studied for this exam until 1.5 month ago and only did practice problems from OG. Did few mocks as well that ranged anywhere from 600-700. My scores fluctuated so much depending on Verbal. My quant is usually around 48-50.

Out of curiosity, I took a Gmat Focus Mock today and got 665 (DI81, Q85, V83). I think this converts to around 720 on the old scale.

Should i switch to Gmat Focus knowing that verbal is my weakness? Idk if I should try the old GMAT one more time...

MartyMurray · Answer

Tough call.

It's true that GMAC is predicting that 665 on the GMAT Focus Edition will be about the same as 710 or 720 on the current GMAT, but I doubt it will. It's more likely 675 will be about the same as 700, meaning that 695 will likely be about the same as 720.

So, probably, your score was about the same as 690, which is in line with your classic GMAT practice test scores.

You could take another GMAT Focus Practice test and see how you do.

Alternatively, you could switch to GMAT Focus on the basis of the idea that you'll relatively easily score higher than a 700+ equivalent score if you work on DI and Verbal some more.

You'll also be able to make a better informed choice after people start reporting their GMAT Focus scores this week.

AjiteshArun · Answer

Hi band627628, That may be a good idea, but you should check whether verbal is actually a weakness for you, because you got a V83 (86%), which is a very good score. At a minimum, you should think about why or how your score went from V27 (42%) to V83 in just a few days. If SC is what is bringing your verbal score down, and you're comfortable with DI, you may want to take the Focus edition. Or you could take both the current GMAT and the Focus edition.

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

Ultimately, the current version won't be available from Feb. If you have the flexibility, one option could be to take the current version one more time and, later on, take the Focus edition in case you feel you're missing out for any reason. Consider getting the ESR. Replaying what happened during the exam as you look over the data may provide some insight.

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Score-Quest · Answer

It's crucial to analyze your Verbal performance to identify specific weaknesses in CR, RC, SC. Reflect on your practice sessions and consider where you struggled and your accuracy rates. Understanding why your Focus mock score differs significantly from the old mock can also provide insights. Once you pinpoint your areas of difficulty and the reasons behind them, you'll be better positioned to decide whether to retake the old GMAT or switch to GMAT Focus.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi band627628,

Many GMATers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores, so if you studied for just 1.5 months (and did so in an inefficient way), then you simply have not put in enough time and effort to score higher yet. By extension, there's a strong chance that you could score notably higher once you honed all of the necessary Quant and Verbal skills (and as an aside, the fluctuations that you noted in your Verbal Scaled Scores are likely due to a mix of lucky/unlucky guesses and little mistakes that you either made or did not make on individual Exams).

Before I can offer you the specific advice that you’re looking for, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

Studies:
1) Over the last 1.5 months, how many hours did you typically study each week?
2) Did you use any other study materials besides the OG ? What “brands” of CATs/mocks have you used?
3) On what dates (or approximate dates) did you take EACH of your CATs/mocks and how did you score on EACH (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?

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?

If you took your Official GMAT at a Test Center, then 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

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

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi band627628,

As has been said, I think it's important that you determine whether SC is a weakness of yours. If that is actually the case, then I think you should take one more GMAT focus practice test, and if things again go well, then take the GMAT focus exam.

band627628 · Answer

Thank you all of your input! I took 2 more mock test (Focus and Old Gmat) to confirm if sentence correction is my weakness. My DI and Quant is still strong on both exams. On the old Gmat...more than 50 percent of the questions I get wrong on verbal is SC. My verbal score is way higher on focus vs mock because of no SC.

I'm going to pivot my focus to Focus now. The Focus actually works a lot in my favor

AjiteshArun · Answer

It does sound as if the Focus Edition is the better choice for you. All the best!

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