Should I switch to GRE?

Question

Hello folks! I have been preparing for GMAT since 2019. Gave my first attempt in 2019 with minimal preparation and scored a 580 (Q47 V23). Was really disappointed and hence stopped preparing. I again started to prepare in 2020 Nov and gave another attempt (online GMAT) in April 2021 after rigorous preparation, only to score a disappointing 560 (Q39 V29). Despite all the negative thoughts, I decided to prepare again and give it at a test centre in June 2021, only to score a 600 (Q46 V27)  . I have started preparing again but somehow have lost all hopes in GMAT. My target score is >=710.

I gave a GRE mock (without any preparation) just to see if GRE is a better suited test for me. I scored a V146 and Q169. I am now contemplating a switch but somehow don't want to let go of GMAT after so much preparation. I am hoping that one of the GMAT/GRE experts in this forum can guide me.

GMAT Prep:

Historical OG questions and Practice tests
GMAT Club quant tests
Experts global tests
Kaplan tests
TTP for quant

GMATNinja   ScottTargetTestPrep   bb

Tagging a few experts but anyone with experience, please feel free to chime in with your valuable inputs.

Much appreciated!

ReedArnoldMPREP · Answer

Hey there,

Your GRE to GMAT conversion for your practice test is a 650. (https://www.ets.org/gre/institutions/ad ... t06_180820)

So that's better than what you've scored so far, but not *shockingly* better. And in fact, it's higher because your quant is better, but your verbal--the thing holding your score down most--is worse. Your GMAT-equivalent score was a 24V for that GRE section.

In general, I don't see people see great improvements when they switch test. In fact, it's worth remembering, both scores are determined by comparison to population. They are 'races,' essentially. One race might be uphill and one on flat ground, but the people who do well in one typically do just as well in the other, relative to the other 'racers.'

In both tests, your predominant weakness is verbal. A 46Q on the GMAT is a very good score--one that could definitely garner a 700+. But you'd need at least a 39 in verbal.

So, here's the question: talk to me about verbal. What have you done to prepare? What do you think your primary weaknesses are at the moment? What have your tests revealed regarding verbal?

aroraprern · Answer

Hi Reed!

Thanks for your inputs! I have taken personal coaching for verbal and gone through GMAT Ninja's videos on Youtube. I have only practiced official questions. I my GMAT official mocks, the lowest I got was V32 and highest was V36. In my ESR from both the 580 attempt in 2019 and the 600 attempt in 2021 I have performed the worst in critical reasoning, followed by RC and SC. I have major time management issues. In my latest attempt, I was 16 mins behind the stipulated time (I use the manhattan approach to time management). Hence, I missed out on majority of the CR questions where I couldn't even read them and just had to make a guess. I am really lost and don't know what to do differently in GMAT verbal now, hence thought of trying a different test.

I also had time management issues in Quant as I started with Q and was a bit tensed about the exam. I think I can do better in Quant if I can manage my time.

ESR stats  :

Verbal percentiles:
CR 38th
RC 41st 
SC 68th

Time management verbal:
CR 1:40
RC 1:56
SC 2:00

MathRevolution · Answer

Hello aroraprern,

A score of 600 on the GMAT is not bad but a bit shaky and the target score of 700+ seems realistic.

Don't give up on GMAT. You can surely do better. Keep your motivation high.

A score of 600 tells that the basics are intact, and the ground is prepared. Now you need to practice hard and hardest level questions and take as many mock tests as possible. Create the error log and try access to the specific areas and topics that require improvement.

You can schedule a free counseling session for 20 mins with one of our experts: https://calendly.com/mathrevolution/1-on-1-session for detailed advice on your current study plans.

A couple of things that can be a noticeable barrier to your scores would be some or all of the below.

• Inefficiency by using time-consuming Conventional method to tackle DS and PS questions still
• No expert support (maybe) who can tutor, analyze, and guide you during your learning especially on hard level questions while stably hitting middle-level questions.
• Lack of many updated questions and practice in the recent exam trend
• Not well aligned with time to solve questions.

Also, make a note of various possible combinations to achieve a score of 700+. The possible scores will help you track your performance after taking the mock or practice test. It will also help you maintain balance in both the sections, and you will always be in a great position to allot the study hours to a specific area accordingly.

Since we are a math expert, we will recommend you go through our post on the GMAT club: Breakdown of GMAT math questions and types: https://gmatclub.com/forum/overview-of- ... l#p1641411

You can register with MathRevolution at https://www.mathrevolution.com/member/signup to get access to our 7-day on-demand course for free trial lessons.

Start with the learning of the concepts. Make a habit of taking notes during the initial learning of the concepts.

To prepare for Verbal, you can access many study materials from Crack Verbal, e-GMAT, and other test-prep experts. You may also refer to Aristotle Grail for sentence correction and GMAT power bank for CR question types. There are also many free materials available in GMAT Club.

The day regular mock tests show the consistent score of Q48+ with V37+, then it will reflect the positive change in the score, and hence, your confidence will boost up. Gradually, with the help of mock tests, you will be able to compete with time and therefore, will be able to learn time management.

We appreciate your time and patience in reading this reply.

Should you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected]

Success is within your reach.
Good luck!

Math Revolution Team

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi aroraprern,

You ask a very good question. I see that you have been using TTP. Could you please paste in a screenshot of your analytics page, so I can see your course progress? Once I have that information, I can provide some additional advice. Also, here is a great article for you to check out in the meantime.

GMAT or GRE, which one should you take?

ReedArnoldMPREP · Answer

Well... To put it bluntly, you *don't* use the Manhattan approach to time management if you're falling 16 minutes behind, though you might *intend* to. If you're falling that far behind, this is something huge to work on. You need to figure out better how to answer questions faster AND when and why to skip questions to keep on pace.

You say you're averaging 2 minutes for SC, but SC should be done at 1:20 average, and really probably less than that. You need to develop some strategies to get through SC faster. This will probably involve changing how you read these sentences!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi aroraprern,

I'm sorry to hear that your most recent Official attempt did not turn out better. Before you can include attachments with your posts/PMs, you need to have at least 5 posts in the forums (right now, you have just 2 posts). If you would rather not go through those extra steps at this point, then you can feel free to email me your ESR directly (at [email protected]). 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). I'll be happy to analyze it for you.

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:

1) Over the last 3 months, how many hours did you typically study each week?
2) Did you take any of the 6 Official practice CATs/mocks?
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)?
4) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

aroraprern · Answer

ScottTargetTestPrep

I used TTP mainly to understand all the concepts and hence only went through the chapters and solved the questions that were present in each chapter. Do you think the analytics will still help?

Thanks!
Prerna

aroraprern · Answer

MathRevolution  Thanks for your inputs! I will look into eGMAT for verbal as I have heard good reviews. Will reach out to you!

aroraprern · Answer

ReedArnoldMPREP

Any advice on how to increase my ability in SC? I have gone through the Manhattan guide for SC and that has helped but not quite enough. Also, I have exhausted most of my official material and do not know where to go next as GMAT official questions are the most authentic.

aroraprern · Answer

EMPOWERgmatRichC

Attaching my ESR in this post.

Answering your questions:
1) I typically give 1-2 hours on weekdays and 4-5 hours on the weekend
2) I have taken all the 6 official mocks
3) CAT1 and CAT2 were in 2019
CAT3 (17th Feb 2021): 590 (Q39 V32)
CAT4 (28th March 2021): 640 (Q46 V32)
CAT5 (11th April 2021): 610 (Q44 V31)
CAT6 (19th April 2021): 690 (Q48 V35) - This was right before my online GMAT on April 21st

I reset CAT 1 and 2 and score 670 and 720

4) I want to apply in R1 this year but looks difficult now. My profile is good and hope to apply to LBS, INSEAD, Oxford, Kellogg, Haas, Yale, Tuck, NYU, ISB, NUS.

ReedArnoldMPREP · Answer

The biggest thing one can do for SC (and reading for the GMAT, in general) is reading sentences structurally: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIsU_JI7Z6w Start clumping words together by function in the sentence, as the highlighted colors show in that video. The structure, then, builds the meaning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nYDowbo1mI&t=2382s If you're reading sentences top to bottom left to right, never skipping words, etc., that's not ideal. Sentences are breadcrumbs of ideas. Find the crumbs and see how the sentence logically connects those ideas, using the rules of structure the GMAT tests. If you've truly 'exhausted' the official SC material out there, you should go through it again. I've taught for 8 years, and I have not exhausted the official material. Everything you need is in those questions, but you're likely treating questions as 'quizzes' to get right and wrong and not as lessons to study thoroughly and learn from. You could, for instance, take three colored pencils and do what I do in the 'three pieces of structure' video with sentences in the Official Guide. But the truth is, you have to change what you *do* in SC, not what you *know*. You probably know what you need to. It's how you read sentences and work through the answer splits that needs thoughtful, active change. If you don't change, you cannot improve.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Prerna,

I've sent you a PM with an analysis of your ESR and some additional notes and questions.

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

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Yes, I'd love to see them.

Should I switch to GRE?

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