Should I take the GMAT for the third time????

I score 650 (V35 Q45) in my first GMAT online attempt in 2020

Here's someone I helped with on Verbal with a bit of solving approach tutoring. They also did other stuff along the way that may provide some helpful insight. They re-took and went from a V31 to a V40 in about 30 days. If you do decide to re-take, consider seeing if the way you solve even EASY questions on quant could have been made shorter.

https://gmatclub.com/forum/gmat-online- ... 68599.html

Hi Mekhs,

It's unfortunate that your GMAT attempt didn't go as planned. But there is clearly scope for improvement. Before getting into details, do provide some context about

1. The time you are able to devote to studying each day

2. Resources you used for prep

3. The structure and study plan you followed

4. Your target score

You can always write back to me here or the better way would be to connect over a call and have a discussion. You can schedule a free consultation call using the below link.

Hi Mekhs,

To start, a 640/Q49 is a solid Score, so it could be enough to get you into your first-choice School. As such, another retest might not be necessary. Since you have a specific School in mind, 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/

All of that having been said, I'm sorry to hear that Test Day didn't go as well as planned. When these types of score drops occur, the two likely "causes" involve either something that was unrealistic during practice or something that was surprising (or not accounted for) on Test Day. Before we discuss any of those potential issues though, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

Studies:
1) How long did you study before each of your 2 Official GMATs? For this 2nd attempt, how many hours did you typically study each week?
2) What study materials have you used over the course of ALL of your studies?
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? If it's sometime soon, then what specific application deadline are you facing?

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: Rich.C@empowergmat.com

Hey EMPOWERgmatRichC

Thanks for the motivation. To answer your questions:

Studies:
1) How long did you study before each of your 2 Official GMATs? For this 2nd attempt, how many hours did you typically study each week?: I took the first attempt in Nov 2020. Post that i started afresh in July 2021 till Mar 2022. Each day I would dedicate around 1 hour so 7/8 hours a week.

2) What study materials have you used over the course of ALL of your studies?: I used Magoosh, Manhattan prep, and official gmat prep questions (OG 2020 & 2022). I am from India so I also used Indian prep courses (Jamboree & IMS materials)

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)?

1/9/2022 MGMAT 1: 570 (V34 Q34)
1/23/2022 MGMAT 2: 610 (V31 Q44)
2/6/2022 MGMAT 3: 650 (V34 Q45)
2/8/2022 MGMAT 4: 630 (V36 Q40)
2/20/2022 official GMAT prep 1: 710 (V40 Q47)
2/23/2022 Princeton: 690 (V42 Q43)
2/28/2022 MGMAT 5: 670 (V36 Q45)
3/6/2022 official GMAT prep 2: 760 (V42 Q50)
3/8/2022 MGMAT 6: 590 (V34 Q37)

Final GMAT 640 (V29 Q49)

Goals:
4) What is your overall goal score? : Anything 700+
5) When are you planning to apply to Business School? If it's sometime soon, then what specific application deadline are you facing?: I should be applying by Fall 2022 for the Fall 2023 intake. I still have some time.

How better can i improve? I feel that i have exhausted so much of the existing GMAT material already !!

Hi Mekhs.

The drop in your verbal score may have occurred because the materials you used prepared you for the practice tests you took rather than prepared you to handle the verbal section of the actual GMAT. That kind of thing happens all the time, because often prep materials are based on the official practice tests. Also, clearly, Manhattan's prep materials and practice tests are aligned.

This post discusses why people's GMAT scores that are lower than their practice test scores in a bit more depth.

Why Was My GMAT Score Lower Than My Practice Test Scores?

To increase your verbal score, you likely have to tighten up the way you answer verbal questions, and you may have to increase the sophistication of the strategies you use.

For some tips on how to do so, see these posts.

How to Score High on GMAT Verbal

Three Key Practice Tips for Mastering GMAT Verbal

Hi Mekhs,

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

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

Contact Rich at: Rich.C@empowergmat.com