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01 Nov 2021, 22:10
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Hi everyone,
I just gave my GMAT yesterday and was shocked with the massive drop off from my official practice test scores and the score i received on the GMAT - 600 (Q42 v30) i was looking for advice on the current dilemma im facing. If you do read this, i apologize for the length of this message, but i want to ensure i don't miss out on any details so that i present a clear picture of my current predicament.
I have been preparing for the GMAT for the past 4.5 months, the last couple of months very diligently (i.e. 30-35 hours per week on average being a conservative estimate). My target score is a minimum of 700. Ideally in the 720-750 range.
Before even beginning my preparation I looked up videos and advice on youtube, gmatclub forums, articles etc on how to create a study plan and maintain an error tracker in order to avoid the usual pitfalls of GMAT prep. I began by familiarizing myself with the structure of the exam and then the subject material using the various free resources at my disposal like free access to Empower gmat material on signing up with Gmatclub, videos on specific types of problems from magoosh, vertias prep, gmatclub on youtube etc. trial class at manhattan prep (albeit this was right at the beginning of my prep and was helpful only in better understanding the scoring algorithm and structure of the GMAT).
I gave my diagnostic test using the free test provided by Manhattan prep and scored a 600 (Q37,v34). I have always felt that verbal would be my relative strong suit as i am a native English speaker and have always been confident in my speaking and writing abilities (in contrast to the stereotypical indian gmat test taker) and would have to focus on my quant score (where i have always suffered from a lack of confidence). In fact all my further mock results (i gave about 5 more free mocks from various test providers) confirmed by hunch, as initially relying only on my ear and limited practice on grammar rules for SC i was still scoring in the low to mid 30s consistently on verbal. I gave a mock every 2 weeks and set aside a day or 2 for analyzing the mock and updating my error tracker to focus on what went wrong and which areas to focus on, the remaining days I spent an average of 2 hours or so everyday familiarizing myself with the subject material and using practice sets (60 mins each) using the OG verbal review, OG quant review and OG (2018). Ill admit I slacked of for a couple of weeks during this 3 month period and in hindsight i realize my practice sets were more geared to completing all the problems in the OG rather than addressing the the question types i was weak in and gaining conceptual clarity.
Ill refer to this as Phase 1 of my gmat prep.
Through out this process i have maintained a set of physical notes covering basic rules- like Pythagorean triplets, mean and median properties of consecutive sets, using number line method for inequality questions, divisibility of integers (i,e, when is a number divisible by 2,3,4,6,8,9) to more advanced concepts like what to keep in mind for fitting of a geometric object in another geometric object, how to apply property of angle at center of circle twice that at of angle circumference etc. the majority of my notes where catered to quant, and the notes i did have for verbal were mostly catered to SC rules- types of errors tested, rules of operation of SC etc.
I had initially planned on giving the GMAT in mid September. But decided I would take the final call on the basis of my last 2 mocks (which were the OG mocks). I gave the first of the official GMAT mocks in end august and scored a 610 (Q40 V34 IR 5) and realized quickly that September was looking like an unlikely deadline if i was to secure the score i wanted. So i registered for the 1st of November and decided to really pull up my socks and give it my all. Lets call this period to the 1st of Nov (phase 2)
During phase 2 I utilized all 6 official tests (and repeated 2). The plan was to utilize each mock test to isolate problem areas and just focus on improving those areas 2 at a time and address any conceptual errors. I personally feel phase 2 was very productive due to realizing the gap in my approach during phase 1. I realized that in phase 1 I equated knowing the formulas and basic tricks and strategy (like which of the following usually being c or d, units places of squares, mean and median of consecutive numbers, Pythagorean triplets etc) as being able to solve challenging 600-700 level and 700+ level questions. If there were multiple problem areas, I would focus on improving 2-3 of them in the week before the next mock. Most of the prep was geared towards quant, but i did iron out the kinks in CR and RC (where i rarely got questions wrong) and improved on SC (where i would now get about 30-40% of the questions wrong)
Below are the list of results of my official GMAT prep mocks-
1) GMAC test 1- 610 (Q40 V34 IR 5)
commenced phase 2
2) GMAC test 2- 650 (Q39 V40 IR 7)
3) GMAC test 1 (retake) - 760 (Q49 V44 IR 5) I was aware that this result was skewed
4) GMAC test 4 - 720 (Q49 V40 IR 7)
5) GMAC test 5- 640 (Q44 V34 IR 7)
6) GMAC test 6- 710 (Q48 V39 IR 8) given a week before test day
7) GMAC test 2 (retake)- 700(Q46 V40 IR 4) given 2 days before test day (was surprised since i thought i would score higher given the repetition benefit when retaking GMAC test 1)
By the time I was giving GMAC test 4 I felt that I could score a 700+ on test day as long as I avoided any careless mistakes on quant and if i kept my focus during verbal. on a side not i though i messed up GMAC test 5 because i changed my usual selection order (verbal-quant- IR/awa) to quant-verbal-IR/awa for that test. But since i tend to fixated on my mistakes, if i feel like i messed up a few questions it has a spill over effect. So i decided that verbal should be my go to, because i dont usually feel like i messed up verbal, unless i run out of time and miss out on answering questions (which rarely happened).
While i think i maintained test conditions for the mocks during phase 1, i am 100% certain i maintained testing conditions during test 2 (i.e. no long break, no pausing to solve answers, no skipping sections) i even bought the scratch pad and pens to be used during GMAT to ensure i was prepared for everything test day could throw at me.
So come test day i felt fairly confident of scoring 680 plus, my major worry being whether I would get my target Q48+ (in my mind a V38+ was a foregone conclusion). I definitely felt my mind racing when I was at the test center but tried to calm myself by taking slow deep breaths. I went with my tried and tested verbal-quant-IR/AWA order, and while i definitely felt like my pacing was not the best, i answered all the questions on Verbal and quant. While giving quant i knew i was messing up, i dont know whether it was nerves and whether it was just bad luck, but i felt like i really messed up on PS questions because none of my solutions for the first few problems were matching up with the answer options, which led me to start panicking due to lost unproductive time (as I ultimately ending up guessing on these questions even though i worked on a solution). I knew i messed up quant (but still held out hope for a possible 700)
When i get my results i see a score of 600 (Q42 V30) (and i think an IR 7, but i cant be sure as i was shellshocked at the sight of my score drop in quant and verbal).
On a side note, there were issues with the computer (the test screen kept pausing due to some issues with the server, and we all had to leave the testing room during the awa section as the server went down apparently) but i dont think this had too much of an effect on the verbal, quant and IR sections.
While i know nerves getting the better of me today, and random freezes might have played a small part, im still shocked at the massive disparity between the official test results and the actual gmat result (especially because i know i stayed honest during phase 2 and the mock testing conditions). My verbal score was lower than any score (by a large amount) on any of the official tests and im confused as to why i screwed up the very beginning of the quant section (i was literally blanking out at points after the first question which seemed like a straightforward 600-700 level PS word problem revolving around percentages but for some reason my solution didnt match the answer chices)
The schools that i am looking to apply to all have there deadlines at the end of this month (i.e. Nov 25th 2021 or thereabouts). But i am in 2 minds as to whether to give the GMAT again at the earliest i.e. 17th nov. The fact that i scored as much as my initial diagnostic test - its almost as if these 4.5 months and especially the last 2 months have all been for nothing. I usually consider myself a fairly confident individual, and would like to chalk this one up to bad luck and nerves but im having some serious self doubt at the moment because i know i put in the work. So either its a test-taking ability issue or maybe i overestimated my preparation? Although the official test make me think it cant be adequate prep.
For now i plan to note down the topic areas that stumped me in quant (from what i can recall through my blackout) and it seems like i need to really deep dive into complex SC rules - such as identifying participle phrases and how it affects parallelism questions, isolating subject and verbs quickly in modifier questions etc, in order to ensure that i am consistent in SC scoring and not reliant on being perfect on near perfect on CR and RC.
I realize this has turned into a soliloquy but id appreciate any thoughts on how i should approach SC (whether SC is a pain point for most people who consider themselves adept at verbal, and what kind of targeted approach you would suggest if any), and any theories as to what could have possibly caused me to stroke in the middle of quant (i.e. whether it was just test jitters or just a sudden realization that i lacked conceptual clarity). And perhaps most importantly, do you think this was an outlier and should take the GMAT as soon as possible (given the deadline) or just prep thoroughly again and give it in a few weeks/months and apply next year (i.e. 2023)?
I can't see the option for accessing my ESR yet (its been less than 24 hours since i took the test and from what i understand it cant take upto 72 hours) but i intend on purchasing it as soon as it becomes available, primarily to confirm if an abysmal performance in SC was the cause of my downfall and if/how panic affected by performance in each third of quant (and also the topics to focus on because i can barely recall 2-3 problems from the test).
I just gave my GMAT yesterday and was shocked with the massive drop off from my official practice test scores and the score i received on the GMAT - 600 (Q42 v30) i was looking for advice on the current dilemma im facing. If you do read this, i apologize for the length of this message, but i want to ensure i don't miss out on any details so that i present a clear picture of my current predicament.
I have been preparing for the GMAT for the past 4.5 months, the last couple of months very diligently (i.e. 30-35 hours per week on average being a conservative estimate). My target score is a minimum of 700. Ideally in the 720-750 range.
Before even beginning my preparation I looked up videos and advice on youtube, gmatclub forums, articles etc on how to create a study plan and maintain an error tracker in order to avoid the usual pitfalls of GMAT prep. I began by familiarizing myself with the structure of the exam and then the subject material using the various free resources at my disposal like free access to Empower gmat material on signing up with Gmatclub, videos on specific types of problems from magoosh, vertias prep, gmatclub on youtube etc. trial class at manhattan prep (albeit this was right at the beginning of my prep and was helpful only in better understanding the scoring algorithm and structure of the GMAT).
I gave my diagnostic test using the free test provided by Manhattan prep and scored a 600 (Q37,v34). I have always felt that verbal would be my relative strong suit as i am a native English speaker and have always been confident in my speaking and writing abilities (in contrast to the stereotypical indian gmat test taker) and would have to focus on my quant score (where i have always suffered from a lack of confidence). In fact all my further mock results (i gave about 5 more free mocks from various test providers) confirmed by hunch, as initially relying only on my ear and limited practice on grammar rules for SC i was still scoring in the low to mid 30s consistently on verbal. I gave a mock every 2 weeks and set aside a day or 2 for analyzing the mock and updating my error tracker to focus on what went wrong and which areas to focus on, the remaining days I spent an average of 2 hours or so everyday familiarizing myself with the subject material and using practice sets (60 mins each) using the OG verbal review, OG quant review and OG (2018). Ill admit I slacked of for a couple of weeks during this 3 month period and in hindsight i realize my practice sets were more geared to completing all the problems in the OG rather than addressing the the question types i was weak in and gaining conceptual clarity.
Ill refer to this as Phase 1 of my gmat prep.
Through out this process i have maintained a set of physical notes covering basic rules- like Pythagorean triplets, mean and median properties of consecutive sets, using number line method for inequality questions, divisibility of integers (i,e, when is a number divisible by 2,3,4,6,8,9) to more advanced concepts like what to keep in mind for fitting of a geometric object in another geometric object, how to apply property of angle at center of circle twice that at of angle circumference etc. the majority of my notes where catered to quant, and the notes i did have for verbal were mostly catered to SC rules- types of errors tested, rules of operation of SC etc.
I had initially planned on giving the GMAT in mid September. But decided I would take the final call on the basis of my last 2 mocks (which were the OG mocks). I gave the first of the official GMAT mocks in end august and scored a 610 (Q40 V34 IR 5) and realized quickly that September was looking like an unlikely deadline if i was to secure the score i wanted. So i registered for the 1st of November and decided to really pull up my socks and give it my all. Lets call this period to the 1st of Nov (phase 2)
During phase 2 I utilized all 6 official tests (and repeated 2). The plan was to utilize each mock test to isolate problem areas and just focus on improving those areas 2 at a time and address any conceptual errors. I personally feel phase 2 was very productive due to realizing the gap in my approach during phase 1. I realized that in phase 1 I equated knowing the formulas and basic tricks and strategy (like which of the following usually being c or d, units places of squares, mean and median of consecutive numbers, Pythagorean triplets etc) as being able to solve challenging 600-700 level and 700+ level questions. If there were multiple problem areas, I would focus on improving 2-3 of them in the week before the next mock. Most of the prep was geared towards quant, but i did iron out the kinks in CR and RC (where i rarely got questions wrong) and improved on SC (where i would now get about 30-40% of the questions wrong)
Below are the list of results of my official GMAT prep mocks-
1) GMAC test 1- 610 (Q40 V34 IR 5)
commenced phase 2
2) GMAC test 2- 650 (Q39 V40 IR 7)
3) GMAC test 1 (retake) - 760 (Q49 V44 IR 5) I was aware that this result was skewed
4) GMAC test 4 - 720 (Q49 V40 IR 7)
5) GMAC test 5- 640 (Q44 V34 IR 7)
6) GMAC test 6- 710 (Q48 V39 IR 8) given a week before test day
7) GMAC test 2 (retake)- 700(Q46 V40 IR 4) given 2 days before test day (was surprised since i thought i would score higher given the repetition benefit when retaking GMAC test 1)
By the time I was giving GMAC test 4 I felt that I could score a 700+ on test day as long as I avoided any careless mistakes on quant and if i kept my focus during verbal. on a side not i though i messed up GMAC test 5 because i changed my usual selection order (verbal-quant- IR/awa) to quant-verbal-IR/awa for that test. But since i tend to fixated on my mistakes, if i feel like i messed up a few questions it has a spill over effect. So i decided that verbal should be my go to, because i dont usually feel like i messed up verbal, unless i run out of time and miss out on answering questions (which rarely happened).
While i think i maintained test conditions for the mocks during phase 1, i am 100% certain i maintained testing conditions during test 2 (i.e. no long break, no pausing to solve answers, no skipping sections) i even bought the scratch pad and pens to be used during GMAT to ensure i was prepared for everything test day could throw at me.
So come test day i felt fairly confident of scoring 680 plus, my major worry being whether I would get my target Q48+ (in my mind a V38+ was a foregone conclusion). I definitely felt my mind racing when I was at the test center but tried to calm myself by taking slow deep breaths. I went with my tried and tested verbal-quant-IR/AWA order, and while i definitely felt like my pacing was not the best, i answered all the questions on Verbal and quant. While giving quant i knew i was messing up, i dont know whether it was nerves and whether it was just bad luck, but i felt like i really messed up on PS questions because none of my solutions for the first few problems were matching up with the answer options, which led me to start panicking due to lost unproductive time (as I ultimately ending up guessing on these questions even though i worked on a solution). I knew i messed up quant (but still held out hope for a possible 700)
When i get my results i see a score of 600 (Q42 V30) (and i think an IR 7, but i cant be sure as i was shellshocked at the sight of my score drop in quant and verbal).
On a side note, there were issues with the computer (the test screen kept pausing due to some issues with the server, and we all had to leave the testing room during the awa section as the server went down apparently) but i dont think this had too much of an effect on the verbal, quant and IR sections.
While i know nerves getting the better of me today, and random freezes might have played a small part, im still shocked at the massive disparity between the official test results and the actual gmat result (especially because i know i stayed honest during phase 2 and the mock testing conditions). My verbal score was lower than any score (by a large amount) on any of the official tests and im confused as to why i screwed up the very beginning of the quant section (i was literally blanking out at points after the first question which seemed like a straightforward 600-700 level PS word problem revolving around percentages but for some reason my solution didnt match the answer chices)
The schools that i am looking to apply to all have there deadlines at the end of this month (i.e. Nov 25th 2021 or thereabouts). But i am in 2 minds as to whether to give the GMAT again at the earliest i.e. 17th nov. The fact that i scored as much as my initial diagnostic test - its almost as if these 4.5 months and especially the last 2 months have all been for nothing. I usually consider myself a fairly confident individual, and would like to chalk this one up to bad luck and nerves but im having some serious self doubt at the moment because i know i put in the work. So either its a test-taking ability issue or maybe i overestimated my preparation? Although the official test make me think it cant be adequate prep.
For now i plan to note down the topic areas that stumped me in quant (from what i can recall through my blackout) and it seems like i need to really deep dive into complex SC rules - such as identifying participle phrases and how it affects parallelism questions, isolating subject and verbs quickly in modifier questions etc, in order to ensure that i am consistent in SC scoring and not reliant on being perfect on near perfect on CR and RC.
I realize this has turned into a soliloquy but id appreciate any thoughts on how i should approach SC (whether SC is a pain point for most people who consider themselves adept at verbal, and what kind of targeted approach you would suggest if any), and any theories as to what could have possibly caused me to stroke in the middle of quant (i.e. whether it was just test jitters or just a sudden realization that i lacked conceptual clarity). And perhaps most importantly, do you think this was an outlier and should take the GMAT as soon as possible (given the deadline) or just prep thoroughly again and give it in a few weeks/months and apply next year (i.e. 2023)?
I can't see the option for accessing my ESR yet (its been less than 24 hours since i took the test and from what i understand it cant take upto 72 hours) but i intend on purchasing it as soon as it becomes available, primarily to confirm if an abysmal performance in SC was the cause of my downfall and if/how panic affected by performance in each third of quant (and also the topics to focus on because i can barely recall 2-3 problems from the test).
01 Nov 2021, 23:06
Kudos
Bookmarks
In the last 4 tests - what you call second phase minus the retakes, you have a variance of 10 (Q39-Q49). This means some quant concepts are weak. In the tests you do not get tested on 'these' concepts you fare well. I guess that would be the first thing to attack. All the best for the GMAT.
02 Nov 2021, 00:01
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi Anirudha,
Thanks for the advice. Agreed, which is why after each mock i was selecting areas to focus on depending on which topics i got wrong the most. I would then use the gmat forum quiz to only focus on those topics for the next couple of days- i did this with probabillity, combinations, absolute value modulus and inequalities.
But on test day i think percentages and word problems and DS problems revolving around inequalities coupled with modulus and number properties were where i really messed up (cant be sure until i get the ESR).
Do you have an alternative approach to the one i was following i.e. identify weak topics and then practice questions to familiarize myself with various question types from said topics and see if there is a concept i dont know of. An example of a conceptual gap that im reffering to would be - when doing an interest rate problem i did not know about adjusting the time period and rate depending on the period of compounding (semi-annual,quarterly etc).
Should i give each focus bombing session more time? i.e. keep giving practise sets on one specific topic until i reach a 90% efficiency rate ? So far i was only doing about 1 or 2 practice sessions of a specific topic area, approx 30-40 questions of that topic on 600-700 and 700+ level and only official gmat question.(thought that by doing this and noting down the errors i would be able to tackle anything that topic threw at me in the future).
Additionally to address my SC issue i plan on going through Manhatten Prep SC 6th edition, to ensure i understand the nuances of grammar rules and get better at identifying what the error type the questions are testing.
Is there any other addition/alternative you would recommend for either of my approaches?
I havent created a plan for RC and CR because in all my mocks i rarely got more than 3 questions from CR and RC combined incorrect. (although given how low my verbal score was on test day, this might have changed). In the week prior to the test, i also had a single session focusing on CR specifically for weaken and evaluate question types of 600-700 & 700+ difficulty because those are the ones i usually got wrong.
Thanks for the advice. Agreed, which is why after each mock i was selecting areas to focus on depending on which topics i got wrong the most. I would then use the gmat forum quiz to only focus on those topics for the next couple of days- i did this with probabillity, combinations, absolute value modulus and inequalities.
But on test day i think percentages and word problems and DS problems revolving around inequalities coupled with modulus and number properties were where i really messed up (cant be sure until i get the ESR).
Do you have an alternative approach to the one i was following i.e. identify weak topics and then practice questions to familiarize myself with various question types from said topics and see if there is a concept i dont know of. An example of a conceptual gap that im reffering to would be - when doing an interest rate problem i did not know about adjusting the time period and rate depending on the period of compounding (semi-annual,quarterly etc).
Should i give each focus bombing session more time? i.e. keep giving practise sets on one specific topic until i reach a 90% efficiency rate ? So far i was only doing about 1 or 2 practice sessions of a specific topic area, approx 30-40 questions of that topic on 600-700 and 700+ level and only official gmat question.(thought that by doing this and noting down the errors i would be able to tackle anything that topic threw at me in the future).
Additionally to address my SC issue i plan on going through Manhatten Prep SC 6th edition, to ensure i understand the nuances of grammar rules and get better at identifying what the error type the questions are testing.
Is there any other addition/alternative you would recommend for either of my approaches?
I havent created a plan for RC and CR because in all my mocks i rarely got more than 3 questions from CR and RC combined incorrect. (although given how low my verbal score was on test day, this might have changed). In the week prior to the test, i also had a single session focusing on CR specifically for weaken and evaluate question types of 600-700 & 700+ difficulty because those are the ones i usually got wrong.
