ESR Analysis (680, Q48, V35)

Question

Hi everyone,

I sat my first GMAT test last week and "failed" the test, having only gotten 680 when I am aiming for 730+ (I am targeting to apply for m7 business school, hence the high GMAT target score).

I just got my ESR report and it's time to do some post mortem analysis, would anyone able to analyse my ESR report and recommend where I can improve to achieve my target score please?

On a different note, is it even worth applying for M7 business school with only a 680 GMAT? I know I will miss the R2 deadline if I do another GMAT attempt, but I am torn between using the next month studying for another GMAT test vs applying for R2 this year using a very low score.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi Athenian49,

I’m happy to provide some advice but would first like to learn about your situation with the GMAT. I have some questions:

1) How many times have you taken the actual GMAT? Please list the dates on which you’ve taken the GMAT, the total scores, and the quant, verbal, and IR scores, as well as how you were feeling while taking the tests. 
 
2) How many practice GMAT tests did you take? Please list the dates on which you’ve taken any practice GMATs, the total scores, and the quant, verbal, and IR scores, as well as how you were feeling while taking the tests. Also, please tell me where these tests came from (ex: mba.com).
 
3) Please describe how you studied. For how many hours a day did you study and for how many months? What resources did you use for your prep?
 
4) If you retake the GMAT will you apply to schools next year?

5) In your opinion, how prepared were you for the GMAT? It's important that you answer this question as objectively as possible.
 
8) Is there anything else that I should know? Anything else you’d like to tell me?

Once I learn some more about you, I can provide some more specific advice.

Athenian49 · Answer

1: Sat my first GMAT test on 6th of December and got 680 (Q48, V35 and IR8). In the test I found the Quant section to be harder than normal and I had to make more guesses than usual, thought I bombed out but to my surprise still got 48 in Quant, for verbal my concern was always around sentence correction so I gave myself up to 2 and a half minutes per question, so I pay for that by having to guess the last few RC/CR questions as I ran out of time. IR I didn't really care as it doesn't contribute towards the combined score, but to my surprise I got 100%, GMAT can be cruel at times...

2: My practice test attempts are below, I only did the official practice tests:
(10th of Nov) Practice test 1: 630, Q43, V34 and IR7, this test was done without any study to get a baseline score
(18th of Nov) Practice test 2: 660, Q48, V33 and IR8, this was done after practicing many Quant questions for a week
(2nd of Dec) Practice test 3: 710, Q48, V40 and IR8, this was done after 2 weeks of intense study on sentence correction. I got really lucky as I got the first 11 questions correct in Verbal, including 5 sentence correction questions, so this mark is probably inflated.
(4th of Dec) Practice test 1 attempt 2: 670, Q48, V34 and IR8, this was to validate whether my sentence correction has improved 2 days before the test, clearly the answer is a big no.

3: Started studying on 11th of November, I work full time so I study on the weekend and for an hour or two after work each day. For Quantitative I just improved via practicing questions and read half of the MGMAT quant books. For verbal I spent all my time on sentence correction and this was done by doing many sentence correction questions along with the MGMAT SC book. In that 4 weeks I roughly spent 1 and a half weeks on Quant and 2 and a half weeks on sentence correction. I ignored RC/CR and IR as I was already getting really good scores on those without any study.

4: Yes, if I resit I will apply for MBA next year, no choice as I would miss the R2 window to apply for MBA this year in January.

5: For Quant I feel I am under-prepared, quite a few questions I just don't know the formula needed to solve them and I didn't have time to read through all MGMAT books for Quant prior to the test, in those cases I had to make an educated guess which dragged my marks down. For verbal my weak sentence correction skills is holding me back as the system won't give me any hard RC/CR questions if I keep messing up on the sentence correction part. Overall I would have preferred to have another 2-3 weeks to study.

Please let me know if I missed anything

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Athenian49,

First off, a 680/Q48 is a strong score (it's above the 80th percentile overall), so it could be enough to get you into your first-choice School. As such, a retest might not be necessary. As as aside, referring to this result as a 'failure' or a 'low score' makes you sound silly - so you have to be careful about how you present yourself in the future (especially on your applications, essays and interviews). You're ultimately asking Admissions questions though, so you would likely find it beneficial to speak with an Admissions Expert about your overall profile. There's a Forum full of those Experts here:

https://gmatclub.com/forum/ask-admissio ... tants-124/

Many Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores, so since you've been studying for just 1 month, it's likely that you just have not put in enough time and effort to hit your Goal Score yet. This Score shows that you're a really strong critical thinker overall, but you have to make sure that you know all the content and that you train in the proper Tactics to take advantage of how the GMAT is written.

Before we discuss the data in your ESR, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on your timeline and your goals:

1) What are the exact application deadlines for each of the Schools that you plan to apply to?
2) Going forward, how many hours do you think you can consistently study each week?

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

Athenian49 · Answer

Thanks Rich, my responses are below:
1: Wharton - Jan 3
MIT Sloan - Jan 22
Kellogg - Jan 9

2: Around 20 hours. 7 hours each day on weekend and ~1 hours each day on weekdays.

I contacted a few admission experts and they said my score is too low for a realistic attempt at those schools, so I will need to do the test again in January. I might just able to sneak in an application to MIT Sloan if my Jan test gets me a higher score.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Athenian49,

I've sent you a PM with notes on your ESR and some suggestions.

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

egmat · Answer

Hi Athenian49 , Analysis of the various data points in addition to your understanding and knowledge of what actually happened in the test will give you the best insights. You may use this article on ESR Analysis in 3 steps to analyse your ESR and come up with insights. This is just the first step though. Once you identify the problem areas, you must plan how to improve upon those. This article on Retake Strategy will help you make a plan based on your ESR. If you need any further inputs or want to get your ESR analysis verified, you can write to us at support@e-gmat.com Regards, Aditee

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi Athenian49,

Thank you for responding to my questions. Given how you were scoring on your practice exams, you actually did pretty well on your actual GMAT, right? That being said, since you were able to score only as high as 710 (on your last practice exam) and your score goal is 730, you may consider giving yourself a few more months of solid prep, and then applying to schools in the first round next year. Have you decided whether to retake the GMAT? If you do decide to retake the exam, I can review your ESR and provide some further advice on how to move forward with your prep.

Athenian49 · Answer

Yes, I agree I couldn't complain about the actual score based on the mock tests, I would have to be very lucky to get 700+ based on my ability on the test date.

I will retake the GMAT in January, most likely on 4th of January as I have roughly 10 days off work during the Xmas/NY break which allows me to do some intensive study.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Sounds good, my friend. Keep me updated.

Let’s do this!!

Athenian49 · Answer

Just an update, I did 2 months of intense study fully utilising the Christmas/NY break and just did a test today, the result? I got 660 (Q49, V31), this is despite I spent 80% of the time studying sentence correction.

Thanks for everyone's help on this journey, obviously I am devastated but I am going to regroup and decide what to do next.

Thanks for everyone's help on this journey, obviously I am devastated but I am going to regroup and decide what to do next.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Athenian49,

I'm sorry to hear that Test Day did not go as well as hoped. This Score is rather similar to your prior Official GMAT Score - so it's likely that you continue to "see" (and respond to) the GMAT in the same ways as before. Your 680/Q48 is still a strong score though - and it could be enough to get you into the Schools that you listed (assuming that you have a strong OVERALL profile and that you properly 'market yourself' to each of the Schools that you apply to).

If you're convinced that you need a 730+ Score, then you're essentially in the same position as when you took the GMAT the last time - you need more study time and you need to train to handle the GMAT in new ways. Since this recent Score is so close to your prior Score, it's possible that you've developed some 'bad habits' from your prior studies that are keeping you from scoring higher. Thankfully, the GMAT is a consistent, predictable Exam, so you CAN train to score at a higher level - and you can continue to study and apply to School later. This is all meant to say that your big-picture Goals are all still very much alive. At this point, I would suggest that you take a few days 'off' to clear your head. Then we can discuss how you might proceed.

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

ESR Analysis (680, Q48, V35)

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