Struggling with GMAT for years. A journey from 620 to 700 to 610

Question

Hello everyone,

I gave my Online GMAT today early morning and came out with a really disappointing score. It's the worst score that I had in my history of preparing for GMAT all these years, and I was completely heart-broken when I saw that score flash in front of my screen after the test.

This might be a long note, but it's literally a cry for help. I don't know how to go ahead from here. It would be great if some of you can take some time out to go through this post and help me out in any way. Any sort of guidance would be really appreciated. I'm not able to move ahead in life since I've been stuck in this GMAT loop for years now, impacting my own mental health, and both personal and professional lives.

I'm sharing a summary of my GMAT journey so far below. I've kept it as detailed as possible to give the present to you all the entire journey. All the tests (including mocks), except the test-center based test, were taken from home at around 5am in the morning. I am an early riser and that is the best time at home with least disturbance:

I started studying for GMAT back in 2018. Wasn't too serious about it back then. I gave a couple of mocks back then, and decided to "give GMAT a shot"

1) July 2018 (Test-center GMAT): 620  (I don't remember the split as I had taken the test long ago and I had cancelled my score)
Even though I was scoring in the similar range in official mocks (and in Veritas' and Manhattan Prep's), I was naïve enough to expect some miracle to happen and get a 700+ score. Clearly I was out of my mind and unrealistic! I walked out of the test center after canceling my score and was utterly disappointed with myself for taking this test so lightly.

***Took a break from GMAT to focus more at work***

Time went by - I got busy at work, and got a few promotions. Then I reached a point where I knew I needed an MBA to move ahead in career. GMAT enters into my life again. While work was still "eating up" a lot of time, I started my preparing again around mid-2019, with a lot of freely available sources in gmatclub, my brother's old Manhattan guides, official guides, and PowerScore CR Bible. It was a really slow prep since I was struggling to find time and I took around 6 months to work on my GMAT skills. While I had improved my scores in mocks, I wasn't still scoring 700+. Since I was studying for a while now and was frustrated with no progress, I decided to give GMAT again.

2) 24 February 2020 (Test-center GMAT): 670 (Q47; V35; IR 7; AWA 5.0/6.0) 
CR: 94 percentile
RC: 78 percentile
SC: 43 percentile

I was shocked by this ESR results (detailed report attached), since I was stronger in SC than in RC. I decided to give GMAT again in a month or so but I couldn't continue with my prep, since the pandemic had broken out and India went into a lockdown (with no access to test centers and no Online GMAT in the scene). Working hours got more crazier due to WFHs and managing home as well left me with no time to study.

***Started studying again during Christmas-New Year break. Again initially with self-prep revising all the old topics***

3) January 2021 (1st GMAT practice test): 660 (Q47; V34)  
I Understood that Verbal is what will boost my score a lot, since I was targeting a score of 730-740. So I focused a lot of time on Verbal to bring that score up (self-prep). Meanwhile, I also enrolled with TTP to work on my quant skills. One of the best decisions I made so far. Thank you TTP!!

4) 29 April 2021 (2nd GMAT practice test): 690 (Q47; V38)  
14 incorrect answers in Quant
10 incorrect answers in Verbal: 5 in CR (of which 1 was guessed due to no time); 4 in SC (of which 1 was guessed due to no time); 1 in RC
I was really happy with my progress in Verbal. Multiple silly mistakes in Quants but carefully analysed them and stayed focused on progressing my score.

5) 10 May 2021 (3nd GMAT practice test): I had to cancel my test and score  
I wasn't in the right frame of mind. I was really disturbed due to some issues at work. Poor choice to give the test in the first place. A Big mistake. Wasted a paid Official test!

6) 17 May 2021 (4th Official Practice Test): 700 (Q49, V36); IR 5 
4 incorrect answers in Quant
11 incorrect answers in Verbal: 4 in RC; 3 in SC and 4 in CR
Time management issues were sorted. I was super happy with my Quant score. My prep through TTP Quant efforts had started to show results. Verbal score reduced due to mistakes early on in the test.

7) 22 May 2021: 3rd Official Practice Test (retake after resetting the 3rd and 4th Official Practice Test): 680 (Q50, V31)  
4 incorrect answers in Quant 
11 incorrect answers in Verbal (5 in RC; 5 in SC and 1 in CR)
Verbal score really impacted due to multiple silly mistakes. Decided to start using TTP Verbal, going through their concept chapters for SC. Got a better understanding of SC. Most of the answers that I gave in TTP were correct, boosting my confidence in Verbal.

***I agree that there were multiple repeat questions in quants (most of the repeats coming from 4th Official Practice Test) and this could have resulted in me scoring a Q50, from the previous high of Q49***

***Decided to give Online GMAT since I was receiving pressure from work to wrap up my GMAT soon***

8) 30 May 2021 (1st Online GMAT): 610 (Q49, V25) 
I really don't know what went wrong. I never got such a low score in Verbal. There were many technical issues with Examity, with the test starting almost 45 minutes late. I started with Verbal since that is my weaker area now, and was a bit unsettled at the start due to the delay. Time management was also not good. Ended up guessing the last several questions. During the Verbal test, I was fairly confident of selecting the answers, so I'm not able to pin point which section (SC, CR, RC) I messed up. Online GMAT does not provide an ESR as well, so I'm not able to do any diagnosis on my own.

Summary:  
1) TTP has been amazing for in Quant. I'm pretty happy with my Quant skills, although there is scope for improvement.
2) While I agree I might not have spent enough time on TTP Verbal, I need to sort out my Verbal skills especially in RC. My Verbal score has been oscillating, with the number of incorrect answers varying across CR, SC and RC in both practice tests and official exams. Can someone please guide me with best approach here. I need to get done with my prep soon since there is a lot of pressure from work to wrap it up soon, and moreover, I need to apply for MBA in this year's round 1 applications. 
3) I just have 2 Official Practice Tests left. I don't want to waste them on diagnosis. Without ESR on Online GMAT, I'm not able to pin point my issues. What is the best way to diagnose my actual Verbal skills without using Official Practice test? I hear both Manhattan Prep and Veritas mocks are tougher than actual GMAT? Would this be further demotivating or helpful?
4) Is there anything else that is missing from my prep or something that I'm fundamentally going wrong with? 
5) Any sort of personal tutoring/diagnosis would be really great since I'm running out of time for my applications.

Apologies for such a long post. Any leads/suggestions would be really useful.

Hope you all are staying safe!

Best,
Vaishnav

***Tagging some of the verbal experts that I'm aware of, for better reach. Suggestions are most welcome from others too!*** 
 GMATNinja   VeritasKarishma   MartyTargetTestPrep   ScottTargetTestPrep   souvik101990   bb   VeritasPrepHailey

carouselambra · Answer

Hi  vaishnavmohanan

I might be able to offer some support till the experts reply, ofcourse.
Quant seems fine.
How have you been using TTP verbal and what is the exact process?

Cheers!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Vaishnav,

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) What type of study routine have you been following over the last 4 months? How many hours did you typically study each week?
2) During your prior studies (for your 1st and 2nd attempts) what “brands” of CATs/mocks did you use?

Goals:
3) Is your overall goal score still 730-740 or is it something else?
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

760+: What GMAT Assassins Do to Score at the Highest Levels

vmmMBA · Answer

Thank you for reaching out  carouselambra  !

I did reach out to the leads at TTP, and  JeffTargetTestPrep , after going through my analytics, said that I haven't touched their verbal. Completely true - I just used it majorly for improving my Quant. Most of my verbal prep has been self-study (multiple resources), and I had used TTP verbal only to clear my specific doubts. I also had a quick chat with  MartyTargetTestPrep  and he suggested that I master CR first before I go into RC.

So, I'm thinking better now (was a bit emotional after the test yesterday, hence the long post!). Can't expect miracles to happen if I haven't gotten my skills sorted. So, I'm gonna used TTP Verbal now and let's see where my skills stand by June-end.

I didn't quite understand what you meant by exact process.

For SC, TTP fundamentally says,
1) Option A is not necessarily the intended meaning, rather the intended meaning is what the correct answer says
2) Eliminate answer choices that have clear grammatical errors and illogical meaning
*** both of which I agree and makes complete sense ***

For CR, TTP fundamentally says,
1) Don't use Pre-thinking approach, which I agree is a waste of time when you have the answer right there below (What if what you "pre-thought" is not even in the answers options?).
2) Understand what the argument is trying to convey, and basis the question type, find the answer that best addresses the problem.

Disclaimer: I've only scratched the surface of TTP Verbal, so there could be more to what I've mentioned above.

vmmMBA · Answer

Thank you for reaching out  EMPOWERgmatRichC  !

I'm not sure what was unrealistic during the practice. I had majorly used OGs, Official Practice Tests, and TTP Quant. I never got V25 in my history of studying for GMAT. The lowest that I got was around V29-30. Even in the first GMAT that I gave in the test-center back in 2018, my verbal score was around V35 range, but my quant score was really low, resulting in a low score of 620. (I'm not sure of the exact split, I had cancelled the score).

There were some technical issues with Examity before the GMAT online test started, as I had mentioned in my post earlier. The entire check-in process took nearly 45 minutes! That must have unsettled me because I remember taking a lot of time for the first question (I had started with Verbal first. In hindsight, given the delay and issues, I should have started with Quant. That would have helped me settle down.)

I'm addressing your specific questions below:

Studies:
1) What type of study routine have you been following over the last 4 months? How many hours did you typically study each week?
 I'm an early riser. I wake up around 4:30-6 (varies basis when I go to sleep. But I sleep around 6.5-7 hours). So I study around 2 hours before work. and then try to put in at least an hour after work (but doesn't work most of times coz either I'm too tired or there is so much work)

2) During your prior studies (for your 1st and 2nd attempts) what “brands” of CATs/mocks did you use? 
 I had used Veritas (free version), Manhattan Prep (free version), and Official Practice Test (free version) before my 1st attempt. But for the 2nd attempt it was only the free versions of Official Practice test. There was a huge study gap. I honestly didn't remember any of the questions that I answered in the free versions during my prep for 1st attempt. So, it couldn't have skewed my results in Official Practice tests.

Goals:
3) Is your overall goal score still 730-740 or is it something else?
 Yes, the target is still the same: 740.

4) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to?
 I'm targeting to apply in round 1 in this upcoming admission cycle. Target schools are in Europe (INSEAD, LBS, HEC), but if I have a really good GMAT score (750+), I might think about applying to few of the top US schools.
I've got to go for my MBA next year no matter what. I've pushed my MBA plan for really long. I'll have 6 years of work experience (Big 4) when I apply in October 2021.

vmmMBA · Answer

carouselambra  and  EMPOWERgmatRichC

In addition to what I said above, my first verbal question was a bold-faced CR question.

Until yesterday, I was under the impression that bold-faced CR questions generally come when you are doing really well in your Verbal section, more towards the end of the Verbal section. I guess I got a bit thrown off by that as well!

carouselambra · Answer

1.Great that you have already spoken to the TTP experts since I was just about to ask you that.
2. How good is your accuracy when it comes to SC/CR? Are you confident that it is 80% + ?

KarishmaB · Answer

vaishnavmohanan  - Knowing that different question types have been the problem for you in different practice tests and without the ESR of the actual GMAT, it is hard to say what went wrong. Anxiety could have played a big role if the test started 45 mins late only because things did not go "exactly as planned". There is no other reason why your score should dip from 35 to 25 in Verbal over the year. I don't think using the tests as diagnostic tools will work out either since your performance in each question type varies greatly from test to test.

To me, it seems to be a problem of time management more than anything else. Perhaps when you invest sufficient time in a question, you get it correct and when you try to hurry others, you get them wrong. From your previous ESR, I can see that you spend more time on correct questions. Hence, your Verbal strategies may be fine - the issue may be reading speed and subsequent time management.

To improve time management, try to practice in blocks of 10 questions each with 15 mins on the clock. 
Also, focus on the important things - conclusion in strengthen/weaken, decision points in SC etc. Also, do not go with any preconceived notions on "difficulty level", "how the algorithm should work" etc. Know that your job is only to attempt each question as it comes and give it your best shot within 2 mins. Let the algorithm figure how to best judge your aptitude.

mark07 · Answer

This is your highest score. You need more preparation to cross your highest score boundary.

vmmMBA · Answer

Yeah, it was nice having a quick chat with Marty!

My accuracy in SC and CR has generally been over 80%, at least while practicing from OGs. My current accuracy levels in TTP SC and CR is at 88% (around 120 questions solved). But I've just started using TTP's Verbal module, so this might not be my actual accuracy.

But I do agree that during official mocks, this hasn't been the case. There have been cases when my correct answer % has been lower than 60%. Even for the test-center GMAT that I took in Feb 2020, when I scored 670 with a V35, before seeing the ESR, I thought it was in RC where I messed up (because I was struggling to find the right balance for reading pace prior to the exam). But then when I got the ESR, I was shocked to see a miserable 43 percentile in SC, and a great 94 percentile in CR and a happy 78 percentile in RC. I went into the exam thinking I'm gonna ace SC and CR (because I prepared really well for those two), and just wing it for RC. CR results came as expected. I had prepared really well for that. I sat with that big PowerScore CR Bible book and went through it all. Almost all the problems that I answered after that were correct.

So, more than skills, I guess its just test anxiety/ time management that's messing me up. I sometimes get that right, and sometimes I don't. Still haven't figured out the "right recipe".

vmmMBA · Answer

Thank you for reaching out  VeritasKarishma  and taking time out to analyse my ESR! Much appreciated!

Yeah, I feel the same too! Test Anxiety and Time Management is what is restricting me from my target score - It's more like Test Anxiety is impacting my Time Management. I do practice small sets of questions just like you suggested, in a timed manner, and while practicing my time management is pretty good. Current time management stats in TTP Verbal says 1:59 per SC question and 1:58 per CR question, both at 88% accuracy. I'm not able to reflect that in actual test though, and I don't know how to fix that. (I know I've made multiple SC errors in this para, lol!)

Moreover, this is my last shot at GMAT. Just one GMAT online left, and I'm at a place in India where test-centers aren't there, and the closest one (300kms+ away) is closed due to lockdown (nor is it practical to travel that far during this pandemic). So, I've gotta make this count! 670 is not gonna work for my target schools (INSEAD, LBS, HEC)

vmmMBA · Answer

Thanks Mark! Yeah, I'm working on that with TTP Verbal.

I did score Q50 in Gmatclub Quant though, and my highest Verbal score is V38 (in one of the official mocks). Both that put together is a 730 score. But I know its not right to selectively pick the best section scores and club them as current levels. I need to find the right balance and make it happen together in the same mock and actual GMAT

vv65 · Answer

Vaishnav,
To reach your target score, it is important that your accuracy in easy and medium questions be almost 100%. 
Anything less can (and probably will) mess up the GMAT on test day. If accuracy is, say, 75% then you're too dependant on luck.

Some words of wisdom from (if I remember right) one of GMATninja's videos:
"Your score is based primarily on WHICH questions you miss, ... If you miss a few easy questions, you'll see more easy questions -- and then you're totally, fully, comprehensively, epically, unbelievably screwed."

Posted from my mobile device

vmmMBA · Answer

Thank you for reaching out  vv65  !

Yes, I gotta make sure I get all the easy and medium ones. Thank you again!

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi vaishnavmohanan,

How are things coming along? Are you still working through TTP verbal?

vmmMBA · Answer

Hey Scott, I'm sorry I missed this post. I just saw this now when I came to share an update. But to answer your question, yes, I did use TTP for quant and SC, and found it really useful.

I just gave GMAT online today morning. My last one. I got a 680 (q47 v35).

I repeatedly lost my wifi during quant section. I had to randomly mark answers for the last 5-6 questions all of which I knew how to solve. I used to score q49-50 in mocks. I got a q49 in my previous gmat online as mentioned in initial post. I even got a Q50 once in gmatclub quant practice test.

I really don't know what to do now. I'm targeting to apply in Round 1. I'll be applying to European schools mostly (insead, hec, lbs, iese), and haven't started my application process yet. The only way for me to give Gmat again is to go to a test centre 300+kms away. I haven't been vaccinated yet, so traveling is risky. All these thoughts are playing in my head and I'm not able to come to a decision.

Any tips would be really appreciated from anyone  VeritasKarishma   MartyTargetTestPrep   ScottTargetTestPrep   bb  EMPOWERgmatRichC

If I send both my Gmat Online scores (680 q47 v35; 610 q49 v25) to the schools and explain to them in optional essays that I did face issues during the test, do you guys think they would consider?

Posted from my mobile device

KarishmaB · Answer

680 is a good score. Yes, it is a few points below the coveted 700 but the difference lies more in our perception than in the perception of the adcom. The schools you apply to will be able to see all your scores except the ones you have cancelled, though they will focus on the highest/latest score.
In my opinion, you should start working on your essays and make sure they are really good. If later you find yourself waitlisted, you can check with the adcom and retake GMAT (hopefully covid situation would be more settled by then) if that will tip the scales in your favour.

Our admission consulting team can provide you more insights. Get a free profile evaluation here:
https://www.gmatclub.com/forum/veritas-prep-resource-links-no-longer-available-399979.html#-sc ... valuation/

vmmMBA · Answer

Thanks a lot for that quick response Karishma! Would you recommend that I drop in a mail to the schools that I'm interested in to check this with them? Although, I assume they would just tell me that profiles are reviewed holistically.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Vaishnav,

I'm sorry to hear about the technical issues that you faced during the Test. That having been said, a 680/Q47 is a strong Score - and it could be enough to get you into your first-choice School. You're ultimately asking Admissions questions, so 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/

If you choose to retest, then we'll need to examine your prior studies in more detail. That might all ultimately be unnecessary work though - so let's see what the Admissions Experts have to say.

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

vmmMBA · Answer

EMPOWERgmatRichC Thank you for getting back to me. Yeah, I didn't speak to my target schools yet, but I spoke to a bunch of admissions consultants. All of them asked me to seriously consider taking the GMAT again and bringing it above 700. So I'm almost certain that I'll have to catch a flight and go to a test centre

The closest one is in Bangalore (where I used to work prior to the pandemic), and all dates are booked for July and August, except for August 3rd. There are dates available in other cities (Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune), but I'm not sure if going to an unfamiliar city and test centre would impact my score. I've been to the Bangalore test centre before. So unless someone cancels/reschedules their test date, August 3rd might be the date that I take the test again (I haven't booked it yet though). Now when I look back at yesterday's test, 1) I certainly felt that the questions were harder, especially in Quant. The questions were lengthier. They were unnecessarily providing definitions for things like y=mx+c, and for several other stuffs. It made me read those unnecessary detail, again and again to avoid missing any special conditions/cases. 2) The questions felt like those that you'd find in Gmatclub's Quant practice test, but I did score a Q50 in Gmatclub's. Almost all of such questions came in the first 10-15 questions, but by then I had started facing network issues and lost a lotta time. All of the questions that I had to randomly mark through were the ones that you'd find in official practice test or guides. I knew how to solve all of them. I still remember feeling so miserable because I knew I how to solve each and every one of them, but I just didn't have the time

I was worried of my score tanking as a result of leaving questions unanswered. 3) I'm struggling to recollect the kind of questions that I struggled with in Quant. All that panicking is all I remember and the questions that I'd missed/randomly marked through. So I guess, I'll have to go through Gmatclub Quant Practice tests again and keep practicing regularly. (luckily I won Gmatclub subscriptions in the recent MBA spotlight - I'm feeling really grateful now bb

) 4) Coming to verbal - I found it similar to what you'd find in official practice tests, but the 3rd RC just drained me out. It was super long and the questions were really convoluted. That would have eaten up a lotta time, because even though I saw a bold face at around the 25th question (which I guess is like a god-sent sign that you are doing well), I was doing really bad on time management. I remember rushing through the questions after the 25th. So, I guess my score tanked due to poor performance in 4th quarter. (why wouldn't Gmat online provide the ESR

) 5) CR is something I struggle with when it comes to time management. I've averaged above 2 minutes in official practice tests. Bringing that down would help me finish Verbal better. I was doing fairly well with RC and SC in time management: both at around 1.5 minutes. I know RC is where people generally struggle with time management, but reading the passage slowly and completely (and at times skipping examples/details once I get the general idea) has helped me save time on the questions. The 2nd RC was super technical and loaded with jargons, but it was relatively smaller and I strongly feel that I nailed those questions. But yeah, the 3rd RC was really tough and my time management in Verbal, which was always just hanging by the thread went off scale (I never finished Verbal before time or comfortably... I've heard a few stories from non-natives who finished Verbal 10 minutes before time and scored a 770...God knows how

). I don't know how to diagnose my test though. Online Gmat doesn't provide an ESR (I really don't know why

). 1 month is all I have, and this is going to be my last attempt for sure. There is no time for me to keep writing Gmat again and again because I gotta apply for MBA this year no matter what. I haven't started with my essays yet, and I don't think doing Gmat prep and essays together is a good idea. I'll end up not doing a good job in both, and plus there is no time to focus on work + gmat + college applications all together. I've also exhausted all official practice tests. Any tips on which other practice tests that I can use? Veritas Prep vs Manhattan Prep? Gmatclub Quant practice tests and CR practice is what I feel would help me out here, but if there is any other way to do a diagnosis, please do let me know. Any suggestions are most welcome.

Struggling with GMAT for years. A journey from 620 to 700 to 610

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards