Took GMAT today and bombed it. Retake advice 650 Q48, V31

Question

Hi guys,

I took my GMAT today and I bombed it. I am wondering how my Verbal Score can be so low my mocks are:

Practice Exam 1: 720 (Q48, V41)
Practice Exam 2: 710 (Q49, V38)
Practice Exam 3: 730 (Q49, V40)
Practice Exam 4: 730 (Q50, V38)
Practice Exam 5: 680 (Q45, V38)
Practice Exam 6: 730 (Q48, V42)

Real Exam: 650 (Q48, V31).

How is this discrepancy even possible? Are the mocks really so unreliable?

The thing is, I was not anxious at all I am a very confident test taker and have already in my life taken several very demanding high-pressure tests. The exam actually felt good, especially Verbal. I don't understand how a V31 from a V42 from my last test is even possible.

I did not cancel my score, but I am thinking about whether I should do it now. I want to retake it as soon as possible but with this 16-day gap, I think I have to wait longer since the winter holidays are coming soon.

I am devastated and can't believe my score. I studied around 250 hours for this weak score. I am really doubting my abilities.

Any recommendations regarding the retake and how I can do it as soon as possible are very welcome.

EducationAisle · Answer

If you took official mock tests, V32 does seem to be an anomaly and you should re-take the exam asap.

Could have been one bad day.

kntombat · Answer

germaneis , I can understand your frustration, you could ask for your ESR and upload it here so that the experts can have a look at it and advise you accordingly.
I do agree with  EducationAisle , your verbal score today could be an anomaly based on the results of your previous mocks.

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi germaneis.

To figure out what happened on verbal on test day, I could use some information.

How have you prepared for GMAT verbal?

What have been your accuracies - easy, medium, and hard - on verbal practice questions?

Also, you may get from the following post some insights that you can use to make sure you achieve your score goal next time you take the GMAT.

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

germaneis · Answer

Hi Marty thanks for answering, I studied for Quant with TTP, and I also have the Verbal subscription however I did not really study it since I thought that my V38-V42 already is sufficient for my target score of 710+.

Instead, I studied using the Verbal Review 2021 and made in Error Lock I got 90% on easy over SC RC and CR. My accuracy for mid-highs dropped in SC to 70% - 50%, however, my RC and CR were notoriously strong as I averaged 80% even for hard questions.

Going forward I will go through the Verbal Chapters and Tests in TTP and I plan on continuing with a lot of Verbal Practice using the OG 21 book. I am currently planning on retaking online on the 30. December and retaking again in person on 10. January.

Any advice/opinion on my plan would be highly appreciated!

Any advice/opinion on my plan would be highly appreciated!

Oh btw I am going to buy the ESR for this attempt, is there any possibility to get someone at TTP to take a look when I get it?

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

Yes, you need to be strong in SC to get that upper 30s to 40s verbal score you're looking for, and even CR and RC could be a little stronger since the questions in the OG for Verbal Review are not all that hard.

By using the TTP verbal chapters, you can get SC down, and you can improve in CR and RC as well. You may not need to go through all of all of the CR chapters. You can get key insights by going through the first few CR chapters completely and then going through rest in an accelerated way by reading the first few lessons of each and then just going through the Must Knows and Examples to complete the chapters.

Also, key to mastering verbal is to shoot for super high accuracy untimed first, and then work on answering questions at test pace. See this post for more on how to practice.

The Best GMAT Practice Methods

Yes, just hit us up on the in-course chat.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi germaneis,

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:

1) How long have you studied? How many hours do you typically study each week?
2) We're the 6 CATs/mocks that you listed the only ones that you took (or were there others?)? 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)?
3) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to?

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: [email protected]

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

This person went from a V31 to a V40 (retake) in about 30 days.  They took a bit of tutoring (6 hours solving approach) but mention a variety of resources and tips you may be able to quickly leverage. Once you get the ESR that could also help provide a bit of insight into what happened on your attempt. Perhaps your time management wasn't as good as it normally is, for example.

GmatKnight's 5 Verbal tips

IN2MBB2PE · Answer

Your Quant looks pretty consistent, what did you use to improve from Q43 onwards?

TulikaArya · Answer

Hi,

Could you please share the name of the mocks that you had taken.

Thank you!

bb · Answer

Those look like GMAT prep tests since there are six of them but I’m just assuming here and I think it’s a good question to ask for clarification. Good call.

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Took GMAT today and bombed it. Retake advice 650 Q48, V31

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