Scored 460 on Official Exam

Question

Scored 460 on the Official Exam GMAT Online V31 Q21 IR 2, I am feeling completely broken, yet to receive an unofficial or official score on MBA.com. Should I cancel my score or go ahead and keep it?

Now I want to do something which is impossible that is to jump from official 460 to 700 at least. I know all the basic questions and the most important score killing careless errors that I really avoid.

I am applying for INSEAD MiM today. I want to retake it in the next 16 days.

I have dedicated around 455 days since last year, and more than 1000+ hours, daily as I could not get a job, you could say GMAT was my full-time job. Spending around 6-8 hours daily, an average of 4 hours consistently. But I cannot replicate anything in the exam.

One of the biggest obstacles I faced during my GMAT journey was test-taking anxiety. Despite understanding the concepts, I would often struggle with medium-level and easy-level questions during the actual exam. This caused me to score lower than I had hoped.
A chain of multiple questions was wrong and the score plummeted.

My GMAT journey has been a long and challenging one, filled with ups and downs. When I first started preparing for the exam, I scored a 310 on my diagnostic test in 2022 January. I knew that I had a lot of work to do to reach my goal of scoring in the 700s.

Unfortunately, I had private tutoring last year. After trying a few different prep courses, I eventually landed on TTP and started studying extensively every day. Then focused completely on TTP and followed the streaks method which Marty suggested, in the TTP platform I can solve sums which are easy medium hard and sometimes miss Hard ones which I can't solve. Though I completed TTP 2 times, with full revision, I am not getting my results in the exam, in the GMAT club platform I solved more than 2500 or so in both Verbal and Quant, official material only for Verbal, sometimes LSAT too, I tried GMATNinja Study plan too for solving the questions as per link for streaks.

This is my previous post,
https://gmatclub.com/forum/scored-460-a ... 05692.html

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi Tejas.

The good news is that you've increased your score significantly. Also positive is that 460 doesn't appear to fully reflect the skills you have developed so far. So, you have made progress and are better positioned than your score on that GMAT seems to indicate.

I have a couple questions.

How have your practice accuracies and streaks been?

Also, how have you scored on recent practice tests?

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

If 700 is your minimum target score, you may want to book your exam after you score something similar on an Official Mocks. If during practice you have a high accuracy on Official EASY, MEDIUM, and HARD questions but your performance on an actual exam is significantly affected by time pressure, using time markers may be helpful.

In regards to "test-taking anxiety", try to figure out what precisely is the cause. Coming up with a plan B may help a person do plan A more calmly.

tejashendre · Answer

How have your practice accuracies and streaks been?
Easy 10 out 10 for all Q&V sections, Medium 7-8 out of 10 multiple times averaging, Hard 3-4 maximum out of 10.

Also, how have you scored on recent practice tests?
I want to be honest here, I did not have the time to sit for full-length practice tests over the past 3-4 weeks, because of job and then on weekends, the time went mostly to do streaks. So the scores which I had were
The only current ones

18th January 2023
GMAT Prep Free Mock 1 --460 Q28 V26

19th January 2023
GMAT Prep Free Mock 2 --530 Q32 V31

29th Dec 2021
GMAT 1 SigmaX mock 1 -- 310 Q16 V19

8th March 2022
GMAT Prep Free Mock 1 -- 400 Q26 V20

4th March 2022
GMAT 2 SigmaX mock 2 -- 450 Q27 V26

23rd May 2022
GMAT Prep Free Mock 2 -- 360 Q26 V20

18th January 2023
GMAT Prep Free Mock 1 --460 Q28 V26

19th January 2023
GMAT Prep Free Mock 2 --530 Q32 V31

tejashendre · Answer

My way of approaching the material could be a major issue, I might feel scared because of tough questions, and maybe an issue of mindset.

I have plan A of applying to MiM this year anyhow I have had plan B (trying work experience instead of applying and studying simultaneously) many times for the past 3 years, after multiple rejections from BSchools, and sometimes even tried the test-optional pathway, didn't work out.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi tejashendre,

Would you say that anxiety is affecting your practice exams as well?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi tejashendre,

After such a long study timeframe and so many study hours invested, I'm sorry to hear that Test Day didn't go as well as planned. From what you describe, there are likely a variety of different factors that are keeping you from scoring higher right now. Before we discuss any of those potential issues though, I'd like to know a bit more about your overall timeline and goals:

1) Over the last 15 months, have you taken any other CATs/mocks besides the 6 that you listed?
2) Were there any significant stretches of time in which you were not studying at all?
3) You mentioned that you have applied to (and been rejected from) a group of Business Schools. Which Schools did you apply to and when did you apply?
4) Is the INSEAD MiM Program your first-choice Program or are you more interested in some other Program?
5) Have you worked with (or even discussed) your profile and plans with an Admissions Expert?

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

Contact Rich at: [email protected]

tejashendre · Answer

ScottTargetTestPrep

In the TTP platform be it full length sectional tests of 31 Quant I did not feel stressed and was very much confident, skipping difficult and tricky questions.

On verbal in gmatclub using forum quiz or only practice questions I could be sure I could hit 75-80% accuracy. No stress here too.

But in thr practice 2 hour examme official I turned blank and this takes me nosediving into making incorrect questions in a row in the tests taking my score a big hit.

Personally I can gauge myself been a 690-710 scoring person.

Posted from my mobile device

tejashendre · Answer

EMPOWERgmatRichC

1) Over the last 15 months, have you taken any other CATs/mocks besides the 6 that you listed?
No full length exams of both Quant and verbal together apart from the 6 mentioned. 
Many times using TTP gmatclub, individual sectionals with 75% accuracy on both Quant and verbal. IR no studying.

2) Were there any significant stretches of time in which you were not studying at all?
No breaks because it could have set me back with the reinvesting to try relearning and revising for 1 2 weeks. So I invested any how on poor performance days atleast 2 hours, trying to solve CR,SC or PS DS. I have full details of study time in the app of pomodoro the time invested per day.

3) You mentioned that you have applied to (and been rejected from) a group of Business Schools. Which Schools did you apply to and when did you apply?
In 2020, I targeted schools UK tire 2 based on Ielts and I got admitted to all. Did not go because I wanted a college accepting students on gmat or gmat optional. Then in 2021-22 cycle only applied to Imperial College London test optional in a specific program and Cornell SC Johnson MPS Management (test optional), Georgetown University UK, related to pre, 1-2 experience masters. Got rejected.

4) Is the INSEAD MiM Program your first-choice Program or are you more interested in some other Program?
Yes this year I have only focused on INSEAD and no other school and I am totally ready with the application, LOR, Essays, internships, work experience. I have been in touch with a Admission team Member discussing my journey. I have been preparing the application for last 5 months.

5) Have you worked with (or even discussed) your profile and plans with an Admissions Expert?
Yes I have discussed my profile with a admission consultant with whom I am working with and with the member of INSEAD recruitment team. Not posted my profile on gmatclub ask consultants forum. RICH you can visit my LinkedIn mentioned below in the signature.

Posted from my mobile device

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

Your medium and hard accuracies aren't high enough yet.

For Quant topics, you need to be consistently achieving accuracies of at least 80% in medium and 60% in hard questions.

For Verbal topics, you need to be consistently achieving accuracies of at least 80% in medium and 70% in hard questions, and for Verbal, 90% in medium makes more sense.

Your move is to take practice tests regularly so that you become better at handling the overall test experience and perform better on test day.

tejashendre · Answer

MartyTargetTestPrep

From today I will only be sitting to practice only full length practice tests, quant gmatclub tests and verbal forum quiz 36 questions on forum quiz

Difficulty medium and hard.

Is this a good way to practice from now on?

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

Consider purchasing/doing Official Mocks 3-6. Fair to say those mocks best represent what you'll see on an actual exam. Saving 1 or 2 mocks just in case of another retake may be good choice.

tejashendre · Answer

Have purchased the set last year in sale. Thanks for helping.

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

Probably, you should also review and do individual practice questions to strengthen your skills in topics that you need to work on, as indicated by your practice test results.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi tejashendre,

If an Admissions Expert has advised that you will probably need to score in the 700s to earn an invite to your first-choice Program, then I think that it would be best to heed that advice - but you will almost certainly need more than another 15 days of study before you will be able to do so. I've sent you a PM with some additional notes.

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

Contact Rich at: [email protected]

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

I see Marty provided some great advice, but give this article a read as well.

tejashendre · Answer

ScottTargetTestPrep  You forgot to mention the link

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Here you go!

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