Two tries and still not doing well! Please help!

Question

Hi everyone,

I would like to thank the founders of the site and the moderators of this excellent forum! It is a very organized and well-kept forum! thank you.

I have tried the GMAT twice now, and I am still doing very poorly! I have hit a dead-end and I desperately need help. Here is a summary.

1st Try 
 Time:  2 weeks of prep (50-60 hours)
 Learning Material:  Read and solved all MGMAT questions (I do realize that the difficulty level is no where near that of the actual test) 
 Questions:  100 questions from OG (verbal and Quant.)
 Lessons learnt:  The GMAT is a lot harder than I thought
 Score:  440

2nd Try 
 Time:  1 month @ 30hrs/week (total=120 hrs)
 Learning Material:  read MGMAT SC book, watched all verbal videos on Magoosh, watched videos on all weak area in Quant (e.g. geometry & number properties)
 Questions:  ~500 Quant and ~300 verbal questions from Magoosh. ~50 Quant and ~75 verbal (mostly SC) questions from OG. 
 Lessons learnt:  
-halfway through my studying, I realized I need to analyze every solution and understand every single question thoroughly. I took a lot of time to learn concepts and find the fastest way of doing questions in Quant and Verbal.
-Even though I know all the SC rules inside out when I don't see easy splits I freeze. The SC questions on the GMAT were way different than those I had seen during practice.
-During the GMAT, I felt that number property composed a majority of the test, I only had 1 probability question, one combination question, and 2 geometry questions.
-I found the passages not difficult, but clearly my score thinks otherwise
 Timing:  I was short about 10 minutes on Verbal, but only about 2-4 min short on the Quant.
 Score:  540 (44Q, 21V). CAT#1(MGMAT) 590(Q43 V29) (2 weeks before GMAT). CAT#2(magoosh): 560 (Q42 V25) (3 days before GMAT)

Background
-Engineering background from a top school with 4.0 average (but apparently no one cares not that I have a low GMAT score.
-Great analytical skills
-I do read books regularly and listen to podcasts regularly
-English is my first language

Test day
-I was not nervous 
-I was able to think clearly

Please help me! I have really done all I can on my own, but I don't easy much improvement.
Quant: I know the theory inside out, I just haven't had too much practice with 700 level questions, which I am certain I can improve on
Verbal: 
RC: I do read the passages in about 5-7 minutes, I understand them very well, and I feel like I am selecting the right answers 70% of the time
CR: I feel like I am very good at this. I am able to take quick notes and I feel like I go the right answer 80% of the time.
SC: during practice, I got 90% of the right, even the OG 2016 questions, but on the official GMAT I did very poorly.

I would greatly appreciate any advice. I am planning on retaking the test in about a month.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi NothingComes3asy,

Many Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) on their studies, so it's likely that you just have not put in enough time and energy yet. Considering that you took your second GMAT after just 1 month of additional study, the fact that you improved 100 points is notable - you clearly have to capacity to improve. From what you described, you essentially 'pieced together' a study plan that you thought made sense to you. Whether that approach would have been enough or not to get you to your score goal is the question now. If your score goal is 700+, then you're likely going to need MORE than 1 month of additional study time, regardless of how you continue to approach the process though.

1) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
2) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

KarishmaB · Answer

A 540 implies not-so-strong basics. Your background suggests otherwise. There isn't anything in your profile that would explain the low score. That said, obviously there are gaps. Your actual score is very similar to your practice scores. That strengthens your belief that you were not nervous and were thinking clearly. The practice scores, then are your best guide. Figure out the topics in which you were making mistakes in the practice tests. Spend enough time on those topics. Since you are aiming for 700+, you should review them from our blog as well. We discuss advanced topics and holistic methods of solving questions. https://www.gmatclub.com/forum/veritas-prep-resource-links-no-longer-available-399979.html#/categor ... er-wisdom/ Also, a month may not be sufficient time so do not rush into taking a date just yet. Figure out exactly why your score is low, plan how you are going to improve it and then figure out the time it will take. Thereafter, take a date. How do you know you performed very poorly on official GMAT SC? Did you get the ESR? If yes, you might want to share it with us. That will help us give you some more useful advice. Also, check out our verbal blog for lots of helpful hints: https://www.gmatclub.com/forum/veritas-prep-resource-links-no-longer-available-399979.html#/categor ... at-verbal/

NothingComes3asy · Answer

Hi Rich,
Thank you so much for your encouraging words! I felt very down yesterday, but after reading your post, I feel much better : -D

My school of choice, Ivey (Canada) states that 600+ is the minimum and the official date for the last round past a few weeks ago, so hopefully I'll get in with 540, but, either way, I will definitely need a higher. I have applied during the last round, so I don't have any more chances, classes start in about 1-month :S

Karishma,

I did purchase my ESR last night. Can I post it here and black out my name? I have attached the first page for your reference. It doesn't seem very helpful to me but maybe you understand it better than I can. I really don't care about IR score, only quant and verbal is my focus. Thanks

I would greatly appreciate advice from anyone else out there! Thanks

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi NothingComes3asy,

When do you expect to hear back from Ivey about your application?

Since the last application deadline has apparently passed, you would have considerably more time to study before you can apply again, which is good. While it's understandable that you would want to get through all of this quickly, you essentially 'rushed through' your prior 2 attempts and were unable to hit your goals. This is meant to say that by slowing down and being a bit more diligent with your studies, you would probably have a much better chance of achieving those goals.

The ESR doesn't include much information, but there are often some deductions that can be made - I'd have to see the ENTIRE ESR though. If you're not comfortable posting it, then you can feel free to PM it to me.

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

NothingComes3asy · Answer

Thank you Rich. I think you make a great point. If my current strategy isn't working I need to try again differently.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi NothingComes3asy,

I've sent you a PM with some notes.

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

NothingComes3asy · Answer

I would like to post my follow-up questions here so other can also take advantage of Rich's advice.

Can you elaborate on what you mean by: 
1) strategy type questions, and 
2) Tactical approaches for the verbal and quant section

You are absolutely correct, I did take a "book-heavy" approach. What is the alternative? If you could point me to some resources?

Goal: 640-660

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi NothingComes3asy,

One of the great aspects of the GMAT is that most of the questions you'll face on Test Day can be solved using more than one approach. For example, you don't have to be a 'math genius' to do well in the Quant section. By extension, that section of the GMAT is not, strictly-speaking, a "math test" - it's a critical thinking 'test' that involves some math. If you 'see' (and deal with) that section in the same way that you would have dealt with a 'math test' when you were in School, then you will likely limit how high you can score in that section. Learning/practicing Tactics, pattern-matching, Number Properties, etc. are what you need to push your Quant score higher. In that same way, there are Tactics and pattern-matching skills that you can use to score at a higher level in the Verbal section. If you have not learned any of those Tactics yet, then you should look to invest in practice materials that will teach you those methods (and force you to practice them).

Since you've really only studied for about 1.5 months, you could conceivably hone all of these skills on your own, using the materials that you already have. However, if you'd rather deal with all of this in a more efficient, guided fashion, then I think that you would find the EMPOWERgmat Total Score Booster to be quite helpful. Most of our clients complete that Study Plan in well under 2 months, so the time commitment wouldn't be that bad. We have a variety of free resources on our site (www.empowergmat.com), so you can 'test out' the Course before setting up an Account.

If you have any additional questions, then you can feel free to contact me directly.

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

KarishmaB · Answer

Yes, you should black out your name and post the rest of the ESR (or feel free to pm it to me). This is where I think ESR helps sometimes - you think the SC questions were different and difficult in the actual GMAT. Does your score reflect that? You felt the RC passages were not tough? Were you right? If you have a good score in SC, it means your basic grammar is in place. If not, you do need to put in more time and effort. If RC score on the hand, was a disaster, you know that comprehension of the passage does not automatically lead to correct answer selection. You must then work on types of questions and how to answer each. The ESR could guide you for the next attempt.

Two tries and still not doing well! Please help!

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