Substantial Drop in verbal score - What to do?

Question

Guys

I am facing a great challenge which i have described below. Please help move forward with your suggestions and guidance.

Issue: I gave 2 mocks from gmat prep software in last 1 month. In the first mock I gave last month, I scored a 730 (Q50, V38 - Free). However I fell sick and could not continue. Once i recovered, though not fully, I again gave another mock from gmat prep and this time scored a 640 (Q48, V31 - Exam Pack 1) .

I have planned to give the actual exam on 17th May 16 based on the Mock 1 but now am considering delaying it by atleast couple of days. What worries me a lot is that the number of questions i got wrong in verbal are almost same but in the second attempt i got 2 RCs in first 10 questions which took me by surprise and i ended up spending too much time upfront. I was left with 12 mins for last 15 questions but managed to get most of them correct. I did get a string of questions wrong 22nd question onwards. Dont know if that could be the reason.

Having said that the timing has always been a problem for me because I have been too stubborn to move ahead both in Quant and Verbal.

What I am looking for is suggestions on getting back on track on verbal and also get quant score to a Q50.

Please help.

Regards
Pawan

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Pawan,

Before I can offer the specific advice that you're looking for, I'd like to know a bit more about your timeline and goals:

1) How long have you studied?
2) What materials have you used?
3) Did you take the FULL CAT each time (with the Essay and IR sections)?
4) Have you taken either of these practice CATs BEFORE?

5) What is your goal score?
6) When are you planning to apply to Business School?

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

AjiteshArun · Answer

Your performance on that initial GMATPrep indicates that you're good at both quant and verbal (as long as all the questions were "fresh"). Try to list all the things that you think could have contributed to the score drop in the second test. I'm saying this even though you'll never know exactly what led to the score drop. The objective here is to plan for (and be aware of) all the things that can pull your score down. You've already listed something you need to work on: timing. You should  never  get into a situation where you're not willing to let a question go.

chibapawan · Answer

Hi Rich

Thanks for your reply. Following are the details :

1) How long have you studied? 
5 months 
2) What materials have you used?
OG 2016, Manhattan guides+advanced content, egmat free content, Thursdays with Ron free content, veritas free content 
3) Did you take the FULL CAT each time (with the Essay and IR sections)?
Nope. The first one where I scored 730 was without essay and IR
4) Have you taken either of these practice CATs BEFORE?
Nope
5) What is your goal score?
730
6) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
Starting July2016

Regards 
Pawan

Posted from my mobile device

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Pawan,

Test Day is a rather specific 'event' - the details are specific and they matter, so you have to train as best as you can for all of them. The more realistic you can make your CATs, the more likely the score results are to be accurate. The more you deviate, the more "inflated" your scores can become - and that's likely what has happened here. By skipping sections, you took a shorter Exam that required less overall effort and energy. As such, these score results are likely unrealistic and 'inflated.' Given your score goal, I think that you should absolutely push back your Test Date (even if it's just for a couple of weeks. To properly assess your current readiness to take the GMAT, we need to see how you handle a FULL CAT (with the Essay and IR sections) taken in a way that 'matches up' with what you'll face on Test Day. I suggest that you plan to take that CAT sometime soon (perhaps this weekend), then report back here with your results. We can then discuss how best to proceed from there.

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

chibapawan · Answer

Hey Rich

Thanks for the quick response.

Just so that you know it was only the first exam, in which I scored a 730, that I took without ir and essay.

In the second one, with a score of 640, I attempted all the sections in a simulated Environment as close as possible to the test day with two 8 min breaks.

Any suggestions in light of this information?

Regards 
Pawan

Posted from my mobile device

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Pawan,

If the 640 is the only CAT score that involved taking the FULL CAT, then I would have to assume that that score represents your current ability level. My prior suggestion - to take a new FULL-LENGTH CAT - still applies. Considering your score goal, you'll likely have to push back your Test Date (or you'll likely end up retaking the GMAT later on). If you're comfortable paying another $250 to retake the GMAT later, then you can certainly stick with your current Test Date, but there's currently no data that supports the idea that you're currently scoring at that goal level.

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

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