GMAT experience

Question

Hi All,

I took the gmat exam today and scored a mere 570(Q45,V23). In my opinion, I did prepare well for the test, but I completely screwed it up,especially in verbal. I had enrolled myself in a gmat course and was consistently scoring well in mocks too. My average score in verbal in mocks was 35-39. I thought my concepts were clear in verbal before taking the exam.I had done everything with respect to preparation for verbal, I watched videos, read the explanations for questions I used to get wrong, analysed the mocks multiple times, gave sectional mocks etc. I don't know why I faltered in the verbal section. I literally thought I had a massive improvement in verbal, but that was not the case.

After today's performance, I am completely devastated. Now, I am confused as to how should I proceed from here, since even I don't know why I scored less in verbal and if I can do anything to improve the current situation? Should I focus on GRE(since it is easier than gmat and I did appear for GRE last year and scored 312, and even though at that time my quant was not that strong) or should I retake Gmat again? I would be really grateful if anyone can help me in this regard. I am planning to do an MBA course.

bb · Answer

Sorry to hear about your experience. It would probably be helpful to understand a little bit more as to what went wrong. What can go wrong is preparation or the test. If your preparation goes wrong then your test is a reflection of that but if it is the test that goes wrong, that’s a slightly diff story and a retake would fix it with little adjustment.

So... in addition to understanding what did not go well on the test, it would be helpful to know your GMAT prep scores.

Posted from my mobile device

So... in addition to understanding what did not go well on the test, it would be helpful to know your GMAT prep scores.

Posted from my mobile device

Swetab14 · Answer

My Gmat prep scores were very fluctuating.
Mock 1:560
Mock 2:510
Mock 3: 650
Mock 4: 650
Mock 5: 580
Mock 6: 640

EducationAisle · Answer

Are all of these official mocks? Which resources did you use, to prepare?

Ordering a ESR could also further help to do an analysis of what went wrong.

Swetab14 · Answer

Yes, all these are official mock scores. And I had used Experts' Global for practice.
And what is ESR?

GMATWhizTeam · Answer

Hi Swetab14, Sorry to hear about how things went with your GMAT. Do not get discouraged. An improvement is always possible. It's just that you have to identify what went wrong and work on your weak areas. Let me help you with that. I looked at your mock scores and they seem pretty inconsistent. So, on the test day, your score can go either way. The best time to take the GMAT is when you get your desired score consistently in at least a couple of mocks. The fluctuation in scores indicates that your approach towards solving questions is not consistent. GMAT tests your application of concepts. So, the methods and strategies you use have to be consistent. The path ahead: The first step in the process of improving your score is to identify your weak areas. An ESR will definitely help in that process. An ESR is an Enhanced Score report which provides you the in-depth review of your performance on the test. An ESR will help you identify the average time you took to solve questions, the topics you are weak in and a lot more things related to your test. You can understand better by going through the below link. https://www.gmac.com/for-test-prep-orgs/gmat-esr You can order your ESR from the mba.com website. You can find in the official scores section. Once you get your ESR, you can get in touch with me and I'll help you with the analysis of your ESR. Or if you wish to get in touch with me without an ESR, you can do that as well. I can help you figure out a study plan by analyzing your way of solving questions. You can use the below link to get in touch with me. Click here to schedule a call

Swetab14 · Answer

Hi,

I looked at the ESR, and since I cancelled my score today, I am not eligible for an ESR.

GMATWhizTeam · Answer

No worries Swetab14!! We can still work on your weak areas. It would be better if you can get in touch with me over a call. This way, I can analyze your way of approaching questions, identify the flaw in your approach, if any and then suggest you a proper study plan. Because, without identifying the weak areas, there's no point starting your prep again. You can use the below link to schedule a call with me. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Click here to schedule a call

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Swetab14,

I'm sorry to hear that Test Day did not 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) How long have you studied? How many hours do you typically study each week?
2) What study materials have you used so far?
3) 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)?

Goals:
4) What is your overall goal score?
5) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to?

Even though you cancelled your Score, you can still order an Enhanced Score Report. 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

CAMANISHPARMAR · Answer

Sorry to hear about what happened. A couple of quick points:-
1) Since you were scored V35+, you can go for the GMAT once again. Maybe you just had an off day. 
2) Regarding GRE, what is the target score that you are looking at? Is GMAT more preferred over GRE by the admissions office? if no, then you may think of GRE as well as that might help you to build up your confidence. 
All the best!

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

I’m sorry to hear how things went with your GMAT.

Assuming that you took your official practice exams under realistic testing conditions, the results show that, on a good day, you are capable of scoring higher than V25. Thus, it’s quite possible that nerves, stress, tiredness, or a combination of all three negatively affected your test-day performance. However, it’s also possible that you have some lingering weaknesses that were exposed on test day. Although I’m unsure of how you prepared, it’s possible that, in your preparation, particularly in verbal, you did not really learn to do what you have to do in order to score high on the actual GMAT. Rather, you picked up on some patterns that were effective in getting you relatively high scores on practice tests. So, for you to hit your score goal, your preparation, particularly for verbal, probably needs to be more complete, meaning that you have to go through the various types of GMAT questions carefully to find your exact weaknesses, fill gaps in your knowledge, and strengthen your skills.

For verbal specifically, you have to become more skilled at clearly defining the differences between trap choices and correct answers. Otherwise, you will get stuck guessing between two choices or be surprised to find that you incorrectly answered questions that you thought you answered correctly. Becoming more skilled in this way takes carefully analyzing all of the answer choices to lots of verbal questions to develop an eye for the logical differences between the choices. In other words, you have to go beyond answering practice questions and reading explanations to doing deep analysis of questions to learn to see everything that is going on in them.

In order to follow the path described above, you may need some new quant and verbal materials, so take a look at the GMAT Club reviews for the  best quant  and  verbal courses .

You also may find it helpful to read the following articles:

how to score a 700+ on the GMAT

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

	Target Test Prep - Save up to $599 $400 Discount + $99 Bonus GMAT Club Tests
	e-GMAT: 60% Off on GMAT Focus Get to 735+ from any starting point
	Magoosh increases your score, guaranteed - 15% off ALL Magoosh GMAT plans with code GMATCLUB15 + Free GMAT Club Tests.
	Manhattan Prep: $99 Bonus Score Higher on Your GMAT Exam. Guaranteed.
	Experts' Global - ~~$1720~~ $960 End-to-End GMAT Prep + App Support: 150+ Videos, 2000+ Questions, 15 FLTs +
	GMATWhiz - $299 ~~$499~~ Experience the course through a free trial.
	GMAT Club Tests - Free Included with every course purchase of $149+ View all deals

GMAT experience

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