Advice needed : Improve score for the second GMAT attempt

Question

Hey there,

I recently gave my GMAT exam and scored a 640 (Q46,V32, IR7). I am quite disappointed and want to achieve a 700+ score to be able to apply for scholarships.

I started studying in March, but could only dedicate good hours May onward since I'm also working. My concepts are decent and I did quite well in my mocks (avg 680 and last GMATprep- 720). I realize that I need to improve both verbal and quant with more effort towards verbal (but don't know how). Here's what I need advice regarding:

1. When should give the test again? - Its already July and I want to be able to apply for the first round of applications this year. My preparation time is limited to pre/post work hours + weekends.
2. How should I improve my score? - I have read quite a few blogs and am still unsure how to improve my score. Even before my first attempt I was stuck 660 for a month. Also, mostly because I couldn't identify where i needed to improve, I did quite well when I practiced but not so much during the mocks or the exam itself. Even joining a prep course will require 2-3 months ( right?). Is there a prep course that can provide customized help to improve my score in the time available. Kindly suggest.

It would you great if i could get advice and suggestions. 
Many thanks!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi pooja.agarwal,

With this recent GMAT score, you have the potential to pick up some serious points in BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections. With a Q46, you were likely great at the 'math questions' that you faced on Test Day, but you would have made a few little mistakes during the section and missed out on a bunch of 'strategy-based' points. With a V32, you likely have at least 1 'weak' category among the major three (SC, RC and CR), so you could potentially pick up a bunch of points from improving in that one category.

1) How long have you studied?
2) What materials have you used?

When you took your CATs:
1) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT each time (including the Essay and IR sections)?
2) Did you take them at home?
3) Did you ever take a CAT more than once?

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

pooja.agarwal · Answer

Hey EMPOWERgmatRichC,

Thanks for the reply and for the great advice. I agree with the quant section as i have scored as high as Q49 in multiple mock tests, and even during the test i identified two mistakes immediately but i had already moved to the next question :/
With respect to verbal, the reason i am unable to identify a problem area is because a.) i do decently well when practicing and b.) In various mocks I have done very well/bad in each topic in multiple tests. For example, the mock( GMAT PREP) in which i scored 720, i got all my SC and most of the RC correct, but CR was weak. In the previous mock ( Princeton Review) , i got all of the CR and most the RC correct, but did very poorly in SC. 
To answer your questions: 
1) How long have you studied? 
--> I began in March ( 1-2 hrs a day) and May onward (3- 4 hrs/day on weekdays and 6-7 hrs on weekends) till mid June. Mid June onward, I was giving 4-5 hrs or more each day. 
2) What materials have you used? 
--> I used the 2015 OGs +GMATPrep questions+ Jamboree verbal practice sessions( SC+CR+RC all timed) + GMAT club ultimate grammar guide ( just glanced) + GMATclub math guide by Bunuel (to revise concepts) + GMAT Club AWA forum+ Prep4gmat app ( during March - April). Although i did go through a few sample videos on e-GMAT.
I didn't join any coaching center before my first attempt because I don't do to well in group studies (experience from Engg entrance coaching) and prefer variable timings.

When you took your CATs:
1) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT each time (including the Essay and IR sections)? 
-->No, not always. The first ever mock i took, without studying at all i scored a 530 on the GMAT prep software. Post that i took only Quant+ verbal mocks ( 4-5). June onward, i took all full mocks ( 5 mocks : 660, 680, 660, 660,720). I never really faced any problem with timing post April (even in the GMAT exam). 
2) Did you take them at home?
-->Yes, i took all the Mocks at home.
3) Did you ever take a CAT more than once?
-->The same test, No. But i did maintain an error log in May- June and made sure to review everything i got wrong during the tests.

Hope that answers the questions in sufficient detail.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi pooja.agarwal,

Based on everything that you've described, there are at least a couple of issues that could be impacting your performance on Test Day:

1) 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 happened here. By skipping sections, taking the CATs at home, and anything else that didn't properly 'match up' with Test Day, you weren't properly training for the FULL GMAT 'experience.' As a result, it's likely that many of your practice CAT scores were a bit 'inflated.'

2) You've used a variety of Verbal practice materials, so there's some question as to how consistent you are with your approach to SC, RC and CR questions. If you don't have a standard series of 'steps' that you go through and/or are in the habit of 'narrowing the answers down to 2 choices and then "guessing"', then you would likely see the types of 'swings' in your Verbal performances that you describe. If you didn't train to spot the common patterns in the Verbal section, you wouldn't necessarily be able to take advantage of them on Test Day.

The good news is that the GMAT is the same consistent, predictable Exam that it's always been, so you could conceivably train for the next 1-2 months and hit your goal score. You'll likely need to learn/practice some new Tactics (and commit to dealing with the Verbal section is a specific way), but your scores show that you have the necessary knowledge to score at a higher level (you just lack the consistency and Tactics).

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

Advice needed : Improve score for the second GMAT attempt

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