Need Help! From GMAT 660 to GMAT 610

Question

Hi,

I gave my first attempt on the 31st of August, 2018 and scored a 660 (V35,Q45). I cancelled the score as I was not satisfied. I have a full time job and was only able to sit for two mocks before the exam date and scored 580 and 610 respectively.

I decided to take another shot at it and booked 1st October for my second attempt. I bought the latest OG with verbal and quant supplements and practiced them thoroughly. I could not sit for a single mock as I had limited time because of work and wanted to spend more time practicing questions. I practiced more than 600 questions and felt quite confident about the harder questions.

I gave the test today and bombed. I scored a 610 (V36, Q38).

I'm shocked, to say the least. I considered myself to be better at quant and was expecting a much better score. Even during the test, I thought harder questions were coming my way, which made me feel better.

I need to apply to schools in December 2018 and I need a 720 at least.

Please help me understand how can I improve my score. Would really appreciate it!!

Posted from my mobile device

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi tarunswitchfoot,

I'm sorry to hear that Test Day did not go as well as hoped. Many Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores though - and while it's not clear how long you studied before your first attempt - it certainly sounds as though your studies have been inconsistent (and focused more on doing lots of practice question than on learning and practicing the proper Tactics).

GMAC has publicly stated that the Official Score that you earn on Test Day is within +/- 30 points of actual ability. Assuming a similar 'swing' in how your CATs function, your 2 CAT score results - along with this recent Official Score - show that you essentially performed the same each time (about 600 +/- a few points). You handle certain aspects of the GMAT consistently well, but you also make certain consistent mistakes. Since your first Official Score was notably higher than your CAT Scores, it's possible that you got a bit 'lucky' on your first attempt. Thankfully, the GMAT is a consistent, predictable Exam, so you CAN train to score at a higher level. Raising a 610 to a 720+ will likely require at least another 2 months of consistent, guided study - and you'll have to make significant improvements to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections.

Before I can offer you the specific advice that you’re looking for, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

1) How long have you studied in total?
2) What study materials have you used besides the Official Guides? Which practice CATs have you taken?
3) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

HKD1710 · Answer

Hi  tarunswitchfoot ,

It looks like you can achieve the score easily because your verbal score in both attempt is good. I am sure you made some silly mistake in DS questions in exam this time. To be certain, please order ESR to know where did you actually go wrong in this attempt.

Also make error log and practice questions everyday. I am sure with little practice you will get enough quant score to make you reach at desired score because verbal score is fine.

1. Follow Bunuel for correct solutions and strategy. Look for his explanations and you will be able to learn how to quickly answer a question rather than tackling it with lengthy approach.
2. Download Free GMAT Club Quant guide.
3. practice quizzes and CATs from GmatClubtests. They will be a little hard but will certainly prepare for a higher score.

This is the ultimate savior:
 https://gmatclub.com/forum/all-you-need-for-quant-140445.html

dabaobao · Answer

This article really changed my perspective on how to prepare for the GMAT and helped me push my score further up. I would highly recommend everyone to bookmark this article and read every few weeks in order to remember all the great tips that Scott, one of the most well-known GMAT instructors, has listed down: https://gmatclub.com/forum/most-compreh ... 76986.html.

Hope this help! Good luck with your prep

tarunswitchfoot · Answer

Hi Rich,

Thanks for your reply. I agree with you about the inconsistency in my prep. I wish I couldve have been consistent, but with full time work, it was very difficult. However, I dont think the 660 was purely luck. I gave a mock at a prep center two days after my first GMAT date and scored a 640. Further, my quant score in all these mocks was consistently between 45-47. However, I acknowledge the fact that part of it could be because I was having a 'good day'. The answers to your questions are as follows:

1) How long have you studied in total?

I started my prep in April 2018 with Manhattan prep guides and finished all the modules within 2 months including solving questions from the OG referenced in the prep guides. Then there was a sudden dip in my prep because of increased work commitments and I couldnt study in June or July. I booked a date for 31st August 2018 to give myself a push and started solving OG questions. I could only get to my first mock 10 days before the actual test date. However, I assumed that with time and more practice I could get better. I gave the second mock 2 days later and went from 580 to 610. The remaining days, I focused primarily on practicing questions.

2) What study materials have you used besides the Official Guides? Which practice CATs have you taken?

I have only used the Manhattan prep guides. and I havent taken any practice CATs. I know I shouldve have, but somehow I thought practicing questions would be more beneficial. I know I was wrong.

3) What schools are you planning to apply to?

I am planning to apply to the following:

Indian School of Business
IIM Ahmadabad
Insead
NTU Singapore
NBS Singapore

I am strictly looking at one year programs. I am also considering one year programs in the US. My list included LBS and other schools in the UK and Europe, however, the word is that job prospects are better in the Asian market.

Also, I forgot to mention, I got the flu 1 day before the test on 1st October, 2018 and slept for 3 hours before the test. I know thats not an incredibly big factor, but it did affect my overall performance.

minana · Answer

Hey,

If you have a full time job and are juggling gmat studies, it must be difficult.

I got 680 on my first gmat in the end of August and was also not satisfied, so I took another gmat last weekend and was able to increase to 760!

I was studying while going to uni, so I had a little more time than you. I think it’s important to take at least two or three questions per each question type everyday even after work to keep up the “GMAT way of thinking”.

And for me, I’ve analyzed the reasons that I perfomed bad on my first GMAT and tried to fix those things. 
For instance I changed the order of test from QVIA to VQIA cuz verbal was my weak point so i needed full energy.
I recommend you to take a full prep test every Saturday morning to get used to the intensive test environment. It worked for me at least.

You can read about my detailed experience in my 
blog:https://meritsofmin.wordpress.com/2018/09/29/self-prep-for-gmat-2-760-in-9-weeks/

Hope it helps.

Cheers

Posted from my mobile device

egmat · Answer

Hi tarunswitchfoot , I am sorry that your scores were not in line with your target scores. I would recommend that you look at your ESR to decide your way forward. You may find the below articles very useful in your journey towards your target GMAT score: - 3 steps to Analyze your ESR - Retake Strategy - Balancing work with GMAT studies If you are looking for some specific help that is not answered in the articles above, please feel free to write to us at support@e-gmat.com. Regards, Aditee

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi tarunswitchfoot,

From what you describe, there were a number of factors that likely hurt your performance on your second Official attempt. First, it's not clear how much studying you did during the last couple of weeks before your GMAT, but if you were 'cramming', then that could have hurt you (that type of studying rarely leads to great results on Standardized Tests such as the GMAT - and actually increases your chances of 'burnout'). In addition, if you were sick - and sleep-deprived - on Test Day, then there would have been no way for you to perform at your best. It's certainly possible that you could have performed better under different conditions, but it's not clear how much better. Right now, there's no evidence that you're close to the 720+ "ability level" right now, so we have to assume that you'll likely need at least another couple of months of consistent study for you to get to that level.

1) What are the application deadlines for each of the Schools that you plan to apply to?
2) Going forward, how many hours do you think you can consistently study each week?

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

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