Scored a dismaying 580 in actual GMAT (GMATPREP score 700+ , Constant)

Question

Hello Experts

I have given GMAT 3 times now

1st attempt :- 620 (March 2017 , Choose Quant and verbal order)-- Score accepted 
2nd attempt :- 640 (November 2017, Choose Verbal and Quant order)-- Cancelled 
3rd attempt :- 580 (August , 2018 , Choose Verbal , Quant order) -- Cancelled

When I saw the score , I was not able to surmise the score , though i knew i was not doing well in my exam as I was taking more time in verbal and Quant questions and was not able to handle any question with 100% surety. I scored a dismissal 25 /26 V and 45/46 in Q in my actual GMAT. Now all this happened after I was constantly scoring 700+ in every mock . I took Veritas , Manhattan and GMATPREP. I took all the mocks like it was my exam , I gave all the sections (IR and AWA) and was always giving Verbal , Quant ,IR and AWA in that order.

I had studied for 2 months and focused more on getting difficult question right rather than getting the logic right.

It took to me some time to digest this score as i was not at all expecting a score below my 2 scores , i was sure that the score will not be above 700 but 580 !! I hope you understand where i am coming from.

So, one fine day (after doing too much party + watching my motivational Video to get over my grief , i decided to get back to study , as one failure would not stop me to achieve what i am meant for).So, I decided to study again. Experts , this is where i need your help.

My new study plan  :- I am going through all the basics of Quant and Verbal (40 mins to basics oneach section , everyday i.e I pick one topic for 2 days , read only theory from mega threads made by  bb .

*CR :- I have shifted to LSAT (25 questions a day) -- My ESR report told me that my CR was the worst of all sections , hence this decision

*RC :- LSAT RC- 2 in one day and one official RC a day , with the alarm set at 12:00 minutes to LSAT and 08:00 Minutes to official RC. I can do 4-5 questions with one or 2 question wrong in LSAT and max one question wrong in official RC.

*SC:- I am sticking to OG , I make a a list of 20 question everyday , do that in one stretch . (timer of 35 mins). I am taking < 2 mins in each question and the accuracy boils down to somewhere 15-17 questions every single time.

*Quant :- Theory + practice (1 hr 30 mins everyday) -- I am only focusing on my weak areas such as Geometry , Probability etc .

I have been following this schedule everyday since 20 days. I would like to know the experts review on this. I DO NOT WANT TO FAIL THIS TIME. so please experts if someone could lay out a schedule on the duration of the test and what to so that the same thing does not hit me again like hell , I would appreciate all the help and support from community to get my dream score of 700+

PS :- I read , but have shifted to Memoirs , Autobiographies and tough books (Fountainhead by Ayn Rand , the picture of Dorian Gray etc. to improve my reading speed)

Thanks in advance for reading such a long post 
Cheers!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Ujjwalkathpalia,

I'm sorry to hear that your August GMAT did not go as well as hoped. GMAC has publicly stated that the Official Score that you earn on Test Day is within +/- 30 points of actual ability. Your 3 Official GMAT Scores all fall into the same range (about 610 +/- a few points), so you appear to be fairly consistent about how you handle the Exam. You deal with certain subjects consistently well, but you also make certain consistent mistakes. The differences in these Scores are likely due to a few additional correct/incorrect answers, which imply that you might be prone to making little mistakes.

Raising a 610 to a 700+ 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. Considering how long you have been studying, it's possible that you have developed some 'bad habits' that will take time to fix (and replace with new "good habits"). Thankfully, the GMAT is a consistent, predictable Exam, so you CAN train to score at a higher level. Unfortunately, continuing to work through practice questions in the same ways as before will likely NOT be enough to get you to your Goal Score. You will need to learn and practice the proper Tactics so that you can use those same Tactics on the Official Exam.

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 (and what you should work on to score higher). Since you have an ESR, I'll be happy to analyze it for you if you are interested. 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 your timeline and your goals:

1) When are you planning to retake the GMAT?
2) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
3) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

Ujjwalkathpalia · Answer

Hello  EMPOWERgmatRichC

Thanks a lot for your reply. I really appreciate the effort.

I am ready to face this challenge of cracking 700+ by any means possible :D. I understand that i am not fairly good with certain topics and my mind just does not work "critically" to solve the problem of that type , that is when intuition kicks in and from that point on everything goes downfall. Because of this I have started to read theory about topics I am not comfortable with . Do you think this is a good way ? The only drawback of this is it does take a lot of time and since i work , to devote that much time is troublesome sometimes.

I would love to hear from you on how can i change my methods so that i score 700+ , In my original post I have written few things that I am doing differently this time , would appreciate if you have a look at them. Just to remind you , I booked my exam when i scored 720 and 710 on my GMATPREP mocks. I had purchased the Exam Pack 1 and 2. My minimum score was 670.(q 49 , V 27/28)

Answering to your question:- 
 
I am planning to give my GMAT in another 30 or 45 days . (After i have started studying again i have not given any mocks as of now)

I am planning to apply in R2 by December / January (December is the deadline I am looking at)

Rotman , IIM A , IIM B , IIM C , IIM L

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Ujjwalkathpalia,

While there are some people who believe that using LSAT materials during their GMAT studies is a good idea, I am NOT one of them. While LSAT LR has a lot in common with GMAT CR (and LSAT RC has a lot in common with GMAT RC), there are enough differences to make those LSAT resources less than ideal. To start, the LSAT includes a wider range of question types and 'design logic' than the GMAT does, so you'd be learning/practicing ideas that you will NOT face on the Official GMAT. To be clear, that doesn't necessarily mean that LSAT LR/RC is 'harder' (which is one of the aspects of LSAT materials that some Test Takers point out as being "beneficial") - you'll just be wasting your time on concepts that you won't be tested on during the GMAT. In addition, most LSAT prompts are presented in print (and you can solve them with pencil-and-paper) - NEITHER of those aspects is realistic relative to how you have to deal with the Official GMAT. Finally, there are plenty of useful GMAT resources to be had, so there's no good reason to be using LSAT resources during your GMAT studies.

Beyond that, while the OG books are great sources for practice questions, but they're not designed to teach you Tactics, patterns or the little 'secrets' behind the GMAT - for those, you'll need Course-oriented materials.

Given everything that you've described, 30-45 days might not be enough for you to hone the necessary skills to hit your Score Goal. With a bit more time - and a focus on learning and practicing specific Tactics, you could potentially get to that level though.

1) Going forward, how many hours do you think you can consistently study each week?

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

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi Ujjwalkathpalia,

I’m sorry to hear how things have been going with your GMAT, and I’m glad you are gearing up for a retake -- way to stay strong, my friend.

Of course, the question is why, despite scoring 700+ on your practice exams, you scored 580 on your actual GMAT. What really stands out from your debrief is, “I had studied for 2 months and focused more on getting difficult questions right rather than getting the logic right.” It seems clear that the mistake you made was centering your study plan on doing practice questions. Furthermore, it seems as though your new verbal plan consists of more practice questions, right? Consider making some adjustments, so you don’t repeat the mistakes of the past.

While engaging in practice is a necessary part of improving your GMAT skills, such practice is only beneficial after you have studied the necessary topics on which those questions are based. Thus, moving forward, you must ensure that you follow a study plan that allows for linear learning. Specifically, consider using a resource that allows you FIRST to learn the concepts and strategies related to GMAT quant and verbal and SECOND to practice with a large number of realistic questions.

If you need more specific advice on how to go about studying quant and verbal, feel free to reach back out.

You also may find the following articles helpful:  How to Learn More, Learn Faster, and Retain More Knowledge While Preparing for the GMAT  and   how to score a 700+ on the GMAT /url].

Good luck!

egmat · Answer

Hi Ujjwalkathpalia , Your previous and current study plans seem to be practice oriented and not learning oriented in Verbal. Acing GMAT requires students to develop core abilities that are tested. In your plan you must accommodate time to master the concepts and process to solve GMAT questions. Since you have approximately one month till your exam, I would recommend that you go through this article on One Month Study Plan and make amends to your plan accordingly. Additionally, we are conducting a free webinar this weekend on Strategy to Ace the GMAT . Since we have limited free seats, you will have to register here to reserve your spot. Hope this helps! Please feel free to write to us at support@e-gmat.com in case of any further queries. We will be happy to help! Regards, Aditee

Ujjwalkathpalia · Answer

Hello  EMPOWERgmatRichC

Thank you for your reply.

I agree with you completely that LSAT LR is not same as what GMAR CR actually tests and I found the questions a bit harder than questions I found in any of OG's. But , what else option do I have  you'll just be wasting your time on concepts that you won't be tested on during the GMAT . Because I am preparing for this exam since a year , i guess I have exhausted all my options now. Since the quality questions are either from OG , Verbal review and GMAT official test prep. I know the answers to most of them . Even though I have maintained a error log where I write why did I get the question wrong in the first place and what was I thinking. I have tried practicing from Veritas and Manhattan but the logic used by them is not completely justified or cannot be understood completely by me. How do you suggest I address this problem of dealing with CR.

Beyond that, while the OG books are great sources for practice questions, but they're not designed to teach you Tactics, patterns or the little 'secrets' behind the GMAT - for those, you'll need Course-oriented materials.  
Can you please suggest me something on this

1) Going forward, how many hours do you think you can consistently study each week?  
I can give 3-4 hrs of study everyday.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Ujjwalkathpalia,

There are plenty of quality GMAT study materials besides the Official materials, but while it might be tempting to work through lots of practice questions - doing so would likely not be the 'solution' to your issues. If you aren't making any changes to how you respond to the GMAT questions - and to Test Day itself - then you will almost certainly score at the same general level on the Official GMAT again.

You've made some general references to the study materials that you have used so far, but I'm hoping that you can be more specific:
1) What specific study materials have you used so far (which version of the OGs, which specific books, Courses, etc.)?
2) Which "brands" of practice CATs have you used over the course of your studies?

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

EducationAisle · Answer

Hi Ujjwal, can you post your ESR or let us know which specific sub-section in Verbal, has been bothering you the most?

Scored a dismaying 580 in actual GMAT (GMATPREP score 700+ , Constant)

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