Big drop in Quant score - Retake Advice/ESR Evaluation

Question

I just took the GMAT, and I'm very disappointed in my Quant score of 36. The Quant scores on my last three GMATPrep practice tests were: 42, 46, and 43. The lowest score I've ever gotten on Quant was a 39 on a Veritas Prep test early in my studies. My ESR shows that I did much worse on DS than I usually have, and my two weakest areas by far were VALUE/ORDER/FACTORS and EQUAL./INEQUAL./ALG. (I'd be happy to send the full ESR to anyone who is willing to help). I also found myself guessing much more often on the real exam than I had in any previous study or practice session.

Is it likely my performance was outlier that might revert to the mean with another retake? Or is the Quantitative section on the real GMAT much harder than it is on the practice tests? I've studied over 100 hours with Veritas Prep materials and the Official Quantitative Review, and I feel like I'm definitely experiencing diminishing returns. Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi MAcc95,

A couple of weeks ago, you posted that you had some big swings in your CAT Scores (here: https://gmatclub.com/forum/100-point-ga ... l#p2175069) and now we're seeing another big swing (this time on your Official GMAT).

To properly define your situation, and how best to proceed, 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?
2) What study materials have you used so far?
3) How have you scored on EACH of your CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?
4) How did you score on the Official GMAT (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for each attempt)?

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

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). If you email or PM me your ESR, then I'll be happy to analyze it for you.

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

egmat · Answer

Hi MAcc95 , Analyzing your ESR would definitely help if you create a plan based on those insights. Here are two links which I think you will find helpful in this endeavor. - ESR Analysis in 3 steps - Retake Strategy If you need any further help regarding GMAT, please feel free to reach out to us at support@e-gmat.com. We would be happy to help. Regards, Aditee

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi MAcc95,

I’m sorry to hear how things went with your GMAT. Given that you scored higher in quant on your practice exams, 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 in your preparation, 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, to hit your GMAT score goal (which I believe is 700+), you probably have to adjust the way that you’ve been preparing.

I’m happy to provide some further advice on how to go about your quant prep but first would like to learn more about your situation with the GMAT. Once you respond to the questions already asked, I can provide some detailed advice.

Also, you may find it helpful to read this article about  how to improve your quant score .

Big drop in Quant score - Retake Advice/ESR Evaluation

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