ESR Report with score of 670 - How to improve to above 730?

Question

Hello everyone,

Attached is my ESR report with score of 670 (V36,Q47,IR4). Am wondering if anyone can help me dissect this report? I aim to at least improve by +50/60 to about 730.

Actually this is my second take after 2/3 months. My first one was 680 (V36,Q47,IR7,AWA6). Work got in the way, and I really didn't study much until 1/2 weeks leading to my second take. Hence the no improvement in score. My GMATPrep #1 score was 700 for what it's worth.

I didn't follow any specific programs. I have been studying on my own. My resources are the OGs, manhattan books. I use Error logs, but sporadically. It's so frustrating to get questions wrong. And reviewing is hard because the questions are everywhere and having to look up takes time, especially given the time I had for the preparation.

After these two scores, I realise I need to get or buy one structured program that allows me to do a proper long prep, not 1 or 2 weeks before.

I am non-native obviously as reflected in my verbal score. I think my weakness is in CR, not sure if I am still considered weak given my score in RC and SC in the ESR.

Thanks for the help guys!

Onedrive link (just copy paste this in your chrome/firefox address bar:)  1drv.ms/b/s!AkFAFTEyl3j4isZqw2HrkI7KShrhFw

DisciplinedPrep · Answer

Hi there,

Congratulations on scoring 670 and 680 in two attempts; these scores are pretty decent. With a little more effort, you can easily reach 730+.

First, you've plenty of room available for improvement in the Quant section. Had you scored 49/50, you'd have comfortably received 700+. I believe you should focus on Algebra and Geometry Most importantly,

Coming to Verbal, CR seems to be your biggest challenge. What books did you use during your CR preparation? Well, CR was my biggest weakness at some point of my preparation, and then I went ahead to score 97 percentile in CR on the actual GMAT. Had I performed better on SC (apparently my strongest section), I would have comfortably scored a V40+.

You're SC looks solid, but nevertheless you should not ignore brushing your SC skills once in a while. About RC, keep practicing as many official passages as you can.

All the best.

deepverma · Answer

Use gmatclub errorlog... It's a central error log. ND remaining( tests ND others) just use a note book. It's really imp to revise those error log...I have experienced, Its damn frustrating repeating same mistake....example I knew 'consider as' is a wrong usage..but it sounds so rite that in a flow, I didn't notice this usage as a decision point in d exam.

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Sent from my Redmi 5 Plus using  GMAT Club Forum mobile app

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi randomvar,

Many Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores; from what you describe, you weren't able to commit to that type of longer timeframe - and that almost certainly limited your progress. As such, you might naturally improve over time - but it's also possible that you've gotten 'stuck' at this particular 'score level.' GMAC has publicly stated that the Official Score that you earn on Test Day is within +/- 30 points of actual ability. Your 2 Officials scores show that you essentially performed the same on your 2 Official attempts (about 670 +/- a few points). You handle certain aspects of the GMAT consistently well, but you also make certain consistent mistakes.

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:

Studies:
1) How long did you study before each of your Official attempts? 
2) Did you use any other study materials besides the books that you listed?
3) How have you scored on EACH of your CATs/mocks (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?

Goals:
4) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
5) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

CAMANISHPARMAR · Answer

I feel on both the sections you ran out of time. Try to improve your timing; I feel this will help in improving your score.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi randomvar,

For some reason, I am unable to view your ESR, but in any case, I have some important advice for you. First off, I’d like to point out that you were able to score 670 and 680 without putting in any real, solid prep, right? Self-admittedly, your studying was disorganized and haphazard. So, imagine if you actually followed a clear, linear, and structured study plan? As long as you give yourself a realistic timeline, my guess is that you can hit any GMAT score you’d like.

So, rather than just doing a random array of practice questions, find a good GMAT prep resource, such as a self-study course, and ensure that you are able to follow a study plan that allows you to individually learn each GMAT quant and verbal topic. By studying in such a way, you can methodically improve your quant and verbal skills and ensure that no stone is left unturned.

If you decide to go that route, check out the GMAT Club reviews for the  best quant  and  verbal courses .

If you’d like more specific advice on how to study GMAT quant and verbal, feel free to reach back out, and I’ll be happy to help. You also may find it helpful to read this article about
 how to score a 700+ on the GMAT .

Feel free to reach out with any further questions.

Good luck!

randomvar · Answer

Hi  DisciplinedPrep ,

Thanks for your advice. Will focus more on Arithmetic and Geometry. I think I have done lots of questions, but somehow during the exam day I was stuck.

For CR, I use the Bang Bang guide by one of the GMATClub members. It's pretty brief, and the rest of the prep was just doing the CR exercises. Re:  gmatclub. com/forum/zomg-the-bang-bang-cr-guide-100473.html  . Any specific way to prep for CR in your opinion? Specific program that you can recommend?

For RC, not sure if I am spending too long or just fine, but my approach was to write key ideas for each paragraph - as a result, it took me sometime to complete the whole RC passage before getting to the first RC question. Not sure if this method is really effective, or not, based on my ESR.

For SC, yeah, I know it's not perfect, so will continue to brush up this one.

randomvar · Answer

Hi  ScottTargetTestPrep ,

Thanks for your response.

I can't post link yet, so I can only post text. You can copy paste the test into your browser and it''ll load the ESR pdf file into your browser. Appreciate if you could give your take based on my performance (Accuracy, timing etc) if you could open the file.

Generally, yes, you are right. I don't follow any structured program out there. I pretty much follow Manhattan books for guidance on what quant topics to tackle. For verbal, i rely on manhattan SC for understanding. RC, I just do practice questions, not sure if there is really a guide out there. For CR, I use Bang Bang guide by one of the GMATClub members, and then practice questions.

Also, thanks for the links. I'll have a look at the list of programs available.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi randomvar,

I am still unable to open the ESR; however, if you follow my previous advice and start following an organized study plan, you should be in a great spot moving forward. If you have any further questions, feel free to reach out.

Good luck!

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Thanks! My pleasure:)

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ESR Report with score of 670 - How to improve to above 730?

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