ESR Analysis 700 (48Q/ 38V) - 740?

Question

Hi Experts,

Recently took the GMAT and scored a 700 (48Q/ 38V) - looking to retake to score a 740+.
Ordered an ESR which attached and did some preliminary analysis but would love to get your thoughts!

My initial thoughts were:
Verbal: Got some fairly easy SC or CR correction questions wrong by not having a good grasp of the grammar rules (going through MGMAT SC now)
Quant: Was behind on timing and made some mistakes as a result in the 3rd quarter of the test

For CR: Can anyone clarify what analysis/critique vs. construction/ plan questions are (i.e. strengthen, weaken etc.)
Evidently I'm quite strong in the analysis/critique portion, but would be great to know which questions are the "construction/ plan" questions

A lot of data points here so would love to hear anyone's opinion! Thanks again!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi MurrayHillTrooper,

First off, a 700/Q48 is an outstanding Score, so you can comfortably apply to any Business Schools that interest you. As such, a retest might not be necessary. Depending on the Schools that you plan to apply to, you would likely find it beneficial to speak with an Admissions Expert about your overall profile. There's a Forum full of those Experts here:

https://gmatclub.com/forum/ask-admissio ... tants-124/

Before we discuss the data in your ESR, 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/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

MurrayHillTrooper · Answer

bump please

MurrayHillTrooper · Answer

bumppp

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi MurrayHillTrooper,

I’m glad you reached out, and I’m happy to help. First off, great job with the 700! That is a great starting point! Regarding your ESR, you need to make sure that you avoid falling into the trap of focusing on micro-details based on your ESR and thus misdiagnosing your weaknesses. Since your ESR is based on only 31 quant questions and 36 verbal questions (a very small sample size), it may not give you a complete picture of what to focus on going forward. For example, does your scoring 83% in Rates/Ratios/Percents mean that you are devoid of weakness in those topics? Not necessarily. Perhaps you were given many lower-level questions or had some lucky guesses on those topics. Furthermore, there is no way to know HOW MANY questions you were given from those topics, right?

A few things do seem clear. For one, your ESR seems to indicate that you are not strong in Counting/Sets/Series or Equal/Inequal/Alg. So, by becoming super-strong in those areas, you likely would score a few points higher in quant. On the other hand, the ESR does not clearly indicate a weakest or super-strong area in verbal, so you probably would increase your verbal score by working on any type of verbal question.

Ultimately, to improve to 740, you should look to improve your quant to +49 and verbal to 41+. With all that said, would you like some advice on how to improve your GMAT quant and verbal skills?

Feel free to reach out with further questions.

MurrayHillTrooper · Answer

Thanks Scott - appreciate the input. Can you help me understand the following:
1. Reading Comprehension - which questions are "identify inferred idea"? Are they the "The author would most likely agree with ..." type?
2. Critical reasoning - which questions are "Construction/ plan"? and which are "analysis/ critique"? Would strengthen/ weaken be the latter, and the "which role do the two boldfaced.." be the former?

Thanks again!

ESR Analysis 700 (48Q/ 38V) - 740?

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