GMAT

Question

Hey guys,

So, sharing a brief overview of my journey till date. Will be highly obliged if you could help me figure out the way forward.

I have been prepping for GMAT for the past 11 months now. I started with a score of 480 before I had prepped anything and after a hell of a rollercoaster ride I was managing to score 650-700 in my last few mocks before giving my official GMAT paper in my last week of October, the highest being 750. I had kept a little room too for error and stuff in my official paper and yet did pathetically miserable in it, scoring a 460.

Now, I have a month's time left with me and need to give my 2nd attempt before the 15th of December in order to make it in time for the application deadlines.

I am a little perplexed as to what route/strategy should I follow and what material/personalized plan shall I be going for considering the time crunch.

Would be really very helpful if you could advise what should help.

Cheers.

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi ojasraina.

I can see why you would be perplexed. So, let's figure out what's going on and what you can do to hit your score goal.

To do so, we could use some more information.

1. What were your section scores on your practice tests and on the actual GMAT?

2. Were there any unusual circumstances when you took the GMAT that could have contributed to the decline in your score, such as anxiety or test center issues?

3. What practice tests did you use when you scored 650 to 750?

4. Did you repeat any practice tests, or did you take each test only once?

5. How have you prepared so far? What materials have you used?

6. When you answer practice questions, how much time do you spend on each question typically?

ojasraina · Answer

1. The section scores on my practice tests were around Q41-50 and V38-V43. And in my official paper I scored Q33 and V20.

2. Though I was pretty calm, my performance pressure and anxiousness subconsciously could have been a factor responsible for the same.

3. GMAT Club practice tests

4. Only once

5. I started with Jamboree, then moved to GMAT Club for the practice and tests and a little of Platinum GMAT for the brushing of concepts.

6. 1.5 to 2 mins approx. Some difficult ones take around 3 mins or so

MathRevolution · Answer

Hello ojasraina,

GMAT club is one of the great platforms to get information about the GMAT official test, Study plan, Section wise instructions, and many more. You are recommended to visit various posts and utilize this forum in the best efficient way.

Your current GMAT score is shaky. I fully understand your frustration. You were not probably on the right track or wrong direction in your study plans. You can surely do better. You can schedule a Free counseling(https://calendly.com/mathrevolution/1-on-1-session) session for 20 mins with one of our experts to have detailed advice on your current study plans.

A score of 480 is far indeed from the target score of 650+. It is all about raising 150+ pointers. The score tells that neither the Math nor the Verbal is above average. Hence, both sections have to be taken care of simultaneously. To improve, you will require consistent learning and practice. Also, keep your motivation high to learn.

Since we are a math expert, we will recommend you go through our post on the GMAT club, which gives a complete Breakdown of GMAT math questions and types: https://gmatclub.com/forum/overview-of- ... l#p1641411

Also, make a note of various possible combinations to achieve a score of 650+. The possible scores will help you track your performance after taking the mock or practice test. It will also help you maintain balance in both the sections, and you will always be in a great position to allot the study hours to a specific area accordingly.

Possible score combinations: Q45/V41, Q46/V40, Q48/V38, Q50/V36

Solve as many questions as you can relate to different topics, and it is recommended that you try to connect with many proven experts. You can visit Math Revolution and get access to our 7-days on-demand course for free trial lessons.

While concept learning, try solving 600 level questions by topic and be habitual of creating the error log. Prepare a list of all the doubts you face during solving and practicing questions. This practice will help you assess the topics in which you need more time to prepare. After solving as many questions as possible, take the 1st mock test and assess your performance. You may try our free diagnostic test once. Let some experts evaluate it to make you understand it better.

Continue the process with 650+ level by topic and then 700+ level questions by topic. The entire mock test should be completed in a disciplinary manner. Since this is a bit long journey, 1-on -1 tutoring can also be helpful to shorten the study period if your study budget is affordable.

Regular tests will reflect the positive change in the score, and hence, your confidence will boost up. Gradually, with the help of mock tests, you will be able to compete with time and hence will be able to learn time management.

We appreciate your time and patience in reading this reply.
If you need any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.

You can reach us at [email protected].

Success is within your reach.

Good luck!
Math Revolution Team

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

OK, the difference between scores was not in just one section. So, we can't narrow things down to one section. They could have had an effect, and might explain in part why your scores on both sections were lower, but they don't appear to be a huge factor. As useful as the GMAT Club practice tests are, they don't quite represent the actual GMAT, particularly on the verbal side. So, the fact that you were using GMAT Club practice tests only is likely one explanation for the difference in scores. If you haven't already, you may want to take one of the official practice tests from mba.com to see how you fare on a practice test that more accurately represents the actual GMAT. OK, that's good. I don't see any red flags there, but it may be that you need to dive deeper into learning concepts to have a stronger foundation. Probably, you need to spend more time on each practice question to give yourself time to develop stronger skills. Overall, I think your prep basically has to be deeper. You've done pretty well so far, and at the same time, it's likely that your conceptual understanding has to be deeper, and you have to spend more time on each practice question to develop strong skills. In fact, particularly on verbal questions, people often spend 15 minutes or more on one question to fully understand the question and give themselves time to learn. So, your move is to go topic by topic, making sure that you concept knowledge in each topic is strong and that you can get easy, medium, and hard questions in that topic correct at will. Also, while you're learning from the GMAT Club tests, you should also use official practice tests, as they'll give you a more accurate sense of where you stand in terms of how you'll perform on the actual GMAT. For some in-depth discussion of how you can proceed, see the following posts. How To Increase Your GMAT Quant Score How to Score High on GMAT Verbal https://gmatclub.com/forum/mastering-th ... 58019.html https://gmatclub.com/forum/verbal-prep- ... 57059.html

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi ojasraina,

I'm sorry to hear that Test Day didn't go as well as planned. When these types of score drops occur, the two likely "causes" involve either something that was unrealistic during practice or something that was surprising (or not accounted for) on Test Day. Before we discuss any of those potential issues though, 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? How many hours do you typically study each week?
2) Have you used any other study materials besides the courses you mentioned? What “brands” of CATs/mocks have you used?
3) On what dates (or approximate dates) did you take EACH of your CATs/mocks and how did you score on EACH (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)? We need to be specific with these details (score averages or 'ranges' are not specific enough).

Goals:
4) What is your overall goal score?
5) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

If you took your Official GMAT at a Test Center, then you might also choose to purchase the Enhanced Score Report. 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 on Test Day (and what you should work on to score higher). If you purchase the ESR, then I'll be happy to analyze it for you.

760+: What GMAT Assassins Do To Score at the Highest Levels

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

Contact Rich at: [email protected]

GMATWhizTeam · Answer

Hi ojasraina,

Sorry about how things went with your GMAT. The key to scoring well on GMAT is to focusing on the right aspects. If your score doesn't improve even after months of prep, then that means that there's something wrong with the preparation strategy. Before getting into details, do provide some context about the following for better understanding and guidance:

1. The time you are able to devote to studying each day 
2. Resources you used for prep 
3. The structure and study plan you followed 
4. Your current score breakup
5. Your target score

As per the scores provided, there is a wild swing in your scores hinting towards consistency issue. You may not have followed a very structured approach towards your prep.

And regarding how to proceed further and the study strategy, I think it would be better if we can get in touch over a call and discuss the same as I would like to ask a few questions about your current preparation strategy and your weak areas. You can use the below link to get in touch with me.

Click here to schedule a call

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