GMAT FAIL

Question

Hello Everybody!Just passed my exam and got 560(Going to make second try on Februaray again, but, on the test day i chose to accept my score and send it to schools i`ve chosen(If i apply to those schools again witg higher gmat score on february, would my current score hurt my application or it doesnt play a huge role?I also would like to ask if i cancel my score, would it mean that i have 8 trials to do gmat or it will still be 7 lest?I am so sorry for asking maybe such a silly questions, but would be grateful for any reply!

What i want to tell as well is my prep experience!I prepared 1 year and just failed the exam so bad, although on mocks the range of my scores was 610-660(though i never got more than 660(My prep was the free 60 hours of videos from Magoosh, Manhattan books,OG 2022, videos on youtube from GmAT experts and solving questions on GMAT club, and i felt that i covered all the necessary basics, but as my results tell i clearly didnt, though sometimes solving 700 questions on GMATCLUB i was able to get 8/10 questions correct on Verbal and really could understand the logic behind the questions of this level, while i also often feel stupid when it comes to questions of subb 600 of particular topics(I do really think that i was doing the wrong thing and wasted my time meaninglessly and now want to take a course, cause my problem i think i can cover the same topic 10 times but still be able to forget how it works when it comes 10 days later on the test, so i saw that the courses would explain you particular topic and give bunch of questions on that so it is possible understand the topic in depth by doing exercises)

Lastly, i would like to ask experts on the basis of their experience, how frequent it is to improve a score by 120 in just 1 or 2 months?

I would be gratefull for any recommendations from GmatExperts!

Kinshook · Answer

KukaRacho

I would advise you not to cancel the GMAT score and prepare well with expert guidance for next attempt. Since your first score is bad, any big improvement in your score may be viewed positively by BSchools.
Still I would advise you to consult experts and focus on building concepts by studying OG, MGMAT Strategy Guides etc and take any good online or offline course if needed.
Please don't put yourself under extreme time pressure since that may not always work if your present situation is really very bad. Give yourself time needed for building fundamentals and for practicing.

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

It won't make much difference.

You will have 7 remaining.

Yes, it's key to (1) learn the underlying logic of a concept so that you remember it more easily and (2) do extensive practice using easy, medium, and hard questions for each topic to fully master the topics.

For some tips on how to practice for the GMAT for best results, see this post.

The Best GMAT Practice Methods

Sometimes, people achieve such an increase in two months, a 120 point increase in one month is rare, and typically, achieving such an increase takes three months or more.

pintukr · Answer

Will advise you to cancel the score. Then, build up the concepts, practice using OG Tests and then appear for a retake.

All the Best.

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

Depends. Consider checking out the Share GMAT Experience sub-forum to get a sense. Probably fair to say it's easier to gain 30 points in the 500 range than in the 700 range, for example.  Here's a Verbal student I had who went from a 680 to a 740 in about 30 days . They were already good on Quant (Q50 on both exams). They improved their V31 to a V40, however.

Some quick tips on the gmatknight website if you decide to retake.

All the best.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi KukaRacho,

I'm sorry to hear that Test Day didn't go as well as planned. Business Schools generally do not care if you take the GMAT more than once - so having more than one Score on your profile is likely not an issue (and if you score notably higher on your 2nd attempt, then you can actually use that 'comparison' to your advantage - as a way to showcase that you overcome challenges, learn-and-improve, etc.). GMAC currently allows each Test-Taker up to 8 attempts (regardless of the 'format' that you take your Exams); since you just took your 1st attempt, you have up to 7 additional attempts remaining.

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) What were your Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores on your Official GMAT?
2) What type of study routine were you following? How many hours did you typically study each week?
3) What “brands” of CATs/mocks have you used?
4) 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)?

Goals:
5) What is your overall goal score?
6) When are you planning to apply to Business School and 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.

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

Contact Rich at: [email protected]

KukaRacho · Answer

Thank you so much sir for your clear answer and and allocated time to response!

KukaRacho · Answer

Thank you so much Mr.Marty!I`ve seen your videos on youtube and now i am also seriously considering TargetTestPrep course, cause it feels like i need to learn to hit the right place and my weaknesses, on which it seems a good quality course can help me!I really appreciate you finding a time to reply to my question!

KukaRacho · Answer

Hello Mr.Rich!Thank you so much for answering to my query.

Answers to to the asked questions below:

1) What were your Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores on your Official GMAT?
 
My score was Q40, V25(Though the least score i got on my mocks was 610 and the maximum 660!The least score i`ve got on my 6 mocks from GMATPRep was V29 and and Q44, so i was extremely disappointed by the reality

2) What type of study routine were you following? How many hours did you typically study each week?

I have been preparing for 1 year, even sligthly more, however sometimes stopping my preparation for 2-3 weeks on a row!The real consistent study of mine began from the middle of September, when the maximum day off from gmat was 3 days!I`ve been spending 3-5 hours a day

3) What “brands” of CATs/mocks have you used?

I used All 6 GmatPrep tests and Experts Global, though the second one i didn`t do a lot

4) 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)?

The range of scores on Verbal was 29-35, Quant was 44-47

Goals:
5) What is your overall goal score?

My target score is 670, which would be more than enough for me. So from my current standpoint i need to make an icnrease of 110+

6) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to?

My dream school is NUS in Singapore, in which average GMAT score i guess is 650!But its deadline is already on 31 january, so i am afraid i am losing hopes on it( Other universities that i wanna study at are: HEC Paris, Bocconi, Notr Dame(mendoza), Imperial College London

7)I took my exam at test Center

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi KukaRacho,

Since you are looking for GMAT courses take a look at the GMAT Club reviews for  the best quant  and  verbal courses , and also read through some  GMAT success stories  to see what materials have worked well for other test-takers.

Feel free to reach out with any additional questions.

GMATWhizTeam · Answer

Hi  KukaRacho

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. First let us understand the right way to prepare for GMAT.

How to prepare for GMAT in the right way?  
Before you start preparing for any test, it's important to understand the structure of the test, what is tested on it and then prepare accordingly. In this case, GMAT is a test which focuses on your application skills along with the conceptual knowledge. So, just learning the concepts and practicing questions without focusing on the right methodology will not do any good. So, I suggest you to first focus on the methodology to solve questions of a particular topic and only then move to practicing questions of that topic.

So, the right way to prepare would be to first

learn the concepts of a topic,  
 learn the right methodology to solve questions of that topic 
 practice a few questions of that topic to solidify your learning and then move to the nest topic 
 Repeat the process for all the topics

And working on weak areas is equally important. You move to the next topic only if you get a decent accuracy in the previous topic. If not, you revisit the concepts, fill the conceptual gaps and then move to the next topic only when you are 100% confident. There are a couple of articles which you might find helpful.

How to effectively plan your studies for GMAT  
  How to start preparing for GMAT   
And you can go through the recording below to understand how to strategize your GMAT prep in an effective way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65n8_LIbPIM  
  What might have gone wrong?  
As we have understood the right way to prepare, now let's analyze what could have gone wrong with your previous attempt. You must have learnt the concepts of the topics and you must have practiced questions as well.  But did you focus on the methodology part? Did you focus on working your weak areas?

These two could be the major reasons for you not scoring well on GMAT. So, this time make sure you do your prep in the right way by focusing on all the above parameters. And regarding the resource, choose a resource which can help you with not only the concepts, but the methodology as well. And the questions to practice and their detailed solutions are equally important as the solutions help you understand where exactly you are making the mistake. And a study plan would be an added advantage as you will have clear deadlines.

You can check out how Rummana improved her GMAT score from 560 to 690 in just 40 days:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guH5J_knC5s

You can also get some success tips from Adel's journey, who improved his GMAT score by 110 pts in around 30 days:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwMpfzWvO4Q

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

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi KukaRacho, I've sent you a PM with some notes and additional questions. GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made, Rich Contact Rich at: Rich.C@empowergmat.com

Steven54 · Answer

I got 615/800 on my GMAT test after just studying for three weeks from PASS4SUREXAMS. it is extremely helpful and makes everything easier. Thank you!

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