Need some analysis/tips for Quant ESR

Question

Hi all, I wrote the exam for the second time and my quant score dropped from 49 on my first attempt to 46 on my latest.

The first few questions were quite odd which felt like a curveball, leading to a poor start. However, i did not seem to get any difficult questions at all - most of them were pretty easy and I even had time left over upon finishing.

Why was I not met with any hard questions? I know I missed some easier ones, but it was strange that all of the questions I received were on the medium/high end of the scale.

The only thing I did differently this time around was that I wrote this at the test center and started off with verbal (score increased from 32 to 40).

I was certain that I could have at least hit a 49 on Q given that all of my mock tests were consistently 49.

Can someone please help analyze the attached ESR and perhaps provide some insight?

Many thanks!

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

How was your average time per Quant quarter?

dbcoupie123 · Answer

it was evenly distributed with around 10-15 minutes to spare. about the same as my first attempt which seemed harder

Posted from my mobile device

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi dbcoupie123,

I'm sorry to hear that your 2nd attempt didn't quite go as well as planned (although raising a V32 to a V40 is a significant achievement) - and that Overall Score might be strong enough to get you into your first-choice School. You've already defined one of the issues with this performance though; by finishing 10-15 minutes EARLY in the Quant section, you almost certainly 'rushed' through certain questions and made some little mistakes (and that cost you the additional points that you were looking for). In addition, 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) On what dates did you take your 2 Official GMATs?
2) How long have you studied in total? How many hours do you typically study each week?
3) What study materials have you used so far? 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 andhat 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 on Test Day (and what you should work on to score higher). I'll be happy to analyze your ESR for you, but I'll need to see the FULL ESR (not just the portion that you attached). If you would rather not post it publicly, then you can feel free to PM or email it directly to me.

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

Contact Rich at: [email protected]

dbcoupie123 · Answer

Hey Rich, thanks for your reply! My first official exam was 3 months ago on Feb 15, the most recent one was just this past Saturday.

I've been studying since March 2022 and have put in over 500 hours (on the conservative end) of quality studying, approximately 10-13 hours on weekends only.

In terms of mocks, I've exhausted a number of them such as all 5 Manhattan prep, all 6 OG, 1 from Magoosh, and 1 from another provider of a course I took. My log currently shows a total of 17 mocks, including re-attempts.

The dates of my mock tests (averagely spaced) was once every two weeks since August 2022 and the scores for OG were as follows:

Date Source Mock Score Q V IR
10/15/22 OG GMAT #1 670 45 37 8
10/29/22 OG GMAT #2 710 49 38 8
11/19/22 OG GMAT #3 720 49 38 8
12/04/22 OG GMAT #4 680 49 34 8
12/24/22 OG GMAT #5 700 48 37 8
5/14/23 OG GMAT #6 740 49 41 7
5/21/23 OG GMAT #4 730 50 39 7

I'm currently targeting a min score of 740, enrollment for 2024, and one of the M7 schools.

Again, thank you so much for your reply and taking the time to analyze my ESR.

cygnus87 · Answer

Hey! I am no expert, but I am in the same boat as you and going for a re-attempt next month. https://www.gmatninja.com/gmat/articles ... ore-report - This link helped me. From what I understand, you got an easy one wrong in third quarter which impacted your score. Hope the link helps. Good luck with the re-attempt!

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

One key move you could make is to take all the time you have per section.

Those 10 to 15 minutes could be used for double checking your work on some questions and figuring out how to answer some others. So, by using that time, you could score significantly higher.

You can get some insights into how to handle timing of the quant section from this post.

Timing Strategies For a Higher GMAT Quant Score

dbcoupie123 · Answer

Thanks Marty. I was trying to pace myself in the event that I get a difficult question - I would have more time to work on it. But this obviously hurt my score since I made some careless mistakes.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi dbcoupie123, 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

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

Oh, interesting. Maybe you took that approach too far.

Need some analysis/tips for Quant ESR

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