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LordCheems
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I have a few theories for you:

1. For a mysterious reason there is a disconnect on your practice test and official gmat test performance. without figuring out the reason, probably doesn’t make sense to retake. You already received two very consistent scores. I could see taking the focus version of the test because it actually comes with the score report that will tell you exactly which questions you got wrong and so that resolves the mystery.

2. Your practice tests were slightly inflated by knowing the answer to at least one question which allowed you to save time and get more confidence. In this case more effort is needed in certain areas that should be improved before retaking.

3. You had a bad first test from standpoint of timing and an unfortunate second from the standpoint of perhaps missing some questions early on. In this case, all you have to do is retake without any prep really.

PS. I’m not sure which one you fall under 😬🤷‍♂️

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Could you explain #3? Does it mean that I missed some early questions and that affected the score?
I feel that this might have been the reason.

I do not want to take the focus version as I feel I have invested a lot of time and effort in the older format. I am still confident about getting a better score but not sure about the timing for the same with R2 inching closer.

I plan to start on a few safe schools in the meantime in case the score doesn't increase.
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Quote:
Due to poor time management(one just 1 question, had 20 mins for final 11 questions), I was left with 10 mins for the final 10 questions which included 1 RC. ESR suggested the same and my accuracy for the final quarter was 30%.
I scored 720(Q51 and V35).

Consider using question/time markers. May help with time management. If it's been a while, retaking Official Mock 1 may not be a bad idea as well. Mentioning/including parts of Verbal you find slippery could also be helpful (i.e. RC) for people to give specific suggestions.

5 Verbal tips
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I have a few theories for you:

1. For a mysterious reason there is a disconnect on your practice test and official gmat test performance. without figuring out the reason, probably doesn’t make sense to retake. You already received two very consistent scores. I could see taking the focus version of the test because it actually comes with the score report that will tell you exactly which questions you got wrong and so that resolves the mystery.

2. Your practice tests were slightly inflated by knowing the answer to at least one question which allowed you to save time and get more confidence. In this case more effort is needed in certain areas that should be improved before retaking.

3. You had a bad first test from the standpoint of timing and and unfortunate second test from the standpoint of perhaps missing some questions early on. In this case, all you have to do is retake without any prep really.

PS. I’m not sure which one you fall under 😬🤷‍♂️

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Could you explain #3? Does it mean that I missed some early questions and that affected the score?
I feel that this might have been the reason.

I do not want to take the focus version as I feel I have invested a lot of time and effort in the older format. I am still confident about getting a better score but not sure about the timing for the same with R2 inching closer.

I plan to start on a few safe schools in the meantime in case the score doesn't increase.

Sorry I really fumbled my reply with AutoCorrect. Sorry about that. You can get an ESR to get a sense of what went wrong. It cost money but it’s much cheaper than taking another test. Of course you took the test online and then the ESR is not available 😬 ugh.

But yes, on the classic GMAT if you make mistakes in the first five or 10 questions, especially multiple, it’s proven that mistakes are on cost a lot more dearly than at the end of the test. However, I am just guessing here and I’m not sure that we would ever know this unless you got an ESR.
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Hi LordCheems,

Based on what you have described here, I have two great articles that should help you out moving forward:

How to Score High on GMAT Verbal

How to Get Faster at GMAT Verbal
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LordCheems
I appeared for GMAT in July 2023.
Due to poor time management(one just 1 question, had 20 mins for final 11 questions), I was left with 10 mins for the final 10 questions which included 1 RC. ESR suggested the same and my accuracy for the final quarter was 30%.
I scored 720(Q51 and V35).
I planned to take the exam again and could not due to some medical issues.
I booked the test date for Nov end and purchased the official mocks.

My scores:
Test 3 - 740
Test 4 - 760
Test 5 - 770
Test 6 - 770

I was pretty confident for the real exam as well but I could again score only a 720. This time time was managed properly and I felt the paper was not tough either.
Now with R2 deadlines just a month away, should I give GMAT one final shot in 2 weeks' time?

Coming from an overrepresented background(Indian), I see my score as the biggest roadblock to getting into a top B-school.

If yes, what should my strategy be? Should I purchase more mocks? Or should I practice with my current question bank?

Thanks.

Your practice tests won't help you identify your weaknesses because apparently you don't have any. So get your second ESR too (if possible) to see if there is some sort of pattern in both the actual tests taken. If yes, you know what to work on to improve your Verbal. If not, it could have just been a bad day. Then practice some more and retake again. Rest for 2-3 days before the exam and go with a fresh mind. Worst case, if the score is not up to the mark, simply cancel it. It will cost you some money but no harm otherwise.
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LordCheems
I appeared for GMAT in July 2023.
Due to poor time management(one just 1 question, had 20 mins for final 11 questions), I was left with 10 mins for the final 10 questions which included 1 RC. ESR suggested the same and my accuracy for the final quarter was 30%.
I scored 720(Q51 and V35).
I planned to take the exam again and could not due to some medical issues.
I booked the test date for Nov end and purchased the official mocks.

My scores:
Test 3 - 740
Test 4 - 760
Test 5 - 770
Test 6 - 770

I was pretty confident for the real exam as well but I could again score only a 720. This time time was managed properly and I felt the paper was not tough either.
Now with R2 deadlines just a month away, should I give GMAT one final shot in 2 weeks' time?

Coming from an overrepresented background(Indian), I see my score as the biggest roadblock to getting into a top B-school.

If yes, what should my strategy be? Should I purchase more mocks? Or should I practice with my current question bank?

Thanks.

Your practice tests won't help you identify your weaknesses because apparently you don't have any. So get your second ESR too (if possible) to see if there is some sort of pattern in both the actual tests taken. If yes, you know what to work on to improve your Verbal. If not, it could have just been a bad day. Then practice some more and retake again. Rest for 2-3 days before the exam and go with a fresh mind. Worst case, if the score is not up to the mark, simply cancel it. It will cost you some money but no harm otherwise.

I do believe that I do not have any specific weakness. So, I have made up my mind to retake the exam in 2 weeks time.
What should my preparation strategy be?
Should I keep solving OG material? [Timing is not a concern - just a brain-fade moment during the first exam. I am completing the exam well within time limits.]
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LordCheems
I appeared for GMAT in July 2023.
Due to poor time management(one just 1 question, had 20 mins for final 11 questions), I was left with 10 mins for the final 10 questions which included 1 RC. ESR suggested the same and my accuracy for the final quarter was 30%.
I scored 720(Q51 and V35).
I planned to take the exam again and could not due to some medical issues.
I booked the test date for Nov end and purchased the official mocks.

My scores:
Test 3 - 740
Test 4 - 760
Test 5 - 770
Test 6 - 770

I was pretty confident for the real exam as well but I could again score only a 720. This time time was managed properly and I felt the paper was not tough either.
Now with R2 deadlines just a month away, should I give GMAT one final shot in 2 weeks' time?

Coming from an overrepresented background(Indian), I see my score as the biggest roadblock to getting into a top B-school.

If yes, what should my strategy be? Should I purchase more mocks? Or should I practice with my current question bank?

Thanks.

Your practice tests won't help you identify your weaknesses because apparently you don't have any. So get your second ESR too (if possible) to see if there is some sort of pattern in both the actual tests taken. If yes, you know what to work on to improve your Verbal. If not, it could have just been a bad day. Then practice some more and retake again. Rest for 2-3 days before the exam and go with a fresh mind. Worst case, if the score is not up to the mark, simply cancel it. It will cost you some money but no harm otherwise.

I do believe that I do not have any specific weakness. So, I have made up my mind to retake the exam in 2 weeks time.
What should my preparation strategy be?
Should I keep solving OG material? [Timing is not a concern - just a brain-fade moment during the first exam. I am completing the exam well within time limits.]

Yes, practice official Verbal questions only. Focus on each option to understand why it is wrong even if you have done the question before. It will help you build predictive intuition.

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LordCheems
I appeared for GMAT in July 2023.
Due to poor time management(one just 1 question, had 20 mins for final 11 questions), I was left with 10 mins for the final 10 questions which included 1 RC. ESR suggested the same and my accuracy for the final quarter was 30%.
I scored 720(Q51 and V35).
I planned to take the exam again and could not due to some medical issues.
I booked the test date for Nov end and purchased the official mocks.

My scores:
Test 3 - 740
Test 4 - 760
Test 5 - 770
Test 6 - 770

I was pretty confident for the real exam as well but I could again score only a 720. This time time was managed properly and I felt the paper was not tough either.
Now with R2 deadlines just a month away, should I give GMAT one final shot in 2 weeks' time?

Coming from an overrepresented background(Indian), I see my score as the biggest roadblock to getting into a top B-school.

If yes, what should my strategy be? Should I purchase more mocks? Or should I practice with my current question bank?

Thanks.

Scoring 720 twice, particularly when the second attempt felt smoother, suggests a couple of potential factors to consider, especially in the verbal section since your quant score is already sorted.

One possibility is an inflated score in your practice tests. This could be due to a variety of factors like familiarity with the questions or even a more relaxed environment during practice. It's also worth considering if there were any breaks or interruptions during your practice that might not have been present in the actual exam setting.

I recommend analyzing the ESRs for both of your tests. This will help you pinpoint if there are specific areas within the verbal section where you're consistently underperforming. Identifying these areas can guide your study focus in these last two weeks. Given the tight timeline and your strong practice test scores, purchasing more mocks might not be as beneficial as targeted practice based on your ESR findings. If the ESR doesn't highlight any specific weaknesses, then it's possible that test anxiety might have impacted your performance.

Before you decide to give it another shot, take a little time to figure the root cause behind that score gap. Getting to the bottom of this could really make a difference in your next attempt.
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Ok, I ordered the ESR.
CR:
Analysis/Critique - 100%
Construction/Plan - 20%

RC:
inferred idea - 85%
stated area - 75%

SC:
Grammar: 60%
Communication: 80%

I have 62% correct answers in first quarter which increases to 80,80 and 65% in subsequent quarters.
Just for context - I was scoring ~100% in CRs during the practice mocks.
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LordCheems
Ok, I ordered the ESR.
CR:
Analysis/Critique - 100%
Construction/Plan - 20%

RC:
inferred idea - 85%
stated area - 75%

SC:
Grammar: 60%
Communication: 80%

I have 62% correct answers in first quarter which increases to 80,80 and 65% in subsequent quarters.
Just for context - I was scoring ~100% in CRs during the practice mocks.

Comparing this ESR to your previous one, do you notice any consistent trends in terms of low accuracy or timing across sections?

If you generally feel comfortable with CR and were consistently scoring high in practice mocks, it's quite possible that your actual test day was just an off day for CR. It seems like SC might be an area where you're facing some challenges, given the 60% in Grammar. Focusing on Sentence Correction could be a good plan for your retake. Diving into those grammar rules and getting some extra practice could really give your score the boost it needs.
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LordCheems
Ok, I ordered the ESR.
CR:
Analysis/Critique - 100%
Construction/Plan - 20%

RC:
inferred idea - 85%
stated area - 75%

SC:
Grammar: 60%
Communication: 80%

I have 62% correct answers in first quarter which increases to 80,80 and 65% in subsequent quarters.
Just for context - I was scoring ~100% in CRs during the practice mocks.

Comparing this ESR to your previous one, do you notice any consistent trends in terms of low accuracy or timing across sections?

If you generally feel comfortable with CR and were consistently scoring high in practice mocks, it's quite possible that your actual test day was just an off day for CR. It seems like SC might be an area where you're facing some challenges, given the 60% in Grammar. Focusing on Sentence Correction could be a good plan for your retake. Diving into those grammar rules and getting some extra practice could really give your score the boost it needs.

The last ESR will have skewed metrics due the 10 in 10 issue I mentioned.
But my SC was better in the previous attempt while RC wasn't.
So RC increased ans SC dipped.
Let me jump again on SC, revise the rules and practice some 100odd questions to get the accuracy back.
Thanks for the advice.

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