3 attempts at GMAT....all in vain...4th time ?

Question

I had taken gmat last year around september 2016, scored 650 (q49, v28). Needed at least 700 as I am from India.

Retake 1: After 25 days, scored 600 (q48, v25)...no idea of what happened here.
Retake 2: Took 3rd GMAT on 10/10/17, Scored 620(q49, v25). didnt accept score. During the verbal section in exam I was out of time. In the verbal section I was going well at the start. I had solved 7 questions in 15 minutes. Then i got stuck in RC and things went from bad to horrible thereafter. In the end I had 20 questions to solve in 20 minutes. I knew it was over for me. But somehow finished the test. What might be wrong guys? Please suggest ways of improvement. I had taken egmat course in Feb 2017, finished it by June 2017. Still didnt see improvement. What is wrong here?

Please help me. Suggestions ?? Badly need 700+

okay · Answer

It sounds like you need to get the verbal basics down. Once you have the knowledge, you can focus on increasing your speed to make sure you finish on time. Do you know what your weakest verbal sections are? Might make sense to purchase the ESR, if not.

cxa0897 · Answer

As you know, and probably don't want to hear, you need to refocus on your verbal score. A q49 is more than adequate to break the 700 barrier with a good verbal. Time management is also an issue and likely cost you several points on this latest test. Perhaps fatigue as well, if you took the verbal section at the end.

I would suggest ordering an ESR and seeing which sections were your weakest in verbal. Reading comprehension is tough for non natives, especially technical passages, but you may have done poorly on other sections as well. Depending on how the ESR turns out, 1 on 1 coaching or enrolling in a class may be the best option if you don't want to try another self paced course like egmat. They are costly, but they almost always help scores improve

bunny12345 · Answer

Thanks so much for replying. After my first GMAT, I purchased ESR and found that I had 73%tile in SC and around 35-40%tile in both RC and CR. So I know these are my weak areas. I actually worked very hard for RC and was quite confident in RC. CR, I practiced from Powerscore bible so that is okay-ish but not so much bad as to score a measly 25 in verbal section. I was doing fine at the start of exam, was at 8th question when the clock showed 59 mins left. But later, when I encountered 2nd RC which was actually lengthy and had tougher questions, I lost considerable amount of time. Although I had planned so much that I will leave a question if it is taking more than 2 minutes but somehow I lost track of time and when I realized, I had 19 questions left with 20 minutes in spare. I guess from there it went downhill. I was doing question in 1 minute and also skipping some.

My concern is whether i should take another attempt in a month after attempting 2 more GMAT prep mocks (the ones I will have to buy) or not. I have already solved OG 17 and am regularly doing questions from GMAT CLUB evey day. I want to know whether I am ready, how can I know if I am ready?

My concern is whether i should take another attempt in a month after attempting 2 more GMAT prep mocks (the ones I will have to buy) or not. I have already solved OG 17 and am regularly doing questions from GMAT CLUB evey day. I want to know whether I am ready, how can I know if I am ready?

bunny12345 · Answer

cxa0897 
Please go through the post i recently posted in this thread and give feedback.
Thanks

cxa0897 · Answer

If you really want to get a 700, I'd suggest putting off the test until you are confident that you can score near a 40 on the verbal section. Any score below that is just a wasted test. Taking more mocks is a similar waste, you are not going to learn the material by taking tests. The only thing that would do is help on timing, and timing can be practiced other ways. I would redo the OG verbal and go through every question you got wrong carefully. There is a reason you got them wrong, find out why and learn it. That's the only way to improve. This will likely take more than a month, probably a few.

Even with an unlikely q51, you will still need to improve your best verbal score by 7 points. With a q48, you need a 10 point improvement.

Raffio · Answer

Hey bunny12345,

I feel your frustration as I am in a similar situation. I've taken the GMAT twice now and my score dropped the second time. Verbal is key if you want to break the 700 barrier. I would say that ManhattanPrep's verbal guides are great for learning the fundamentals. I would also recommend listening/watching to the Thursday's with Ron videos- you can find them on youtube. These videos have helped me quite a bit on SC. For CR make sure you understand the argument. Mainly, keep your eyes on the conclusion (if there is one). I found that I was (and still am) falling for trap answers that don't directly correlate to the argument. Pre-thinking your answer is a great strategy to use as well. It's tough at first, but it gets easier over time as you do more problems.

Hope this helps and best of luck!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi bunny12345,

GMAC has publicly stated that the Official Score that you earn on Test Day is within +/- 30 points of actual ability. Your 3 Official score results show that you essentially performed the same each time (about 630 +/- a few points). You handle certain aspects of the GMAT consistently well, but you also make certain consistent mistakes. To score 700+, you'll need to make some significant changes to how you handle the overall Verbal section. Based on what you've described, it's likely that you're spending too much time on your SCs (on average) and that THAT is what's actually causing your pacing issue (and not the occasional "long" RC passage).

Before I can offer you the specific advice that you’re looking for, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

Studies:
1) How long did you study before each attempt at the GMAT?
2) What study materials have you used so far?

Goals:
3) When are you planning to retake the GMAT?
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

gannuswami · Answer

In my opinion, you need to considerably improve your RC if you want to cross 700. The best way to improve your RC is practice LSAT tests regularly. Also during weekends try to practice LSAT test for continuous 3-4 hours with 8 minutes break every 75 minutes. The key to score in RC is concentration and that you can improve by and only by practicing. Later you can focus on CR and SC.

The following is the short strategy:

it is always better to go back to the passage when you answer the questions. When you read first time, just focus on the following. 
1. Primary purpose
2. Broad level understanding of the passage, including the structure
3. Difference between the opinion/tone of the writer from that of other people mentioned in the passage.
4. Location of the important events/personalities and structural changes in the passage

To answer inference and direct questions on Passage, always go back to relevant portion in the passage.

	Manhattan Prep: $99 Bonus Score Higher on Your GMAT Exam. Guaranteed.
	Target Test Prep - Save up to $599 $400 Discount + $99 Bonus GMAT Club Tests
	e-GMAT: 60% Off on GMAT Focus Get to 735+ from any starting point
	Magoosh increases your score, guaranteed - 15% off ALL Magoosh GMAT plans with code GMATCLUB15 + Free GMAT Club Tests.
	Experts' Global - ~~$1720~~ $960 End-to-End GMAT Prep + App Support: 150+ Videos, 2000+ Questions, 15 FLTs +
	GMATWhiz - $299 ~~$499~~ Experience the course through a free trial.
	GMAT Club Tests - Free Included with every course purchase of $149+ View all deals

3 attempts at GMAT....all in vain...4th time ?

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards