Highly demotivate with disastrous GMAT Score (550)!!

Question

I desperately need some advice on the GMAT exam preparation. I have prepared for GMAT exam for 8 months and scored only  550 (Quant - 47; verbal -19) .

I had prepared so much for the exam but when I saw the score I was very highly disappointed. I cant explain how I felt at that time and was completely shattered. All my hard work had gone waste.

I took a break and now I got some courage to start the preparation again. But still I'm unable to overcome the fear and anxiety of my previous GMAT attempt because I want to understand where did I go wrong.

I had given many GMAT mocks for practice and have never scored 550(Verbal - 19 & Quant - 47) in any of the mocks except for the very first mock which I gave. At that time, I had analysed all my mocks and came to the conclusion that even if my GMAT experience goes bad then also the least expected marks would be 650, though I was aiming for 700+.  But I NEVER EVER imagined 550.  It looks like I'm the most dumbest person on earth who could score only 550 with so much of preparation because generally people get these scores without any prep.

Below are the results of the mocks (including AWA and IR) under real-time test conditions over a period of time:

GMAT PREP 1 - 490 (Dont remember the exact marks of quant and verbal) (June 29,2016)
GMAT PREP 2 - 620 (Quant - 47, verbal - 28) (August 7,2016)
GMAT MGMAT CAT1 - 610 (Quant - 44, verbal - 31) (August 24,2016)
GMAT MGMAT CAT2 - 640 (Quant - 46, verbal - 32) (August 27,2016)
GMAT MGMAT CAT3 - 630 (Quant - 42, verbal - 34) (September 18,2016)
GMAT MGMAT CAT4 - 660 (Quant - 44, verbal - 36) (September 22,2016)

GMAT Veritas CAT1 - 640 (Quant - 48, verbal - 30) (September 28,2016)

GMAT MGMAT CAT5 - 630 (Quant - 45, verbal - 32) (October 11,2016)
GMAT MGMAT CAT6 - 650 (Quant - 44, verbal - 35) (October 15,2016)

GMAT Veritas CAT2 - 680 (Quant - 50, verbal - 34) (October 20,2016)
GMAT Veritas CAT3 - 640 (Quant - 50, verbal - 28) (October 22,2016)
GMAT Veritas CAT4 - 670 (Quant - 51, verbal - 31) (October 25,2016)
GMAT Veritas CAT5 - 630 (Quant - 46, verbal - 31) (November 5,2016)
GMAT Veritas CAT6 - 600 (Quant - 46, verbal - 27) (November 20,2016)
GMAT Veritas CAT7 - 620 (Quant - 46, verbal - 30) (November 27,2016)

GMAT Kaplan CAT1 - 630 (Quant - 48, verbal - 29) (December 4,2016)
GMAT Kaplan CAT2 - 710 (Quant - 50, verbal - 37) (December 10,2016)
GMAT Kaplan CAT3 - 660 (Quant - 47, verbal - 34) (December 11,2016)
GMAT Kaplan CAT4 - 660 (Quant - 49, verbal - 31) (December 13,2016)
GMAT Kaplan CAT5 - 670 (Quant - 45, verbal - 37) (December 16,2016)
GMAT Kaplan CAT6 - 660 (Quant - 47, verbal - 34) (December 11,2016)

I have all solved many questions GMAT CLUB with timer till I have exhausted all my resources.

What do you think had went wrong?
I just want to analyze my mistake so that I don't repeat the same thing again!
 And this time I'm determined to write this exam until i get my target score 700+

It would mean a lot to me if anyone can help me out in this. Also, I have attached my ESR report.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi emma4490,

I’m glad you reached out, and I’m happy to help. So first off, given that you scored a Q47 on your actual GMAT (in range with the quant scores of your practice exams) I would not consider your actual GMAT a disaster right? So give yourself credit where credit is due - a Q47 is a pretty darn good quant score OK?

So the real question is why did your verbal score drop? Stress could have played a role, but a more likely reason is that in your GMAT preparation, you did not really learn to do what you have to do in order to score high on the verbal section of the actual GMAT. Rather, you picked up on some patterns that were effective in getting you relatively high scores on practice tests that included many questions that were based on the patterns with which you are familiar.

Thus, in order to not repeat the mistakes of your past, you need to adjust your study plan (especially for verbal) so that you follow a follow a structured and thorough plan that allows you to individually master each topic, starting with the foundations before moving to more advanced topics.

Now, generally speaking, for verbal, you have to learn to see more of what is going on in the questions and answer choices. Doing so will take working topic by topic, carefully answering questions, WITHOUT A TIMER, as you work on each topic. You won't lock in a high verbal score by continuing to do what you did before this recent test. You have to adjust your training to become more skilled in clearly defining the differences between incorrect answers and correct answers to verbal questions, and answering questions with a timer going is not going to work. You have to give yourself all the time that you need to learn to come up with well thought out, sophisticated reasons for eliminating or choosing answer choices.

In other words, you have to learn to make your reasons for eliminating choices less like these:

"This choice is too extreme."

"I don't see how this is relevant."

and more like this one:

"This choice seems to conflict with the premises of the argument but actually fits the constraints established by the premises and fails to attack the connection between the premises and the conclusion."

For quant, since you scored a Q47 (and as high as a Q50) on your practice exams, it’s clear that you have a solid foundation. Thus, to improve your quant skills, and score a few points higher on the quant section, you need to go through GMAT quant carefully to find your exact weaknesses, fill gaps in your knowledge, and strengthen your skills. The overall process will be to learn all about how to answer question types with which you currently aren't very comfortable and do dozens of practice questions category by category, basically driving up your score point by point.

Finally, to do the best you can to ensure that your preparation fits what the GMAT actually tests, be sure to purchase some more official practice tests, as, of the available practice tests, the official tests are the ones that best represent the actual GMAT.

You can get some ideas for improving your mindset from this article on  Developing the Proper Mindset For GMAT Success , and you can get some general tips for increasing your score here:  How to Score a 700+ on the GMAT .

You know that you can achieve your goal. You already have great quant skills, and now you just have to make verbal happen. So, press on, and enjoy the game!

Feel free to reach out with further questions.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi emma4490,

To start, all of this data is over 2 years old, so there's some question as to how relevant any of it is to who you are as a Test-taker NOW. In April, 2018, GMAC actually changed the GMAT a bit (the Quant and Verbal sections are shorter - fewer questions and less time per section), so this older data (from back when the Test was longer) becomes even less relevant. We can certainly discuss possible reasons for why your Score dropped on Test Day, but that would require a lot of information about how you were studying back in 2016 - and I wouldn't expect most people to be able to perfectly recall all of those details. This is all meant to say that since you are essentially restarting your studies 'from scratch', you should focus on working through a Study Plan that has you focused on training to face the current version of the GMAT in the most realistic and efficient way possible.

I suggest that you start by taking a FULL-LENGTH practice CAT Test; you can take 2 for free at www.mba.com (and they come with some additional practice materials). If you want to do a little studying first, so that you can re-familiarize yourself with the basic content and question types, then that's okay - but you shouldn't wait too long to take that initial CAT. That score will give us a good sense of your current strengths and weaknesses and will help provide a basis for comparison as you continue to study. A FULL CAT takes about 3.5 hours to complete, so make sure that you've set aside enough time to take it in one sitting. Once you have those scores, you should report back here and we can come up with a study plan.

I'd like to know a bit more about your timeline and goals:
1) When are you planning to take the GMAT?
2) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
3) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

emma4490 · Answer

Thanks for the quick reply.

Yes, I agree with you. I did pick on few patterns when I did solve SC and CR questions in GMAT mock. But this is because there are very limited set of questions available. I will try to purchase standard GMAT mock tests if give any mocks. And will also try to understand each and every question and its answer choices.

Also, I find it difficult when I answer 650+ level questions. Sometimes, I mark it wrong because I don't see the underlying reasoning behind the correct answer. I'm extremely weak in RC also. Any tips on how can I improve RC accuracy? So far my RC accuracy is only 50% and I'm unable to increase it. After some practicing, I'm also planning to give GMAT mock next weekend to check where I stand now.

emma4490 · Answer

Yes, the format did get changed. I have been studying for the past 1 month already to familiarize myself with the concepts and now planning to give Mock test next weekend. I will come back with GMAT score again.

1) When are you planning to take the GMAT?

I haven't taken the date yet. But I wanted to take as soon as I'm prepared. Hopefully, in May. I don't want to delay.

2) When are you planning to apply to Business School?

I wanted to apply in August-September cycle.

3) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

I wanted to apply for Wharton, Harvard and ISB (Indian School of Business) in first cycle.
I know its bit too much to expect in such a short time. But I want to give my best shot.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi emma4490,

If you're not planning to apply until Round 1 later this year, then you've got plenty of time to study and improve - which is good. To be efficient during this next phase of your studies, it would really help to have that initial CAT Score sooner rather than later - so you might consider taking that CAT this weekend if possible. Those results are essential to defining your current skills, strengths and weaknesses - and what you should focus on going forward.

1) Assuming that you would be taking the GMAT sometime in May, how many hours do you think you can consistently study each week?

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

emma4490 · Answer

Yes, I will take the CAT as early as possible.

1) Assuming that you would be taking the GMAT sometime in May, how many hours do you think you can consistently study each week?

During weekdays, I study 3 hrs and during weekends about 8 hrs. I'm trying to squeeze as much time as possible.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi emma4490,

You could potentially learn and improve a great deal with that amount of study time. Once you have that CAT Score result, we can discuss how best to proceed.

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

emma4490 · Answer

Hi Rich,

Sorry for the delay. Finally, I have given my first GMAT prep official mock and I have scored 550 again.
IR (5), Quant (47), Verbal (20)

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi emma4490,

I've sent you a PM with some notes and suggestions.

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

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