Can't Exceed 42 on Quant ...Need Advice!

Question

Hi All,

I've been studying for the GMAT on and off for the past 8 months or so. I really pushed myself on verbal by reading the economist every morning and outlining one science journal article each day on the weekend. I've been able to score 42-44 verbal on practice GMATs, and most recently received a 40 in verbal on the actual GMAT.

Where I haven't seen any improvement (on the actual GMAT) is in quant. I've gone through 75% of the Target Test Prep material and have scored 48 and 47 on practice GMATs, but only received a 41 on the actual GMAT. Mind you, I scored a 42 in quant before signing up for Target Test Prep. I'm not sure if I'm mentally allowing myself to fall for tricks on the quant section of the actual GMAT or if this is a barrier that I just won't be able to move past unless I'm 100% confident in my math abilities. I do feel that after going through the Target Test Prep material, I am much more confident in my math abilities, and I generally find the official GMAT practice questions easier because the Target Test Prep material is much more difficult.

My goal is to hit 700 or higher on the actual GMAT (I've received 720 and 690 on practice GMATs). Any advice would be appreciated as to if and how I can move past this barrier of 42 on quant.

baru · Answer

May be you were out of luck on that day...tensed ..may be work on your stress part and take it again...some time mind freeze coz of tension

Posted from my mobile device

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Desertchampion,

GMAC has publicly stated that the Official Score that you earn on Test Day is within +/- 30 points of actual ability. While you've made some really nice improvements to how you handle the Verbal section, your 3 Official Scores 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. It's also possible that you've developed some 'bad habits' that are keeping you from scoring higher. 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) On what dates did you take your 3 Official GMATs?
2) On what 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:
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?

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

Desertchampion · Answer

Hi EMPOWERgmatRichC,

Thank you for your response and insight! 
If I am making consistent mistakes, wouldn't that be reflected in the practices?

As for your questions:
Studies:
1) Official GMAT 1 was taken on 11/19/2018
 Official GMAT 2 was taken on 12/18/2018
 Official GMAT 3 was taken on 7/3/2019

2) Practice GMATS:
I took a few before the first official GMAT and a few before the second one. Verbal and Quant scores were both in the high 30s
I retook practices 1-5 post the second official GMAT. Scores were:
Practice 1 retake: 650 Q:36, V:42 (2/27/2019)
Practice 2 retake: 680 Q:45, V:38 (3/23/2019)
Practice 3 retake: 720 Q:47, V:42 (4/14/2019)
Practice 4 retake: 690 Q:48, V:38 (6/13/2019)
Practice 5 retake: 710 Q:47, V:41 (6/27/2019)

Goals:
1) I haven't decided on retaking it again, because if I do, it would have to be by the end of the month as I have a trip planned for the first few weeks of next month then work will get busy when I get back. Thus, I'm not sure if there's anything that I can work on in the next few weeks that would actually bring my quant score up.

2) My goal is to apply round one.

3) Choice of schools to apply to will depend on what my score is. If there's nothing I can do for my score then I will stay away from top 10 as that's just not realistic.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Desertchampion,

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

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

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi Desertchampion.

I’m glad you reached out, and I’m happy to help. My first piece of advice would be to continue following the study plan, and complete the TTP course, IN FULL. I’m happy that you’ve completed 75% of the course; however before retaking the GMAT, I’d like to see you complete the entire course. If you do so, I bet you’ll feel much more confident when you sit for your next GMAT, and score higher.

Regarding your practice test and real GMAT scores, since you’ve been able to score as high as Q48 on practice exams, you are certainly capable of scoring higher than Q42 on the actual GMAT. Thus, we need to determine what is happening when you take the GMAT. Can you describe how you were feeling when taking your GMAT? Were you nervous or anxious during the quant section? Did you mess up your timing? Did you sleep well the night before your GMAT? Did the GMAT present many questions that happened to line up with topic areas in which you are relatively weak? Is there anything you can think of that may have caused your score drop on test day?

Also, I’m going to PM you, so we can jump on a call and further discuss what is going on.

We will get this sorted out my friend.

Desertchampion · Answer

Hi Scott,

Thanks for reaching out and for your insight. I will continue to work through the TTP course. What I have left are the chapters on combinations and permutations, probability, functions and geometry which are all subjects that I haven't had many issues with. Nonetheless, I'm sure going through those chapters will make me that much more confident.

On test day, I didn't feel overly anxious or rushed. I did miss the bus in the morning on my way to the test center, which could have thrown me off, but I started with verbal and scored within the range that I was scoring on verbal on my practices. I would think that if missing the bus and running late effected me negatively, it would have been on the first section. As for the test time, I took it at 8am and I was used to taking the practices at 10am, again, I understand that this could have thrown me off, but I wouldn't think by that much. I slept well the night before and drank coffee in the morning so I was completely awake and refreshed by the time I got to the test center. I did see a few questions on the quant section that I couldn't see through, I knew that I knew how to solve them, but I couldn't get the right answer and I knew I was missing something ...those may have drained some of my time, but I ended up guess and moving on. The following questions to those I couldn't see through were generally easier and I was able to solve them relatively quick with confidence, which I thought made up for any time I wasted on the previous questions.

I'm looking forward to your pm.

Thanks in advance for your help!

HanoiGMATtutor · Answer

Hi  Desertchampion ,

Good job so far with reviewing the materials from Target Test Prep!

In order to diagnose your problem, I'll need to take a look at your error log. What kind of mistakes did you tend to make as you practiced? Did you notice any patterns?

And when you took the practice exams, for the questions you got wrong, were they too difficult, did you run out of time, or did you make mistakes?

And what is your mathematical background?

I understand that you'd need to take the GMAT again by the end of the month. If you're up for a challenge, I can design an intensive training program for you that would help you get into the high 40's on Quant in the next 3 weeks, but you'll have to work very hard because of the time crunch; every single day matters from this point on. If you think you can devote the time to studying, email me and we can schedule a quick introductory call today or tomorrow. If you don't think you're ready for this kind of intensive program, the general advice I would give you is: go slow and understand everything.

Let me know either way. Good luck!

Desertchampion · Answer

Thank you so much for your response and insight. I've been getting a lot of feedback from many people and based on that feedback I will complete the TTP course and tweak the way that I take my next practice. It seems that it was mostly mental. I will reach out in the future if I find that I need your help!

HanoiGMATtutor · Answer

You are welcome. I am not accepting any more students this year as it is already too late in the application cycle, but feel free to post questions in this thread and elsewhere on this forum - GMAT Club is an incredible resource! Good luck!

aniriddha · Answer

Hi Hanoi,
 What do you mean when you say its late for the applications?

Is it really late to apply for Round 1?

Desertchampion · Answer

aniriddha, 
I don't think he means its too late to apply for round 1. I think he means that it's too late for him to tutor someone who plans to apply for round 1.

HanoiGMATtutor · Answer

It is too late for me to tutor someone who plans to apply this year, not just Round 1. Anyone applying in Round 1 should already have a solid GMAT score by now.

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