GMAT online debrief -- Retake? Score 660 (Q42/V38/IR7)

Question

Dear all,

first of all, thank you for this awesome forum! You guys and gals rock!:)

I started my GMAT journey roughly 3 months ago after deciding on applying for a Mgmt. Masters.
My background consists of a B.Sc. in Economics and Geography with a GPA of 3.0 from a well known German university and one year of work experience in several tech startups.

Basic information

Ressources used:
  Princeton Review Cracking the GMAT 
 Bloomberg GMAT Prep (used to be Economist GMAT Tutor course) 
 GMAT Club

Mocks:
  430 (Q34/V16/IR7) on 07/09/2020 (Princeton Review) 
 530 (Q41/V26/IR3) on 07/23/2020 (Princeton Review) 
 590 (Q42/V28/IR-) on 08/26/2020 (Bloomberg) 
 740 (Q50/V41/IR-) on 09/05/2020 (Bloomberg) 
 710 (Q48/V40/IR7) on 09/11/2020 (GMAT Prep) 
 640 (Q41/V37/IR-) on 09/18/2020 (Bloomberg) 
 660 (Q41/V40/IR8) on 09/25/2020 (GMAT Prep)

Official GMAT Online:
  660 (Q42/V38/IR7) on 09/26/2020

The score reflects the last GMAT Prep mock almost perfectly. Received the scores today on 09/30/2020, only 3 days after.

Learning strategy

As you can see from my early mocks, I really struggled with Verbal. I only had English in school and watched series, but had no idea of the actual grammatical rules. After starting out for 3 weeks with the Princeton Review book (a friend recommended it to me, at this point I had no idea GMATClub even exists haha) I learned about the Covid-19 assistance plan from Bloomberg Prep, basically giving away their course for free if you complete it the day before your official exam. From there on, I almost exclusively relied on the Bloomberg Prep course and only did a few Questions of the Day here on the forum. The course has its benefits and especially the verbal section is really useful to get the foundations right imo. However, the Quant section lacks proper explanations for the basics and therefore did little in advancing my Quant score (as you can see: I already scored a Q42 on my third mock).

Test day

I scheduled my test only one day prior to the exam, which in hindsight wasn’t the smartest move. Anyways, the check-in was really smooth and the proctor was utterly kind! After I took photos of the room and my ID with my phone the proctor started the exam and this was also the last time I had contact with her. There is a little toolbar at the top of the screen, containing the buttons for the chat and digital whiteboard and a video feed of your own webcam. You can drag this toolbar of screen, as seeing my face all the time really distracted me.

Seeing the first Quant question, I was suddenly incredible nervous and had no idea how to solve it. The first 3 questions dealt with number properties, which I always struggled with. Hence, I stumbled through the first 8-9 questions and got thoroughly demotivated. But, after getting my act together on question 10, I concentrated more and even got two permutation questions later in the Quant section.

After finishing the Quant section there is no break, only a 30secs timed screen explaining the verbal section. The switch from Quant to Verbal is therefore quite harsh, and I had to reread the first SC question multiple times to adjust myself to Verbal. Afterwards, I got 3 RC shortly after another, with the first being an easy two paragraph business one, and the last a really difficult scientific four paragraph section. All in all I would say that Verbal is really similar to GMAT Prep, with perhaps CR being a little bit harder.

After IR I showed my physical whiteboard to the webcam, and ended the exam.

Verdict/Questions

I am not completely satisfied with my score and want to improve to a 700/710. Seeing that my Verbal score is already up there, I think that I have to focus on Quant, especially DS and number properties questions. 
What would be a strategy to get a Q49/Q50 in 2-3 weeks of full-time studying? I plan on working through the GMAT club math book this week and focus on practising with OG material. Would TTP be an option as well, seeing the reasonably priced one month membership? I struggle with self prep, as I find it hard to set myself a learning structure/path.

Thank you all in advance!

ad18 · Answer

Sorry this is offtopic. Which slot did you appear for on 26th?
I also appeared on 26th 3pm IST but yet to get my score.

Posted from my mobile device

Richylitschy · Answer

I anurag, my exam was at 2:45 PM CEST. Bet that you receive them today or tomorrow!

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi Richylitschy,
 
I think TTP would be perfect for you! I realize a month is not a lot of time but if you are committed, I think you can make some major gains as you progress through the study plan. Do you want to check out the trial and then reach out to me with any additional questions?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Richylitschy,

First off, a 660/Q42 is a solid Score, so it could be enough to get you into your first-choice School. As such, a retest might not be necessary. Depending on the specific Schools/Programs that you plan to apply to, you would likely find it beneficial to speak with an Admissions Expert about your overall profile and plans. Those Experts should be able to answer your Admissions questions and help define the specific areas of your profile that could use some improvement. There's a Forum full of those Experts here:

https://gmatclub.com/forum/ask-admissio ... tants-124/

If you do choose to retest though, then we have to examine your prior studies in more detail. Based on your various Quant Scaled Scores going back over the course of the last month, your overall math 'knowledge' is probably fine, but the 'swings' in your Scores show that might be prone to making little mistakes and/or you're guessing far too often (on prompts such as DS, in which you can use Tactics to prove what the correct answer is). You're closer to a 700+ than you probably realize, but you would likely need another month of additional, guided study time before you could consistently score at that higher level.

1) What application deadlines are you currently facing?
2) Going forward, how many hours do you think you can consistently study each week?

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

Richylitschy · Answer

Hi Rich,

thanks for the comprehensive answer. Deadlines should not be a problem, since the earliest is 01/15/2021. 
During the last 3 days I spent a few hours analysing my practice exams and indeed I guess quite often on DS questions, which sometimes leads to negative streaks of 4-5 questions. 
What would you recommend: work through a course like TTP (although this could take way longer than a month) or use the GMAT Club math book to revise my weak areas and consequently focus on practising all the left over OG questions?

Thanks!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Richylitschy,

Many Business Schools view an Applicant's Quant Scaled Score as an indicator of how that Applicant might handle the 'academic side' of the Program - and a Q42 won't impress anyone. That score implies that you did fairly well on most of the "math" questions that you saw on Test Day, but you made a number of little mistakes throughout the section and you missed out on LOTS of 'strategy-based' points. Thus, continuing to practice 'math skills' is not what you actually need right now. To earn that higher Score, you need to change how you 'see' (and respond to) the Quant section of the GMAT. By focusing on Quant Tactics, you'll be better able to increase your GMAT Score AND better impress how Business School Admissions Officers will view your potential to handle their respective Programs.

1) What Schools are you planning to apply to?
2) Going forward, how many hours do you think you can consistently study each week?
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

CAMANISHPARMAR · Answer

Hi!

Very nice improvement in Verbal. I understand you wish to improve your quant score. You have scored a Q48 in a GMATprep mock. Could you share more light on this performance? Did you retake this mock? Did you see some familiar questions?

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