Last visit was: 30 Apr 2026, 10:02 It is currently 30 Apr 2026, 10:02
Home
Messages
Tests
Schools
Events
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Go to My Error Log Learn more
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
avatar
fbri9930
avatar
Joined: 15 Feb 2021
Last visit: 29 Jun 2022
Posts: 2
Own Kudos:
1
 [1]
Given Kudos: 8
Posts: 2
Kudos: 1
 [1]
From 730 mock to 640 actual test :(( 31 Dec 2021, 02:45
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hey all! I am new to the forum. Below is my experience with both test center and online GMAT. Sorry for the long post!

So, I have been preparing for 3 months+ with Kaplan (self-study). I did the 6 mocks that come with the purchase of their GMAT Prep book. Of course I also took advantage of the 2 free GMAT tests on mba website. To sum up, mocks' median score was 730 but I got 680 on my first attempt (test center) and 640 on my second one (online). My target is 700+

Test day (1st attempt). I wake up at 7.30 am, test is at 10.00. Although I couldn't sleep well the night before, I feel energized and ready to rock. I got plenty of time for a healthy breakfast and for all the necessary pre-test checks. I reach the test center well in advance and feel I have everything under control. However, as soon as I begin the test my brain literally turns off and I get a really unpleasant feeling around my head - as if I am wearing a hat 2 sizes smaller than mine. I am at the beginning of the quant section and while I know that questions are easy I am not able to think or process anything. So I guess the first two questions (word problems, by far my least-favourite subject) and move on. I feel more confident with the next questions and I start to build up momentum. But then another word problem comes and I am stuck again. No brain activity whatsoever. In the end, I guess the last 3 questions of quant as I am short on time. At this point of the test I would normally take a break, but I don't do so because I am going to cancel the score anyway (given the poor performance in quant). So I am like, ok let's skip the break and end this asap. Verbal goes smoothly, although on a few hard questions I am not able to focus as I usually would. At the end, the screen flashes a surprising 680 (Q44, V39) - to be honest, I was expecting a sub-40 quant score. However, also considering a ridiculous IR1 I decide to cancel the score.

In the following days I focus my preparation on word problems and after 3 weeks and 3 mocks I book a new appointment, this time online. The day comes and I feel well rested and ready for the exam. Check-in process almost hassle-free, except for the fact that the proctor initially tells me I can't use a wireless keyboard. Anyway, this time I change the order of the exam and start with verbal, but to my dismay the first two questions are two really weird SC idioms. I spend like 3 minutes on each them and of course I am not confident about the answers. The rest of the section goes smoothly except for the last 3 questions (I guess those). I take my break, come back, show the whiteboard and the room to the proctor who says I can go on with my exam, so I proceed with quant. Once again, the first question is a world problem. I take a bit more time than I would like solving it but I am confident I got the answer right and I am excited. That doesn't last though. I am in the middle of the second questions when the proctor abruptly speaks and says I have to show her the room. I point out to her that I already showed the room when I came back from the break and that she is wasting my time. She says ok you can continue - keep in mind that this took around 1.5 minutes and she didn't pause the test. So I pick up where I left off but after 3-4 minutes the proctor interrupts me again and tells me I have to show her the room (she pauses the exam this time). Extremely frustrated, I do so and shortly after I get back to quant. Unfortunately, I can't regain focus easily so I spend like 15 minutes on the first 5 questions. In the end I end up guessing the last 4 questions. The final result is a disappointing 640 (Q44, V34). Ironically, I get a useless IR8 :cry:

I really don't know what to do now. I feel that on my second attempt my quant could have easily been in the 47+ (hadn't it been for the disruption caused by the proctor) and that those SCs impinged on my verbal score (I never scored less than V37 in mocks). Still, I am probably more disappointed with my performance in verbal than I am mad with the proctor for having disrupted my quant. Any help or input much appreciated!

Brian
User avatar
ScottTargetTestPrep
User avatar
Target Test Prep Representative
Joined: 14 Oct 2015
Last visit: 30 Apr 2026
Posts: 22,301
Own Kudos:
26,557
Given Kudos: 302
Status:Founder & CEO
Affiliations: Target Test Prep
Location: United States (CA)
Expert
Expert reply
Active GMAT Club Expert! Tag them with @ followed by their username for a faster response.
Posts: 22,301
Kudos: 26,557
From 730 mock to 640 actual test :(( 03 Jan 2022, 07:20
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hi Brian,

I'm sorry to hear about how things went with your GMAT. Given your experience on test day, I agree that had things gone a bit smoother, you likely would have had a higher quant score. Thus, I don't see any reason for you not to take another GMAT as soon as possible. If you do decide to retake soon and need any advice, feel free to reach out.
User avatar
nislam
User avatar
Joined: 09 Feb 2020
Last visit: 24 Apr 2026
Posts: 226
Own Kudos:
567
 [1]
Given Kudos: 74
Schools: Warrington (S)
Schools: Warrington (S)
Posts: 226
Kudos: 567
 [1]
From 730 mock to 640 actual test :(( 03 Jan 2022, 11:29
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hi fbri9930,
It might be a good idea for you to write the test in the center in next attempt.

Thanks!
User avatar
egmat
User avatar
e-GMAT Representative
Joined: 02 Nov 2011
Last visit: 27 Apr 2026
Posts: 5,632
Own Kudos:
33,440
 [1]
Given Kudos: 707
GMAT Date: 08-19-2020
Expert
Expert reply
Active GMAT Club Expert! Tag them with @ followed by their username for a faster response.
Posts: 5,632
Kudos: 33,440
 [1]
From 730 mock to 640 actual test :(( 04 Jan 2022, 03:34
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
fbri9930
Hey all! I am new to the forum. Below is my experience with both test center and online GMAT. Sorry for the long post!

So, I have been preparing for 3 months+ with Kaplan (self-study). I did the 6 mocks that come with the purchase of their GMAT Prep book. Of course I also took advantage of the 2 free GMAT tests on mba website. To sum up, mocks' median score was 730 but I got 680 on my first attempt (test center) and 640 on my second one (online). My target is 700+

Test day (1st attempt). I wake up at 7.30 am, test is at 10.00. Although I couldn't sleep well the night before, I feel energized and ready to rock. I got plenty of time for a healthy breakfast and for all the necessary pre-test checks. I reach the test center well in advance and feel I have everything under control. However, as soon as I begin the test my brain literally turns off and I get a really unpleasant feeling around my head - as if I am wearing a hat 2 sizes smaller than mine. I am at the beginning of the quant section and while I know that questions are easy I am not able to think or process anything. So I guess the first two questions (word problems, by far my least-favourite subject) and move on. I feel more confident with the next questions and I start to build up momentum. But then another word problem comes and I am stuck again. No brain activity whatsoever. In the end, I guess the last 3 questions of quant as I am short on time. At this point of the test I would normally take a break, but I don't do so because I am going to cancel the score anyway (given the poor performance in quant). So I am like, ok let's skip the break and end this asap. Verbal goes smoothly, although on a few hard questions I am not able to focus as I usually would. At the end, the screen flashes a surprising 680 (Q44, V39) - to be honest, I was expecting a sub-40 quant score. However, also considering a ridiculous IR1 I decide to cancel the score.

In the following days I focus my preparation on word problems and after 3 weeks and 3 mocks I book a new appointment, this time online. The day comes and I feel well rested and ready for the exam. Check-in process almost hassle-free, except for the fact that the proctor initially tells me I can't use a wireless keyboard. Anyway, this time I change the order of the exam and start with verbal, but to my dismay the first two questions are two really weird SC idioms. I spend like 3 minutes on each them and of course I am not confident about the answers. The rest of the section goes smoothly except for the last 3 questions (I guess those). I take my break, come back, show the whiteboard and the room to the proctor who says I can go on with my exam, so I proceed with quant. Once again, the first question is a world problem. I take a bit more time than I would like solving it but I am confident I got the answer right and I am excited. That doesn't last though. I am in the middle of the second questions when the proctor abruptly speaks and says I have to show her the room. I point out to her that I already showed the room when I came back from the break and that she is wasting my time. She says ok you can continue - keep in mind that this took around 1.5 minutes and she didn't pause the test. So I pick up where I left off but after 3-4 minutes the proctor interrupts me again and tells me I have to show her the room (she pauses the exam this time). Extremely frustrated, I do so and shortly after I get back to quant. Unfortunately, I can't regain focus easily so I spend like 15 minutes on the first 5 questions. In the end I end up guessing the last 4 questions. The final result is a disappointing 640 (Q44, V34). Ironically, I get a useless IR8 :cry:

I really don't know what to do now. I feel that on my second attempt my quant could have easily been in the 47+ (hadn't it been for the disruption caused by the proctor) and that those SCs impinged on my verbal score (I never scored less than V37 in mocks). Still, I am probably more disappointed with my performance in verbal than I am mad with the proctor for having disrupted my quant. Any help or input much appreciated!

Brian
Show more
Hi Brian,

I'm sorry to see that you could not score well in the last two attempts. Based on the details shared by you, here are our observations and recommendations. We covered the following 3 things in this response -

  1. Getting a fresh baseline - to come up with an improvement plan
  2. Quant score improvement
  3. Verbal score improvement
  4. Helping you set up a study plan

1.Getting a fresh baseline - to come up with an improvement plan

You mentioned that 730 is the median score in your mocks. But did you get this score consistently? You should also track whether you are scoring consistently in every sub-section (i.e. Track the percentile scores in SC, CR, RC, Arithmetic, Algebra-Geometry).

And considering the external factors in your last attempt, I recommend that you take our SIGma-X mock test to establish a fresh baseline. Your Verbal score dropped in the 2nd attempt, which indicates some gaps. We need to identify the areas where there is score of improvement.

Here is an example of a student - Jim scored a 700 (V34) in his 1st attempt. Based on the ESR (V34 - SC 63 %ile, CR 39%ile, RC 85%ile), he identified CR and SC as areas of improvement and made necessary changes to his approach and improved to a 770 (V42) in his next attempt in just 3 weeks. Click here to read his debrief.

  • Click here to take the mock. (comes with ESR+ analysis and percentile scores for all sub-sections).

2.Quant score improvement

Assuming there was no disruption, you would have scored a Q46 or 47 in Quant (we can get a confirmation on this when you take the SIGma-X mock test). But there is more scope of improvement up to a Q49/50 levels. Based on the details shared by you, it seems, you still have some weakness in certain topics (such as word problems).

You have to identify all such weak areas in Quant (at a topic level) - figure out whether you are lacking in conceptual understadning or applying the right process and work towards fixing it. Here is an example of a student who did that to improve -

  • Here is a student (Gaurav) who improved from Q47 to Q50. He leveraged the ESR analysis & our Scholaranium data to identify his weak areas and improved in those topics by learning the right process to apply the concepts. Click here to read his debrief.

3.Verbal score improvement

No doubt, you are relatively strong in Verbal and so you must maximize your score in Verbal, preferably to a V42+ level. From the ESR (in SIGma-X mock), you can figure out the percentile ability level in SC, CR, RC. The SC ability score (and the accuracy, timing data) will tell us the nature of your problem (whether you are using the right process - meaning and logic to approach the questions or not). Here is an example of a student who focused on meaning in SC to score high -

  • Pratique improved from a V34 to V47 (760) by mastering the right methods such as meaning based approach in SC, Pre-Thinking in CR. Click here to watch his debrief.

4.Need help personalizing the study plan?

If you need help with setting up a study plan that can target your weak areas, and learn the meaning based approach, you can reach out to us over e-mail here - [email protected]

You can also book a one-on-one strategy session with us by using the below link.

One-on-One Strategy Session with e-GMAT experts

Btw, here is a screenshot showing how your personalized study plan (at a high level) should look like (Baseline scores, targets and time estimates as per your strengths and weak areas)

User avatar
Boho
User avatar
Joined: 22 Sep 2021
Last visit: 15 Jul 2022
Posts: 74
Own Kudos:
124
Given Kudos: 11
Location: India
Posts: 74
Kudos: 124
From 730 mock to 640 actual test :(( 04 Jan 2022, 04:48
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Very interesting. Thanks for sharing a detailed assessment and plan. What is the accuracy of the model that gives these pointers. I mean does e-gmat provides any guarantee that candidate would be eligible to get if one follows the plan and achieves the milestones as described.

Or what percentage of students who achieve milestones also achieve their target scores?


egmat
fbri9930
Hey all! I am new to the forum. Below is my experience with both test center and online GMAT. Sorry for the long post!

So, I have been preparing for 3 months+ with Kaplan (self-study). I did the 6 mocks that come with the purchase of their GMAT Prep book. Of course I also took advantage of the 2 free GMAT tests on mba website. To sum up, mocks' median score was 730 but I got 680 on my first attempt (test center) and 640 on my second one (online). My target is 700+

Test day (1st attempt). I wake up at 7.30 am, test is at 10.00. Although I couldn't sleep well the night before, I feel energized and ready to rock. I got plenty of time for a healthy breakfast and for all the necessary pre-test checks. I reach the test center well in advance and feel I have everything under control. However, as soon as I begin the test my brain literally turns off and I get a really unpleasant feeling around my head - as if I am wearing a hat 2 sizes smaller than mine. I am at the beginning of the quant section and while I know that questions are easy I am not able to think or process anything. So I guess the first two questions (word problems, by far my least-favourite subject) and move on. I feel more confident with the next questions and I start to build up momentum. But then another word problem comes and I am stuck again. No brain activity whatsoever. In the end, I guess the last 3 questions of quant as I am short on time. At this point of the test I would normally take a break, but I don't do so because I am going to cancel the score anyway (given the poor performance in quant). So I am like, ok let's skip the break and end this asap. Verbal goes smoothly, although on a few hard questions I am not able to focus as I usually would. At the end, the screen flashes a surprising 680 (Q44, V39) - to be honest, I was expecting a sub-40 quant score. However, also considering a ridiculous IR1 I decide to cancel the score.

In the following days I focus my preparation on word problems and after 3 weeks and 3 mocks I book a new appointment, this time online. The day comes and I feel well rested and ready for the exam. Check-in process almost hassle-free, except for the fact that the proctor initially tells me I can't use a wireless keyboard. Anyway, this time I change the order of the exam and start with verbal, but to my dismay the first two questions are two really weird SC idioms. I spend like 3 minutes on each them and of course I am not confident about the answers. The rest of the section goes smoothly except for the last 3 questions (I guess those). I take my break, come back, show the whiteboard and the room to the proctor who says I can go on with my exam, so I proceed with quant. Once again, the first question is a world problem. I take a bit more time than I would like solving it but I am confident I got the answer right and I am excited. That doesn't last though. I am in the middle of the second questions when the proctor abruptly speaks and says I have to show her the room. I point out to her that I already showed the room when I came back from the break and that she is wasting my time. She says ok you can continue - keep in mind that this took around 1.5 minutes and she didn't pause the test. So I pick up where I left off but after 3-4 minutes the proctor interrupts me again and tells me I have to show her the room (she pauses the exam this time). Extremely frustrated, I do so and shortly after I get back to quant. Unfortunately, I can't regain focus easily so I spend like 15 minutes on the first 5 questions. In the end I end up guessing the last 4 questions. The final result is a disappointing 640 (Q44, V34). Ironically, I get a useless IR8 :cry:

I really don't know what to do now. I feel that on my second attempt my quant could have easily been in the 47+ (hadn't it been for the disruption caused by the proctor) and that those SCs impinged on my verbal score (I never scored less than V37 in mocks). Still, I am probably more disappointed with my performance in verbal than I am mad with the proctor for having disrupted my quant. Any help or input much appreciated!

Brian
Hi Brian,

I'm sorry to see that you could not score well in the last two attempts. Based on the details shared by you, here are our observations and recommendations. We covered the following 3 things in this response -

  1. Getting a fresh baseline - to come up with an improvement plan
  2. Quant score improvement
  3. Verbal score improvement
  4. Helping you set up a study plan

1.Getting a fresh baseline - to come up with an improvement plan

You mentioned that 730 is the median score in your mocks. But did you get this score consistently? You should also track whether you are scoring consistently in every sub-section (i.e. Track the percentile scores in SC, CR, RC, Arithmetic, Algebra-Geometry).

And considering the external factors in your last attempt, I recommend that you take our SIGma-X mock test to establish a fresh baseline. Your Verbal score dropped in the 2nd attempt, which indicates some gaps. We need to identify the areas where there is score of improvement.

Here is an example of a student - Jim scored a 700 (V34) in his 1st attempt. Based on the ESR (V34 - SC 63 %ile, CR 39%ile, RC 85%ile), he identified CR and SC as areas of improvement and made necessary changes to his approach and improved to a 770 (V42) in his next attempt in just 3 weeks. Click here to read his debrief.

  • Click here to take the mock. (comes with ESR+ analysis and percentile scores for all sub-sections).

2.Quant score improvement

Assuming there was no disruption, you would have scored a Q46 or 47 in Quant (we can get a confirmation on this when you take the SIGma-X mock test). But there is more scope of improvement up to a Q49/50 levels. Based on the details shared by you, it seems, you still have some weakness in certain topics (such as word problems).

You have to identify all such weak areas in Quant (at a topic level) - figure out whether you are lacking in conceptual understadning or applying the right process and work towards fixing it. Here is an example of a student who did that to improve -

  • Here is a student (Gaurav) who improved from Q47 to Q50. He leveraged the ESR analysis & our Scholaranium data to identify his weak areas and improved in those topics by learning the right process to apply the concepts. Click here to read his debrief.

3.Verbal score improvement

No doubt, you are relatively strong in Verbal and so you must maximize your score in Verbal, preferably to a V42+ level. From the ESR (in SIGma-X mock), you can figure out the percentile ability level in SC, CR, RC. The SC ability score (and the accuracy, timing data) will tell us the nature of your problem (whether you are using the right process - meaning and logic to approach the questions or not). Here is an example of a student who focused on meaning in SC to score high -

  • Pratique improved from a V34 to V47 (760) by mastering the right methods such as meaning based approach in SC, Pre-Thinking in CR. Click here to watch his debrief.

4.Need help personalizing the study plan?

If you need help with setting up a study plan that can target your weak areas, and learn the meaning based approach, you can reach out to us over e-mail here - [email protected]

You can also book a one-on-one strategy session with us by using the below link.

One-on-One Strategy Session with e-GMAT experts

Btw, here is a screenshot showing how your personalized study plan (at a high level) should look like (Baseline scores, targets and time estimates as per your strengths and weak areas)

Show more
avatar
fbri9930
avatar
Joined: 15 Feb 2021
Last visit: 29 Jun 2022
Posts: 2
Own Kudos:
1
Given Kudos: 8
Posts: 2
Kudos: 1
From 730 mock to 640 actual test :(( 11 Jan 2022, 14:40
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
egmat

...
Show more

Hi, thank you very much for your detailed response!

I definitely have some weaknesses in Quant. As for word problems, I understand the concepts but I am too slow processing data. In general, the wordier the prompt the slower I am. Sometimes I need 2 minutes just to read and understand the problem, therefore I don't have time to actually solve the problem afterwards.

As for Verbal, I don't think I struggle in a particular area, although SC can be problematic when it comes to idioms and CR sometimes takes too much time.

I attempted the Sigma-X mock and scored 680 (Q46, V37). I have to say, I found the Verbal extremely difficult, especially SC. As for Quant, it was ok except for the last third of the section where I got way too many questions wrong in a row. I would like to show you the test result and know your opinion but it seems that I am not allowed to post links or images.

Brian
Moderator:
bb
Founder
43175 posts