Help! 100 point difference between official mock and official GMAT

Question

Hi everyone,

I'm Aayushi, and I gave my first GMAT attempt on December 4 and scored a 580 (QA41| VA29). 
This score came as a huge shock to me as I had taken an official CAT on the day of the exam and scored a 680. I was relatively confident about getting somewhere between 680-700 in my first attempt. However, during the exam, I took too much time to solve questions and even ended up missing the last 5 verbal questions and guessing some others in the section. The contrast in my prep and official scores really confused and demotivated me.

All my official CAT scored were as follows: (total prep time: 1 month 15 days)

Verbal: My biggest challenge in verbal is accuracy. I falter heavily in SC (modifier type) and CR questions and spend too much time trying to answer all the questions in the paper. This section had the lowest score, and I'm absolutely clueless about how to get back on track and prep again. I've solved OG questions form the verbal guide.

Quant: I have an evident skill gap in this section and forecast the maximum improvement here. However, my main problem is: I learn & understand all concepts and fail to apply them in questions. I blank out when I see an unfamiliar question type and am unable to find an underlying pattern to solve it with my existing concept knowledge.

I'm re attempting GMAT this month on 28th January (25 days to D-day). My aim is to reach 730 but I feel extremely low in self confidence and am doubting my past prep and aptitude with my current score.

How do I configure my preparation according to this curveball? 
Please help! Would appreciate any advice from people who have had/witnessed a similar journey

Bunuel 
 nightblade354 
 mikemcgarry 
 GMATNinja 
@VeritasKarishma
 bb 
@GMATPrepNow
 souvik101990 
 ScottTargetTestPrep 
 daagh 
 EMPOWERgmatRichC

Thanks in advance

rn1112 · Answer

Use Forum Quiz to build your concepts. It provides an excellent resource, filled with umpteen explanations posted by Experts there.

Best of Luck.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Aayushi,

I'm sorry to hear that Test Day did not turn out better. I've sent you a PM with some notes and additional questions.

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

Contact Rich at: [email protected]

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi Aayushi.

It sounds as if you could have scored higher on the GMAT with better time management. Also, you may have worn yourself out a bit by taking a practice test on the same day as your actual GMAT. So, your score isn't really that shocking, and in any case, you can certainly score higher with effective preparation.

Regarding how to prepare going forward, if I understand what you said correctly, in verbal, you mostly just did practice questions to learn. If my understanding is correct, you'll do much better if you take a topic-by-topic approach that involves first learning concepts, next doing untimed topic-focused practice, and finally, working on answering verbal questions at test pace. For a detailed discussion of how to prepare for GMAT verbal effectively, see this post.

How to Score High on GMAT Verbal

Regarding quant, to learn not to blank out, you should do untimed practice until you learn to find your way to correct answers. Then once you're getting quant questions correct consistently, you can work on getting them correct in two minutes each. For some insights into how to practice most effectively to master GMAT quant, see this post.

The Best GMAT Practice Methods

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

In case you run out of Official-Guide Questions, consider purchasing the Online only question banks. Using time markers may also help your time management.

5 Verbal tips

egmat · Answer

missmundra

Hey Aayushi,

I am so sorry to see that despite putting in the time and effort, you were not able to achieve your target score. Clearly, the strategies and the methodologies that you have been using have not been working out for you.

I’ve created a short video to share my detailed recommendations with you. Attaching the same below:

Aayushi_Response (GC) - Watch Video

Here’s a brief of what is covered in the video:

To be able to take corrective measures you first need to understand what went wrong and why despite putting in so much time and effort you did not manage to get to your target score:

GMAT is a test of skills and to succeed in GMAT you need to build and hone those skills. Unlike other traditional exams, merely practicing a bunch of questions without using defined methods and approaches will not help. A low score despite putting in a lot of effort means that you did not follow a properly structured approach, you did not prepare in the right way and so you need to completely change the approach. If you can do this, you can succeed in GMAT.
While GMAT prep does require time and effort, it is necessary to have a study plan which helps you allocate this time and effort in the right areas and in the right amount. It is essential that you make a study plan focusing on your personal strengths and weaknesses and your target score.
It is essential for you to track your improvement regularly while preparing for GMAT to make sure that your processes and methodologies work out for you. In case they do not, you can identify this at an early stage and make the necessary changes to get your desired results.

Next Steps

As discussed in the video, please share your ESR with us via DM or by writing at [email protected]. If you don't have your ESR, you can take a SIGma-X mock (free of charge) (you will get an Enhanced Score Report along with this) and email us to schedule a 1:1 discussion with one of our Strategy Experts.

I’m also sharing a couple of success stories of students who’ve had a similar journey as you:

Raunak improved from a V30 to V42 in 14 days.
Rishabh improved from a V25 to a V37 in 3 weeks.

I hope you find this insightful and motivating!

Looking forward to hearing back from you.

Best Regards,
Mansi

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi missmundra,

To improve your quant skills, you may find it helpful to engage in topical quant practice.

For example, let’s say that you want to practice Number Properties. You can do so by answering 50 or more questions just from Number Properties: LCM, GCF, units digit patterns, divisibility, remainders, etc.

After each problem set, thoroughly analyze your incorrect questions. For example, if you got a remainder question wrong, ask yourself why. Did you make a careless mistake? Did you not properly apply the remainder formula? Was there a concept you did not understand in the question?

By carefully analyzing your mistakes, you will be able to fix your weaknesses efficiently and, in turn, improve your GMAT quant skills. Number Properties is just one example; follow this process for all quant topics.

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Help! 100 point difference between official mock and official GMAT

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