Why are my section scores so volatile in Official GMAT tests?

Question

Hi there,

I came from my last GMAT appointment and I was really surprised with the score, since I thought I was performing much better. I really thought that this time I could hit the 700+ barrier. I really can´t explain my low score this time. Moreover, what really strikes me is how volatile my section scores in official tests are. Please consider these 3 times I wrote the test:

- November 2015: Overall 680 (Q48 V35 IR5)
- December 2015: Overall 670 (Q42 V40 IR6)
- January 2016: Overall 640 (Q45 V33 IR4)
As you can see there is really no pattern or predictability in my scores. They are all over the map!

Some caveats for you to consider:
- I´ve been studying hard for 2+ years: I read Manhattan guides, did Verbal e-GMAT course, used all official material there is out there (OG, OGQR, OGVR, Gmat Prep free and paid questions and tests)
- I never stopped studying, meaning that my score should go up (or at least not go down)
- My scores on Gmat Prep have been around 700 – 720 (with some 730 and even 750), although the later ones might be inflated since I got many repeats.
- I bought the ESRs after each attempt and analyzed the metrics. These reports help but to a certain point.

I am aware that taking the test so many times is not so common (however, it is not that weird), but I cannot explain why my scores vary so much. Would you guys let me know your thoughts?

Thanks!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi wizzard,

You pose an important question - the answer relies on all of the information that you have not provided yet.

To start though, each of these scores represents a strong performance overall. The 680/Q48 is right around the 85th percentile overall, so it could very well be enough to get you into your first-choice Business School. Thus, an additional retest might not be necessary.

From the information you've provided so far, there are a couple of 'issues' that have probably impacted your studies (and by extension, your performance on Test Day).

1) You claim to have studied hard for 2 years. I'm not exactly sure what that means (in terms of overall effort, consistency of study, etc.), but if you really have studied for that long, then you've likely developed a number of 'bad habits' that have impacted how you performed on each of your 3 Official GMATs. You clearly have the intelligence to perform at a high level, but some of the 'little things' that you do when handling GMAT questions are getting in the way of performing at an even higher level on Test Day.

2) Over 2 years, you must have taken certain CATs over and over. ALL of those retakes would have included some repeat questions, so the results of ALL the retakes are likely inflated. It's doubtful that you truly scored 730 or 750 on any of those CATs. There's also the broader question of HOW you took those CATs and what other factors could have skewed your performances.

I'd like to know a bit more about your plans and goals:

1) What is your goal score?
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

wizzard · Answer

Hi Rich, Thank you for taking the time to answer to my post! First, let me answer your questions: 1) My target score was always 720, although now I think a 700 / Q48 may look like enough. 2) I want to apply this year so that I can start the program next year. I really don´t want to wait another year because I couldn´t get the score I want (consider that GMAT is allowed to be taken as many times as you want but just 5 within a one-year period and I already wrote it 3 times…) 3) I want to apply to top 10 schools in the US (including HSW). Regarding your points 1) My 2 years were of very consistent study and effort, covering the materials mentioned previously. I am really intrigued about these “bad habits” you mention. Could you please elaborate further on this? I am aware that you don´t know me but can you provide some examples that you often see in students? 2) All CATs were taken with both AWA and IR, and under the most similar test conditions I could emulate. I am very aware that I never truly scored 730 or 750, but having taken Gmat Prep tests, Manhattan´s and Veritas´, they all give me a score of around 700-720. However, even taking into consideration these 2 points you mention (bad habits and inflated scores), I am still hesitant of my original question of how could my section scores be so volatile. Wouldn´t these 2 factors play a similar role throughout my official tests? Looking forward to your comments (especially the bad habits portion!) Thank you so much

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi wizzard,

To start, you're closer to your score goal than you probably realize.

'Bad habits' can come in a variety of forms (mental, physical and even psychological). The ones that tend to be the most obvious though are in the ways that you take notes, organize your work, how much work you do 'in your head', etc. ANY inconsistency on your part could lead to a silly/little mistake - and that's why your Official Scores are fluctuating. In simple terms, it's about 'precision' - what work are YOU going to do to make sure that you get the correct answer to a given question. If you look back at any practice question that you got wrong because of a silly mistake, then you should be able to define what you COULD have done to keep that mistake from happening.

Going deeper into your Official Test Day performances, when these types of score drops occur, the two likely "causes" involve either something that was unrealistic during practice or something that was surprising (or not accounted for) on Test Day. We already know that there were some 'issues' with how you took your CATs, so I have some other questions about your last Official GMAT:

1) What did you do in the 3 days before your GMAT?
2) How did you sleep the night before your Test?
3) How long was the ride to the Test Center from your home?
4) Were there any distractions at the facility or during the Test?
5) What did you do during the two 8-minute breaks?
6) Did you finish any sections early?
7) Did you have to rush to finish any sections (and guess on questions just to finish on time)?

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

wizzard · Answer

Hi Rich,

Once again, thanks for your answer.

I cannot see anything extremely uncommon on these 3 tests (slept well, did all my previous-days routines, had a 30-minute regular commute, had regular breaks, and did not finish sections early or left questions unanswered.)

There were distractions at the test center but I´ve trained taking my CATs in bars and cafeterias, hoping that this scenario would be even worse that the real thing. I just guess my nerves and the fact that I regard this as so important for my future might be curtailing my performance. As you know, nerves mean limited working memory, and thus taking longer to answer questions or being more prone to silly mistakes.

I will also check what bad habits I think I might have acquired throughout these years and will try to eradicate them in the next weeks (hopefully that´s doable).

Thank you so much for your help!

AjiteshArun · Answer

Did you prioritize verbal for the second attempt? I'm asking because your scores seem to be see-sawing. Good quant and verbal followed by low quant and very high verbal followed by what seems to be a non-representative score.

Q: 73 -> 50 -> 62
V: 76 -> 91 -> 68

Do you think it's something to do with stamina?

wizzard · Answer

Hi AjiteshArun,

Since my first attempt (Q48 V35), I am prioritizing Verbal. That was reflected in my second attempt (V40) but definitely not in my third attempt (V33).
What strikes me is that:
- Quant can go down so much. I don´t think my skill has decreased. I feel it will always should be around Q48.
- How volatile scores can be (again, that´s the title of the post).

I wouldn´t say stamina is a problem. But probably nerves are...

Do you think this common among other test takers? (unpredictable scores, multiple attempts, and one overall unrepresentative performance)
I haven´t read so many stories like mine. However, the fact that I haven´t read them doesn´t necessarily mean that this doesn´t happen.

AjiteshArun · Answer

I thought that a quant section with relatively easy questions might have put you at ease when you got to verbal during the second attempt. I certainly don't think that taking the GMAT 3 times in 3 months could have been easy, and I thought the drop to 640 on the third attempt reflected that.

It'd have been nice if you'd got a Q48 on your second attempt (Q48 + V40 ~ 710). But you should keep in mind that your 680 is also a good score, and focusing on crossing 700 for its own sake is probably not worth it. Go for it only if you feel that the extra time and money (and "nerves"!) involved will help during the admissions process.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi wizzard,

If you're absolutely certain that you want to retake the GMAT, then you might want to purchase the Enhanced Score Report. Your self-analysis isn't pinpointing any specific areas that you need to work on, so maybe the ESR could provide some information that would help.

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

GMATinsight · Answer

1) This might come as hard to you but I prefer to be honest rather than just being nice and not speak what other must know

GMAT is not a test that requires two years of hardwork and you having done that have wasted about 20 moths more than needed.

even for an unprepared student, 4 months is more than sufficient time for GREAT preparation to achieve the highest level of performance.

2) Your total score has been dropping gradually (which could be due to excess preparation which tends to lower the score once you have finished all good content and start losing learning from anything new relevant for prep that you come across).
The variation in scores has made it so hard to find out whether your getting good score sometimes happened by chance or getting bad score some other time happened by chance. But even if you take almost average of the scores, Your Verbal seems to be strong enough (around 35 score avg) wherein your quant (aroung 45 score avg) which you can see in the percentiles that you have got.

3) GMAT Prep tests tend to show an optimistic score so no wonder that you were getting above 700 in those tests and less in real GMAT.

The best way forward for you that I see is

I) Do proper analysis of what is going wrong and where are you going wrong. I hope you have tried enough to do it yourself then take help of some expert who can suggest you best on it. For a free trial class to assess your level you may get in touch with us.

II) After assessment just do a focussed study on building your concepts wherever they are flawed. And the fundamentals are definitely flawed somewhere due to which there is lack of consistency in your scores.

III) Don't take more than 2 months to give a final try to GMAT and I am sure you will be able to deliver your best if the steps are followed with disciplined approach.

I hope this helps!!!

wizzard · Answer

Thank you so much everyone for all your kind pieces of advice!
I will try to follow your recommendations and will keep you posted.

PS: GMAT Insight, I am aware of how much time of my life I wasted. I want to revert this situation and put an end to this situation as soon as possible. Don´t apologize for being honest. Thanks!

CSmitty · Answer

Hi, Wizzard.

I understand how disheartened you must feel. I hope that you do not mind if I piggyback on your thread. I found this because I am having a similar problem with my practice tests.

After 2.5 months of very concentrated studying, my practice CAT scores are getting WORSE. (wth?????) For my prep, I am doing the Empower GMAT course (3-month time table) and have finished stages 1-4. I postponed stage 5 reviews for a week to focus on OG problems. The rest of my prep has mainly been OG. I also do some MGMAT problems/CATS and one GMAT Club CAT. I don't want to spread my studying around to too many sources for fear of getting confused. Going forward, I want to focus on OG problems instead of problems from other sources; I think this is wise, but of course I obviously don't know what I am doing.

Here are my practice CAT scores:
12-12-15 MGMAT 690, Q39 V45
12-29-15 GMAT Prep 700, Q41 V44
1-9-16 MGMAT 670, Q41 V40
1-24-16 MGMAT 680, Q40, V42
2-7-16 GMAT Prep 680, Q39 V42 (I had reset the GMAT Prep, and I know that I had seen some of these questions before; if this is an "inflated" score, I may throw up.)

I am trying to take these CATs under realistic conditions; I have always done full AWA and IR.

I know that pacing on IR and Quant is a huge problem for me. I run slow on quant and then rush and/or guess on questions to make up time. I always answer through 37 questions, but the quality suffers.

I am taking the actual GMAT in 3 weeks. (Feb 29!) My target score is 710, Q45, but I fear that is just a foolish dream at this point. I am applying for a scholarship program in June, so that currently has more weight to it than prospective schools. If I could get my dream score, Carnegie Mellon would be my first choice.

Why am I getting worse? If anyone could offer advice, I would be grateful. Wizzard, I know it's only been a few days, but have you had any insights? How is it going for you?

wizzard · Answer

Hi CSmitty,

Thanks for your post! Actually my problem is different from yours (probably mine is worse). My scores are volatile under official tests; on practice scores, they are really predictable.

On the other hand, I wouldn´t say you have a problem with your scores. They all range in the 680 - 700 zone.
I am really impressed with your Verbal scores (they are in the high end!). If you have 3 weeks to the test, I think you should probably focus on Quant. Getting a Q45 is not that difficult, since a Q45 will most likely be based in medium questions that are heavily biased on patterns (going above Q47 is a different story, though...)

I hope you find my piece of advice helpful and best of lucks on Feb 29!

AjiteshArun · Answer

Focusing on official material in the last stretch is usually the right thing to do. Your scores seem to be quite consistent, but you don't seem to be improving. That's not really a problem though, because you are super close to your target score. Get the timing strategy right and you could be looking an immediate 1-2 point increase in your quant score (this depends on just how much you're having to guess towards the end).

Have you got the exam pack 1 and the question pack 1?

CSmitty · Answer

Thank you for the encouragement, Wizzard.

AjiteshArun, do you have any suggestions for working on my timing? Do I just need to do sets of problems with a time limit until I feel more comfortable?

I plan to purchase the Exam Pack after I take the second free GMAT Prep CAT. Instead of purchasing the Question Pack (because I don't really need those extra verbal problems), I got the OG Quant Guide.

AjiteshArun · Answer

That's definitely an important part of it. You should also get used to checking how you're doing during a full length test and getting back on track (if you're behind). You will need to be comfortable with guessing even when you're on (let's say) the 12th question. That said, it seems that your quant concepts need work. Timing can't fix that, but at least you won't be letting all your guesses "bunch up" at the end in quant. Your verbal is very strong. Just be careful not to ignore it altogether.

It'd be a good idea to start all this as soon as possible. You need to get comfortable with the timing strategy you choose before you actually take the exam.

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Why are my section scores so volatile in Official GMAT tests?

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