BREAKING: Target Test Prep releases Brand New 2026 On Demand GMAT prep course

Redeem

Request experts guidance: Scored just 620

Find out how Beat The GMAT members tackled GMAT test prep with positive results. Get tips on GMAT test prep materials, online courses, study tips, and more.
This topic has expert replies
Post new topic Post Reply
Previous Topic Next Topic
User avatar
Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2017 9:10 pm

Request experts guidance: Scored just 620

by roligupta6 » Thu Aug 10, 2017 8:20 am
Hi Experts,

I took GMAT on 30th June 2017 and scored 620. Individual scores of all the sections are as follows-
Verbal- 27 / 47%
Quant- 48 / 69%
AWA- 5 / 54%
IR- 6 / 70%

I was preparing for GMAT from past 5 months. I did not take any classes or tuition although I bought GMAT Official Guide, Manhattan 6 CATs, GMAT Exam Prep 2, Kaplan Premier book and studied from all these resources. I was targeting 700 so that I could get a decent college in United States.

Firstly I would like to know if there is any good college I can get with 620 score or shall I take GMAT again?
Secondly I would like to know how can I improve my Verbal? I found RC passages really difficult. Is there any book or novel I can read to improve on my comprehension skills?
Thirdly if getting 5 on AWA is good as my percentile is only 54%?

Pls let me know if you need any more information from my side. I would really appreciate if you could spare some time and answer my queries. Thanks in advance.
Top
Source: — I just Beat The GMAT! |
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 2663
Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2015 8:25 am
Location: Boston, MA
Thanked: 1153 times
Followed by:128 members
GMAT Score:770

by DavidG@VeritasPrep » Thu Aug 10, 2017 9:35 am
roligupta6 wrote:Hi Experts,

I took GMAT on 30th June 2017 and scored 620. Individual scores of all the sections are as follows-
Verbal- 27 / 47%
Quant- 48 / 69%
AWA- 5 / 54%
IR- 6 / 70%

I was preparing for GMAT from past 5 months. I did not take any classes or tuition although I bought GMAT Official Guide, Manhattan 6 CATs, GMAT Exam Prep 2, Kaplan Premier book and studied from all these resources. I was targeting 700 so that I could get a decent college in United States.

Firstly I would like to know if there is any good college I can get with 620 score or shall I take GMAT again?
Secondly I would like to know how can I improve my Verbal? I found RC passages really difficult. Is there any book or novel I can read to improve on my comprehension skills?
Thirdly if getting 5 on AWA is good as my percentile is only 54%?

Pls let me know if you need any more information from my side. I would really appreciate if you could spare some time and answer my queries. Thanks in advance.
Is it possible to be admitted to a top program with a 620? Sure. But the rest of your application would have to be unusually impressive. There's really no reason not to take the exam again. Can you tell us a little more? How did the verbal on the official test compare to your verbal scores on practice exams? Did you order an Enhanced Score Report to confirm that Reading Comp was, in fact, the primary issue?

(And don't worry about the percentile on the AWA. It just means that a fairly high percentage of test-takers are able to write competent essays. Schools don't put much emphasis on this score, and even if they did, a 5 would be perfectly acceptable.)
Veritas Prep | GMAT Instructor

Veritas Prep Reviews
Save $100 off any live Veritas Prep GMAT Course
Top
User avatar
Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2017 9:10 pm

Request experts guidance: Scored just 620

by roligupta6 » Thu Aug 10, 2017 10:50 am
Hi David,

Thanks for replying to me. Following are the scores on my practice exams-

Manhattan CATs-
CAT 1- V 28 Q 43 TS- 580
CAT 2- V 26 Q 46 TS- 590
CAT 3- V 32 Q 45 TS- 630
CAT 4- V 29 Q 45 TS- 600
CAT 5- V 34 Q 47 TS- 670
CAT 6- V 36 Q 48 TS- 690

GMAT Prep Exam Pack 2-
Exam 5- TS 610 V 26 Q 48
Exam 6- TS 620 V 25 Q 49

No, I did not order Enhanced Score Report. Shall I?
Pls guide me how do I plan on doing this & how can I improve my Verbal?


DavidG@VeritasPrep wrote:
roligupta6 wrote:Hi Experts,

I took GMAT on 30th June 2017 and scored 620. Individual scores of all the sections are as follows-
Verbal- 27 / 47%
Quant- 48 / 69%
AWA- 5 / 54%
IR- 6 / 70%

I was preparing for GMAT from past 5 months. I did not take any classes or tuition although I bought GMAT Official Guide, Manhattan 6 CATs, GMAT Exam Prep 2, Kaplan Premier book and studied from all these resources. I was targeting 700 so that I could get a decent college in United States.

Firstly I would like to know if there is any good college I can get with 620 score or shall I take GMAT again?
Secondly I would like to know how can I improve my Verbal? I found RC passages really difficult. Is there any book or novel I can read to improve on my comprehension skills?
Thirdly if getting 5 on AWA is good as my percentile is only 54%?

Pls let me know if you need any more information from my side. I would really appreciate if you could spare some time and answer my queries. Thanks in advance.
Is it possible to be admitted to a top program with a 620? Sure. But the rest of your application would have to be unusually impressive. There's really no reason not to take the exam again. Can you tell us a little more? How did the verbal on the official test compare to your verbal scores on practice exams? Did you order an Enhanced Score Report to confirm that Reading Comp was, in fact, the primary issue?

(And don't worry about the percentile on the AWA. It just means that a fairly high percentage of test-takers are able to write competent essays. Schools don't put much emphasis on this score, and even if they did, a 5 would be perfectly acceptable.)
Last edited by roligupta6 on Wed Aug 30, 2017 1:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Top
Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Aug 15, 2017 4:08 am
Thanked: 1 times

Re: improving RC

by Haardvark » Wed Aug 16, 2017 3:03 am
roligupta6 wrote:Hi Experts,

I took GMAT on 30th June 2017 and scored 620. Individual scores of all the sections are as follows-
Verbal- 27 / 47%
Quant- 48 / 69%
AWA- 5 / 54%
IR- 6 / 70%

I was preparing for GMAT from past 5 months. I did not take any classes or tuition although I bought GMAT Official Guide, Manhattan 6 CATs, GMAT Exam Prep 2, Kaplan Premier book and studied from all these resources. I was targeting 700 so that I could get a decent college in United States.

Firstly I would like to know if there is any good college I can get with 620 score or shall I take GMAT again?
Secondly I would like to know how can I improve my Verbal? I found RC passages really difficult. Is there any book or novel I can read to improve on my comprehension skills?
Thirdly if getting 5 on AWA is good as my percentile is only 54%?

Pls let me know if you need any more information from my side. I would really appreciate if you could spare some time and answer my queries. Thanks in advance.
You're not exactly a target demographic, so a 700+ would be extremely helpful. Your V and AWA scores are actually quite impressive for a non-native speaker and seem to be on an upward trajectory, so as useless as this advice may seem, just keep drilling questions and forcing yourself to understand the answer -- it may take ~100 hours, but you'll get there eventually. Eventually the GMAT runs out of tricks to throw at you. Additionally, if you come from a math (statistics more specifically) background, thinking about passages re: threats to internal validity may be helpful (OVB, simultaneous causality, sample selection bias, error in variables, etc) for determining errors in logic. Diagramming arguments (this supports that, etc.) may work as well.
Top
User avatar
Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2017 9:10 pm

by roligupta6 » Wed Aug 16, 2017 12:35 pm
Thanks for replying.
Pls suggest how I can improve my Verbal especially RC? Shall I buy any specific course?
Haardvark wrote:
roligupta6 wrote:Hi Experts,

I took GMAT on 30th June 2017 and scored 620. Individual scores of all the sections are as follows-
Verbal- 27 / 47%
Quant- 48 / 69%
AWA- 5 / 54%
IR- 6 / 70%

I was preparing for GMAT from past 5 months. I did not take any classes or tuition although I bought GMAT Official Guide, Manhattan 6 CATs, GMAT Exam Prep 2, Kaplan Premier book and studied from all these resources. I was targeting 700 so that I could get a decent college in United States.

Firstly I would like to know if there is any good college I can get with 620 score or shall I take GMAT again?
Secondly I would like to know how can I improve my Verbal? I found RC passages really difficult. Is there any book or novel I can read to improve on my comprehension skills?
Thirdly if getting 5 on AWA is good as my percentile is only 54%?

Pls let me know if you need any more information from my side. I would really appreciate if you could spare some time and answer my queries. Thanks in advance.
You're not exactly a target demographic, so a 700+ would be extremely helpful. Your V and AWA scores are actually quite impressive for a non-native speaker and seem to be on an upward trajectory, so as useless as this advice may seem, just keep drilling questions and forcing yourself to understand the answer -- it may take ~100 hours, but you'll get there eventually. Eventually the GMAT runs out of tricks to throw at you. Additionally, if you come from a math (statistics more specifically) background, thinking about passages re: threats to internal validity may be helpful (OVB, simultaneous causality, sample selection bias, error in variables, etc) for determining errors in logic. Diagramming arguments (this supports that, etc.) may work as well.
Top

GMAT/MBA Expert

User avatar
Elite Legendary Member
Posts: 10392
Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:38 pm
Location: Palo Alto, CA
Thanked: 2867 times
Followed by:511 members
GMAT Score:800

by [email protected] » Wed Aug 16, 2017 1:43 pm
Hi roligupta6,

The process of applying to (and ultimately attending) Business School will require a big investment of time, money and energy on your part, so you really should make sure that the Programs that you apply to match your career goals/needs. There are a variety of factors that go into selecting the Schools that you'll apply to. Instead of just applying to Programs in which you might have a good chance to 'get in', here are some other things to think about:

1) Is there a particular company that you want to work for or industry that you want to work in? Certain degrees are more appropriate than others if you have a specific career goal.
2) What do you want your MBA to do for you?
3) Do you want to go to School full-time or part-time?
4) Are you willing to relocate? Are you comfortable with working through a program that is primarily online?
5) Are you going to be applying for scholarships?
Etc.

It's okay if you don't have answers to any of these questions just yet, but you really should try to define all of the important variables in terms of your goals, so that you can tailor your entire approach to getting into the best School that matches what you're looking for.

It could be that your 620 is strong enough for you to apply to the Schools that offer the type of Program that matches what you want out of a career. If you end up needing a higher GMAT Score to be 'competitive', then a retest will be necessary.

Based on what you have described, your studies have been 'book heavy'; many Test Takers who use a book heavy study approach end up getting 'stuck' at a particular score level. Considering how you Official Scores compares to your last 2 Official practice CATs, it's possible that this has happened to you. To score significantly higher, you might need to invest in some new, non-book study materials.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
Contact Rich at [email protected]
Image
Top
User avatar
Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2017 9:10 pm

by roligupta6 » Thu Aug 17, 2017 4:37 pm
Hi Rich,

Thanks for replying to me.
I am afraid I have answers to few of your questions but not all. I am planning to take GMAT again but this time I would focus more on Verbal.
Pls suggest what resources I should use in order to improve my Verbal especially comprehension skills. I find myself really stuck in RC passages. Shall I read some books or magazines to enhance my reading skills?
[email protected] wrote:Hi roligupta6,

The process of applying to (and ultimately attending) Business School will require a big investment of time, money and energy on your part, so you really should make sure that the Programs that you apply to match your career goals/needs. There are a variety of factors that go into selecting the Schools that you'll apply to. Instead of just applying to Programs in which you might have a good chance to 'get in', here are some other things to think about:

1) Is there a particular company that you want to work for or industry that you want to work in? Certain degrees are more appropriate than others if you have a specific career goal.
2) What do you want your MBA to do for you?
3) Do you want to go to School full-time or part-time?
4) Are you willing to relocate? Are you comfortable with working through a program that is primarily online?
5) Are you going to be applying for scholarships?
Etc.

It's okay if you don't have answers to any of these questions just yet, but you really should try to define all of the important variables in terms of your goals, so that you can tailor your entire approach to getting into the best School that matches what you're looking for.

It could be that your 620 is strong enough for you to apply to the Schools that offer the type of Program that matches what you want out of a career. If you end up needing a higher GMAT Score to be 'competitive', then a retest will be necessary.

Based on what you have described, your studies have been 'book heavy'; many Test Takers who use a book heavy study approach end up getting 'stuck' at a particular score level. Considering how you Official Scores compares to your last 2 Official practice CATs, it's possible that this has happened to you. To score significantly higher, you might need to invest in some new, non-book study materials.

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

GMAT/MBA Expert

User avatar
Elite Legendary Member
Posts: 10392
Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:38 pm
Location: Palo Alto, CA
Thanked: 2867 times
Followed by:511 members
GMAT Score:800

by [email protected] » Fri Aug 18, 2017 10:28 am
Hi roligupta6,

With a V27, you would have lost significant points in at least 2 of the 3 major Verbal categories (SC, RC and CR), so to hit your score goal you will likely need to improve in more than just RC. Given your 'book heavy' approach, continuing to focus on books/magazines probably won't provide the 'fix' that you're looking for. Raising a 620 to a 700+ will likely take another 1-2 months of consistent, guided study.

1) Going forward, how many hours do you think you can consistently study each week?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
Contact Rich at [email protected]
Image
Top
User avatar
Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2017 9:10 pm

by roligupta6 » Fri Aug 18, 2017 3:14 pm
Hi Rich,

I believe I can dedicate 35-40 hours each week or maybe more to study for GMAT that I want to take in another 1-2 months. But I am not able to decide how to prepare for Verbal this time.

Request your guidance.

Thanks,
Roli Gupta
[email protected] wrote:Hi roligupta6,

With a V27, you would have lost significant points in at least 2 of the 3 major Verbal categories (SC, RC and CR), so to hit your score goal you will likely need to improve in more than just RC. Given your 'book heavy' approach, continuing to focus on books/magazines probably won't provide the 'fix' that you're looking for. Raising a 620 to a 700+ will likely take another 1-2 months of consistent, guided study.

1) Going forward, how many hours do you think you can consistently study each week?

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

GMAT/MBA Expert

User avatar
Elite Legendary Member
Posts: 10392
Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:38 pm
Location: Palo Alto, CA
Thanked: 2867 times
Followed by:511 members
GMAT Score:800

by [email protected] » Sat Aug 19, 2017 9:41 am
Hi roligupta6,

You have to be careful about confusing 'quantity' of study with 'quality' of study. You probably do not need to study 35-40 hours each week - and that volume of study might lead to 'burn out' (which is something that you want to avoid). That all having been said, it sounds like you have plenty of potential study time available, so we just need to make sure that you're focused on learning and practicing the proper Tactics.

To hone your Verbal skills and score higher in that section, you will likely find it beneficial to invest in some new, non-book study materials. Most GMAT Companies offer some type of free materials (practice problems, Trial Accounts, videos, etc.) that you can use to 'test out' a product before you buy it. Based on everything that you've described, I think that you would find the EMPOWERgmat Verbal Score Booster to be quite helpful. I suggest that you take advantage of all of the options though, then choose the one that best matches your personality, timeline and budget.

If you have any additional questions, then you can feel free to contact me directly.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
Contact Rich at [email protected]
Image
Top
Post new topic Post Reply
• Page 1 of 1