[ADVICE IS WELCOME!] Post GMAT Debrief

[LeoC445]

Hi all,

I am writing this message in order to debrief about my GMAT test and study experience and to ask for advice. Posts in these forums have been very enlightening to me, so I thought maybe some of you can give me some advice as to what should I do study-wise. First, let me share a bit about my background.

I am a 28-years-old Black Brazilian who graduated in International Relations and Law (in 2012 and 2013, respectively). My career focus is social impact, so I had the opportunity of creating a social project dedicated to sustainability in a slum in Rio, of interning at GlobalGiving, a non-profit crowdfunding platform in the US and of, for the past 4 years, coordinating the educational technology area of Lemann Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to improving basic public education in Brazil. At Lemann Foundation, I have been mainly supporting edtechs to be implemented in Brazilian public schools. As an example, lat year I coordinated the implementation of a reading platform in public schools in São Paulo and as a result of this project, 50k kids read one or more books.

Along with my work-experience, I was fortunate to gain some scholarships and participate in some programs in which I interacted with people from all over the world (Programa Botín por el Fortalecimiento de la Función Pública, Engage in Conservation Program by Dekeyser and Friends Foundation and Prudential Global Citizenship Program). These interactions and learning opportunities sparked in me the interest to pursue a MBA. Therefore, 4 years ago, when I returned from DC, where I was interning at GlobalGiving, I decided to deepen my social impact experience and in the long-term apply to an MBA. I always dreamt of top b-schools (such as GSB, HBS, Wharton, Haas), but knew the journey ahead was long.

When I first took the GMAT - 2 years ago - I was scared when the 490 grade popped up. I knew that I had to improve a lot to reach the score necessary for top schools, so last year I decided to start studying more seriously. Although I studied a bit, because of work, I didn't find enough time to apply. In the beginning of this year, I was determined to improve my study focus - finding the necessary time - and apply. So I started my study journey again. I will share below more information on all of my scores and mock exams, so that you have a better idea on where I stand:

A) MOCK EXAMS

Jun 24 - GMATPREP, Exam 1 (640)
Quant - 41
Verbal - 37

Jul 15 - GMATPREP, Exam 2 (690)
Quant - 44
Verbal - 41

Jul 22 - GMATPREP, Exam 1(560)
Quant - 32
Verbal - 35

Sep 2nd - GMATPREP, Exam 1 (690)
Quant - 41
Verbal - 44

[25/07] - Manhattan CAT 1 (610)
Quant - 40
Verbal - 34

[08/08] - Manhattan CAT 2 (570)
Quant - 33
Verbal - 35

[21/08] - Manhattan CAT 3 (630)
Quant - 38
Verbal - 37

[23/09] - Manhattan CAT 4 (580)
Quant - 36
Verbal - 33

[30/09] - GMAT Prep, MBA site Exam 1 (720, was very happy to see it was possible)
Quant - 46
Verbal - 42

Then, I was sometime without studying continuously...

[01/11] - GMAT Prep, MBA site Exam 3 (590, wow, that was a huge drop)
Quant - 41
Verbal - 31

[04/11] - GMAT Prep, MBA site Exam 5 (620)
Quant - 37
Verbal - 39

[06/11] - GMAT Prep, MBA site Exam 4 (600)
Quant - 36
Verbal - 37

[10/11] - GMAT Prep, MBA site Exam 6 (650, maybe there is still hope)
Quant - 39
Verbal - 40
IR- 7

B) TEST DAY

So, today I took the GMAT and got 590, with the following breakdown:
Quant - 39
Verbal - 32
IR - 2

I decided not to report my scores. Although I wasn't expecting some miracle to happen, I was confident that I would be able to get at least a score in the 650 range. As you can see, though, my verbal score plummeted, so that I wasn't expecting. Yesterday I didn't get much sleep and was feeling very anxious for the test day, so this could have impacted a bit my score, as well. Also, I finished the Quant section before time, so I had the impression that I was doing questions too fast, which could have led to some careless mistakes. Nonetheless, these scores, specially quant, are somewhat consistent with previous attained scores in mocks, so I don't want to blame any "external factors", such as lack of sleep or anxiety (we have to cope with these).

C) STUDY EXPERIENCE

As per my study strategy, I have mainly been focusing on Quant over Verbal (maybe this is a mistake) and on doing GMATClub exercises and mocks (as you can see). I have read through some of the MGMAT books and also the Math book of GMAT Club.

I didn't take any time off work to solely study, except 3 days last week, so I might use some time to be able to improve (I have 2 months of expired vacations). In these last week of study, with the time pressure of the coming GMAT, I tried to shift strategy. As I noticed that in order to get in the upper 40s in quant I couldn't get easy/medium questions wrong, I crossed frequency of GMAT tested topics with topics in which I had poor performance and focused on doing 500/600 level questions and learning from my mistakes. But I guess cramming on the last days wouldn't make me able to achieve last-minute high-performance.

Some more important info: I maintained an error log for questions from GMATClub, Manhattan, GMAT Prep and GMAT Quant Review. I haven't redone the questions I got wrong, with the exception of GMAT Quant Review Questions. Also, I didn't have time to go over the entire OG - just parts of it. I have the feeling that mixing different strategies and resources might be impairing my study. This would explain the inconsistency in the results.

D) WHAT'S NEXT?

So, my friends, now I face two possible scenarios:

(i) Retake the GMAT in at least 16 calendar days;
Pros:
>if attained sufficient grade, would be able to apply this year
>concepts are still fresh in mind
>gained rythm of study
>already familiarized with study experience

Cons:
>attaining necessary score (720) is not certain
>a bit exhausted from the study/test experience
>even obtaining sufficient score, I don't have much time to write the essays (applications due in beginning of January)

(ii) Take the GMAT next year
Pros
>more time to identify errors and cover conceptual gaps
>can relax a bit and not be exhausted
>more likelihood of attaining higher grade and improving overall application (?)

Cons
>procrastinate, again
>start to question if this MBA thing is really the best plan for me
>have said at work that planned to apply this year already - don't know if this impacts my career progression (they might not be counting with me for next year?)

I am more inclined to going for scenario (i), but would love to hear your thoughts/recommendations...

E) SOME OTHER QUESTIONS

>Should I focus on exercises or in reviewing concepts? I imagine this depends on the way one learns - I like to learn with practice or by seeing videos - but as my strategies are not working, I thought maybe you can share some advice
>Is there any specific material you would recommend? How would you recommend studying it? Go through a topic and do exercises, for instnace?
>Is there any specific strategy you would recommend?
>Given the context I shared, do you think it is still realistic to consider applying this year?
>Is there a specific strategy to improve on integrated-reasoning? I have been doing very poorly on this section, except in my last mock, and can't understand why. I haven't practiced it though, so if there are specific materials you would recommend me for IR, that would be great!
>Is there a minimum quant grade requirement for top b-schools (for instance, quant over 48?)
>Should I consider taking the GRE instead of the GMAT? I chose the GMAT, because as I don't have a quant background I thought doing well on this exam would give me an edge. Also, b-schools are more used to evaluating the GMAT, than the GRE.
>Would you recommend any specific strategy to keep motivated, in face of failure?

Taking this time to share more about my study experience, the test day experience and some questions and concerns I have has already been very helpful. This forum has been a source of knowledge and motivation for me, so I hope to count with your knowledge and solidarity now again.

Thanks in advance,

Leo

[StaceyKoprince]

Hi! I'm sorry that your post wasn't showing up at first. It got caught in the "spam" filter because it's really long—just FYI for future posts.

Your work is very interesting—thanks for sharing! Also, I'm sorry that you're having such a frustrating time with this test. You are doing a lot of good things, but the good news is that there are also other things that you could be doing better...which means that there are ways to increase your score.

As you noticed, you had a decent amount of fluctuation in your practice test scores, even in the last few weeks. While you did score 650 on that last one, you scored 600 a few days before that (and 620 a few days before that)—so that's telling us that your "scoring range" is about 600 to 650. That means it's possible to score closer to 650 on the real test, yes, but it's just as possible to score around 600 (which is what happened). Everyone has a "scoring range" (vs. one specific score) that they're capable of earning right now, so the main task in the last 1-2 weeks before an official test is to focus on how to "peak"—hit the top end of your scoring range—on test day.

Read more about that here (this is a 2-part article; read both):
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... game-plan/

And here:
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2016/09/ ... mat-part-1

Next, besides certain things that aren't in our control (eg, the exact mix of topics given in one test vs. another), the two biggest issues that can lead to those fluctuating scores are anxiety / nerves and decision-making (which includes time management). You mention both of these things in your post.

It's true that everyone has at least some anxiety when taking these tests. Some people have more than others, though, so you may want to look into ways to help manage that better. (That's useful in the rest of life, too!) Take a look at this:
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... mat-score/

There's also this program:
http://www.10percenthappier.com/mindful ... he-basics/
It has a free 1-week trial and is then paid, but I've had several students who have really liked it, so that's another option.

Time management really starts with your overall decision-making / mindset towards how you take (and even how you study for) this test. This is a shorter read, but start here:
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... lly-tests/

Then read this or watch the webinar linked at the beginning:
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... -the-gmat/

Then think about how this information impacts:
(1) How you may want to change the kinds of decisions you make during the test itself, and
(2) How that may change certain ways that you are studying right now

Then come back here and tell me what you think.

Re: your final decision. Your most recent top test score is 650. Your top score ever was 690 (I'm ignoring the 720 because that was on a repeated test—the website-based GMAT Test 1 is the same question pool as the old GMATPrep Test 1). Given the timeframe, it's not super likely that you'll be able to get into the 720 range on the real thing plus have time to do a great job on the applications.

I think it would be fine to say: I'm going to study hard until (pick a timeframe—maybe mid-Dec?). Who knows? Maybe I will get the score in that timeframe and still have enough motivation to do the applications. But I'm not *expecting* that to happen—if it did, I would feel very lucky. Rather, I'm expecting that I'll end up taking a break for the rest of December and part of January. And then I'll start my studies again, after resting my brain a bit.

If that happens, then you can tell your work that you had originally planned to apply for next year but you've postponed because that's the better decision for your career right now. (You don't need to get into the reasons why.) If you tell them that in January, then they'll know that you won't be leaving in August—I would think that's enough time for them to be okay with it?

Re: starting to question whether this MBA plan is the right plan for you. There are a lot of factors that go into that decision, so of course I can't say whether you should get an MBA. But the test alone doesn't need to be the determining factor. I would do a couple of things:

(1) Have some conversations with the admissions teams at the schools to which you want to apply. Attend events if they come to your town. Ask them questions about people coming from your type of background (education / non-profit). You may discover that you don't have to hit the 720 kind of score that they're looking for from certain kinds of applicants because you're coming from a traditionally underrepresented field.

(2) Do a hard cost-benefit analysis. Calculate how much you're going to spend on tuition, living expenses, everything. And think about whether you would only want to do an MBA if you went to one of those "very top" schools that you listed or whether you want an MBA regardless, even if you get it somewhere else. Think about whether you really want / need to do the more traditional 2-year, full-time program. A lot of people are moving to part-time programs while they continue to work, for example—that's one of the fastest growing program areas, in fact. In other words, spend some time thinking about whether the vision that you have had is really the right one for you. (It might be! But I talk to a lot of students who had a certain plan and then realized later that circumstances had changed or their needs / desires had changed, etc. Given how much graduate school costs, it's worth taking the time to examine this.)

For your study questions at the end, let's start with what I typed above about your overall mindset / approach. Actually, let's add one more thing. Also look at these and tell me how they impact / change the way you study right now:
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... -the-gmat/
and
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... ms-part-1/
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... ms-part-2/

It is possible that you would want to switch to the GRE, yes. Everything I wrote above about how to study would also apply to the GRE, so let's start with the above and then revisit the GRE question.