How to Score 705+ on the GMAT Focus Edition

According to GMAC, the creator of the GMAT, a score of 705 on the GMAT Focus Edition will be roughly equivalent to 750 on the classic GMAT. In other words, GMAC predicts that 705 will be a 98th percentile score, or a score significantly higher than any business school’s average. All the same, many test-takers want to know how to score 705+ on the GMAT Focus Edition.

There are a few reasons why people want to score 705+. One is simply that we’re all accustomed to 700 being a benchmark score on the GMAT. So, even though the new version of the GMAT is scored differently from the classic version, people still gravitate toward scoring 700+. Another reason is that it seems likely that GMAC’s predictions for Focus Edition scores will prove to be a little low. So, 705 will likely have a percentile ranking lower than 98th and may turn out to be an average score for top MBA programs, in other words, a score similar to 730.

So, in this article, I’m going to discuss how to score 705+ on the GMAT Focus Edition. I’ll cover everything from the performance needed for scoring 705 to tips for achieving super high accuracy and more.

Let’s begin by seeing what kind of performance is needed for scoring 705 on the Focus Edition.

The GMAT Focus Performance Needed for Scoring 705+

Knowing what we have to accomplish in order to achieve a goal helps us to achieve it. Also, you may be wondering how hard it is to score 705+ on the GMAT Focus Edition. So, to get a sense of what it takes to score 705+, let’s see what type of performance we’ll need.

Determining the Section Scores Needed for Scoring 705

To determine the performance needed for scoring 705+ on the GMAT Focus Edition, we can use the following formula for calculating GMAT Focus scores:

(“Quant,” “Verbal,” and “Data Insights” represent the three 60 to 90 section scores.)

$\text{Total Score} = \left[\frac{\text{(Quant + Verbal + Data Insights) - 180}}{3}\text{×}20\right] + 205$

So, we have the following:

$\text{705} = \left[\frac{\text{(Quant + Verbal + Data Insights) - 180}}{3}\text{×}20\right] + 205$

$\text{255} = \text{Quant + Verbal + Data Insights}$

Then, since 255/3 = 85, we see that we can score 705 on the GMAT Focus Edition by scoring 85 on each of the three sections of the test.

KEY FACT:

One way to score 705+ on the GMAT Focus Edition is to score at least 85 on each section of the test.

How Many Questions Correct to Score 705 on the GMAT Focus Edition?

From what I’ve seen, scoring 85 on a section of the Focus Edition generally takes getting around all but 2 or 3 questions on that section correct. However, you may be able to miss up to 5 on a section and score 85 if the missed questions are only hard questions. (Once I’ve seen more GMAT Focus official score reports, I’ll be able to say what the numbers are with more confidence.)

So, it appears that we can get around 18/21 Quant questions, 20/23 Verbal questions, and 17/20 Data Insights questions correct to score Q85 V85 DI85. In doing so, we’d get 55/64 of the questions on the Focus Edition correct to score 705.

Of course, Q85, V85, and DI85 is not the only combination of section scores that add up to 255, and thus produce a 705 total score. Other combinations, such as Q90, V83, and DI82, also work.

Still, it seems likely that, to get any of those section score combinations, you’d have to get around 55 questions correct in total. So, it appears that we need to get around 55, or 86 percent, of the questions on the Focus Edition correct to score 705.

KEY FACT: Scoring 705+ on the GMAT Focus Edition takes getting at least around 86 percent of the questions correct.

Now that we have a sense of the performance needed for achieving a 705+ GMAT exam score, let’s discuss how to achieve that performance.

How to Prepare to Achieve 705+ Performance on the GMAT Focus Edition

We’ve seen that scoring 705+ on the GMAT Focus Edition takes getting a very high percentage of the questions correct. Also, GMAC has predicted that 705 will be a 98th percentile score, indicating that only 2 percent of test-takers will score 705+. So, in seeking to score 705+, you’re seeking to achieve something that the vast majority of MBA applicants don’t achieve.

Thus, to score 705+, you have to prepare in especially effective ways. So, let’s now discuss my top GMAT tips for achieving such an outstanding score.

Tip 1: Master the GMAT Focus Edition One Topic at a Time

The most effective way to prepare for the GMAT is to work on one topic at a time. This study plan works best because, by focusing on each topic in turn, you learn all the concepts, strategies, angles, and pitfalls of each topic and really master the topics.

Mastering a topic involves the following three steps:

Study Concepts and Strategies: The first step in mastering a GMAT topic is to learn the concepts and strategies the topic involves. By learning the concepts and strategies, we build a foundation for mastering the topic.

For instance, to master Rates questions, we’d learn the rate formula and how to handle questions that involve catching up, combined rates, or round trips. For Weaken the Argument Critical Reasoning questions, we’d learn about the elements of arguments and strategies for identifying weakeners.

Practice Untimed: The second step in mastering a GMAT topic is to develop strong skills by doing practice questions involving the topic UNTIMED. People often think it’s best to do all GMAT practice timed. However, you’ll develop much stronger skills by doing your early practice of a topic untimed. So, don’t skip this key step.

When you practice untimed, shoot for two things: deep understanding and high accuracy. By shooting for those two things, you’ll develop super strong skills.

Also, when practicing untimed, you can work on finding ways to answer questions efficiently so that you’ll be able to answer them quickly later.

Speed Up: The final step in mastering a topic is to work on speeding up until you’re answering questions at test pace.

PRO TIP:

The most effective GMAT preparation method is to master one topic at a time by first learning concepts and strategies, then practicing untimed, and finally working on speeding up to test pace.

Tip 2: Learn GMAT Focus Topics From the Ground Up

Another key aspect of preparing to score 705+ on test day is learning topics from the ground up. By learning a topic “from the ground up,” I mean going beyond memorizing concepts, formulas, and strategies to developing understanding of the topic’s logical foundations. In other words, it involves learning the hows and whys of the concepts, formulas, and strategies involved in the topic.

There are multiple benefits of learning topics this way. One is that you remember them better because your understanding supports your memory. Another is that you can apply what you’ve learned more flexibly because you understand how it works.

For example, let’s consider the permutation formula:

P(n,r) = n!/(n – r)!

Though that formula isn’t complex, it’s easy to forget exactly what it is over months spent preparing for the GMAT or in the heat of taking the test. However, if you understand why each element of the formula exists, you’ll remember it more easily. In fact, if you have to, you’ll be able to derive the formula yourself when taking the GMAT.

Also, if you get why the formula works, you can apply the concepts underlying it in a variety of situations. For instance, if a GMAT Quant question asks how many ways there are to arrange people in different positions in a boat, the permutation formula may not exactly fit the problem. However, if you get how the formula works, you can use the concepts that underlie it to solve questions that are unusual like that one.

And the value of learning topics this way doesn’t exist in Quant only. Learning this way helps in Verbal and Data Insights also.

PRO TIP: To maximize retention of and ability to apply what you learn for the GMAT, learn topics from the ground up.

Tip 3: When Practicing, Achieve High Accuracy and Long Streaks of Correct Answers

As we’ve seen, to score 705+, you have to get at least around 86 percent of the questions on the GMAT correct. In other words, you have to get close to 100 percent of any easy and medium questions and around 70 to 75 percent of any hard questions you see correct. To achieve such accuracies on test day, you need to achieve similar or higher accuracies when practicing.

Accordingly, as you prepare for GMAT Quant, Verbal, and Data Insights, shoot for the following accuracies:

Easy: close to 100%

Medium: 90 – 100%

Hard: at least 70%

Also, to become super consistent and lock in a 705+ score, you can use the streaks method when practicing. The streaks method involves going beyond shooting for high accuracy to shooting for long streaks of correct answers.

If your score goal is 705+, it makes sense to shoot for streaks of 20 or more questions correct in a row. You could shoot for streaks of 20+ in topics or in difficulty levels within topics. Alternatively, you could shoot for streaks of questions in general categories such as easy Reading Comprehension questions or hard Official Guide Quant questions. I discuss this approach in detail in this post on the streaks method.

PRO TIP:

A key aspect of scoring 705+ on the GMAT Focus Edition is achieving high accuracy and long streaks when doing practice questions.

Tip 4: Answer Quant Practice Questions Using Multiple Approaches

To a large extent, the GMAT is a test of skill in getting things done. One way the GMAT tests that skill is by presenting Quant questions designed to test it. In other words, GMAT Quant questions don’t test just math skills. They test our ability to see what’s going on in a question and come up with a way to answer it.

For example, a question about how many apples a vendor sold may not be answerable with algebra alone. We may need to find a way to use constraints mentioned in the question stem to narrow down the possible answers. Alternatively, we may be able to use the answer choices to determine what’s correct.

Accordingly, we’ll be better positioned to score high on GMAT Quant if we develop skill in coming up with ways to get things done. We can do so by answering Quant practice questions in multiple ways. For instance, we could solve a word problem first by using algebra, then by plugging in numbers, and finally by working backward from the answer choices. Or we could answer a Probability question first by using fractions and then by using combinatorics.

Also, if you aren’t sure how to solve a question, rather than quickly go to the explanation, you can stick with the question and come up with a way to answer it. Even if the way you come up with isn’t elegant or efficient, you’ll have practiced coming up with something that gets you to the answer.

By practicing in these ways, we can become fluid in coming up with ways to answer GMAT Quant questions on the fly.

PRO TIP:

To develop skill in coming up with a way to answer any Quant question you see, answer Quant practice questions in multiple ways.

Tip 5: In Answering Verbal Questions, Use Sophisticated Thinking

As we saw earlier, to score 705+ on the GMAT Focus Edition, you need to get the vast majority of the Quant, Verbal, and Data Insights questions correct. What that means with regard to Verbal specifically is that you have to get correct not only easy and medium questions but also most of the hard questions. So, here’s the thing.

You can get easy and some medium Verbal questions correct using relatively simple thinking or even hacks in some cases. However, to get hard GMAT Verbal questions correct, you have to use relatively sophisticated thinking. In other words, you have to pick up on subtle logical implications of statements and make non obvious connections between facts or ideas. So, to score 705+ on the GMAT, you need to learn to use sophisticated thinking in answering Verbal questions.

To learn to use that type of thinking, practice answering Verbal questions untimed. As you practice, make sure you fully understand the passages, and carefully analyze each answer choice of the questions. Notice how each answer choice is related to what the passage says or affects the scenario presented.

For more on using sophisticated thinking in answering Verbal questions, see my post on how to master GMAT Verbal.

PRO TIP:

To a large extent, your GMAT Verbal score will reflect the level of sophistication of the thinking you use in answering the questions.

Tip 6: Focus on Execution to Score High on Data Insights

This last tip applies to all parts of the GMAT but perhaps especially to Data Insights, and the tip is to work on executing flawlessly.

In Data Insights, we are flooded with information and opportunities to make errors by mixing things up, by missing key details, or in some other way. For one thing, to get some Data Insights questions correct, we have to identify, not one, but three correct answers. Also, in many cases, we have to assemble multiple pieces of information and take multiple steps to arrive at a correct answer. Accordingly, to master Data Insights and get all or close to all the DI questions correct, as we must to score 705+, we have to learn to execute virtually flawlessly.

So, when practicing Data Insights, be super careful to get little things right, by doing things like making sure you’re answering the question asked and reading choices in their entirety. Also, when dealing with information in graphs or tables, make sure you have labels straight, are looking at the right part of a graph or table, and in general are getting the right information to answer the question. When answering Multi-Source reasoning questions, take the necessary steps methodically and using care in each step.

You might be amazed at how much of a difference how carefully you execute can make. To a large degree, your Data Insights score will reflect simply how good you are at completing multiple steps without making a mistake.

PRO TIP:

To score high on the Data Insights section, focus on learning to execute virtually flawlessly.

Having gained insights into how to achieve a top GMAT Focus Score, let’s now discuss what to do if your progress stalls along the way to 705+.

How to Break Out if Your Score Plateaus on the Way to 705+

One issue that many GMAT aspirants experience on the way to their goals is that their performance plateaus. In other words, although they continue to prepare, their practice accuracies or scores stop increasing.

Often, people whose GMAT performance plateaus have the impression that they’ve hit “score ceilings.” In other words, they think that they have hit some kind of natural limit above which their scores won’t go. However, the truth is that the idea of a score ceiling doesn’t really make sense. What makes more sense is that, if you keep preparing effectively and developing yourself, your GMAT score will continue to increase.

So, what’s going on if your GMAT performance plateaus is not that you’ve hit a limit in your abilities. It’s that how you’re preparing has hit a limit to how far it can take you. Accordingly, to break out if your score plateaus, you have to change how you’re preparing.

So, one thing you can do to get your performance to start improving again is to adjust how you’re preparing. For example, maybe you need to learn concepts more thoroughly, practice weaker topics more extensively, or make better use of your error log.

Alternatively, you may need to try something new. For instance, you could try a new practice method or a new course. You could learn new strategies for answering questions. It might make sense to do some sessions with a tutor. Or maybe doing some meditation, visualization, or inner work will get your score to start increasing again.

Keep Finding New Levers to Pull

In general, to get your score to start increasing again, keep finding new levers to pull. Do some research. Ask others what has worked for them. Experiment. Keep trying one thing after another until something works.

PRO TIP:

To break out of a score plateau, make adjustments or additions to your preparation approach until you find something that works.

Now, you may be wondering how long it will take you to get to 705+. So, let’s cover that before we finish.

How Long Does It Take to Get to 705+ on the GMAT?

Each GMAT aspirant has a different starting level and different things to accomplish to get to 705+. So, it’s tough to accurately predict how long or how many hours of study you’ll need to score 705+ on the GMAT Focus Edition.

Still, we can estimate how long you’ll need to prepare by considering your current level. So, if you’ve taken a practice test or the actual GMAT and thus have a starting score, the amount of preparation time you’ll need to get to 705+ is likely along the lines of the following:

Starting score around 605: You’ll probably need around 2 to 3 months, or 150 to 250 hours, to get to 705+.

Starting score between 505 and 555: You’ll probably need around 4 to 6 months, or 300 to 500 hours, to get to 705+.

Starting score below 505: You’ll likely need 6 months or more to get to 705+.

PRO TIP:

To get a sense of how long you’ll need to prepare to get to 705+, use your current score level to make an estimate.

Let’s now wrap up with the takeaways from what we’ve discussed.