590 Native English but still cant crack the verbal

[sheydenrych]

I completed my first GMAT exam last week after studying for the last 6 weeks pretty much 5-8 hours per day using your self study program - which was great!

I scored 590 (Q42, V29) - I was aiming for a 650 which I know isn't as high as most other applicants are looking for but I believe other aspects of my application are pretty solid.

As you can see my issue (backed up by the CATS I completed) really sits with the verbal component. I'm searching everywhere for hints and tips on how to up my verbal game, what shocked me the most is that my home language is English, albeit I live in South Africa so the American English is slightly different which I need to learn. My major weakness is SC and RC - I seem to after the fact see why the answer is right for SC but at the time perhaps rely to much on my ear. On the RC front, time plays a major issue and the style of writing makes it difficult to follow the skeleton of the passage.

Looking for any advice as going to write again in 4-6 weeks, will have 3-4 hours per day to study and really want to nail the verbal this time around. Do you think its possible with hard work to get a verbal score around 35-38?

Thanks in advance.

[StaceyKoprince]

Speaking the language and doing well on a standardized test aren't really the same thing (as you've learned!). It's more about learning how to take this particular test / learning how to think the way they want you to think. :)

It sounds like your practice test scores were in the same range? That is, the real test score didn't represent a big drop from what you expected or anything like that?

I'd like to get some more detailed data on your strengths and weaknesses in order to advise you. Use the below to analyze your most recent MGMAT CAT(s):
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... ice-tests/

Then come back here and tell us the results of your analysis and what you think you should do based on that analysis. (Note: do share an analysis with us, not just the raw data. Part of getting better is developing your ability to analyze your results - figure out what they mean and what you think you should do about them!)

Pay particular attention to any timing problems - you mention some in your notes - and think about whether there are any mental fatigue issues contributing:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... you-crazy/

For SC, relying on your ear will only get you so far - they know what sounds good and what sounds bad, and they use that against us when writing the questions. You really do need to dig into both the grammar and the meaning.

For RC, do you think you lose the most time on the initial readthrough or while doing the question itself (looking at answers, going back to passage, etc)? It sounds like you're struggling at least with the initial readthrough (you mention struggling with the style of writing). Try these three articles:

http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... p-passage/
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... -passages/
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... c-passage/

That'll give you something to get started with while you wait for my reply to your next post. And you may also want to check out the How To Learn resources listed here:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... an-part-2/

You ask whether 4 to 6 weeks is enough to raise your score to 35 to 38. That's a 20 to 30 percentile point increase. That might be enough time, but you may also need more time. Many people would need more time, but it also depends a bit on the specifics of your strengths and weaknesses. If your ability level is already higher but timing is hurting your score, that usually takes less time to fix than if the ability level itself is the problem.

[sheydenrych]

Thanks for the feedback - you guys at MGMAT are awesome!

My CAT history is as follows:

CAT 1 - Q40 V31 580
CAT 2 - Q34 V31 540
CAT 3 - Q44 V34 640 - I guessed well in Quant
CAT 4 - Q33 V31 530
GMAT Prep - Q42 V27 570

So as you suggested no real surprises on test day with V29 Q42 -590

When I analyze my results of the above tests as your link suggested my weaknesses really are:

Verbal:
SC- 43% accuracy - average right at 630 and average wrong at 690
RC - 48% accuracy - average right at 630 and average wrong at 650

Quant:
Geometry and Fractions & Decimals need major attention as I get around 35% correct and they are also the slowest at just over 2.5 minutes on average.

My strengths are CR at 68% and below 2 minutes and other quant areas seem ok and just need to work on timing.

So far my strategy is this:

Just finished my review of the Manhattan SC book again, found a number of rules I never digested the first time, the last few chapters went over my head, may need to do them a few my times to grasp the concepts.

This week will consist of SC practice, going deep into every answer regardless of getting it right or wrong, as well as practicing RC on alternate days.

Once I feel that I am improving in these areas I will start again with the quant and CR - brushing up on learning content fundamentals in my weaker areas otherwise just going through practice questions until I find weak spots _ will log on OG archer. I ran out of time before my exam so really only spent 5 solid days going through questions from OG - I think I need more practice.

Will take a look at your RC links you sent through and try make the passages seem interesting even though they horrible to read :0

Thanks for the advise thus far!
Sean

[StaceyKoprince]

SC- 43% accuracy - average right at 630 and average wrong at 690
RC - 48% accuracy - average right at 630 and average wrong at 650

Dive in deeper. Are there specific grammar rules that trip you up more than others? Specific question types on RC? Specific patterns on SC (longer vs. shorter underlines? sentences that also touch on meaning?)? What about topic on RC - are you fine if you like or understand the topic but struggle much more if you don't? Etc.

Ditto for your quant stuff.

I do think the SC book needs to be read at least twice by everyone. :) There's just too much to absorb it all the first time around. Also, look for specific instances of things tested in OG problems, and ask yourself how you know that this problem is testing XYZ?

If I were to show you a particular difference in answer choices but NOT show you the full problem (or even the full answer choices), would you be able to tell me which rule is probably being tested? You can probably do this for some things right now (eg, "has" and "have" would be a pretty straightforward split), but you can also probably get better at this. The splits, or differences in the choices, are the major clues that (should immediately) tell us what rules we need to think about / apply for that choice. That will help with both your speed and your accuracy.

For SC, try this exercise: approach these as you would a math problem, to some extent, where you see certain "symbols" and that causes you to categorize the problem in a particular way. The "symbols" you'll see are the differences in the answer choices, and those "symbols" should be your immediate clue that a particular rule is being tested. Try looking ONLY at the answers of old problems (ones you've already done). Don't read the original sentence. What do you KNOW is being tested even though you haven't read the original sentence?

I ran out of time before my exam so really only spent 5 solid days going through questions from OG - I think I need more practice.

Ah, okay. Yes, you definitely need more time to apply things in GMAT-format situations. The GMAT doesn't test you on a written-out explanation of some rule. It finds a way to disguise the rules in the text. So that's a crucial step in the study program. :)

Keep up the good work!