610(Q47,V27)-Strategy to Retake

[geet.k.22]

Hi Manhattan GMAT staff,

I wrote GMAT in November 2013 and scored a 610(Q47,V27). Then i studied for one month and retook again in December 2013. I got a score of 550(Q49,V17). Though i had focused only on SC during this month,getting 670 in Manhattan CAT and was expecting a 90-95% accuracy,i don't know what went wrong on the test day. I could improve in every other section including IR and AWA but no clue what went wrong in Verbal.
In my second attempt,i answered SC and CR and just guessed the entire RC section. Kindly,let me know what must have gone wrong?. Is it a correct approach.

I am planning to retake the test after 6 months of preparation. I wish to enroll for Manhattan GMAT. A class room program is not possible for me as i am in India.

Kindly suggest me a preparation strategy and suggest me a suitable Manhattan program. Will Guided self study program help me improve my score to 760. This time around i am aiming for a 760+.

Ron / Stacey,please respond.

Regards,

[geet.k.22]

Hi Stacey,

I am looking forward to your valuable input on my above query. Kindly respond.

Regards,

[StaceyKoprince]

Please remember to read the forum guidelines before posting. Please don't "bump" your own post. We respond to all posts in order, oldest first, and the date of your post is based on the date of the last post in the thread, not the first. If you bump your own post, you will wait longer for a response (you waited an extra day in this case!).

It's not a good idea to guess on all RC questions, no. The test score is not based upon percentage correct. Rather, the scoring is based on a very complicated algorithm that takes into account the difficulty levels of the questions among other variables. It will hurt your score more to get lower-level questions wrong - and so skipping ALL RC will hurt your score simply because you'll get all of the lower level questions wrong there.

It also hurts your score more to have strings of 4+ questions in a row wrong - which you've been doing 4 times in that one section if you're skipping RC entirely.

was expecting a 90-95% accuracy

This comment lets me know that you don't know enough about how the scorign works. Nobody has 90 to 95% accuracy on this test (with the possible exception of someone scoring a perfect 800).

Read this (right now):
https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/inde ... lly-tests/

Also, take a look at the Scoring section of our free e-book The GMAT Uncovered (it's already in your free student center account with us).

Then come back here and tell me what you NOW know about the scoring and why it's the case that you shouldn't expect 90 to 95% accuracy even at very good scoring levels.

Next, you ask about classroom programs. We do hold online classes (I teach only online, in fact!). These are our regular programs - the full classes - but you meet in an online classroom rather than in person. If you are interested in exploring that, you can find more information on our website. You can also sit in on a first class for free, just to see whether you like the program.

The Guided Self Study program is also very good - it just depends how you want to study. Plenty of people don't take a live class and still do very well with the self study program.

You mention that your goal score is 760+. This is an extremely ambitious goal: only 1% of all test-takers score in this range. Not one business school requires a score in this range. (In fact, the only organization that does is Manhattan GMAT!)

I'm not telling you that in order to discourage you from going for a 760, but I do want you to think about whether that is the best use of your valuable time. It will take an enormous amount of time and effort to try to go for that level and there is no guarantee you will make it. By definition, most people don't.

It may be the case that your time is better spent going for a more reasonable (but still high!) score and using the remaining time / effort to earn a promotion at work or some other accolade that will look very good on your application. What do you think?

Finally, take a look at this:
https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/inde ... our-score/

It will help you to think about setting up your study plan and deciding whether you want to do an online class or some kind of self-study program. Good luck!

[geet.k.22]

Hi Stacey,

Thank you so much for your detailed explanation. I would like to have a score of at least 700. Being an international candidate,i need at least a score of 700 to have a fair chance of getting an admit to a top 20 US B school.

I believe i am good at Quant section and should get a 49 at the worst. I want a score of 38+ in verbal to get into a 700+ bracket. I need your opinion on this. Can i target a score of 700 in my GMAT.? Is it a realistic expectation?. I have decided to give the test in September 2014. What should be my approach?. How can i improve my score from a 17 to 38+.?

I feel RC is my weakest link. Can you suggest some improvement methods for RC section. I have gone through Manhattan SC strategy guide twice and i believe in the next six months,i can keep a hold on my SC and CR section.

Stacey, i would like to know more about the timing strategy. Should i move on from one question to another exactly after 2 minutes. Will that affect my accuracy?. What accuracy should i aim at to get a 38+ score in Verbal?

Kindly advise.

[StaceyKoprince]

If you scored a 610 before, then (with the right work) it's reasonable to aim for a 700. (There are no guarantees in life, of course.) And, of course, you'll have to put in the time and effort!

A 38 in verbal is the 84th percentile. A 49 in quant is the 81st percentile. In other words, you're telling me that you want to score better on your weaker section than you might score on your stronger section. That isn't a great plan. :)

It's more likely that you'll need to hit 50 or 51 on quant, which would allow you to score in the low to mid 30s on verbal.

What accuracy should i aim at to get a 38+ score in Verbal?

Did you read the Scoring section of the GMAT Uncovered? (I mentioned this last time.) If not, go read it now. If so, read it again. :) You can answer that question yourself from reading that section - it's important to make sure you understand how the scoring works. (If you want to check your answer with me, feel free!)

What should be my approach?. How can i improve my score from a 17 to 38+.?

If you want to take a class or do our guided self-study program then follow the syllabus that comes with the program. If you want to study on your own, then use the article that I gave you at the end of my last post, which talks about how to set up your own study plan. Feel free to come back here and check your study plan with me.

Here are some resources on RC:
https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/inde ... rehension/

Here is more information about time management (two articles):
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... -to-do-it/
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... nt-part-1/