620 to 720 in 4-6 weeks

[cdsanders]

I am currently averaging a 620 on most CATs. I have scored anywhere from a 41 in quant to a 50, 48-50 being the most consistent spread. I have scored from 28-33 in verbal, 29-31 being the most consistent spread. I am currently enrolled in empowerGMAT as it is pretty cost efficient. Needing quite a bit of advice.

What would be a good generic study plan for 1-2 months with a extremely high emphasis in verbal consist of?

Also, I generally finish the verbal with 5-10 minutes to spare, since SC questions take me about 30 seconds. I generally miss about 14-17 questions on verbal. The majority of the time I miss 4-5 SC, 5-6 CR, and 6-7 RC. I can breeze through the OG13 RC with about an 85-90% hit rate, however the CATs seem to have much tougher questions. I usually take 4-5 minutes on each RC passage to take good notes to instill in my mind the passage, however the questions just seem so over my head because of the language. I purchased the MGMAT RC book and have gotten some useful information from it, but it cannot address individual problems. Does anyone have any useful advice for fixing this problem? If not, and you need more information on something, let me know. I am mainly focused on verbal because a boost from 28-32 to 38-42 could propel me to where I want to be.

Also, what other books would be helpful for RC and CR? I have the Aristotle Prep SC book and it is extremely helpful.

Thanks,

Corey

[StaceyKoprince]

First, I just have to mention that a 100-point increase in 4 to 6 weeks is... ambitious. :) Some people will achieve that kind of increase in that length of time, but most people would need more time. As a general rule, I advise people not to pick a set (short) timeframe - that leads to rushing / trying to cram, and that rarely leads to a good outcome on test day.

Next, I want to make sure that you're aware of the percentile rankings for the Q and V scoring scales. Q 48 to 50 is 76th to 89th percentile. V 38 to 42 is 84th to 96th percentile. (The two sections do not use the same scoring scale - a V42 is a higher score than a Q50.)

In other words, your stated goal is to lift your weaker area, V, above your stronger area, Q. While that's possible, it's not super likely that you're going to lift V all the way to the 90s in a 4 to 6 week timeframe. A better goal would be to try to get your stronger area (Q) solidly to the 50 level, which reduces the pressure a bit on your weaker area (though you do need to lift V, of course).

Next, you mention missing a certain # of verbal questions. You will still miss the same number of questions if you lift your score to the 70th percentile or the 80th percentile - that doesn't actually change. Rather, you will be answering harder questions correctly, while still answering the same overall number of questions incorrectly. In addition, the real test should feel harder than OG - the real test is adaptive. It would probably be useful for you to learn more about how the test works:

https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/inde ... lly-tests/

If you're answering SC in 30 seconds but still missing multiple per test, then you're likely making at least some careless mistakes. Is it the case that you really do just know when you don't know and you're able to guess quickly and move on? Or are you falling into traps on SC that you could learn to avoid with more time and attention? How often do you pick an answer because it "sounds right" only to learn that it's wrong? How often do you eliminate an answer because it "sounds wrong" only to learn that you eliminated the right answer?

For RC, you're actually taking too long on the readthrough - you're learning too much! You need to learn to skim more - the below article can help you to learn that. (All of the resources go along with what you're learning in our RC guide, but there are some "extra strategies" in the below.)
https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/inde ... rehension/

Next, in terms of learning from individual problems, read this (and follow the links in this article):
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... -the-gmat/

Have you been analyzing problems in the way described in that article? If not, get started - that will make the biggest different of all to your prep. :)

For CR, take a look at this material; if you like it, then you might also like our full CR book:
https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/inde ... reasoning/

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

Figure out what you think you should do based on that analysis (and on the articles I linked above - read them before replying here). Then come back here and tell us; we'll tell you whether we agree and advise you further. (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!)