Does number matter?

[priyankur.saha]

Hello,
When I was analyzing my past mock tests I found that, in general, I commit 5-6 mistakes in RC, 2-3 in CR and 6-8 in SC. I want to know that how much do these mistakes screw my verbal score. In other way, To push my score to 40+ range what could be the best possible combination of mistakes?

Another question: The pinnacle of my all quant scores in MGMAT CAT tests is 47. I feel uneasy in word problems though I know how to do it and what are the formulas. Do you suggest me to buy MGMAT word problem guide for improvement? I have exactly 1 month for preparation.

Thanks for assistance. :)

[StaceyKoprince]

There isn't one "best" combination of mistakes based upon question type. The best thing is not to have too many mistakes in a row, but that doesn't definitely reflect question type, because the questions can come in any order.

In general, though, if you consistently make more mistakes in a certain area, then that area is a weakness and it's a good idea to try to make that area stronger.

if you're struggling with any particular area, then it will be valuable for you to identify some source that will teach you how to get better at that area. So, yes, if you are struggling with word problems, then you should get a book that teaches you how to do those kinds of problems. I like our books, obviously, so yes, I'd recommend our WT book. You may also want to go to a bookstore or look on Amazon and browse different books to see which one you like best.

[priyankur.saha]

Thank you Stacey.

I have gone through WT book and indeed it's nice compilation. I have learned few good concepts especially how to tackle question and how to do rough work. Now I am concentrating on application of those strategies on test.

Well, I am doing section-wise practice in SC, CR and RC. Particularly, I am selecting all those areas in which I generally do more mistakes regardless of difficulty level and those areas in which I commit mistakes at higher difficulty level. However, my mistakes in various types are not analogous all the time probably because, intricacies of questions, and because a number of errors in tandem.

Surprisingly, I have found that, in last GMATPrep test, I did mistakes in first 3 questions and total 5 questions were wrong out of first 10. My all over accuracy was 50% correct within first 10 questions, 75% correct in next 20 questions and 72% correct in last 11 questions. My raw score was 31 in verbal. Though I scored comparatively high on MGMAT CAT test, my accuracy in first 10 questions was relatively low approx 40%-50%.

[JonathanSchneider]

People tend to overhype the importance of the first ten questions. Getting half of them right is pretty typical. It's in fact quite high to get 70% the rest of the way. Given the nature of the algorithm, we're likely to get close to 60% correct the whole way through.

In general, though, your approach sounds good! Keep attacking your weak areas. Remember, we're going to get questions wrong. Just try to make those questions be the hard ones. Make sure that you concentrate on mistakes you've made on lower-level problems, and practice ways to avoid those mistakes in the future.