GMAT SCORE 560 V24 Q 44

[SIKA]

HI STAFF

I am MGMAT test subscriber and took gmat today.My scores were around 630+ in MGMAT tests but somehow managed only 560 in Actual GMAT

Could u pl suggest abt my chances of retaking the exam and getting a score around 680+

Thanks

SIKA

[kylo]

i think u can greatly improve ur verbal score by working on it & applying a better Verbal strategy. I dont know about the strategy u followed in ur verbal section but i have followed a strategy which have certainly improved my verbal scores over a period of time.

Below is my strategy. See if it is useful.

Phase1 ---> Qsns 1 to 10 -- Time 25mins -- Target Error 1 -- Target Accuracy 90%

Phase2 ---> Qsns 11 to 20 -- Time 20mins -- Target Error 2 -- Target Accuracy 80%

Phase3 ---> Qsns 21 to 30 -- Time 15mins -- Target Error 3 -- Target Accuracy 70%

Phase4 ---> Qsns 31 to 41 -- Time 15mins -- Target Error 4 -- Target Accuracy 63%

Total ---> 41Qsns -- 75mins -- 10 Errors -- Accuracy 75%


Few points about the above mentioned strategy -
1)This strategy, if executed properly, can help average students (like me) to score close to 40 in verbal.
2)Make sure that u r ahead in time as far as this strategy is concerned. For example, u can try n complete first 11 qsns in first 25mins (only if u r confident enough to do so). Similarly u can try n complete next 11 qsns (12 to 22) in next 20 mins. These 2 extra qsns (at the end of phase2) can provide time cushion during phase3 & 4.
3)Also try to get as close as possible to the target errors during each phase.

Thanks!

[SIKA]

Hi KYLO

Thanks for your prompt and encouraging response. Well my stragtegy was 13 Q (25 min) 14 Q (25 min ) and 14 Q (25 min)
offcourse i have not focussed on accuracy in splits instead concentrated to get everything right!!
I burnt my fingers foir this approach i guess Could u pl advise some useful tips on RC which i found is really weak.

Thanks again

SIKA

[kylo]

i think even a score of 800 will have atleast couple of questions as incorrect. The trick here is not to target 100% accuracy, if u r an average verbal student like me.

here is the strategy i applied for RC. With practice i have improved my RC accuracy. Please try it if u find it useful.

1)Read the first question & the answer options of the first question. This should help u to map a rough idea about the content of the passage.
2)Start slowly & gradually increase ur reading pace as u get to know the actual crux of the passage.
3)After reading a paragraph, just spent a few seconds thinking about the content of the para & the purpose it served.
4)Try n predict what might be the content of the next para. This exercise should help ur mind to remain focus on the passage.
5)Lookout for certain words such as "however,but,although etc.". Moreoften than not, just after these words the passage takes a turn.
6)After reading the passage completely, mentally prepare a one liner description of the main idea of the passage. This should help u crack the main idea question & also help u to eliminate those answer choices which are out of scope of the passage.

---Below mentioned step is optional & is only recommended for people who are weak in RC & strong in atleast one of the sections - CR or SC.----

7)If possible, read the entire passage twice. While reading for the second time, make sure to increase ur reading speed & consolidate the information u must have gained & regain any new information u must have missed during the first attempt.

I know re-reading would be time consuming but if u r strong in CR or SC then u can make up for the time lost.


Thanks!

[StaceyKoprince]

Did you take the course? If not, what materials of ours did you use? (Just trying to get a sense of what you have and have not been exposed to during your study.)

If you did take the course, then you're eligible for a free Post-Exam Assessment. This is a phone call with an instructor to figure out what went wrong and come up with a plan to re-take the test. If this applies to you, please send an email to studentservices@manhattangmat.com and request the Post-Exam Assessment.

If you did not take the course, I'll try to help you here. In order to figure out how to get a better score, we need to figure out why your official test score was so much lower than your practice test scores.

What were your quant and verbal breakdowns on the official test? On your practice tests?

When you took the practice tests, did you also take the essays? Did you spend as much time and mental energy on the practice essays as you did on the real essays? Did you take them under full official conditions? (30m each for two essays, 10m break, 75m quant, 10m break, 75m verbal)

How was your timing in each section? Did you generally move steadily through the test, giving appropriate time and attention to each question? (2m for quant, 1 to 1.5m for SC, 2m for CR, 2-4m to read a passage, 1m for general RC questions, 2m for specific RC questions) Or did you have to rush at times and possibly make random guesses? If you did have to rush and/or make random guesses, on how many questions would you say you did that? Did you do it on a lot of questions in a row or were the guesses scattered?

How was your stamina? How did you feel toward the middle and end of the verbal section? Did you have something to eat and drink on the breaks? Did you get up, walk around, and stretch?

What other differences can you think of between your practice test experiences and your real test experiences? Anything, no matter how small, and no matter whether you think it wouldn't have made a difference to your score. Any differences at all?

[SIKA]

HI STACY

WELL THANKS FOR THE TIME.
I HAVE NOT TAKEN COURSE BUT ONLY MGMAT TESTS
I PRACTICED WITH PR COURSE ,MGMAT TESTS AND OG11.

MY BREAKDOWN FOR 560 IS V 24 Q 44
I TOOK MY PRACTICE TESTS WITHOUT ESSAYS ONLY 2 30 MIN . ( IGUESS I FLOPPED HERE FIRST!!)
REGARDING BREAKS I TOOK BREAKS IN OFFICIAL GMAT WITH SOME CHOCOLATES.!!
BUT I LOST MY STAMINA AFTER 20 Q IN GMAT VERBAL.I AM FED UP IN DOING RC AND I DONT KNOW HOW TO IMPROVE THE SAME.

I NEED YOUR OPINION TO IMPROVE THE RC/CR SCORES. WHEN I TOOK MY MGMAT ONLINE TESTS MY PERFORMANCE WAS WEAK IN RC ACCURACY CLOSE TO 49% AND IN SC CLOSE TO 89% CR WAS STRUGGLING BETWEEN 50 TO 60%

I HAVE MGMAT SC 2003 ED AND PREPARED SC FROM THE SAME

I THINK I HAVE GIVEN SUFFICIENT INFORMATION,IF NOT PL LET ME KNOW

I REQUEST YOU EXPERT ADVICE ON THIS AND MY CHANCES OF RETAKING THE TEST!!

[SIKA]

HI STACKEY

I await your reply on my post Pl spare time and reply

SIKA

[StaceyKoprince]

Hi - please don't reply to your own post! I reply to the oldest posts first, so if you reply to your own post, that pushes it back in the queue! (For instance, I had to answer questions from other people from 26 to 28 Nov before I got to yours because your last post is 29 Nov.)

What dropped on your official test - math, verbal or both? Your quant score is much higher than your verbal score, so I'm guessing that verbal dropped more than math - let me know if that's correct.

It sounds like one reason your verbal score may have dropped was insufficient stamina - you prepared yourself for a shorter test than you actually had to take. From now on, please do make sure that you do the essays on your practice tests. It's important to make sure that you can still perform well by the end of the test, after having had to write two essays and do the quant section. In addition, when you sit down for a study session, I don't recommend that you study for more than 2 hours at a sitting, but you should study steadily throughout that 2 hours, with one 10-min break about halfway through. Before you start studying, figure out exactly what you want to do for the 2 hours so that you never have a lull while you figure out what to do next.

What were your essay scores? If you did well, then you can take less time next time - you'll probably get a lower score but you'll also save more mental energy for the multiple choice portion of the test. (Just don't purposely bomb the essays - it's okay to get a lower score (4+) but you don't want to go below that.

What materials did you use to learn how to tackle RC and CR problems? (Not materials for practice problems themselves, but materials that taught you how to do those kinds of problems.) Because you're still struggling with those, you probably need to try a new approach. That could come from a book, a class, a private tutor, or some combination of the three - up to you. Typically, these two areas take a bit longer to improve than some of the other areas. Depending upon how much you want to improve, you could be looking at 4-6 weeks for these two areas (while studying other things, too - but these two typically do best with a small amount of effort every day over a longer period of time. It's hard to cram for these two...)

I asked you this last time but didn't see a response to this issue. How was your timing in each section? Did you generally move steadily through the test, giving appropriate time and attention to each question? (2m for quant, 1 to 1.5m for SC, 2m for CR, 2-4m to read a passage, 1m for general RC questions, 2m for specific RC questions) Or did you have to rush at times and possibly make random guesses? If you did have to rush and/or make random guesses, on how many questions would you say you did that? Did you do it on a lot of questions in a row or were the guesses scattered?

Did your quant score drop or was that about how you were performing on your practice tests?