Study and Strategy questions relating to the GMAT.
Gmat Delight
 
 

GMAT - September 24 - Need Advice

by Gmat Delight Mon Sep 01, 2008 3:13 pm

I completed the online course and completed all the study guides + OG 11. My test is on Sep 24th. I took two CAT:

Gmat Prep ( Q:50, V:35) - 700
MGMAT #3 ( Q:48, V:35) - 680

My hit rates for both PS and DS are 95+ % and I usually solve the quant questions around 90 seconds.

I need to improve my verbal score. RC is my weak point. I am not a native speaker. My hit rates for Verbal Section is as below:


RC

General 83%
Main Idea 81%

Structure 100%

Tone 4 67%

Specific 71%
Detail 75%

Inference 67%

CR


Assumption 81%
Draw Conclusion 74%
Strengthen 82%
Weaken 93%
Analyze Structure 100%
Explain Event 92%
Make Inference 100%
Evaluate Conclusion 100%
Resolve Problem 75%
Provide Example 50%
Restate Conclusion 100%
Mimic Argument 100%


SC

3 C's 100%
Sub/Verb Agreement 95%
Verbs 83%
Pronouns 71%
Modifiers 85%
Parallelism 81%
Comparisons 79%
Idioms 69%
Odds & Ends 75%
[u]


I attached my study plan for the rest of the month.

Stacey, could you please give me some recommendations ?

Best regards,


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StaceyKoprince
ManhattanGMAT Staff
 
Posts: 9361
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2005 9:05 am
Location: Montreal
 

by StaceyKoprince Wed Sep 03, 2008 5:17 pm

First question: did you sign up for the end of course test review with your instructor? You have to have taken the three tests assigned on the syllabus in order to do this. Your instructor is absolutely the best person to help you with a personalized plan because s/he observed you for the whole class! If you haven't done that already, do so ASAP - there's actually a deadline for doing that, so hopefully it hasn't already passed.

So, the basic summary is: you're great at math and you struggle more with verbal. I'd spend until about 10-14 days before the test doing all you can to get better at verbal, including all of the things Ron discusses in this post:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/forums/run ... t4540.html

Unless you can explain why the wrong answers are wrong (esp. for RC and CR), you're not done studying any particular verbal problem.

I don't know what your work / family / regular life situation is, so I can't comment directly on how much time you can reasonably and productively spend on a single day, but generally don't spend more than 2 hours at a stretch. If you want to study more than 2 hours in one day, take at least a 2 hour break between study sessions. (Really. This is critically important. If your brain doesn't process and retain the information appropriately, then the study is wasted. Don't overload your brain!)

Then take a practice test and use that test to set up your game plan (which you learned about during class 9 of the course - if you've forgotten, go watch the tape - the lesson should come towards the end of the class). Spend the next few days doing mixed problem sets, testing out your game plan and working on any major problem areas you still have. Take another practice test 6-7 days before, at the same time of day you plan to take the real test. Practice implementing your game plan and timing strategy on that test. Spend the rest of the week making high-level tweaks and reviewing the most important stuff (the major question types and content areas only, overall strategies for timing, educated guessing, etc.). And relax the day before the test - don't do much study.

Good luck!
Stacey Koprince
Instructor
Director, Content & Curriculum
ManhattanPrep