I have started my preapration 1month back and have completed

[vinitha3182]

I have started my preapration 1month back and have completed 9 session course of manhattan gmat. In my test i scored only xxx and in my 2 test i scored xxx . How should i improve on it. I have my exam scheduled for may22. I have completed reading the manhattan strategy book. Please help me.

[StaceyKoprince]

Nice increase from your first test to your second!

I'm a little confused - you said you started a month ago and you have already completed the 9 session course... but the course is 9 weeks long. Are you doing self study where you watch the tapes of the classes?

Each class session includes about 10-20 hours worth of homework; did you complete all of the homework as well? Did you also make sure to thoroughly study / analyze the questions in the manner discussed in the handout for class session #2? (There's a list of questions you're supposed to ask yourself for every problem you study.)

Here's the list:
Was I able to CATEGORIZE this question by topic and subtopic? By process / technique?
Did I make a CONNECTION to previous experience? Or did I have to do it all from scratch?
Did I COMPREHEND the symbols, text, questions, statements, and answer choices?
Did I understand the CONTENT being tested?
Did I choose the best APPROACH?
Did I have the SKILLS to follow through?
Am I comfortable with OTHER STRATEGIES that would have worked, at least partially? How should I have made an educated guess?
Do I understand every TRAP & TRICK that the writer built into the question, including wrong answers?
Have I MASTERED this problem? Could I explain every aspect, fully, to someone else?
How will I RECOGNIZE similar problems in the future?

And I also ask myself these questions when studying verbal:
- specifically why each wrong answer is wrong
- which wrong answer is the most tempting and why
- how to recognize that the tempting wrong answer is still wrong anyway so you can eliminate it
- why someone might be tempted to eliminate the right answer

It's really tough to do all of this effectively in only one month. The goal is not to get done with the work as quickly as possible; it's much more effective to take your time and make sure you thoroughly understand something before you move on to something new!

[vinitha3182]

Hello StaceyKoprince:
Thanks for the reply.
I started my preparation from Jan and my 9 session course finished on mar. I have completed the strategies and i know the concepts and have completed the chart which the class provided. My weak areas are: RC and CR . and in Quant i am weak at Word translations( Rate &Work, Combinations&Probability). How should i improve in these areas. Also suggests me to strengthen my SC and Other Quants. I practice everyday CR & RC daily 6 problems each. Please help me on this.

Thanks

[StaceyKoprince]

Okay, so you did take the regular course with a live instructor? If so, did you sign up for the end-of-course test review? If you took the three practice tests listed on the syllabus, you're eligible for a review of your tests and advice from your instructor about what to do to continue to improve. This is the best advice to get right now, because your instructor already knows about your strengths and weaknesses from class, and s/he can also access and review your specific test results.

If you don't have your instructor's email address, you can email or call the office to ask (800.576.GMAT or studentservices@manhattangmat.com).

If you only took 2 tests, not 3, email your instructor right away and ask whether it is still possible to get the test review if you take your 3rd test very soon, or to get a review based on only 2 tests. (Officially, you're supposed to have taken the tests according to the syllabus to be eligible for the test review... but if you ask very nicely, then perhaps your instructor will make an exception for you. :)

I'm happy to help as well, but I would start with your instructor, because s/he will be able to give you much more specific advice than I can give you. If you have more questions after getting that advice, let me know, and we can discuss what to do.

[vinitha3182]

thanks for the help. I spoke to my Instructor and he advised me the same things . At the time of my course session i scored only xxx and now after his suggestions and advice my score has improved to xxx. I just want to know how more should i improve on Critical reasoning and reading comprehension . My SC is ok but if u could give me tips on that that will also be great. In quant i am weak on word translation book. Could you suggests me how should i improve on it.
I had booked my Gmat for mar ch and my instructor asked me to cancel and said book for may 22 which i did. Now i cant postpone my exam But need few tips do improve.

Help me with this as soon as possible
Thanks

[StaceyKoprince]

See my post from Apr 3 with some suggestions - the list of questions from class applies to everything you study, so apply it to CR, RC, and WT. The additional questions I typed below that are additional things for verbal questions in particular.

When you say you are weak in those areas, do you mean in terms of percentage correct? or timing? or both? Are there areas in which your percentage correct is fine but your time is too long? If you are spending too much time on some questions, that means you have to be spending too little time on others - so the others might look "weak" in terms of percentage correct, but that might be because you didn't have enough time to spend.

You do still have your books, so the other thing to do is to review the major strategies in your weaker areas. For RC and CR, I'd like you to try an exercise.  Go back to problems / passages you're already done from OG or your practice tests and go over them again with your notes from when you first did these.

Now that you've done the problems, checked your answers, and generally know how things were supposed to work, go back and look at (a) what you initially wrote down on your first read-through and (b) what your understanding of the argument/passage was before you started answering questions.  How well do (a) and (b) match what you knew of the text and questions after you'd done the questions and gone back to correct your answers and analyze everything?  Probably not very well.  Where are the disconnects?  Did you misunderstand the main point of the passage or the conclusion of the argument?  Or did you understand the main point / conclusion but fall into a trap when reading the answers to the question?  Did you misunderstand the details necessary for a specific question on RC?  Or did you concentrate on the wrong detail?  Or did you examine and understand the right detail but fall into a trap when reading the answers?  Etc.  Basically, you need to figure out WHY these areas are tough for you so that you can do something about it.  What, specifically, is causing you to get these wrong?  Then you can tackle whatever that is, using your books to help you get better at whatever the problems are.

[vinitha3182]

I gave my test and scored very less. My score was xxx. I am planning to give one more time. Please suggest me how to prepare myself so that I can get a good score. I don't know what was wrong in the exam with me. Certain questions I was blank. In my test I was poor in Verbal. How should I improve that.

Could you suggest me the best time table or plan to improve my score. How many hours in a day I have to study? I am at home and not working. Thanks for all the help. I appreciate it.

[StaceyKoprince]

When you say you took your exam, do you mean the official exam? If so, send an email to studentservices@manhattangmat.com and request a Post-Exam Assessment. This is free for students from our classes - once you've taken the official test, you can have a free phone call with an instructor to figure out what went wrong and how to prepare to take the test again.

[vinitha3182]

Thanks for the email. I have send an email to the students center. Is there any other tips or suggestions that can help me to retake the exam and score better. How should I plan my chart? How many hours a day I have to study and focus on what concepts etc. Should I restart all the books and concepts? What will be the Ideal time to retake the test if i start my studies from next week?

Thanks a lot for the help.

[StaceyKoprince]

Those are all great questions to discuss with whoever is assigned to do your Post-Exam Assessment. I'm going to defer to that teacher because she or he will look through your exams and ask you some questions in order to help tailor a plan that will work for you. After you've had your PEA, if you have any additional questions, please come back and ask them here!