I know I can score at least Q44 and V45, any advice?

[MBAclass2011]

Hello,

First, I want to say that from all the websites, forums and GMAT preparation tools that I have used, I find yours the best and most professional.

I bought all the Manhattan Prep books and I follow the advice you give on the forums. However, this time I need to post a personal question.

After a month of preparation, I first took the GMAT in August 2007 and I scored 660 (Q34, V45, 5.5 AWA).
I took the test knowing that I was weak in maths and needed to learn more concepts, improve my timing and most likely, retake the test.
Indeed, I rushed through the last ten math questions; still, I felt fine during the verbal section and I was happily surprised to get a 98 percentile in verbal (Spanish is my mother tongue).

This year I studied approximately 3 months, during the last two I studied 6 to 7 hours a day, 70% of the time doing math exercises (but did not neglect the verbal training).
As a former athlete, I was rigorous and took the studying as competition training.

I studied all the Manhattan Prep books twice (with exercises), did all Quant review exercises and took several tests.
My latest scores are the following:

3 Math focus exams, with scores ranging from Q35-43 to Q38-46

Manhattan Prep 2- 8/25/2008 - 620 (Q40, V35)
Manhattan Prep 3- 8/29/2008 - 640 (Q41, V36)
Manhattan Prep 4- 8/31/2008 - 690 (Q47, V37)
Manhattan Prep 5- 9/03/2008 - 630 (Q36, V39) - Bad day, maths were off

Gmat Prep 1- 9/01/2008 - 700 (Q42, V42)
Gmat Prep 2- 9/06/2008 - 710 - 2 days before the actual Gmat test.
I don’t recall if I got 720 or 710 but I had fewer errors in math than in the prior exam and about the same amount in verbal, so I guess I got Q44 and V42.

I finally took the exam last week and scored 670 (Q44, V37).
I was disappointed about the verbal score as I managed the timing well and had overall felt very comfortable throughout the exam.

As I will apply to top tier schools in January 2009, I have already scheduled my 3rd and final GMAT for the 14th of October.
I live in France and can not attend any Manhattan Prep sessions; still I want to do everything I can in order to improve my score as I know I can get a score above 700.
Therefore, I could even consider some private tutoring over the phone.

So far, my strategy is the following:

Math- keep level, improve timing (I rushed through the last 5 questions during the exam) and review errors log.
Verbal- it seems I do not have any area that is weaker than the others. I find the OG11 exercises rather easy so I do not understand how I could lower my verbal score from 47 to 37.
I guess many of the errors I make are due to a lack of concentration.

I am currently studying the Kaplan 800 and plan on doing all the OG11 verbal exercises on a daily basis and at least one exam every week.

Would you have any further suggestions?
Looking forward to your feedback,

MBAclass2011

[StaceyKoprince]

How was your stamina? When you took your practice tests, did you take them just as you would the real test? (essays, 10min break, quant, 10min break, verbal) Did you make sure to eat, drink, walk around, etc on the breaks to keep your energy levels up?

I'm asking all of those questions because, a lot of the time, a sudden drop in verbal on the real thing is actually due more to lack of proper stamina than verbal knowledge, so I'm curious whether that may have been a factor for you.

It may also have been the case that your energies were so focused on quant, both during study and during the test, that verbal suffered a bit as a result. How did you feel during the test itself?

Really great job, by the way, on improving your math. Your study schedule seems fine. I would also keep an error log for verbal and be really thoughtful about WHY you make the errors you do make. That can also help you to figure out what contributed to the drop in your verbal score - that's going to be the big thing for you to figure out so that you can go into this next test with confidence.

We do private tutoring over our web conferencing platform (the same one we use for live online classes), so you'd be able to talk to an instructor and share a whiteboard on which you can load problems, write stuff, etc. So that might work for you - if you have questions, you can email studentservices@manhattangmat.com or call 1.212.721.7400.