Increasing Verbal scores by reflecting things in performanc

[PratikT513]

Hi All,

I need some help here.

I am writing my GMAT in about 2 weeks from now. I have given the MGMAT-1 and MGMAT-2 and I must say I am a bit laid off with my scores. I did not include the IR section and as read in one of the forums, I did not give the exam in official testing conditions (taking breaks and pausing in between), I got the overall scores of 640 and 630.

The verbal score reflected as V30 both the times, I fared poorly in RC in the first test, and surprisingly CR, in the second.

Now, I know to increase my verbal score I have to work on SC, that is the area where you can improve drastically, I have read the SC book from Manhattan and done OG questions once a month or two back, read couple of other stuff, which I am not able to implement at the time of the exam by hurrying into things, using a different approach in an exam or a test than that I use solving questions individually.

I wanted some ways on how I can increase my verbal score? Also, if I can get the links to SC forums here which are very helpful, that would be great.

Thanks in advance.
Pratik

[StaceyKoprince]

which I am not able to implement at the time of the exam by hurrying into things, using a different approach in an exam or a test than that I use solving questions individually.

This is a big part of the problem. You need a consistent process for each of the question types, and that process has to be so ingrained in you that it will not break down during the stress of the test.

Which edition of our SC guide do you have? The most recent edition, the 6th edition (published in Dec 2014), has an entire chapter dedicated to this process. You can read more about the process here:
http://tinyurl.com/scprocess

Next, you say that you need to work on SC, but you also say that, in your two practice tests, you struggled most with RC and CR. If those are your weakest areas, then you'll need to improve them; you can't rely only on improving the area that's already your strongest. What have you been using so far to study RC and CR? (Note: I don't mean OG. That's practice, not study. Study is "here are strategies that tell you how to answer these question types, what your goals are, what the common traps are" etc.)

Here's an RC resource; if you like it, our book has more:
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... rehension/

And ditto for CR:
http://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog/ ... reasoning/

Finally, how much are you looking to improve? 2 weeks is not a ton of time. Typically, what you're scoring about 10 days to 2 weeks out is about what you should expect to score on the real test. If you are looking for a significant increase, then you may want to look into postponing your test. As long as you do so more than 7 days in advance of your test date, the rescheduling fee is only $50. (Within 7 days, you lose the original test fee and just have to pay the whole $250 again to schedule a different date.)

Also, as you now know, taking the exams under non-official conditions could artificially inflate your score, especially on verbal (the last section). So you'd want to factor that into your plans.

If you'd like to get more in-depth advice based on your strengths and weaknesses, first, read these two articles:
http://tinyurl.com/executivereasoning
http://tinyurl.com/2ndlevelofgmat

Think about how what you've been doing does and doesn't match up with that and how you may need to change your approach accordingly.

Then, use the below to analyze your most recent MPrep CATs (this should take you a minimum of 1 hour):
http://tinyurl.com/analyzeyourcats

Based on all of that, figure out your strengths and weaknesses as well as any ideas you have for what you think you should do. Then come back here and tell us; we'll tell you whether we agree and advise you further. (Note: do share an analysis with us, not just the raw data. Your analysis should include a discussion of your buckets - you'll understand what that means when you read the last article. Part of getting better is developing your ability to analyze your results - figure out what they mean and what you think you should do about them!)

Re: the forums, we don't have any SC-only forums. Our forums are organized by source: GMATPrep, MPrep CAT, MPrep non-CAT, and Verbal from sources other than GMATPrep or MPrep. It's not a great idea to study one question type or topic area exclusively. Read here for why:
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2015/07/ ... s-say-what