Nee Help on verbal - want to score 700+

[satish.tiwari]

I took the GMAT last week and scored a disappointing 660 (Q48, V33). My MGMAT scores have been as follows.

660 (Q43, V37)
640 (Q43, V34)
660 (Q44, V36)
680 (Q47, V35)
690 (Q45, V39)
700 (Q47, V38)
GMAT PREP -710 (Don't remember the breakup)

So if you see, I scored more in quant in the real test than any of the MGMAT tests, but I found the verbal tougher than the manhattan exams. I want to go for it again, but only after being well prepared for verbal part of the exam. Please guide me on this. I bought the Manhattan SC and completed it 2 times but still found the real SC questions tougher. I struggled with all 3 parts in verbal and at one stage had 20 questions remaining with only 32 minutes left.

One more thing, I did not practice CR and RC from OG ( or from anywhere else) as I felt that I was comfortable with these sections on the MGMAT tests.

[StaceyKoprince]

I'm sorry you didn't get the score you wanted, but you still got a 660, and you did REALLY well on the quant! Great job on that.

Before we start talking about verbal, just one thing: you will have to work on quant periodically in order to maintain your skills. Don't forget about quant. :)

Did you take your practice tests under full official conditions, including the essays? If not, let us know how you deviated from official conditions. Deviating from official conditions can result in inflated practice test scores. (For example, lots of people skip the essays, and then lots of people find the verbal section more difficult on the real test. They're more fatigued because they're not used to taking a 3.5 hour long test, and then they can't think / perform as well towards the end of the test.)

You need to study CR and RC from OG. There are differences to these questions depending upon the specific authors - there's nothing anybody can do about that, but it means that you need to get some of your practice from the same authors who are writing the official test... which means using OG.

It's also important to have source material that teaches you how to get better at these - something similar to our SC strategy guide that you already have. We have strategy guides for CR and RC, as well. Other companies also have resources for those. You'll need to do a little research and see what you think is best for you - but you do need something that teaches you how to do these. (Note: OG doesn't teach you how to get better; it just gives you practice with the real thing.)

These articles can give you a start, but they aren't enough - you need more than this:

http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/04/ ... mp-passage
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/07/ ... rc-passage
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/06/ ... on-problem
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/05/ ... -reasoning

I struggled with all 3 parts in verbal and at one stage had 20 questions remaining with only 32 minutes left.

In addition, you've described a timing problem, so we also need to fix that. I think you would also benefit from a timing exercise: learning about how long one minute is without looking at a watch or stopwatch.

If you don't have one already, buy yourself a stopwatch with lap timing capability. When you go to do a set of problems, start the stopwatch but turn it over so you can't see the time. Every time you think one minute has gone by, push the lap button. When you're done, see how good you were - and whether you tend to over or underestimate. Get yourself to the point where you're within 15 seconds either way on a regular basis (that is, you can generally predict between 45 sec and 1min 15 sec). Note: at the same time that you are using the stopwatch to time this "1-minute" thing, also use the OG Stopwatch (in your student center) to track the total time spent on each question.

Now, how do you use that when doing problems? If you're not on track by one minute*, make an educated guess** and move on. (The general idea is that if you're not on track by the halfway mark, you're unlikely to figure out what's holding you back AND have time to do the whole problem in the 1 min you have left.)

* For SC, 1min is well beyond the half-way mark (we're supposed to average about 1m15s here), but you can almost always eliminate at least some choices on SC in that timeframe. Once you've got that "I'm around the 1min mark and I'm struggling" feeling, go through any remaining choices ONCE more. Pick one. Move on.

** This also requires you to know HOW to make an educated guess depending upon the type of problem and the content being tested. So that's something else to add to your study: how to make educated guesses on different kinds of problems.

If you would like to get more detailed data on your strengths and weaknesses (I highly recommend it!), do the analysis described in the below article on your most recent MGMAT practice test (NOTING any ways in which you deviated from official test conditions). Then, come back here and report what you've discovered. We'll help you interpret and figure out what to do.

http://www.beatthegmat.com/a/2009/09/23 ... tice-tests

[adiagr]

Satish,

It is clear that u r good in quant. My simple advice--work hard in Verbal. All of us who are non-native speakers of English, find that English is a verrry phunnny (sic) language!!

Slog out mate.

Go through each question og OGS and read those explanations. They are simply brilliant. Take Each question of GMAT prep and Manhattan CAT and search on this site. Read each explanation by Ron, Stacey and others.

Aditya

[satish.tiwari]

Dear Stacey

Thanks a ton for your detailed, insightful response to my post. I will definetely keep working on my quant skills as I beleive I can touch 50 with some more practice. And I can say confidently that MGMAT material (strategy guides and CATs) is THE best and THE ONLY study material needed for people aspiring to score high on GMAT quant. But one has to analyze each and every quant problem after taking the CAT,even if one got it correct.

Coming back to Verbal, one point that I did not mention is that I wrote GMAT at 8:00 AM in the morning. I am not an early riser by any stretch of imagination, so this may have been a factor. But then again, my highest test score in MGMAT CAT (700) was achived while taking the test at 8:00AM under full exam conditions. So there is no pattern here as well.


But anyway, this is what I am going to do next

Study CR from one of the established guides ( MGMAT or CR bible)
Study CR and RC from OG
May be refer some LSAT guides for RC and CR
Take the next appointment in the afternoon
..and hope for the best :-)


Thanks and Regards
Satish

[satish.tiwari]

Aditya

Thanks a lot for your response and advise. I will definitely try hard to improve my verbal skills (rude awakening through GMAT). Thanks and wish you all the best for your exam.

Satish

[StaceyKoprince]

Yes, if you're not a morning person, try to take it later in the day. I've taken it with an 11a start and I've heard of people having starts as late as 4p, depending upon the center. Figure out what time of day is best for you and aim to start the test an hour or so before that (so that you "peak" on the multiple choice, not the essays!).

Good luck!

[satish.tiwari]

Finally....I broke the 700 barrier...scored 700 (Q 48, V 37) today

Thanks for you guidance.

[StaceyKoprince]

fantastic - congratulations! Good luck with applications!