Study and Strategy questions relating to the GMAT.
drew.eng
Course Students
 
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Mar 02, 2010 8:14 pm
 

Need advice on GMAT Preparation

by drew.eng Sat Feb 19, 2011 2:32 am

Hi Instructors,

I took the GMAT on February 4th, 2011 for the second time and received a score of 500 (Q38, V21). I posted my score under someone else's link, need-direction-please-help-t11787.html

Here's my story:

I began a 9-week classroom course in March 2010 and I've been using MGMAT materials and resources since that time. My MGMAT cat scores are as follows:

4/25/2010 450 (Q27, V26)
4/26/2010 560 (Q40, V28)
5/12/2010 470 (Q26, V30)
6/5/2010 440 (Q31, V21)
6/12/2010 570 (Q40, V29)
6/17/2010 460 (Q26, V28)

My first official sitting was at end of June of last year, when I scored 430 (Q32, V18). I took a break and started studying again in October 2010.
I was studying to take the GMAT for the SECOND time for three months. Honestly, I didn't spend any time doing OG problems leading up to my first sitting in June. But since then, I started using an error log, completing roughly 66% of Quant and Verbal OG problems and going over problems that I missed. Before my second exam, I focused most of my attention on Quant and that would explain my low verbal score again.

My GMATPREP Scores were 480 taken a month before and 500 taken 5 days before my second testing date. I didn't take GMATPREP before my first GMAT. Big mistake.

Right now, I'm just trying to review my weak areas in all three sections of verbal; and attack my weak quant areas - divisibility, Inequalities, rate/work, probability, VICs, and anything that is lacking. I can devote up to 4 hours per day before my third exam date. But my question is when should I take it a third time? My target score is 620.

I've read the advice given from Stacey to other students about analyzing problems from GMATPREP and the OG. I truly believe that helps with understanding areas of weakness. I have done so by reworking old problems again under timed conditions. But how long should I do this before taking another CAT exam? Do you think I should take a MGMAT CAT with essays included even though I've already seen most of the questions?? What about the GMATPREP? I need a solid study plan that is balanced.

Any advice would be much appreciated.
StaceyKoprince
ManhattanGMAT Staff
 
Posts: 9361
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2005 9:05 am
Location: Montreal
 

Re: Need advice on GMAT Preparation

by StaceyKoprince Tue Feb 22, 2011 10:47 pm

You mentioned that you took a class. Was it our class? If so (and if you haven't already done this), then you're eligible for a free Post-Exam Assessment. This is a phone call with an instructor to figure out what went wrong and come up with a plan to re-take the test. If this applies to you, please send an email to studentservices@manhattangmat.com and request the Post-Exam Assessment.

I know you are still short of your goal, but you have made good improvement already from your first to your second test, so I want to congratulate you for that. :)

In terms of when to take the test again, you don't want to take the real test until you take at least 2 practice tests under 100% official conditions that are at or above the score you want to get on the real test. I can't tell you how long that will be, unfortunately - it's different for different people.

I've read the advice given from Stacey to other students about analyzing problems from GMATPREP and the OG. I truly believe that helps with understanding areas of weakness. I have done so by reworking old problems again under timed conditions.


I just want to make sure about something. The way you worded those two sentences, it sounds like you are analyzing problems by doing them again. Doing them again is a fine idea, but "doing" does not equal "analyzing." Analyzing = all the stuff you do *after* you're done doing the problem. You say you've read the advice - have you also seen the articles that I link to periodically? I'll link to them again here, just to make sure.

Overall article (start here):
http://www.manhattangmat.com/articles/a ... roblem.cfm

Article by question type (one for each of the 5 major types):
SC: http://www.manhattangmat.com/articles/GMATprep-SC.cfm
CR: http://www.manhattangmat.com/articles/CR-assumption.cfm
RC: http://www.manhattangmat.com/articles/a ... estion.cfm
PS: http://www.manhattangmat.com/articles/a ... roblem.cfm
DS: http://www.manhattangmat.com/articles/a ... roblem.cfm

In terms of how long to work before taking another exam, you basically need to work long enough to feel that you've made progress in multiple areas. That's at least a week, often closer to 2 or 3.

If you would like more specific advice about strengths and weaknesses (including timing advice, if you're having timing problems), analyze your most recent MGMAT test using the below article, then come back here to tell us your analysis:

http://www.manhattangmat.com/articles/e ... -part1.cfm

Take the time to tell me what you think the analysis means, too - so that I can tell you whether I agree. That helps you to get better at analyzing your results, always a good thing.

In terms of what tests to take, it's true that it's non-ideal to take tests when you know the questions. I assume, from your comment, that you are at the point of re-taking tests, so that you can see questions that you've seen before.

If you wouldn't actually remember a lot of the questions, you can still take MGMAT CATs with repeats (and GMATPrep, eventually) as long as you follow a few guidelines to minimize the chance of artificially inflating your score via question repeats. First, anytime you see a problem that you remember (and this means: I know the answer or I'm pretty sure I remember the answer, not just "hmm, this looks vaguely familiar..."), immediately look at the timer and make yourself sit there for the full length of time for that question type. This way, you don't artificially give yourself more time than you should have. Second, think about whether you got this problem right the last time. If you did, get it right again this time. If you didn't, get it wrong again. If you *completely honestly* think that you would get it right this time around if it were a new question (even though you got it wrong last time) because you've studied that area and improved, then get it right this time.

If you would completely recognize / remember more than 4 or 5 questions in each section, though, then you should use a different test. GMATPrep only gives us 2 tests, so save those for later. Use tests from another test prep company to start.

When you do take GMATPrep, TIME yourself on each question for that test. If you don't already have one, get a stopwatch with lap timing capability and learn how to use it before that test. (You may also be able to download a program for your smartphone, if you have one.)
Stacey Koprince
Instructor
Director, Content & Curriculum
ManhattanPrep
drew.eng
Course Students
 
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Mar 02, 2010 8:14 pm
 

Re: Need advice on GMAT Preparation

by drew.eng Tue Mar 15, 2011 12:02 am

Hi Stacey,

I just took CAT Exam #2A including the two AWA essays. My CAT score improved from 590 (CAT #1A) to 630 (Q44, V32). I'm a bit surprised. I've been studying verbal 90% of my time for the past month, yet my raw scores are still skewed towards quant. I have been reviewing SC section probably the most of the three sections followed by the common CR questions-strengthen/weaken, find the assumption, draw the conclusion, and explain the argument, and then RC-inference, main idea, and detail lookup questions. In the verbal section, 2-10 questions looked familiar, including 6 from reading comp. but I got 5 of those wrong anyway. I didn't know the answers to these vaguely familiar questions...I did forget how to do them. My timing was good but not great. I didn't take too long on any one question according to your guidelines (+3 mins for CR, +2 for SC, and +5 for reading the passage plus 1st question, or +2.5 for each following RC questions.)

Verbal weaknesses
CR:
-find the assumption (33% correct, 1/3, avg 2.15)
-draw a conclusion (50% correct, 1/2, avg 2.34)
-Strengthen (50% correct, 1/2, avg 2.24)
-Evaluate an argument (0/1, 1.48)
-Explain a situation (0/1, 2.03)
RC:
-Inference (50%, 2/4, slow avg time 1.56)
-specific detail (20%, avg right 57 secs, slow avg wrong 1.57)
-main idea (0%, 0/3, avg 1.24 good time)
SC:
-comparisons 0%, 0/1, 1.24 (good time)
-clarity of meaning (1/2, 50% correct, slow avg 1.53 wrong answer)


Strengths:
CR: -weaken (67%, avg 1.49) I have been studying this along with strengthen questions recently, and participated in Ron's last session on Strengthen/weaken questions.
SC:
-sv agreement, pronouns, modifiers, verbs, idioms, parallelism, punctuation (100% correct, 10/10, time range from 34 seconds to 1.20) I've been studying SC rigorously so I would expect to see improvement.

My assessment of the verbal section is that I've improved with SC as the 80% correct shows in this last test. I'm still running into problems with common CR questions, seeing swings in accuracy and not scoring higher than 50% correct. RC has been the weakest area and the 25% correct shows that I still struggle with reading and answering difficult passage questions.

Quant weaknesses:
probability (0/1, 37 secs)
combinatorics (0/1, 28 secs)
stats (0/1, slow 2.57)
rates and work (1/1, slow 2.57)
basic equations (0/1, slow 3.16)
exponential eqns (0/1, 2.09)
VICS (1/2, slow avg 2.49 wrong and 1.35 right)
Inequalities (0/2, 2.16)

Strengths:
ratios (2/2, avg 2.45)
quadratic eqns (2/2. avg 2.04)
formulas (1/1, avg 2.04)
polygons (2/2, avg 1.42)
exponent and roots (1/1)
odds and evens (1/1)
circles and cylinders (1/1)
percents (2/2)
FDPs

I noticed on quant that I guessed and received correct answers for 5 questions. This is unusual. How could I've guessed correctly on 5 answers choices? Anyway, my goal is to score between 600-650 in about 4 weeks. Do you think I can rely on these scores? Do you think I have enough time to take another test, analyze it, study some more, take the gmatprep, and be ready in a month? I have taken the GMATPREP exams twice already. Let me know if you need more information. I'm also thinking about taking another cat from another prep company. I'm a little suspicious about the quantitative scores.

Thanks a lot. I appreciate the advice.

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

Re: Need advice on GMAT Preparation

by StaceyKoprince Fri Mar 25, 2011 11:08 am

Let's see, lots of things! Okay, first, just so you know - the scoring scales for quant and verbal are different. V32 is in the low-60s percentile-wise and Q44 is in the high-60s percentile-wise, so you're only skewed towards quant by a little bit. You're almost the same in the two, actually.

Verbal first. I agree with your assessment of strengths and weaknesses. RC is the biggest weakness and the place to start. Here are some resources to get you started:

This article talks about how to read a passage (including what to read and what not to read, and how to take notes)
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/04/ ... mp-passage

This article talks about how to find the overall point / main idea (an area that seems to have been a struggle for you, based on your test data)
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/07/ ... rc-passage

If you feel like you're struggling with your overall reading skills and you want to get regular practice from non-GMAT sources, try this article:
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/09/ ... ading-comp

Specific detail questions also look problematic for you; try this:
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/11/ ... il-problem

Here's something on CR process:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/articles/C ... n-type.cfm

and CR find the assumption:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/articles/CR-assumption.cfm

Of your quant weaknesses, I care most about the algebra stuf, because those tend to be more common on the real test. On the WT stuff, stats and rates tend to be more common than probability and combinatorics.

Here's an article on VICs:
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/10/ ... arithmetic

Start with the algebra things in general - a review of the relevant sections of the book, possibly re-watching the lesson for that class if you think that'll be valuable, re-doing OG problems, and so on. Make sure to really dig in and analyze problems - you might spend 15 or 20 minutes on one problem (studying - obviously you wouldn't spend that long doing a problem in a testing situation).

I have a bunch of articles that cover a single question in the areas we called out above - they aren't enough to be comprehensive for those topic areas, but they might help with some discrete topics.

inequalities:
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/10/ ... es-problem

work + inequalities:
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2011/02/ ... s-problems

You can find the full archive of articles here:
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/manhattan-gmat

There isn't an easy way to search through them, but you can browse through them all - there's a lot of stuff from me and Ron.

I agree that it's unusual to guess on 5 and get them all right. Did you guess randomly from among all 5 answers? Did you narrow down your answers, maybe through estimation or some other partial work? Did you actually guess on more than 5? I could see a scenario where you were able to narrow a lot of these to 2 or 3 answers, and then you guessed on more than 5 and got 5 right, so the odds aren't all that weird. Alternatively, yes, you could have just happened to get extra lucky, and of course you can't count on that on the real test.

I think you can rely on the scores because, although you did see familiar questions, you got most of them wrong anyway, so you didn't get an artificial boost there. I also think 4 weeks is enough time, given your current performance (you've got to keep up the work, of course!).

If you have taken GMATPrep twice already, you are almost certainly going to see question repeats. The issue then will just be whether you actually remember them. If you will, then you should think about doing some other test, yes.

Okay, get going on the above and come back with more questions! :)
Stacey Koprince
Instructor
Director, Content & Curriculum
ManhattanPrep
drew.eng
Course Students
 
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Mar 02, 2010 8:14 pm
 

Re: Need advice on GMAT Preparation

by drew.eng Tue Apr 05, 2011 7:06 pm

Hi Stacey,

Since my last post, I've been studying everyday, for about 4-6 hours on the following areas:

-Reading Comp.
Finding the main ideas and practicing annotating on non-gmat sources. This has helped me read passages a little faster and unshocked me when I see actual passages on the GMAT. Also, watching Ron's video on long passages has helped too. I've been working new problems and reviewing old OG 12 ones from RC passages too. I've been trying to understand each question type and to formulate my own plan of attack on each one. Also, trying to see why the wrong answers are wrong.


-CR
Watching Ron's video's on Strengthen/weaken and assumption, working and reviewing previously completed OG problems. I've been trying to read the answer choices more quickly, understanding why the wrong answers are wrong, and finding my own way to illustrate the argument on paper.

-SC
Reviewing my weak areas, such as comparisons, pronoun issues in MGMAT SC guide and finishing with a review of previously completed problems. Also, trying to justify eliminating everyone wrong answer.

Quant:
I have been reviewing the MGMAT guides, reviewing my weak areas, and digging into OG problems for the following types
Inequalities
Number Properties
Geometry
FDPs

I have been keeping a log on the daily stuff that I study. My concern is that even though I have seen some improvements in my thinking and speed on the verbal section, my verbal scored has not improved by much. I scored 520 (Q37, V24) on my last GMATPREP (3rd attempt). The verbal section is holding my score back despite all the work I've put in to it. On the test, I considered getting questions wrong when I got them wrong and right when I've gotten them right, and not inflating my time for the questions that I've seen.
I think I seem to lack the right timing strategy and stamina on the verbal section. Therefore, it's harder for me to get over the 26 hump on verbal. I think I'm making good progress but still lacking the instinct to just attack the questions especially under stressed conditions. Do you have any advice on how I can improve from here? Also, what's your general advice with number of weeks to study if I want to improve from 520 to 600? On the your last post, you thought 4 weeks would be enough time. How realistic would it be for my score to jump from 520 to 600 in 2-3 weeks? Please advise.

Thanks.

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

Re: Need advice on GMAT Preparation

by StaceyKoprince Mon Apr 11, 2011 5:34 pm

Last time, you told me that your practice CAT score had gone from 590 to 630, with some repeated questions (so downgrade a bit) and your target was 620. That's what I was responding to when I said that 4 weeks would be enough time. 80 points in 4 weeks would be a very significant jump - that would take most people more time.

It looks like you've had a setback, though - your most recent test was 520. So we need to figure out why this score dropped 100 points from your last test score. Do the analysis in this article:

http://www.beatthegmat.com/a/2009/10/26 ... went-wrong

Then come back and tell us what you figured out. (Note: GMATPrep doesn't give you any data, so it's going to be a bit hard to figure this out, but do your best.)

Have you reviewed that GMATPrep test yet? Did you time yourself on each question (if not, please always do this in future - it's super-important, especially when you already know you're struggling with timin!). Do you know what kinds of careless errors you made, what questions were too hard for you, how you did or should have guessed on those ones, and so on? If not, start there - go over every single verbal question and really pick apart what was going on. When we have more info on that, we can figure out more precisely what's giving you trouble and then figure out how to deal with it.

You mentioned the stressful conditions; if you think stress might be a significant factor for you, then take a look at these articles:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/stress-tips.cfm
http://www.manhattangmat.com/strategy-series-stress.cfm

Also, you're doing the essays when you take tests, right? That's part of the stamina equation, especially for the verbal section.
Stacey Koprince
Instructor
Director, Content & Curriculum
ManhattanPrep
nuggins16
Forum Guests
 
Posts: 13
Joined: Fri Aug 07, 2009 5:07 pm
 

Re: Need advice on GMAT Preparation

by nuggins16 Fri Apr 29, 2011 7:49 am

Hi Stacey,

First of all I’d really like to thank you, Ron and everyone at Manhattan GMAT for the timely and prompt guidance you offer to the GMAT aspirants. Like most others I too need tips on how I can fair better in GMAT. I took the GMAT for the first time on December 10th 2009.I got a score of 600 (Q 48,V 26).My prep tests included 6 MGMAT tests, which I took 8 times, 2 GMAT tests, that I took around 4 times,4 Kaplan Tests and 4 Princeton Tests. Princeton tests were not of good standard and I always ended up getting more than 720.The Kaplan tests that I found pretty difficult , I ended up with average scores of around 610.In my MGMAT tests , which I took for about 8 times in total , I got an average score of about 660.

Then I decided to give GMAT a second shot. I started preparing in March 2010 with pretty much the same material and the same tests. This time too I took the tests as many times as I took during my first preparation. I got really high scores in MGMAT like around 700 + every time. I would say this dint reveal the correct picture as I remembered quite a few questions. I also retook the GMAT practice tests and I ended up with a score of 710 and 680. Here again I did remember quite a few questions.

On the exam day, there was an 1.5 hr delay in start of the exam as the palm reader (used for bio metrics) wasn’t working. I was given an option to take the test on another day but I thought I should get over with it. I ended up with a score of 660 (Q 49,V 33). I felt that I started loosing concentration after the 17th question in verbal. This probably dint happen in my practice tests as I had taken them a lot of times and so the repetitive questions dint require that much concentration as the new ones that appeared on the exam day.

During the first attempt I got a score of 4.5 in AWA and in my second got a score of 5.0.

I am targeting schools such as NUS, NTU in Singapore where they prefer score of 700 + and I plan to give GMAT one last determined shot. But I am afraid that even if I purchase the MGMAT tests or the GMAT practice tests again I would remember quite a few questions and this wouldn’t reflect the correct picture. I feel pretty confident in the Quant section but please guide me on how to go about the verbal section.

I have around 3.5 years of experience in the Information Technology services sector.
StaceyKoprince
ManhattanGMAT Staff
 
Posts: 9361
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2005 9:05 am
Location: Montreal
 

Re: Need advice on GMAT Preparation

by StaceyKoprince Fri May 06, 2011 10:59 am

note: nuggins reposted in a new thread; see response there
Stacey Koprince
Instructor
Director, Content & Curriculum
ManhattanPrep
drew.eng
Course Students
 
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Mar 02, 2010 8:14 pm
 

Re: Need advice on GMAT Preparation

by drew.eng Fri May 06, 2011 6:27 pm

Hi Stacey/Manhattan GMAT Instructors,

I analyzed my last GMAT PREP test 520 (Q38, V24) (3rd attempt) to the best of my ability. I think I studied pretty hard up to the day of the exam, causing me to feel a little fatigued. I did do both essays and took the appropriate breaks to really mimic the day of the test. I took the test maybe an hour later than my then booked time. I eventually postponed the test date to end of May. Here's what I found:

Quant section:

Strengths:

I knew how to approach these questions within the first 20 seconds and carefully solved.

Exponential equations
simplifying exponents
Number Prop. - pos/neg, inequality + number prop.
Triangles - find the perimeter and area
Percentages w/increases
ratios
work rate problems
fractions
quadratic equations

Careless mistakes:
I consider these problems as those that I sorta knew how to solve but fell short because I either didn't fully understand the question, each statement in DS format, or more likely made a calculation error.

Mean - solve given an order of numbers (I didn't notice that the numbers were in "increasing order")
Rate problem (DS) - didn't grasp quickly what one of the statement was saying.
Geo - number line (DS) - didn't notice that "two different numbers" was assumed.
NP - integers (multiplication mistake)
Algebra - equations (what's m+n? calculation error/missteps)
Divisibility and factorials (didn't understand what "n" represented)

Weaknesses:
These are problems that I should have skipped right away but wasted at least a minute to a minute and thirty seconds trying to solve. These are the ones that I looked at with the "ugh" feeling.

Simplifying and approximating roots value
Geo - Coord. geometry (DS)
Geo - angles and lengths (DS)
Algebra - VIC
Sets of numbers (sum/mean/median) DS
Formulas w/ symbols (DS)
Divisibility and prime (PS)
Probability
Interest compounding (I probably could have solved this but felt exhausted by this time during the test)

Overall, my timing on the quant section could use improvement. I do follow timing benchmarks AND I write out timing blocks per 4 questions. I think I was just sloppy and like most students, can use a tune up in data sufficiency, number properties, geometry (abstract DS problems), alternate methods (which include efficient guessing).

Verbal:

I noticed that after review of the verbal section, my wrong answers tend to come in a row. Most likely, I spent too long on CR (usually 2-3 minutes) and RC (30 seconds to 1 minute longer than recommended), causing me to rush through parts of the test. I do not have a good timing strategy for the verbal section, except for the benchmarks that are recommended on BTG forum every 7-8 questions. On this test, I was rushing at the end and missed the last 4 questions, of which three of them were CR questions.

Strengths:

SC:
parallelism
noun modifiers
idioms
verb tense

RC: main idea
inference
detail

CR:
evaluate the argument
draw conclusion
strengthen (logically completes the passage type)

Weaknesses:

SC:
long verb modifier + meaning
Comparison + meaning (use of 'more than')
comparison w/ quantity ('doubling' a figure)
As/like + idiom

RC: inferences/suggests

CR:
Weaken
Assumption
Explain the situation (did not recognize this type)

Since my last post, I have watched Ron's video on how to do "explain the situation" problems and how to tackle RC questions. I also followed your advice on reading comp. from your BTG articles. I did do better on RC, getting 10/13 correct.

With regards to SC comparison type questions, I was sloppy and didn't carefully read for meaning. I was probably rushing through the harder and longer SC questions. I was clearly not as focused as I wanted to be and the cr questions that came in a row at the end killed my score.

I think during the practice test, I'm usually a little fatigued from the previous days of studying. Please advise on how I can improve my overall processing of the GMAT material and how I can improve my timing strategy in the verbal section. I plan to take the GMAT again at the end of this month. Do you think I can score higher than 550? I have pretty much exhausted my practice exams, taking MGMAT CATS 8 times and GMAT PREP three times. I did purchase 800 score exams set of 6. Can I use these during the next few weeks as a gauge on my level of performance? Can you tell me what material is often tested so that I can focus my studies accordingly? I also want to keep my reading skills. Can you recommend a good source for history passages?

Thank you,

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

Re: Need advice on GMAT Preparation

by StaceyKoprince Tue May 10, 2011 8:39 pm

Thorough analysis. Okay, the big question is your score / scoring level. As a general rule, you should expect to score in the same range on the real test as you are scoring on practice tests a week or so before the real test. (And assuming the practice test is a good one and is taken under 100% official conditions. Also note that the "range" I mention is pretty wide - 30 to 50 points in either direction.)

So you had 520 on your most recent GMATPrep, but this was a repeated exam. Did you see questions you'd seen before / Qs that you remembered? If so, how did you handle them? Did you make sure you spent full time? Did you get any really hard ones wrong on purpose even if you remembered the answer? If so, you minimized score inflation. If you took less time and/or got things right that you might not have gotten right if they'd truly been new Qs, then your score might be inflated.

If we assume you are in the 520 range right now, can you get that above 550 by the end of the month? Yes, that's possible. There are no guarantees of course, but you may be able to in that timeframe, yes.

I think during the practice test, I'm usually a little fatigued from the previous days of studying.


That's normal and you should use that as a lesson while you're gearing up for the real thing. The closer you get to the real thing, the less you do, so that you don't burn yourself out / tire your brain out too much. Think of an elite athlete - you're a "mental athlete" for this test. :)

Re: careless mistakes vs. true weaknesses, it's easier to deal with careless mistakes, so prioritize those higher. I can't remember whether I linked to this article before, so I'll give it to you again:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/articles/error-log.cfm

For your quant weaknesses, these are the areas that are more commonly tested:
divisibility and prime
algebra - VIC
geo - angles and lengths
sum / mean / median

Probability and interest aren't that common. By "formulas w/symbols" do you mean formulas with weird symbols? Not that common. And coord geo - maybe one.

And, yes, you're right about needing to study methods for educated guessing. Take a look at these two articles:
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/07/ ... s-on-quant
http://www.manhattangmat.com/articles/e ... verbal.cfm

For verbal, good reading sources include:
http://magazine.uchicago.edu/ - particularly articles in the "Investigations" tab
http://harvardmagazine.com/

(And www.sciam.com for science-based passages; I know you didn't ask for science stuff, but others reading might want to know.)

Most of the verbal areas you listed are common, so those all need work. Some articles on the various topics are below, but first let's talk about timing. Managing your timing is trickier than on quant because it partially depends upon where the 3 or 4 RC passages begin. The below assumes that one new passage starts within each quarter of the test (Q1-10, Q11-20, Q21-30, Q31-41).

Q10: 56 min left
Q20: 37 min left
Q30: 19 min left

You may have to adjust the above if the passages don't start in the way described above. For instance, if by the time you get to Q10, you've actually had 2 passages start, not just one, then you should expect to have fewer minutes left - maybe 53 instead of 56. If, on the other hand, you get to Q10 and you've had no passages start, then you should expect to have more - maybe 59 left.

Every time a new passage starts, I keep track with a tick mark on the first page of my scrap paper. If you're worried about losing that or having to flip back to find the tick marks, then keep track on your hand - maybe with dots, so that you don't have as much skin to scrub later. :)

Okay, content.

SC modifiers / long underlines:
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2011/03/ ... sc-problem
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2011/03/ ... -problem-2

CR:
assumption: http://www.manhattangmat.com/articles/CR-assumption.cfm
weaken: http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/01/ ... cr-problem
explain situation: http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2011/01/ ... cy-problem

RC infer: http://www.manhattangmat.com/articles/a ... estion.cfm

And I just want to comment on what you said about not recognizing the "explain a situation" CR. One of your tasks in general is learning (ahead of time!) how to recognize the different kinds of questions. Each type is asking you to do a different thing, so you want to make sure that you know (a) how to identify each type, and (b) what you're supposed to do for each type.

Finally, I just want to make sure that you're not planning to take 6 practice tests over the next 3 weeks. CAT exams are really good for (a) figuring out where you're scoring right now, (b) practicing stamina, and (c) analyzing your strengths and weaknesses. The actual act of just taking the exam is NOT so useful for improving on content (though it can help with practicing timing). Mostly, though, it's what you do with the test results / between tests that helps you to improve. Once a week is plenty.
Stacey Koprince
Instructor
Director, Content & Curriculum
ManhattanPrep