Verbal Score Improvement advice needed!

[hifunda_88]

Hi Stacey,

I hope you can give me some much needed advice on how best to study in the last week before my test and improve my scores. My posts so far in terms of my prep strategy and scores are posted below:

http://www.beatthegmat.com/last-2-weeks-score-improvement-advice-needed-t111398.html

After analysis of my performance, it seems clear:

I do have some timing issues which I am trying to work on especially certain hard problems on Quant. I need to let go after a point.

I need to focus more on Number Properties, FDPs, Statistics and Word Problems, plus CR Assumptions in Verbal.

I am very worried about Verbal. I used to think SC was my strength compared to RC and CR, but from analyzing my scores till now, I obviously seem to have got questions consistently wrong in all the 3 areas. Of course CR has the worst accuracy, and I'm still working on it. So I re-read the SC guide to polish up some rules and meaning based tips, and I hope to improve on the next GMATPrep test I will be taking today.

I am really struggling with CR, and I've read your advice to other test takers. What do you suggest I do in this last one week? I am yet to finish practicing questions from the OG.

I am trying hard to eliminate the silly mistakes and shore up my RC and SC skills to at least help me to boost my Verbal score from a stagnated 32-34. I know nothing much can be done in such a short time-frame, but can I at least bring it up to a 38 to even out with my Quant scores which average around 42-44?

Please tell me if you need any more info. Waiting for your response Stacey, as I don't have much time left.
Thanks!
Tara.

[StaceyKoprince]

I know this isn't what you want to hear, but scores don't change much in one week. You asked what you could do to get a 15 to 20 percentile point improvement in verbal in one week - and the answer is: that's very unlikely to happen in that timeframe. :(

As I said, I know that's not what you want to hear, but I'm telling you because I want you to have the information you need to make a good decision about what to do.

So. Your current test scores are most likely what you are going to get on the real test in one week (or 5 days, now). Are you happy with that scoring range? If not, then you should postpone your test.

We're getting very close to June 5th, when the test changes, and I've been talking to a lot of people who are anxious to try to avoid IR and take the test before it changes. So I'm going to tell you what I've started telling others.

1. IR is not that bad. Really. :)
2. If your scores right now aren't where you want them to be, there's not much you can do to force things. That's always been true and doesn't change now that the IR section is about to launch.
3. Putting so much pressure on yourself to get a certain score by a certain date (I MUST get this before 5 June!) just adds to the pressure and makes it more likely that you'll stress yourself out to the point that it's even harder to achieve the goal.

So... think about what you're going to do and let me know. If you decide to go ahead with the test, the last few days should be spent doing high level review only - no practice tests or long study sessions that just tire you out. The closer you get to the real test, the less you do. 2 hours max the day before!

If you decide to postpone and need help developing a study plan, please use the below article to analyze the results of your most recent MGMAT CATs:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... ice-tests/

Then come back here and share your analysis (not just the raw notes - your analysis - tell us what you think the data means and what you think you should do about it!).

Also, you mentioned timing problems. Read these two articles and start doing what they say:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... to-win-it/
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... anagement/

Note: it typically takes a good 4-6 weeks to address timing problems, possibly longer, so that's another reason to think about postponing...

[hifunda_88]

Thanks Stacey, I have decided to just go ahead and give my best shot. Though I'm concerned that I do not have a very good chance of getting my target score due to such a short timeframe, I am willing to do whatever it takes to meaningfully review my errors, and bolster what I already know and do well.

If I am really disappointed with my score, then I will be prepared to retake the test with the new section, and I don't feel thaaaaat much pressure from the fact that I will need to sit for IR.

I am actually a little concerned that my practice test scores may not accurately reflect the real one, given that nowadays everyone seems to be saying that the real GMAT is so much more harder, and there is a lesser correlation between scores.

I did read those articles you have written about time management and analyzing tests, and trust me, I have spent a lot of time in analysis. I just want to be able to adjust my strategy in Verbal (read CR especially) and come test day, and see it reflect in my scores.

Do you think improving even a little bit on RC can help me in upping the Verbal score? I managed to get all SC's right in the last practice test, so even if CR is my weakest area, I am hoping that at least SC and RC combined should help :)

Any other last minute tips would be really useful.
Thanks
Tara.

[hifunda_88]

Update: Took GMATPrep 2 today and scored a 620, lower than last time (though I saw a few repeats then).

Q - 46
V - 30

As usual, Quant seems consistent at ~45 but Verbal is really proving to be a pain! (Never increasing.)

I still need to completely review the test, but what do you suggest I do regarding Verbal?

[StaceyKoprince]

Sure, improving anything can help to improve your score. It's just hard to see an appreciable difference (something that significantly changes a score) in only a few days.

I'm not sure exactly how many days you have left, but I'm pretty sure it's less than 1 week. I think it's just a few days.

The last 4-5 days should be spent doing a comprehensive, high-level review of all question types, topic areas, and pacing strategies. If you concentrate on trying to improve weaknesses in the last few days, then you risk missing things that you did already know how to do because you haven't reviewed them recently. Your time is better spent on a comprehensive review because you're much more likely to make a difference by reviewing something that you do know how to do but haven't looked at in a few weeks (just reminding yourself) vs. trying to learn something new or change something that's already problematic at the last minute.

Take a look at this pair of articles:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... game-plan/
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... to-review/

In your case, the second one is more appropriate, but I wanted to post both for others reading this and for you if you do end up taking the test again at a later date.

Good luck - let us know how it goes!