solerenegade wrote:
Hello GMAT Club members,
I am planning a retake on my GMAT to boost my Verbal score (details of my past performances in my profile). In the past, I haven't used any regimental program (classroom or online) while preparing for the GMAT. My last shot at GMAT was in December 2012 and in-spite of my good understanding of the core concepts (as compared to my first take, I was more thorough and used the Manhattan Guides extensively), I messed up the Verbal section specifically on the time management part. In fact, I had exactly 5 minutes for the last 12 questions and I randomly guessed answers. Even then I ended up with a 35, and overall score of 700. In the GMAT prep tests I was scoring in the range of 39-42 on the Verbal
My questions to you guys would be:-
1. What would be the best strategy to work on my weakness? Should I opt for a course that disciplines me on time management and at the same time helps me revise the concepts?
2. If the answer to the above question is a 'yes', which one would you guys recommend? I have heard good reviews for GMAT Pill,
e-GMAT and the Economist GMAT Tutor. I would not be able to take time out for a classroom course because of my tight schedule and work commitments. So an online course is my only re-course (pun-intended
)
I am open to other suggestions and ideas on this. Thanks!
Let me answer your question about the best strategy to improve your Verbal score. Here are a few things you can (and must) do:
1. Everyday, pick up 15 SC, 15 CR and 3 RC passages and create a Verbal sectional test for yourself. This would make ~41 questions. Make sure you time yourself - initially, you can give yourself 2 minutes per question. i.e. 82 minutes. After a week or so of practicing this way, reduce this to 75 minutes.
2. Do not check the time you spend on each and every question. Instead, set a timer for 15 minutes. The idea is that every 15 minutes, you should have solved 8 questions. If you have solved 6 or fewer, and the next question you get is not a sitter, just guess. That way, you can make up for lost time on subsequent questions. This way,
you decide when to make a mistake - so try to distribute your guesses throughout the test. If, as you have said, you make consecutive mistakes towards the end of the test due to poor timing, the adaptive algorithm will pull your score down.
3. If you are particularly weak in any section - SC, CR or RC - solve that section at the end of the day, or when you are really tired and bored. Again, the idea is that even during the fag end of the GMAT, when you are tired and bored, you should still be able to crack questions in this section.
Here are some more tips to help you make your GMAT prep more effective:
https://www.crackverbal.com/effective-gmat-prep/Gowri N Kishore
Verbal Specialist
CrackVerbal