crack2013 wrote:
Hi Everyone,
I am preparing from last one and half month for GMAT. I am at a point where I am stuck between 590-640.
I have given mock GMATs from various agencies but sadly I am not able to cross 640 anytime.
I started my GMAT Prep, with baseline score of 540, but now my baseline has improved by 50 points and now I am constantly scoring 590.
Below are scores from my GMAT Mocks.
My QA hovers between 44-49 , I think I can score 47 easily on QA.
But problem is VA, where I am only getting lower 20's and only twice have got early 30's(33 being highest).
Please suggest me steps, which I should take to improve my score.
GMAT Prep - 590
Manhattan GMAT - 590
Kaplan First Attempt - 580
Kaplan 2nd Atteampt - 590
Kaplan 3rd Attempt - 610
Kaplan 4th Attempt - 580
Grokit - 630
Regards,
Crack2013
I can quite relate to you. I was a copywriter. The GMAT however made me doubt my verbal skills. A teacher once told me that GMAT isn't an exam about Quant or Verbal or writing essays. It is a test about how you can take a test. He was right but my writing skills didn't go waste, I scored a decent 5.5 on the AWA (on a day I had proof read I could have gotten a 6 I reckon).
I have scored similarly in mocks. I also took my GMAT on may 2011, got a 530. I learnt something from that. You tire out by the end of the exam and in my case my mind started wandering. But then it isn't about grammar at all. You just simply just learn up everything and score on the exam. I know this chinese guy who aced the GMAT but can't speak English at all. And I love Chinese, they are the most sincere and hardworking people. So I concluded the exam is all about set rules.
Suggestions to you:-
1. I believe you are familiar with Quant basics - Just get familiar with GMAT questions because with math you either know it or you don't, and the part where you suffer on the exam is when you are dumbfounded looking at a question type you have never ever seen before - usually the 11th question er so- ( I got a retarded PS question that I faintly remember). And I don't think anybody ( I am entitled to my opinion) be it Kaplan/grockit/knewton/manhattan or even GMAC will ever give you questions similar to the ones you might face, cos that'd be like a cakewalk then, right? How do you expect everyone to make money out of this when its as easy as that? Practice ridiculously difficult and tricky questions on quant and improve your score to a 50.
2. Verbal - I scored a 21 when apparently verbal was my strong area. So it is about a strategy then I reckon, do not ignore verbal. I suggest you make an idiom list, and practice questions daily. Also get in a habit of reading, RC tickled my balls cos I wasn't reading for long. The last I read anything was 3 years back in school.
3. Go at IR, do not ignore it. I am struggling with it too, I think time is a big hassle there. Going to what bb and others say, you can relax and worry about it at the same time. Score a 5 I think. I always score a useless 3.
4. Essay. When I took the exam, I was lucky to have argument and issue essays. I didn't follow the chinese burned method, but my friend you can blindly trust that. You should also start get in a habit of typing quickly.
5. Whenever you take an exam, take the complete exam, don't skip the essay or the IR.
6. Whenever you see a question, tell yourself that -"this is an easy question, I am going to make it my 6itch."
7. Right as when you click next , confirm, forget about the question.
8. I believe you will do well son. All the best. You will make big one day. Believe in yourself.
close
29 Dec 2012, 10:41
