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Need help on verbal.

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pavrnd
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Need help on verbal. [#permalink] New post   09 Oct 2005, 22:09
Hi
I have my GMAT next month. I am looking for some help on the verbal section. I have gone through PR, Kaplan and OG 10e. I thought I was doing reasonably well on the questions in these book (85-90% accuracy), except OG SC. Took my first GMATPrep test and scored 750. I think its a little optimistic since I had already done about 1/3 of OG. And then took Kaplan CAT1 and scored a disappointing 640. Q: 3 wrong, V: 16 wrong. The verbal section blew up my confidence. The entire section seemed an order of magnitude tougher than what's in the book. My SC is particularly weak. I am almost always wrong on the "idiomatic" and "sounds awkward" answers.
Do you guys have any suggestions for me. I don't seem to be learning much by revising the verbal sections from the PR and Kaplan books. Also, I haven't started preparing for essays yet. How much time should I allocate for those considering I only have a month left.
Thanks
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coffeeloverfreak
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[#permalink] New post   09 Oct 2005, 22:37
Kaplan's scoring is always lower than the real thing, and its questions are tougher, especially on quant. Don't panic because of a low Kaplan score. I got 630, 690, 670 and 700 on my 4 Kaplan CATs, and scored a 770 on the real exam. Just look at Kaplan as a way to build your stamina by working on tougher questions.

For SC, remember to look for traps like subject-verb disagreements, unidiomatic wording, and lack of parallelism.
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Nickelback
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[#permalink] New post   10 Oct 2005, 09:18
Wow, I've heard that your Kaplan score can be 100 points lower than on official tests, but that's amazing! Nicely done, coffee dude.

Stick with PR practice for verbal...they are much closer to the real thing. Have you exhausted all their tests? If you have, then prep with the official tests but don't let the Kaplan scores psyche you out.

If you need extra help with grammar to conquer SC, pick up a copy of a book called Grammar Smart. VERY helpful.
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pavrnd
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[#permalink] New post   10 Oct 2005, 17:43
Thanks for the tips guys. I haven't done any PR tests yet, I will do those first. I think I go wrong on SCs which are testing multiple things, like parallelism with subject-verb agreement. Need to be more careful.

Do you also have some tips for AWA.

Thanks again.
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coffeeloverfreak
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[#permalink] New post   10 Oct 2005, 18:25
*LOL* I'm the wrong person to give tips on AWA, cause I did everything - and I mean everything wrong, and still somehow managed to pull off a 6.0 and I have no clue how.

I mean, I didn't study, I didn't practice, I never did a template, I never read the sample questions, I never even wrote an outline... plus I ran out of time on the first essay halfway through my conclusion and it cut me off mid-sentence. I never even revised either of the essays to so much as check for typos.

Basically I'd be a cautionary tale of what NOT to do on the AWA section... except somehow it worked. Don't copy me, though - I really don't recommend it. :-D
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jinesh
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[#permalink] New post   11 Oct 2005, 01:39
:-D hehe wow !!!!

Coffee lover...... no studies not even a minute spent on AWA and u get a 6.0 !!!!!

that wud be C :-D :-D L if it worked for each and every gmat taker...
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Carloz
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[#permalink] New post   11 Oct 2005, 09:17
i agree with the kaplan. i went from 550ish to 680. if you avg 650+ on kaplan, you have a very good chance of breaking not only 700 but probably 750+.
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ValleyBall1
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[#permalink] New post   11 Oct 2005, 11:05
I think the <b>only</b> section that I am good at is SC. I attribute almost all of it to the Manhattan SC review guide. It is a good review and goes through all the topics nicely; among the topics reviewed are subject / verb agreement, verb tense, modifiers, parallelism...and idioms!

Give it a try and good luck!

https://www.manhattangmat.com/StoreItemS ... ?ItemID=18
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Carloz
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[#permalink] New post   11 Oct 2005, 12:20
valleyball,

although I took test already, i just barely missed 700+ and I am pondering of trying to break it later in year. Have you used Manhattan guides for math? I used kaplan, but i think I need something more conceptual to truly grasp the concepts. Kaplan seems too gimmicky...
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ValleyBall1
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[#permalink] New post   11 Oct 2005, 14:12
Carloz - I took the class and have all their guides. With a score close to 700, your math ability may be over the topics discussed in the guides; they may be too rudimentary for you. The guides can, however, help you get the basics on specific topics as they do a pretty good job describing the concepts (that is, if you've identified your weakest areas).

I think their challenge problems on their website would be more appropriate for someone with your skill level / score. Not sure if they cost anything though.

Man, I'd be running around the street naked if I got almost a 700! Nice job...
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