1 week left, how to improve

Question

Hey all, this is my first post and hope will get valuable comments. I have scheduled exam at sep 14 and wish to dedicate this week to gmat, prepare wisely and efficiently. I got 650 ,710 gmatprep free exams and 740, 720 on gmat prep exam pack 1 .

I have left gmat prem exam pack 2 to write and 6 manhattan tests. I also got gmat paper tests from which I found 1 too easy in quant and think not to lose time on others.

Generally I get 50 or 51 in quant and 35-40 in verbal, with most of the mistakes made in SC, I am not native speaker so if I understand question I am good at CR and RC. I generally make 6-8 mistakes in SC and want to pay most attention to it. What are your suggestions? I just joined this forum week ago and find it really helpful, I am going through SC 700+ questions and want to know whether they will be effective and helpful.

Also I need any advices and suggestions to which topics I need to pay most attention in quant (easy questions I get right, don't know what topics are mostly tested on hard questions)

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KarishmaB · Answer

Pay special attention to Number properties. At these levels, usually the errors are made because of carelessness e.g. assuming integer values only, forgetting to consider x = 0 or 1, taking the data of one statement in DS while considering the other alone etc. Conceptually, there wouldn't be much that would make you uncomfortable. Have you checked out our four part SC video? Here: https://www.gmatclub.com/forum/veritas-prep-resource-links-no-longer-available-399979.html#/free-gmat-lesson/ It discusses how to handle SC questions effectively.

hooligan · Answer

I know how to handle, but don't know all grammar rules and idioms.

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streetking · Answer

To improve in a week you will have to do at least 5 practice CATs and throughly review your responses after each one.

Analyse both your correct and your incorrect responses, taking note how your approach differs from others (GMATclub discussion forums) and finding the quickest approach for each one.

All the best!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi hooligan,

With just one week to go, it's important to remember that taking lots of CATs will NOT make you a better Test Taker. A CAT is really a 'measuring device' - when used correctly, it will give you a realistic score and help define your strengths and weaknesses, but it will NOT help you to fix any of those weaknesses. To raise your scores, you have to put in the necessary practice and repetitions. The CAT will show you whether your studies are helping you to improve or not. As such, you really shouldn't take more than 1 FULL CAT per week. At higher-and-higher score levels, the GMAT becomes really 'sensitive' to little mistakes (especially on 'gettable' questions). Thus, a good use of your time this week would be to review questions that you got wrong and try to define WHY you got them wrong. If it's because the questions were too hard, then don't worry about those, but if you're getting questions wrong because of silly/little mistakes, then THAT is something that you should work on (meaning that you should focus on taking the proper notes, labeling your work, NOT doing work 'in your head', etc.).

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

hooligan · Answer

Thank you for your advice, I totally agree with you, but still 1 question: even today I got 740 on gmat prep, with 7 mistakes in verbal 5 of which were from SC, so I just need wise advice in how to improve in SC, (generally I make mistakes in hard questions) . Should I concentrate on reading gmatclub forum 700+ SC questions or reading SC study guides?

Also I want to learn as much idioms as possible, but need to know on which idioms to concentrate, I come across to the same idioms over and over and it gets useless.

Thanks in advance

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HKD1710 · Answer

I would personally suggest not to take a lot many CATs right before the exam. It is important to practice in this time. As you're already aware that SC is stumping you mostly, Do ONLY OFFICIAL SCs. Do LESS but learn MORE from them. All the mistakes you made on the SCs you practice in a day, revise them first and then only practice more. Do not deviate from your own strategy of tackling ANY kind of question in the end.

Overall, Learn the patterns and most tested rules and their disguised applications as well and keep up your own strategy.

Take the exam with healthy mind and with no stress and you'll surely get some extra points for this.

All the best!

1 week left, how to improve

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