i started GMAT prep on june 1st. after 40 days i'm about to give the GMAT. it's sad to say that i haven't improved much at all. i'm stuck at a pathetic 600 score still. i really need advice and i plan to give the exam again and beat the GMAT next time!
My background i'm a final year engg student. 21. Male.
i'm giving the GMAT cause i have applied to a program similar to the HBS 2+2 which requires the GMAT score now.
Material i used - complete Manhattan set for verbal
-
OG 12
- Aristotle SC Grail
- RC99 (solved most of the 'medium' lvl RCs)
- verbal review 2nd edition (did half the CR problems only)
All the material that i have access to (besides mentioned above) - Manhattan set for quant
- 1000 SC/RC/CR
-
power score CR bible
- GMAT grammar book by gmatclub
- various other documents available for practise on the gmatclub
GMAT prep test results - GMATprep1 (the old version without IR) - 540 (Q48, V21)
- GMATprep2 ( " ") - 610 (Q49 V 24-25)
- GMATprep (next gen with IR) - 590 (Q47 V25)
- Kaplan tests (verbal sections only) - 15-18 mistakes in verbal per test!
My storyAs i mentioned earlier, i started on june 1st. i've been at home since i have my summer break so no college, no work. just time to study. as it's pretty clear, i'm pathetic in the verbal section. i AM a regular english speaker! but the problem is, i DO NOT READ. i never had the habit. the occasional newspaper article here and there is all.
everywhere i go, all the forums i read say the same thing - READ READ READ! i try. i have been trying. but i seem to get really bored whenever i read a long article which isn't related to something i find interesting (i prefer science articles - discoveries, animals, astronomy etc.). i TRY to read the editorial of the newspaper everyday but they usually contain articles related to politics which i just hate.
now back to my GMAT preparation. i knew i was pretty strong in quant so i devoted most of my time to verbal. i started with Manhattan guides for SC, CR, RC. i finished them chapter by chapter and solved the corresponding questions in the
OG 12. at first, i found all three sections VERY TOUGH. but once i finished all the chapters of SC, it became a bit easier as i knew all the rules by then. i became better at CR and came to a conclusion that just understanding the statement given is the best approach for me to get the right answer. RC i had a huge problem with as i dont read much. i tried several different techniques - Manhattan approach in making notes as i read, and a couple other methods mentioned in the forum. in the end i mostly read and try and understand the passage and try to make notes wherever i feel i have a problem comprehending.
The problemthe past week or two, i gained confidence as i was able to solve many questions in the
OG that i got wrong earlier. i really thought that i had improved. whenever i solve questions in a non -test condition, i seem to do well. i see the answers after each question i solve. i think i keep gaining confidence as i get an answer correct and proceed.
the GMATprep i gave (next gen with IR), i actually thought that i had done well in verbal. expected ATLEAST a 33-35 score. but i ended up with a 25!!
i don't know what is wrong. i've solved so many questions but still can't manage a 30+ in verbal.
i keep an
error log for SC as well. i've marked down the questions i made mistakes in earlier and have attempted them again. mostly got them right as well. yet a poor score..
i really need some solid advice! where should i go from here? how can i improve?
how can i beat the GMAT?i'm making 4-5 mistakes in each of the 3 verbal sections. i made 15 mistakes in my last GMATprep. i was surprised with my low score even though i got the last 10 questions in a row right!
and it's not like i'm taking too much pressure while giving the exam. as i mentioned earlier, i was calm and actually confident while giving my last GMATprep
PLEASE HELP