510 on GMAT prep..3 weeks left..advise pls

Question

Hello All,
I just registered on gmat club today. My friend who had taken the gmat recommended it to me. I must admit, I have found this to be very helpful just reading through various posts in the past 2 hours or so..
I decided to take the GMAT about 3 weeks ago and started studying since then. I wouldn't say I have worked hard enough. A sudden change in plans has rushed me to take the GMAT real soon. SO I have until May 4th..May 5th is the D day for me.
I gave the first Gmatprep test yest and got a 510..quant 32 and verbal 28.. I do not need a significantly high score..I am applying to just two schools who dont have very high requirements..nevertheless for my own satisfaction I am aiming at a 650 atleast..
I have been studying the OG12..and have covered about half the questions on each of the sections.. I was wondering if there are any test strategies that I shoud use considering I just have three weeks left..
Also, how many hours of quality studying would be enough..I am not working or studying at the minute..and could study a lot.. any help advice would be highly appreciated!! Does anyone think I can reach a 650 in 3 weeks of study????

From day 1, I started timing my answers...I would sit with a timer and set it at 2 mins for math and 1.45 mins for verbal..and I thought I was managing in good time.. until yesterday when I gave the test...I did not have time for 4 questions on quant and randomly guessed without even looking about 7-8 qs on verbal..I am dispapointed with my timing if nothing else!! I realized that I am making the same mistakes I made on the GRE..not having enough time to answer the last few qs..

Looking forward to hearing some helpful replies..Thank you so much.

mailnavin1 · Answer

A quick question, as u really have very short time.

Did u analyze your weaknesses and strengths after you test?

aakanksha · Answer

Hi,

yeah I tried to but it seems like there is not one specific area where I am lacking...I would say in verbal SC is something that I am sure of.. the rest of my mistakes were scattered around word problems, inequalities, profit loss etc..

mailnavin1 · Answer

Manhattan SC is the best for sc(provided u have good basic understanding). RC can be improved through regular practice(2 to 3 RC's a day) CR-Powerscore cr bible is the best

Quants: the best books are listed along with reviews under the GMAT books tab.

bakfed · Answer

It's definitely do-able if you're willing to put down the time. Many people have seen success in a month, or three-week's worth of time; it will really depend on how much time you can dedicate yourself to GMAT. Having said that, from reading your post it would make sense to me to stick to the OG very religiously. Since you're aiming for a score of around 650, OG should be able to help. OG is not only great in terms of getting those math skills that you learned years ago back, but it's also a good source of real questions that will put you at around your target score should you hit the last questions of each section. Manhattan SC is also a good source for sentence correction. Powerscore Bible may be helpful in covering the general gyst of verbal. This forum, of course, is also a good source to find questions and answer questions.

Truth of the matter is, GMAT is a standardized test and you can't get better unless you put in the time. Practice and practice and practice! If you miss a question, you need to understand why you missed it by reading the OE or finding it online. If you get a question right, you should still see if your reasoning for the other answer choices are wrong. You definitely don't have to do this on every question (that would be seemingly impossible), but you want to do it more often you'd think. Good luck! :-D

Angelgal · Answer

I am sailing in the same boat..

aakanksha · Answer

Thank you bakfed..that was encouraging...As of now Im sticking to the oG( just cos I dont have much time) besides I have some material for Manhattan SCs etc... Another thing Iam messed up about is RCs...I cant seem to figure out which of the two below is a better strategy to fight RCs.

1) read first para, and first sentence of each subsequent para..skimming for specific words..
I am trying out this one at the minute..earlier I would read the entire Rc and still couldnt figure out a thing..it was like my mind went blank!!

2) Reading complete RC and answering qs..this has 50-50 sucess rate with me..despite reading the entire passage I find myself struggling for the answer..

Could you recommend which is a better technique..and if neither and you have a third alternative..please do let me know of it..Thanks..
good luck angelgal !!

bakfed · Answer

Reading Comp is probably the haredest section to improve in a short amount of time. I've made a post about myself a while ago and in that post I mentioned how I struggled with RC. RC has always been the dead-on point deduction area, mainly due to a lack of reading through my life and a hint of "I simply don't care about how magma and lava are formed in the Earth's crust" (humor intended). I don't propose any of the above, but I do believe that in order for you to improve RC, you just have to do a ton of RC and answer questions. The way I figured out how to do my RC is through hundreds (and I meant that, though probably probably not over 1000 passages) of Reading practices. Eventually, the light bulb above my head just lit up and I was able to do RC with relatively few mistakes. I was scoring around 35-40% on RC prior to this 'Eureka' and now I'm scoring in about 75-85%, sometimes even higher than that depending on the passage itself. My point is, you just have to put in the time and practice as many RC as possible. However, since time is running out for you, I would probably focus most of my study time on the parts that are easier to fix, such as SC or CR. That's my humble opinion, but if you do want to tackle RC, I really don't have a straight method, but to tell you to keep on practicing - and also, simply know that someone out there (like me) who was struggling with RC can actually achieve a good score on RC. Keep working hard at it!

mailnavin1 · Answer

I completely agree with Bakfed. The bottom-line is as you practice more, you come up with the strategy that suits you the best.

Though many test preparation companies agree to the strategy of understanding he gist and then reading the first line of the subsequent paragraph, I personally abhor this as it never gives you a sense of confidence while you choose answers(if the answers are too close then finished, you will be forced to re-read the passage).

What I find the best is to read the passage completely and then spend up to some 15 or 20 seconds rescanning the passage. This will help you to answer the structural qstns with ease.

aakanksha · Answer

Thanks guys...I tried reading both ways..and I find that reading the whole passage works better for me..I think I will just have to keep reading more and more passages..that way I can improve my speed..
Navin , I tried just reading that first sentences but then I found myself re-reading what I skipped again..to look for specific answers.. I guess that works for some ppl..but it aint my cup of tea !..Thanks so much :-D

hsguest · Answer

Practice RC...toughest of all.

andreajohn · Answer

if you have less time concentrate on OG12 and if time permits OG11.. it will be enough to break 650 mark

bb · Answer

See this one: gmat-club-s-reading-comprehension-strategy-guide-83101.html

aakanksha · Answer

Thanks guys...I have been using Gins RC techniques and have found them to be quite useful..especially the part where you start reading slowly...i find that this works most effectively for me..following which I can answer most qs in a min or so..so far have been doing fine with this technique :-D

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510 on GMAT prep..3 weeks left..advise pls

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