640 booo... Should I retest..ahhh

Question

Hey all,

I've been studying for the GMAT for the past 2.5 months and finally took the GMAT today.

I took the Kaplan course and have been using the OG11 and GMAC practice tests. Unfortunately, I did not do all that hot today. I got a 640 Q48 V28. I"m thinking I should retake the test since I've been scoring much higher on the past 5 tests. 

I feel like I just bombed the Verbal section since I've been scoring in the mid 30s+ for the past few tests. Also GMATprep is supposed tobe the best indicator for how I'll do. Thoughts???

Kaplan Score recap: 
Diag: 600 
CAT 1: 690 Q52, V30 
CAT 2: 580 Q37, V29 
CAT 3: 680 Q51, V29 
CAT 4: 600 Q40, v28 
CAT 5: 610 Q41, V31 
CAT 6: 660 Q45, V34 
CAT 7: 710 Q44, V49 
Gmatprep: 690 (taken week before test)
CAT 8: 720 (taken 3 days before test)
GMATprep:710 Q48 V40 (taken day before test)

Note: I am a native English speaker.

Nsentra · Answer

this one is almost too easy... review your verbal strategy and take it again.

braindancer · Answer

Man, V28 is not a good score for a native speaker. You definitely can do better. Just take your time and effort to understand what is your problem - be it timing, or nerve, or some specific sort of problems, - and give it a a solid, knockout blow.

jayy178 · Answer

thanks for the feedback. I decided that I will take my test in another month (december 9). 

I'm going to go over my verbal strategy from Kaplan, but will not use the problems from Kaplan (they are way off from the actual test). Instead I'll look at OG11, although ive done most of the problems. Do you think this would be a problem since I've done these already? I dont think I will remember the problems again, so it should still look new to me for the most part (hopefully). Also, I dled SC,RC, and CR 1000 for supplemental problems.

Nsentra · Answer

I think that even though you think you forgot those problems, subcounciously you will have a slight advantage. It's still a good idea to do them again, and see if you got same questions wrong again. OG also has a verbal book, although it's not very big, questions there don't overlap with OG_Main and will give you some extra practice. From personal experience, I can tell you that there was a point at which I started feeling more comfortable tackling medium and hard-medium level questions. Until then I was stuck in 30-40 range.

gmahn · Answer

Jayy,

great Q score. Anyway, my experience is that Kaplan/Princenton is a good way to begin, but far away from the end of the verbal travel. If I were you, I would buy Manhattan GMAT verbal books and I would do all the questions in the Official Guide. I'm not a native speaker and that got me a V39 (84%), which was an even higher percentile than my Maths. And if after doing ALL that you want to go for the V45 and higher, LSAT is the key. After taking those RC passages, you'll begin to think that GMAT ones are too easy! 

Good luck.

jayy178 · Answer

thanks gmahn. I'm not sure if it's my strategy or what. On my last half of practice tests, I've been scoring in the mid 30s+ range for the verbal. 

I think I will get the OG verbal, BUT will this overap OG11 at all since I've done all OG11 already? Nsentra says they are unique, but other posts say they overlap. can anyone confirm the correct answer?

Thanks!

ywilfred · Answer

No, the OG11 verbal book will not overlap with the verbal questions in OG11. I would only worry about this if I was using OG10.

Still, I recommend that you sit down and do a post-mortem, find out what dunked you in during the test. Were you stuck with SC? Or did CR or RC kill you off? Then think further what was the problem? Was it grammar in SC? Or your approach to CR and RC questions? When you're done thinking about these, then you can work out a plan to tackle them.

You can also come down to the verbal forum for discussions. I'm sure you can pick up a few more things by coming down daily for say, an hour?

gmahn · Answer

Yehp,

as ywilfred said, you must find out what's wrong and then find solutions and, above all, a strategy. Once you get that strategy for each kind of question, then it's practicing it again and again until you just get used and suddenly everything is going to be much easier. I just have the feeling that there are a lot of people out there (and I used to be myself) that think that they will improve ONLY by solving exercises, and the more, the better. Somehow that's right, but if you don't think about your mistakes, don't correct them and don't know the basic theories, then it's going to be difficult. And that's why I think MGMAT book is good.

But anyway, good luck! And remember, there's a lot of material out there. Here you some for some weeks (to find explanations, search in these forums and you'll find them).

https://www.gmatclub.com/phpbb/viewtopic ... ght=sc1000

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640 booo... Should I retest..ahhh

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