7 Weeks Until My Test, Any Advice?

Question

Hi all,

I have 7 weeks until my test and I am looking for some advice/easing of the mind if getting a 680+ is feasible. I just invested in a tutor that will hopefully help a bit.

I took one test to get a base score after going thru the MGMAT books and got a 590 two weeks back.

I just recently took my second MGMAT test today and got a 610 Q-42, V-32. Quant is not my concern, timing played a role and my mistakes were due to feeling rushed. This will improve will more time/exposure/practice.

Verbal is my crutch. I have been really focusing on SC because it is something I knew I would be weaker at. I am definitely improving and feel much more comfortable than when I began 4 or so weeks ago.

RC I also struggled with on this test (6/12 right). I have not practiced much here, but I plan to hone in here.

CR is no problem I got maybe 3 wrong from both tests combined.

Any advice/resources on SC/RC. I am looking to get a 39/40 on V. If I can achieve that I know I can reach my target score!

Any advice is greatly appreciated and thank you!

Posted from my mobile device

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi mtm2353,

Many Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores, so if you've been studying for just 4 weeks, then you should not expect to have mastered anything just yet. Based on the timeline that you've described, you could potentially improve a great deal and hit your Score Goal - but you'll have to be really efficient with the time that you have.

Before I can offer you the specific advice that you’re looking for, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

Studies:
1) What study materials have you used so far?
2) What Tactics has your tutor taught you for the Verbal section?

Goals:
3) What is your exact Test Date? 
4) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
5) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

ziyadttp · Answer

Hi,
Even I’m in the same boat. I found the Powerscore GMAT Reading Comprehension bible even though quite long helped me build up my confidence for RC.
Not sure about what to do for SC. I’m currently using the Manhattan SC book. The book covers a wide range of rules that are being tested in GMAT. However it’s quite long. Not sure if it will help you if you already know the grammar rules.

Posted from my mobile device

mtm2353 · Answer

Hi Rich,

So far I have gone through the MGMAT Books and am currently going through all OG questions.

My tutors has so far gone over a lot of the logic for the CR, and helped break down many SC. Not too much RC yet we have only met 2x.

My test date is Aug 17
I plan to apply in late October for MsF programs
I am targeting Vanderbilt, USC, Wash U, UT Austin and a few more

Posted from my mobile device

mtm2353 · Answer

I will take a look at Powerscore.

For me MGMAT has been a great resource for the SC, providing the concepts. For me practicing problems has helped me so much idiomatically and my confidence has improved drastically since I have begun prep. I really am lacking in the 700-800 level difficulty problems right now.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi mtm2353,

Since you're already working with a tutor, you might want to focus on the concepts that that Tutor has taught you - and not try to rush into any subjects that you two have not worked on yet. From what you describe, your immediate study plan is 'book heavy'; unfortunately, many Test Takers who study in that way end up getting 'stuck' at a particular score level. Even the best books are limited in what they can teach you; they also can't force you to approach questions in a certain way and their explanations are often one-sided. It's clearly too early to know for sure whether you'll get stuck or not, but it's possible that you'll end up needing to invest in some additional, non-book resources at some point.

You should plan to take a new FULL-LENGTH CAT after your next tutoring session - and make sure to take it in a realistic fashion (take the FULL CAT - with the Essay and IR sections, take it away from your home, at the same time of day as when you'll take the Official GMAT, etc.). Once you have that score, you should report back here and we can discuss the results and how you might adjust your studies.

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

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi mtm2353,

610 is a nice start. While it’s possible that you can improve 70 points in 7 weeks, you may find that you need more time. If necessary, would you be able to take the GMAT at a later date? In any case, here is some advice you can follow to improve your SC and RC skills. I’ll start with SC.

There are three aspects to getting correct answers to GMAT Sentence Correction questions: what you know, such as grammar rules, what you see, such as violations of grammar rules and the logic of sentence structure, and what you do, such as carefully considering each answer choice in the context of the non-underlined portion of the sentence. To drive up your Sentence Correction score, you likely will have to work on all three of those aspects. Furthermore, the reason that your Sentence Correction performance has not improved is likely that you have not been working on all three of those aspects. 
 
Regarding what you know, to be successful in Sentence Correction, first and foremost, you MUST know your grammar rules. Let's be clear, though: GMAT Sentence Correction is not just a test of knowledge of grammar rules. The reason for learning grammar rules is so that you can determine what sentences convey and whether sentences are well-constructed. In fact, in many cases, incorrect answers to Sentence Correction questions are grammatically flawless. Thus, often your task is to use your knowledge of grammar rules to determine which answer choice creates the most logical sentence meaning and structure.
 
This determination of whether sentences are well-constructed and logical is the second aspect of finding correct answers to Sentence Correction questions, what you see. To develop this skill, you probably have to slow way down. You won't develop this skill by spending under two minutes per question. For a while, anyway, you have to spend time with each question, maybe even ten or fifteen minutes on one question sometimes, analyzing every answer choice until you see the details that you have to see in order to choose the correct answer. As you go through the answer choices, consider the meaning conveyed by each version of the sentence. Does the meaning make sense? Even if you can tell what the version is SUPPOSED to convey, does the version really convey that meaning? Is there a verb to go with the subject? Do all pronouns in the sentence clearly refer to nouns in the sentence? By slowing way down and looking for these details, you learn to see what you have to see in order to clearly understand which answer to a Sentence Correction question is correct.
 
There is only one correct answer to any Sentence Correction question, there are clear reasons why that choice is correct and the others are not, and those reasons are not that the correct version simply "sounds right." In fact, the correct version often sounds a little off at first. That correct answers may sound a little off is not surprising. Find If the correct answers were always the ones that sounded right, then most people most of the time would get Sentence Correction questions correct, without really knowing why the wrong answers were wrong and the correct answers were correct. So, you have to go beyond choosing what "sounds right" and learn to clearly see the logical reasons why one choice is better than all of the others.
 
As for the third aspect of getting Sentence Correction questions correct, what you do, the main thing you have to do is be very careful. You have to make sure that you are truly considering the structures of sentences and the meanings conveyed rather than allowing yourself to be tricked into choosing trap answers that sound right but don't convey meanings that make sense. You also have to make sure that you put some real energy into finding the correct answers. Finding the correct answer to a Sentence Correction question may take bouncing from choice to choice repeatedly until you start to see the differences between the choices that make all choices wrong except for one. Often, when you first look at the choices in a Sentence Correction question, only one or two seem obviously incorrect. It may take time for you to see what you have to see. Getting the right answers takes a certain work ethic. You have to be determined to see the differences and to figure out the precise reasons that one choice is correct.
 
To improve what you do when you answer Sentence Correction questions, seek to become aware of how you are going about answering them. For instance, are you being careful and looking for logic and details, or are you quickly eliminating choices that sound a little off and then choosing the best of the rest? If you choose an incorrect answer, consider what you did that resulted in your arriving at that answer and what you could do differently in order to arrive at correct answers more consistently. Furthermore, see how many questions you can get correct in a row as you practice. If you break your streak by missing one, consider what you could have done differently that would have extended your streak.

To improve in Reading Comprehension, you need to focus on understanding what you are reading. When you are incorrectly answering Reading Comprehension questions, it’s partly because you do not truly understand what you have just read, right? Thus, you likely have to slow down in order to (eventually) speed up. At this point, your best bet is to focus on getting the correct answers to questions, taking as much time as you need to see key details and understand the logic of what you are reading. You have to learn to comprehend what you read, keep it all straight, and use what you are reading to arrive at correct answers. If you don't understand something, go back and read it one sentence at a time, even one word at a time, not moving on until you understand what you have just read. There is no way around this work. Your goal should be to take all the time you need to understand exactly what is being said and arrive at the correct answer. If you can learn to get answers taking your time, you can learn to speed up. Answering questions is like any task: The more times you do it carefully and successfully, the faster you become at doing it carefully and successfully.

Another component of understanding what you are reading is being “present” when reading. Don’t worry about how things are going at work, or what you will eat for dinner, or even how long you are taking to read through the passage. Just focus on what is in front of you, word by word, line by line. Furthermore, try to make reading fun. For example, even if you are reading about a topic that bores you, pretend that you are the person making the argument. By doing so, you will make the passage more relatable to YOU, and ultimately you should be able to read with greater focus.

One final component of Reading Comprehension that may be tripping you up is that RC questions contain one or more trap answers that seem to answer the question but don't really. So, a key part of training to correctly answer RC questions is learning to notice the differences between trap answers and correct answers. You have to learn to see how trap answers seem to follow from what the passages say, but don't really, while correct answers fit what the passages say exactly. Of course, the better you become at noticing the differences between trap answer choices and correct answers, the faster you will answer RC questions.

If you have any further questions, feel free to reach out.

Good luck!

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