A week for GMAT

Question

Hi all,

I have been preparing for gmat for more than 9 months now. The preparation started with a lot of casualness towards GMAT and slowly gained rythm. But working full time the study wasn't consistent throughout with many gaps in preparation. Finally after rescheduling my GMAT exam twice, I have decided to give my GMAT on 19th august....
I have given many mocks during my prep phase but the results are not encouraging.
Being an Indian male aiming 700+, I am stuck at a score plateau of 600-620 range in almost all the mocks with weakness in Verbal section.
I have a consistent score of 48-49 in quant but verbal is a matter of concern.
In verbal my score range from 24-27.
I have taken egmat verbal online course also but have not utilised it enough.
I desire for a full time MBA with high ROI. Since only one week for exam is left, I am not hoping for a miracle to happen. I just want that my verbal score crosses the 30 point mark, so that I can score a decent 660+.

Any advice for the final week guys.... This GMAT mode has reached its saturation level.
I have good academics and 4 years works experience from a reputed automobile company in India.
Need advice on how to increase my verbal score from 25 to 30 within a week's time. My accuracy during general practice is above 70% in SC, RC and CR but in test environment it gets hampered....

Need help guys...

Thanks in advance

Rohit

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EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Rohit,

Do you have the flexibility to push back your Test Date (even if it's just for a few weeks)? I ask because you still have a bit of time choose to reschedule (and pay the $50 rescheduling fee). Since you've been studying 'your way' for the last 9 months, it's likely going to take more than just 1 week for you to learn the necessary Tactics and 'fix' all of the little issues that are keeping you from scoring higher in the Verbal section.

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

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi Rohit,

My first thought is that you may consider pushing back your test date until you can develop a new study routine that will allow you to better learn GMAT verbal. Remember, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing again and again, but expecting different results. So - we need to figure out what you’ve been doing - both right and wrong - and get you on a better, more productive path. I have a few questions for you:

1) Can you provide us with the dates and score breakdowns from your Official GMAT prep practice exams? When you took the practice tests, did you take them under realistic conditions (e.g. in a quiet environment, no extended breaks)? Did you complete the entire CAT, including the IR and Essay sections in one sitting?
 
2) Describe your study routine. What resources have you been using to study? How many hours a day have you studied over the 9 months? Have you used only one study resource for verbal?

3) Describe your routine for practicing GMAT verbal questions. Are you timing yourself? Are you doing problem sets focusing on just one concept or topic at a time? Do you know what type of questions give you the most trouble?
 
4) What are the MBA programs to which you plan to apply? What deadlines are you targeting?
 
Don’t give up, Rohit! I know you can conquer this test - we’ll get this figured out together.

rohitrawat9990 · Answer

Hi scott,

Thanks for replying my query.
I gave a full length Gmat prep mock with no extended breaks and scored a 670.

Break up is Q49 V33

I have focussed on 1st 20 questions and got only 4 incorrect in first 20, while on the remaining 21 i got 11 wrong...
This led to V33.

Your feedback and suggestion is welcomed. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160815/8c4c09e1891f567a9b8f6f6df57de709_thumb.jpg

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ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi Rohit,

Since you are not quite at your score goal, are you willing to push your test to a later date or do you plan to take it on August 19th? I ask because it does take time to improve your GMAT verbal skills.

First off, you might first consider analyzing each incorrect Sentence Correction question from your most recent CAT. When analyzing each question, be sure to determine the particular grammar rule(s) that you overlooked: pronouns, subject/verb agreement, comparisons, modifiers, idioms, etc. Once you complete your analysis, go back and review your notes from your weakest topics. After your review, consider doing some more focused SC practice, to find and fix any remaining weak areas. By also following this routine for Critical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension you should be able to find and fix your remaining verbal weaknesses. 
 
Once your weakest verbal areas have been addressed, you may want to take another few practice exams to track your progress. As above, once complete, analyze your mistakes and figure out remedies for them. If, after your next practice exam, you find that you are still struggling with verbal, you might consider looking for a new study resource to get you back on track.

Keep in mind that my suggestions are geared more towards a later test date. So definitely let me know what you decide to do in regard to your August 19th GMAT.

chaitanya87 · Answer

Hi Rohit 
On the exam day , keep your focus on quant too. Since you are good in quant, with proper review of error log (if you have one) you can touch 50 and with luck 51. This will reduce some stress on the verbal part. By now you may be familiar with the weaker areas in sc , cr and rc and individual sections. I suggest you concentrate more on the first 20 questions. In the remaining questions , concentrate on the questions which you're confident. This way you may reduce the no of incorrect. Follow this method if you are not willing to postpone your date.

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rohitrawat9990 · Answer

Hi scott

You were right... gave my GMAT 1 today

score 600 q47 v26 ....

don't know what's happening....

really disappointed....

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EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Rohit,

With a Verbal Scaled Score in the mid-20s, you're likely missing out on some big points in at least 2 of the 3 major Verbal categories (SC, RC and CR). The question is whether your big 'issue' is in content/knowledge or in your Tactics (although it's likely a mix of the two). After all of the study time that you've put in, and the lack of improvement in the Verbal section, some type of change has to occur - to score 700+, you'll almost certainly need to learn/practice some new Tactics and learn to 'see' the Verbal section in a new way.

I have a few questions about how you took your practice CATs:

1) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT each time (including the Essay and IR sections)?
2) Did you take them at home?
3) Did you take them at the same time of day as your Official GMAT?
4) Did you ever do ANYTHING during your CATs that you couldn't do on Test Day (pause the CAT, skip sections, take longer breaks, etc.)? 
5) Did you ever take a CAT more than once? Had you seen any of the questions BEFORE?

Thankfully, the Verbal section of the GMAT is as consistent and predictable as the Quant section is, so you CAN train to score at a higher level.

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

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi Rohit,

Although you have been studying for the GMAT for quite some time, there must be some fundamental issues in your studying that are not allowing you to improve your GMAT verbal knowledge. Remember, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing again and again, but expecting different results. So, given that you have not been able to improve your verbal score, you might consider changing up your study routine.

What makes the GMAT such a challenging exam is that there are relatively few questions asked in a given exam, yet those questions come from a huge topic pool. Thus, the best way to get a great GMAT score is to have a thorough understanding of all the topics that may be tested on the exam. To develop such mastery, you want to strive for linear and targeted learning and follow that with focused practice. In other words, you want to master one topic before you move to the next. Have you been able to study in this way?

For example, when studying verbal focus on learning one section at a time: reading comprehension, sentence correction, or critical reasoning. When learning about critical reasoning, you want to be able to learn about all aspects of critical reasoning: strengthen and weaken the conclusion, resolve the paradox, find the conclusion, must be true, etc. Follow up your learning with focused critical reasoning practice, so you can determine your specific weaknesses within that topic. You should follow a similar routine for sentence correction and reading comprehension.

By following this approach, you should be able to get a firmer grasp on the verbal and begin to improve your score.

Do you have a timeline in mind of when you have to retake the GMAT? Feel free to reach back out to me directly with any questions. I’m happy to help.

rohitrawat9990 · Answer

Hi Rich,
The answers to your queries are as follows:

1. Yes,I gave entire CATs including IR, AWA.
2. Yes,I took them at home.
3. Yes,The timing is more or less the same +-30 min as the GMAT exam.
4. No, there were nothing as such that I couldn't do in the EXAM, except to talk to my mom during breaks.
5. No, I have only taken fresh CATs every time.

Rohit

rohitrawat9990 · Answer

Hi scott,

Thanks for your advice, I also think that "I am Jack of all but master of none".

I am planning to give my GMAT2 in last week of september.

Rohit

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Rohit,

From your prior post, there's one potential 'red flag' in how you took your CATs. Before we talk about that in more detail though, I have a few additional questions about the lead-up to Test Day and Test Day itself:

1) What did you do in the 3 days before your GMAT?
2) How did you sleep the night before your Test?
3) How long was the ride to the Test Center from your home?
4) Were there any distractions at the facility or during the Test?
5) What did you do during the two 8-minute breaks?
6) Did you finish any sections early?
7) Did you have to rush to finish any sections (and guess on questions just to finish on time)?

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

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