Advice Appreciated

Question

I have about 22 days left before I take my first GMAT. Yesterday I took the first mock test and got 600(QT-44, V-28). I struggled to get Sentence Correction q's right, it has always been the problem. I am decent in RC and have noticed to get the tricky CR q's wrong. I mainly used the free videos of GMAT pills and Veritas Prep for SC. They have helped me to improve but on the mock test, I wasn't able to pinpoint on the decision-making points.

Honestly I was surprised with QT as I don't consider myself to be good in math, however, I found out that I could have scored even more. I mainly found out that I had problems with DS (because I wasn't taking all the possibilities or wasn't factoring big numbers for x).

Another issue I faced was that I was crunched for time, I guess I raced 4-5 questions in Verbal with an RC set at the end and did the same with 3-4 quant questions.
I believe I take too much time in SC and not enough time in DS Questions. Just wanted to know how I can improve on the same. I know I'm not bad at English, it's just the grammar part which I honestly haven't learned. The OG has too many terms that I don't know and hence I refer to this forum to know why my answer choices in SC were wrong.

I am Targeting a score of 710 but I will settle for 680+.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi 2514054,

Since you've taken just one CAT/mock, we don't have much of a basis for comparison, so it's not clear whether this Score represents your current 'ability level' or not. Raising a 600 to the point that you can consistently score 680+ will likely require at least another 2 months of consistent, guided study - and you'll have to make significant improvements to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections. Thankfully, the GMAT is a consistent, predictable Exam, so you CAN train to score at a higher level. With just 22 days of study remaining, there will likely be a limit to how much you can improve, so you might want to consider pushing back your Test Date. There's certainly no harm in taking the GMAT as scheduled, but you can save some money and aggravation by pushing back your Test Date and continuing to study.

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) How long have you studied in total?
2) What study materials have you used besides the ones that you used for SC?

Goals:
3) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
4) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

2514054 · Answer

*******************
Hey Rich,
Thank you for taking out the time for me.

*I started preparing in Jan this year, but I wasn't able to continue due to work commitments. However, I have been consistent since May(full-time studies only). I have prepared for a similar CAT exam back in India about a year and a half back but I couldn't give the test as I had to relocate to the USA. I have been staying in OK for over a year now and hence I would settle for 680 to get into Oklahoma University ( being a resident), but I would appreciate a higher score to justify a move out of the state. I am targeting any of the lower colleges in the top 50`s (I know I don't have a strong application).

*Honestly, I would love to join in the spring (if possible) or next fall.

*I have been using the OG to practice questions of all the sections. I have completed QUANTS completely in the 1st account ( ie redoing wrong questions) and have just completed 1 round of Verbal. I still have the Quant and Verbal review left to be done. I also was planning to solve more questions available on this forum. I have used/using dzyubam`s verbal book, Bunuel`s quant megathread to brush up on concepts and learn new things along the way.

I don't want to delay the test day( as I will be working full time once the new semester starts), but I will if I must to save money and hassle. I think I might give another go at the practice test next week and if I get around the lower 620s I guess I should delay the test, does it sound right?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi 2514054,

The process of taking (and reviewing) a CAT requires a significant amount of energy and effort - and takes time to 'recover' from. This is one of the reasons why you typically shouldn't take more than 1 CAT per week - and your last CAT should be taken about 1 week before Test Day. In addition, each CAT is really a 'measuring device' - when used correctly, it will give you a realistic score and help define your strengths and weaknesses, but it will NOT help you to fix any of those weaknesses. To raise your scores, you have to learn the necessary Tactics and put in the proper practice and repetitions. The CAT will show you whether your studies are helping you to improve or not. As such, you really shouldn't take more than 1 FULL CAT per week. Since you took a CAT yesterday, you shouldn't rush in to take another CAT too soon (I recommend that you take one next weekend - and you can spend this week on additional practice and review).

1) What is the minimal GMAT Score that you would apply with?
2) Going forward, how many hours do you think you can consistently study each week? When does the next semester start - and how many hours will you have to study once that occurs?

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

2514054 · Answer

***********
Hey Rich,

I was planning to watch a few videos of Thursdays with Ron to get some more insight into better understanding SC and I have never employed any strategy for CR( because in the initial diagnosis I got an above average score) so this time I will focus on the Tactics used by others. The minimum score I could go with is 680, however, my target is 710. I will be spending close to 8+ hrs of studies and watching videos here on out (previously it was 5.5 hrs).  College reopens on Aug 15th so I am looking at postponing the exam to that date  I just rescheduled to Oct 18th . Once college reopens I will be able to give 3-4 hours for studies.

Would you recommend me to postpone my exam date even further? Also are there any other content in this forum that could help me which I might have missed out on? Or a course of action to improve?

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi 2514054,

I’m glad to see that you plan to push back your GMAT. Regarding when to actually take the GMAT, you should wait to schedule your exam until you are comfortably scoring 680+ on your practice exams. Also, since you scored V28/Q44, you likely have more weaknesses than just Data Sufficiency and Sentence Correction that are dragging down your GMAT score. Would you like some general advice on how to improve your GMAT quant and verbal skills?

Lastly, you may find it helpful to read this article:  How to Score a 700+ on the GMAT — A Mini Guide for Success .

Good luck!

2514054 · Answer

********
Hey Scott,

Firstly thanks for taking the time to reply, much appreciated. I do remember reading your article in Jan this year when I was scouting for strategies to cross 700. Reading the article again reminded me of some important points I forgot along the way.

Marinating over my test, I realized that it wasn't just SC but also CR had contributed negatively to my Verbal score. Using my Ear in English had gotten me this far but in GMAT/SC, it requires serious detection skills ie the type of question and some grammar rules. I realized that in CR the inference questions were disguised very well and since in most cases I didn't understand the question I would spend extra time aimlessly staring at the options waiting for them to speak out to me. My strength in Verbal surprisingly is RC, except for some history passages of civil wars or of feminism.

In Quant I couldn't draw out any more conclusions, they tested me on obscure Coordinate geometry (testing perpendicular means the slope is multiplied by -1, which I have done but ages ago in college) and functions which I didn't know were tested. Apart from DS and a few careless conceptual errors I couldn't read much into it.

I would love to get your perspective on this and maybe if you could shed some light into what kind of resource materials (that are available here) I should religiously follow. Lastly, bits of advice are always appreciated.

Thanking you in anticipation,
2514054 (In case you are wondering, that was my Starbucks Partner ID, I quit this second job in Jan to study for GMAT)

CAMANISHPARMAR · Answer

For Data Sufficiency (DS) questions you must have a very strong understanding of the Number Properties, Fractions, Decimals, and Percents, Word Problems, Algebra and Geometry concepts because DS questions test you on these concepts. At the same time just knowing these concepts might not be sufficient.

Things to keep in mind:-

1) Read and make a note of all the important information given in the question stem. For e.g. note whether only an integer is mentioned, or positive integer, negative integer, a non negative integer or nothing is mentioned. Your success in getting to the right answer majorly depends upon how well you read the question stem and relate your basic math knowledge to the question in hand.

2) If you understand what is given in the question stem clearly then you will avoid a lot of silly mistakes.

3) Don't carry the information provided in one statement to another statement while evaluating either statement individually.

4) If possible try to rephrase the question in simple words. This will help you analyze the statements relatively easily.

5) Start with the easier statement and then tackle the difficult statement.

6) Maintain and review the error log to avoid the same mistakes again and again.

7) General prep strategy for Data Sufficiency (DS) questions is that there is no need to solve the equations or do the math. But sometimes, especially in case of quadratic equations and same equations (parallel lines), completing the calculations might be useful. Only where you are confident that there cannot be a trap here then you don't need to do the complete calculations.

8) Reviewing the basic concepts again and again for DS questions is very important. Laying a strong math foundation is very important to evaluate various scenarios. Try to draw tables/scenario chart for evaluating various possibilities.

9) Test numbers systematically. Use a standard set of numbers during your practice sessions so that this becomes a habit. After reading the constraints mentioned in question stem and the 2 statements, you could test for (assuming no constraints) -2,−3/2,-1,−1/2,0, 1/2, 1, 3/2 and 2.

Last but not least, regular Practice and Learning from your mistakes is the key to become more and more successful for data sufficiency questions.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi 2514054,

Rescheduling your Official GMAT for October 18th is a really smart choice. You'll have far more time to properly prepare for the GMAT (and you'll have a far better shot at a 710+ with this additional study time) - which is good. You'll want to be efficient with your studies going forward (and depending on how you study, you might get to your 'goal level' before October).

Based on everything that you’ve described, I think that you would find the EMPOWERgmat Total Score Booster to be quite helpful. Most of our clients complete that Study Plan in under 2 months, so the time commitment wouldn't be that bad. Your focus during this next phase of your studies has to be about learning and practicing the proper Tactics, so accuracy and precision comes first (and speed/pacing will occur over time). We have a variety of free resources on our site (www.empowergmat.com), so you can 'test out' the Course before setting up an Account.

If you have any additional questions, then just let me know (and you can feel free to contact me directly).

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

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Love your username

To be honest, I would not read too much into your test. Remember, you are dealing with a small sample size of only 31 quant and 36 verbal questions. The main takeaways are that you need to improve your Sentence Correction and Critical Reasoning skills, and also fill in quant knowledge gaps. As for how to improve those skills, let’s start with Critical Reasoning. To improve in Critical Reasoning, you first need to master the individual topics: Strengthen the Argument, Weaken the Argument, Resolve the Paradox, etc. As you learn about each question type, do focused practice so you can track your skill in answering each type. If, for example, you get a weakening question wrong, ask yourself why. Did you make a careless mistake? Did you not recognize the specific question type? Were you doing too much analysis in your head? Did you skip over a keyword in an answer choice? You must thoroughly analyze your mistakes and seek to turn weaknesses into strengths by focusing on the question types you dread seeing and the questions you take a long time to answer correctly. Another major mistake that people make when training for CR is that they do practice questions too fast. To get Critical Reasoning questions correct, you have to see exactly what's going on in the passages and answer choices, and you likely won't learn to do so by spending a few minutes on each question. At this stage of your training, you may need to spend even fifteen minutes on each question, learning to see what there is to see. Here is a way to look at this process: If you get a new job in a field in which you are not experienced, you may not be as fast as the other people working with you, but you know you have a job to do and you make sure you learn all the angles, so that you do the job well, if not as quickly as those around you. Rushing through the job and doing it incorrectly would not make sense. Then, as you gain more experience, you learn to do the same job more quickly. Think of Critical Reasoning questions similarly. Your job is to do what? To get through questions quickly? Not really. Your job is to get correct answers. So, first you have to learn to get correct answers, generally at least 10 to 15 in a row consistently, and more in a row would be better. That is your job, and if it takes you 15 minutes per question to get correct answers consistently, then so be it. Only after you have learned to get correct answers consistently can you work on speeding up. Working quickly but not doing your job is useless. Better to work slowly and learn to do your job well. You can be sure that with experience, you will learn to speed up, and then you still will be doing your job well, i.e., getting correct answers consistently. Regarding Sentence Correction, 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 likely is 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 clearly refer to nouns? 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. If the correct answer were always the one 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 logical meanings. You also have to make sure that you put some real energy into finding the correct answers. Finding the correct answer 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, only one or two seem obviously incorrect. Getting the right answers takes a certain work ethic. You have to take the time 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. 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 to extend your streak. Although your quant is stronger than your verbal, to improve your quant score to a 48+ level, you’ll need to engage in topical, focused practice. For example, if you are reviewing Number Properties, be sure that you practice 50 or more questions just from Number Properties: LCM, GCF, units digit patterns, divisibility, remainders, etc. When you are working on learning to answer questions of a particular type, start off taking your time, and then seek to speed up as you get more comfortable answering questions of that type. As you do such practice, do a thorough analysis of each question that you don't get right. If you got a remainder question wrong, ask yourself why. Did you make a careless mistake? Did you not properly apply the remainder formula? Was there a concept you did not understand in the question? By carefully analyzing your mistakes, you will be able to efficiently fix your weaknesses and in turn improve your GMAT quant skills. Number Properties is just one example; follow this process for all quant topics. Each time you strengthen your understanding of a topic and your skill in answering questions of a particular type, you increase your odds of hitting your score goal. You know that there are types of questions that you are happy to see, types that you would rather not see, and types that you take a long time to answer correctly. Learn to more effectively answer the types of questions that you would rather not see, and make them into your favorite types. Learn to correctly answer in two minutes or less questions that you currently take five minutes to answer. By finding, say, a dozen weaker quant areas and turning them into strong areas, you will make great progress toward hitting your quant score goal. If a dozen areas turn out not to be enough, strengthen some more areas. So, work on accuracy and generally finding correct answers, work on specific weaker areas one by one to make them strong areas, and when you take a practice GMAT or the real thing, take all the time per question available to do your absolute best to get right answers consistently. The GMAT is essentially a game of seeing how many right answers you can get in the time allotted. Approach the test with that conception in mind, and focus intently on the question in front of you with one goal in mind: getting a CORRECT answer. In order to follow the path described above, you may need some new verbal and quant materials, so take a look at the GMAT Club reviews for the best verbal and quant courses . Feel free to reach out with any further questions.

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