Desperate plea for help with Verbal Section

Question

Hi

I took GMAT in Sep'15 and scored a 650 (I must admit I was not well prepared).

In my earlier attempt and the mocks I took, I scored a consistent 46-48 in Quant but was stuck at 33-36 in Verbal.

I find CR to be logical and sail through it but SC & RC give me chills and usually because of this fear I end up screwing Verbal Section.

Request if someone can guide me on how to enhance my Verbal Score and if there is any particular course that I should give a shot. I am a working individual and can devote 2 hours on weekdays and 6 hours during the weekend, i.e. around 20-25 hours/week.

In Anticipation
Ruchika

chetan2u · Answer

Hi,
Firstly, it is very important that you do not lose focus on Quant while putting entire emphasis on Verbal. Moving Quant another point or two may help your overall score..

Since you ask for suggestions on improvement in Verbal, don't go blindly on reviews or suggestions. More than wastage of money, it is wastage of time if a course taken in a hurry. A particular course may have supposedly suited someone, as claimed by that person, but may not suit you..
Also look at the standard of instructor and their replies on this and other forum to know of the quality of institutes. the online instructors must be the better ones as they represent/showcase their institutes here. Someone who cannot answer queries in forum properly cannot ensure that you learn anything more than what he/she knows.

what is your present status on SC and RC- which material have you used till now and how much are you devoting to these two topics.
Have you been making error logs and what topics you find difficult in SC..

Regards,
Chetan

ruchi23 · Answer

Hi Chetan

Thanks for the instant revert.

I could gather tips on Quant on this forum and I plan to practice 20-25 sums on a daily basis with emphasis on certain topics like inequality and geometry which are not my strength.

Present status on SC - Read through Aristotle and going through Manhattan SC Guide - I feel lost after awhile and lose interest.
Present status on RC - Nothing to report since I have not followed any particular strategy for this.

Have not maintained error logs.

Materials in my possession:
1) Official Guide 2015
2) Manhattan GMAT Study guides
3) Aristotle SC Grail
4) KAPLAN Premier
5) KAPLAN 800

Also, can you please suggest if I should solve Official Guide - Verbal along with Official Guide 2015 ?

Thanks !

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Ruchika,

Before I can offer you the specific advice that you're looking for, I'd like to know a bit more about your past studies, current studies and timeline/goals:

1) How long did you study before you took your first GMAT?
2) Since you took that GMAT over 7 months ago, what studying have you done SINCE you took the GMAT?

3) What is your goal score?
4) When are you planning to take the GMAT?
5) When are you planning to apply to Business School?

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

ruchi23 · Answer

Hi Rich

Thanks for such prompt response!

1) How long did you study before you took your first GMAT? - Around a month, I lose interest easily in SC & RC.
2) Since you took that GMAT over 7 months ago, what studying have you done SINCE you took the GMAT? - Have started preparing since last week and revising basics as of now.
3) What is your goal score? - Target Range : 710 - 730
4) When are you planning to take the GMAT? Mid July
5) When are you planning to apply to Business School? By Sep end.

Much Appreciation.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Ruchika,

With a planned Test Date in mid-July, you have plenty of time to continue studying and improve. Since it's been some time since you've taken a FULL-LENGTH CAT, it would be helpful to get a sense of your current skills, strengths and weaknesses. As such, I suggest that you take a new CAT soon (perhaps this weekend). Make sure to take the ENTIRE CAT (with the Essay and IR sections) and take it in as realistic and 'test-like' a fashion as possible. Once you have that score, you should report back here and we can talk through your study plan.

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

EducationAisle · Answer

Hi Ruchika! since you mention SC as your concern area, thought I would mention that our sentence correction book  Sentence Correction Nirvana  is perhaps the  only  book that offers a score improvement  guarantee , and is especially designed for  non-native  speakers.

After reading the book  twice  (yes! it's an  academic  book, and so must be read twice in all seriousness, to  reinforce  the concepts), you will start looking forward to solving SC questions!

The book is available on  Flipkart  and  Amazon.in . You might want to refer to these sites, to also read testimonials of how readers have benefited.

If you want to  sample  a chapter before deciding to go ahead with our book, please PM me your mail-id (along with the chapter that you would like to sample) and I will be happy to send that chapter to you by mail. In addition, the entire Grammar section of the book is also available for free preview at  pothi .

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Desperate plea for help with Verbal Section

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