getting nowhere

Question

Hi all, 
I am very stuck in my preparation now. I dont know where I am heading now or whether I am doing right. 

After my low score of 31 in Verbal, I thought I would start about with the Cr1000 document. I am doing questions. I have done about 100 or so, but still I cannot find myself improving. Some questions are right and some are wrong. Of the questions posted in this site, I am getting most of them wrong. Earlier I woul have said to myself that such difficult questions will not come for the real GMAT. But now, I feel that these are the type of questions that will come. Continuing the same way, i dont think I can improve at all. I will make the same mistake as a lot of people. Doing a lot of CRs without really getting the grasp of it.

SpongeBoob · Answer

Are you keeping an error log? That would be a great way to pick up on specific patterns. There's a sticky post in this forum about how to do it. 

Otherwise, I would suggest getting a tutor just for verbal. What strategies have you tried? I liked Princeton Review's verbal strategies best and would suggest them for tutoring. CR is hard to master on your own, if you're really have that much difficulty, so I think tutoring would be your best bet.

selene · Answer

The Verbal part of GMAT is really difficult.. It necessiates both attention and quick reading.

For the SC questions, try to get some basics. As you solve more questions, you will see that usually same topics are questioned; parellelism, S-V agreement, modifiers, redundancy, pronouns, idioms..

To read articles in the same level you come across in the questions, can be helpful for your RC and CR to save up time.

Go on participating in this forum actively. I am sure you will learn more..

And don't feel frustrated

I am sure you can do better after some try.. We all here to try to help eachother :king

remgeo · Answer

Thanks for your encouragement guys. I had made an error log, but probably was not applying it. My problem is that once I know the answer, I lose interest in finding out why that answer was chosen. That is a very bad habit and I HAVE to correct that to do well.

SpongeBoob · Answer

LOL I hear you. The GMAT isn't exactly the most exciting test, and it's not like you're going to learn anything from taking it, so it's hard to stay focused and care about it beyond just getting through it. But in the end persevering will pay off, so try to keep focused and think about the light at the end of the tunnel (getting into your preferred schools!), and you'll get there.

:-D

drummond · Answer

remgeo, at least you know what you're doing wrong. That helps too, if you can train yourself to stop repeating mistakes.

My first diagnostic test was a 550, but the real GMAT gave me 730. There was a lot of sweat and work in between those two scores, in large part because my error log told me what I was doing wrong. When you get an answer right, take a second and make sure you understand the logic of it, and were not just guessing.

willget800 · Answer

i am feeling the same!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i have practiced and practiced.. but no change..
guys i had been off for a week just doing manhatten science.. and guess what.. no improvements..

my problem i am finding is.. i can solve the questions behind each chapter because i know what to look for.. but when i get a question out of the blue.. i dotn know where to start looking for.... LOL..

some one told me manhattan sc should get you to 90% hit rate on sc's.. i am still struggling.. i feel good of the book when i solved the problems behind.. but then today i tried doing their online sc question bank.. i did 25, got 12 wrong.. really bummed.. dont feel like giving gmat......

on top of that the math section seems to have gotten tougher with this new gmat.. in princeton practice tests i get 49 in math.. but i fear thats not an indication anymore with the real gmat after hearing other experiences.. overall i am down because i am not able to IMPROVE MY OVERALL SCORE EVEN AFTER DOING THE FOLLOWING:
kaplan : all four, the main book, greg/gmat math workout and verbal workout, 800gmat
princeton, all three, main, math and verbal workout..
OG 11th edition: CoMPLETE DONE
manhattan: sc, and all 5 math books!

I have done only one practice test.. because I am afraid to do more.. since I keep getting 70% in sc, 80% in cr and 80% in rc.. but not able to improve from that position for almost 3-4 months!!!!!

what should i do guys??????????
i was hopeful after reading the forum that do MANHATTAN SC.. and I was feeling like iI will improve..

maybe i am doing something fundamentally WRONG. Because i know each sc concept by itself.. but integrate that to a sentence I get lost..

PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!!

Almost ready to quit... i feel like everything i do in life i am almost there and not yet there you know.. from high school till now.. now i feel like this is my last test to prove to myself.. i am getting old too.. i am 26.. would like to get into top ivy league mba next year and by 29 done with mba...... the pressure seems to mount more and more!!!!!
i know i can do it.. it is just one bit in my brain to go from 0 to 1. and then i know all scs will click.. BUT WHEN WILL THAT TURN TO 1?

SpongeBoob · Answer

willget800, I would strongly suggest you get a verbal tutor ASAP. A skilled instructor can help you figure out where you're going wrong, and get you back on track (not just for that, but for your confidence as well).

Good luck!

willget800 · Answer

thanks... where do i get a verbal tutor? do you get only for specific gmat?
should i consider any of these kaplan/princeton classes for verbal?

haddy74 · Answer

i think spongeBoob herself/himself is a verbal tutor....or at least she/he plans on doing it in near future... :-D

haddy74 · Answer

by the way, i have the very same problem with CR.........5 months and no improvement whatsoever.........i have even kept an error log but of no use....some days, i would be able to do really well but most of the time, i pick the wrong choice out of the final two...and i have really really tried to understand the concept...i know exactly what an argument is, what would the conculsion.....what exactly inference means.......assumptions.....blah blah....but still can not solve the tough questions.......OG Crs are relatively easier except few........anyway, i am feeling like quitting...it is not working.....no life for 5 months....and funny thing is that now if i do more practice, i get even worst.........i hate CR.....

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