GMAT 620 (70) Q48(82) V28(47) - Please help.

Question

Hi Experts,

I did prepare, however results show my preps weren't enough. Please guide me how to up my scores, i want atleast a 700+.
I have 6+ yrs exp in IT.

thx,
mave

enkie · Answer

Well it looks like you don't need much help in Quant but your verbal is very weak. Without you giving much information to go on, I am going to assume that it is because your verbal foundation is weak. I would advise starting from the basics and get yourself a Kaplan verbal foundations workbook, then go through the Manhattan Sentence Correction guide. After that, get the Critical Reasoning Bible, and then do as many Reading Comprehension practice questions as possible (good place for verbal questions: official guide and the official verbal review).

enkie · Answer

Correction, do as many verbal questions as possible, not just reading comprehension questions. Official Guide and Official verbal review will give you lots and lots of practice.

mave23 · Answer

Thanks so much for your reply, i was devastated of sorts so did not write much, I had following results in preps:
GMAT Prep#1 : 690 (Dont remember the verbal score but Quant was 51)
GMAT Prep#2 : 710 (Q49 V38)
so wasn't expecting less than 700.

During the exam today i made a silly mistake in the quant section in one the DS questions i checked and confirmed option B when i had deduced that it was C. Had that not happened i might have touched the coveted 50.

In the verbal i was miserable, I could not figure right from wrong in the SC questions, SC has always been my weakest, i spent so much time on each SC prob that when i saw the clock it was 2:30 mins and 4 questions remaining, i panicked and messed up all of them am sure. There was barely anytime to read let alone think & answer.

I studied OG 12th ed and OG Verbal Guide as well, CR was with ~80-90% accuracy, RC with ~70-80% but SC was ~50%. I am buying MGMAT SC and also the Kaplan verbal foundations. I should have become member of this forum before my exam.

Your feedback is much appreciated, just one more question does multiple attempts at GMAT go against a candidate?

Thanks a lot,
mave.

enkie · Answer

I share your same frustration. I was VERY weak in SC in the beginning, and now I think it's my strongest section. I moved to the US when I was 12 and never learned proper grammar. In my opinion starting first with Kaplan verbal foundation was absolutely the best thing for me, because it explained all the grammar rules well. Then I moved onto MGMAT's SC guide because it was more GMAT specific. I think you should consider doing it in that order.

good luck to you!

gablaze23 · Answer

I shot my verbal from around 19V to 37V in like 2 months. Now I am trying to get into that 40V+ level. If your English is generally ok (I mean you can carry conversations, watch english movies) then I'd recommend the following:

A.) Do problems in blocks of 5 in OG Verbal and OG 12

B.) Read and understand the explanations carefully, even if you get them wrong.

A.) Do problems in blocks of 5 in OG Verbal and OG 12

B.) Read and understand the explanations carefully, even if you get them wrong.

mave23 · Answer

Thanks started re-preparing again.. will keep you posted and ask for more tips.. kudos to you..

mave23 · Answer

Thanks am buying the MGMAT SC right away along with the test preps. Kudos to you..

enkie · Answer

Good luck! let us know how you do!

FutureWorks · Answer

Hi there

There are various ways you can use to practise for your GMAT. It could be combination of online classes, coaching institutes, practise books and even smart phone applications. Having this combination will be giving you access to different styles and it won’t be monotonous for you.

Dedicate some time to study daily through these different methods. Probably practising the tests will help you gauge your performance and you would know if you are satisfied with your score or not.

mave23 · Answer

Hi Enkie,

Well re-prep is going on, am studying the MGMAT SC book as you suggested. Recently i wrote the first MGMAT practice test and my V score rose to 35 (from 28 in my actual GMAT-1), i am still not happy with the SC though i could get only 8/15 correct. I mostly make mistakes in idioms, any advice how to improve upon them.

One more question in the MGMAT i scored 22/41 correct in the verbal section and the V score was 35 - is the MGMAT scoring pattern similar to actual GMAT? Or is this an inflated score?

Like always thanks for your help.
-Mave.

enkie · Answer

I think MGMAT is comparable but the most accurate score indication will come from how you do on the official GMAT practice tests. In my opinion, MGMAT's questions are more similar to the actual GMAT than Kaplan's is. In my practice tests, I did do better in MGMAT than official gmat tests. I scored 770 in MGMAT, and 710/720 on official GMAT test. (and a 550 on KAPLAN! wtf?)

I had trouble with idioms in the beginning too. I think there is no short cut around that other than review, review, review. I printed out a list of idioms and reviewed them every morning on my bus ride to work, during lunch, and when I went home. But do give yourself a break every few days to let your brain recharge. Another thing that I found really helpful was recording my idiom mistakes from my SC practice questions -- for some reason, whatever idioms i got wrong, once I review it, I don't get wrong again -- i think it really helps me remember it.

How are your other areas like RC and CR?

mave23 · Answer

Wow thanks! CR is not really good its just Okay sorts, varies mostly sometimes 65% other time 75% correct answer rate. RC has improved, i bought the MGMAT RC book , it helped (the fact that it said fall in love with passage was funny.. and whenever i read a passage, i remember it, that makes the passage interesting :-)

) Overall i guess i have to go a long way, MGMAT scores are higher than actual GMAT is what i derived from what you've mentioned and experienced. The prob with Official GMAT test is i remember the questions so it just inflates my score. I am thinking of buying tests from CATprep, i've heard they are good. Thanks for you help.. love discussing things with you.. Fond Regards, Mave.

enkie · Answer

No problem. I hope this helps.

Not sure what CR book you are using but I used the PowerScore CR Bible (recommended by the gmatclub forum). That really really helped.

One last thing on SC. I noticed that after I did a ton of practice questions (I think I may have done over 300), it became a pattern recognition game. You would want to get to that point because it will help your speed later and save you on the verbal section (give you more time to tackle difficult RC and CR questions). Good luck! And I would be happy to share a copy of my SC notes - attached. Hope it is useful.

Good luck you will do great!

Attachments

GMATSentenceCorrectionNoteCards.pdf [216.09 KiB]
Downloaded 145 times

Good luck you will do great!

mave23 · Answer

Thanks you are the best!

I have the PowerScore CR Bible its an old version i got from a friend, but yes its good. For the SC i hope my brains are good enough to pick patterns, would love once that happens. The notes are awesome thanks for sharing them.

I will keep you posted with my progress, and will ping you once in a while for advice.

Have a great day ahead!

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GMAT 620 (70) Q48(82) V28(47) - Please help.

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