VatsSaraf wrote:
hello
GMATNinjaI am scoring around V34 and I am stuck, I know most of the rules regarding all the 3 sub-sections and many times I have great accuracy even in the 700 level question too, but it is not reflected in my test score (Not to mention there are days when my accuracy is very low and I get questions wrong that I would have generally got correct). I know a part of it is time pressure, but I think there is more to work on before dealing with time pressure. How can I overcome this inconsistency?
also can you give general idea what mistakes do students usually make who score in mid 30s like me?
I have lifted my score to mid 30s because of your videos thank you for that
I'm glad that the videos have been helpful!
Unfortunately, there isn't a really satisfying way to answer your question, because I can't tell you what particular issues are causing you to be stuck at a V34. There are any number of things that cause underperformance on the verbal section, and sadly there's no "one-size-fits-all" solution that works equally for every student.
It does sound like you've identified three key areas of concern -- inconsistent results on homework, time management issues, and test-day pressure.
Inconsistency in homework resultsInconsistency is usually caused by a couple of things: either your process itself is inconsistent (you do something different on different days when solving the same kinds of problems), or other external factors are impacting your results (inconsistent sleep, diet, exercise, stress, etc).
To nail down any inconsistencies in process, we recommend starting with these articles about
SC,
CR, and
RC basics. These aren't substantially different from what is discussed in the videos, but can help you refocus on the nuts and bolts of a solid, consistent process.
Then, get some LSAT books --
this one is a decent place to start. Complete the Reading Comprehension and Logical Reasoning (very similar to GMAT CR) sections, really thinking about your process. Are you completing each step outlined in the Beginner's Guide articles? (Side note: ignore the LSAT's ridiculous 35 minute time limit. Just complete the section with test-like intensity, and note down how long it took you. You're just trying to achieve consistency as you hone your process).
To deal with external factors, keep a log of anything that might be impacting your results. Are you doing well after a good night's sleep, and poorly when you only catch a few hours of sleep? Do you skip meals and crash in the middle of homework sets? Try to isolate any particular habits that help you perform well.
Time ManagementIt's pretty common to struggle with time management on the verbal section, but I can't tell you how to fix it until you know why it's happening in the first place. It could be that you're a fundamentally slow reader. Or, it could be that you rush through the passage and then spend a ton of time struggling with the answer choices. Or, it could be that you waste time re-reading things over and over again. Or maybe you move at a good pace through most questions, but get extremely stubborn on one or two questions that have you stumped.
Each of these different underlying issues will require different solutions. Again, your best bet to improve on time management will be to use LSAT sets for RC and CR. If you times are fluctuating up and down from set to set, think about exactly what is changing to cause this variation.
Once you find the root cause(s) of your time management issues, think through some ways to prevent them from happening (e.g., letting go of questions that are a waste of time, or slowing down when you read the passage so that you can efficiently eliminate answer choices). Add these changes to your process, and see whether your times start to come down.
Test-Day PressureIf you're noticing different results when you amp up pressure, then you could be experiencing some level of test anxiety that is negatively impacting your score.
To learn more about test anxiety and some tools that might help you perform well under pressure, check out our
beginner's guide to test anxiety.
Hopefully some of this will help you get to the bottom of the issue. Best of luck with your studies!
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