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pineapple123456
Joined: 26 Sep 2018
Last visit: 09 Jul 2021
Posts: 46
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 205
Location: Sweden
Schools: HEC Sept19 intake SSE MFin "22 (S)
12 Feb 2019, 14:32
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Hey experts,
I wanted some advice as to how I could go from the 81% Percentile to 95% Percentile.
I ordered my ESR recently and my sub sectional performance in SC is as follows:
Grammar - 88%
Communication - 66%
Any help analysing these scores would be much appreciated.
I wanted some advice as to how I could go from the 81% Percentile to 95% Percentile.
I ordered my ESR recently and my sub sectional performance in SC is as follows:
Grammar - 88%
Communication - 66%
Any help analysing these scores would be much appreciated.
12 Feb 2019, 15:55
Kudos
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Hi pineapple123456.
From what you ESR says, it seems that you generally catch errors or issues involving grammar but have been less successful in noticing meaning issues. At the same time, in order to get to the 95th percentile, you will have to develop your skill in seeing both types of issues. So, here's an overall approach to increasing your Sentence Correction hit rate.
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, or lack thereof, 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, it is likely that you will have to work on all three of those aspects.
Regarding what you know, 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 in your practice. 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, and by learning to CLEARLY DEFINE why each wrong answer is wrong and each correct answer is correct, you will learn to see what you have to see in order to clearly understand which answer to a Sentence Correction question is correct.
The explanation below is an example of clearly defining why wrong answers are wrong and correct answers are correct.
In 1988, the debut at the Metropolitan Opera of operatic singer Carlos Feller was made as Don Alfonso, regarded as his signature role, and returned there in 1990 as Dr. Bartolo in Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia.
Explanation:
(A) Incorrect. The passive voice wording “the debut … was made” is suboptimal, as it places the focus of the sentence on the debut rather than on Carlos Feller, while Carlos Feller seems to be meant to be the main topic of the sentence, given what the sentence says about the debut, the role, and his returning in 1990.
Also, the wording “the debut … was made as Don Alfonso” does not clearly convey that Carlos Feller was in the role of Don Alfonso, instead conveying the nonsensical meaning that the debut itself somehow “was made as Don Alfonso.”
Also, since the past participial phrase “regarded as his signature role” is separated from the clause that precedes it by a comma, the phrase’s logical target is the subject of the preceding clause, and thus, the sentence seems to convey that Carlos Feller’s debut was regarded as his signature role.
Also, “the debut … was made … and returned” conveys the nonsensical meaning that the debut returned in 1990.
Also, since the sentence opens with “in 1988,” the sentence is essentially “in 1988, the debut ... was made … and returned … in 1990,” conveying that, in 1988, the debut returned in 1990. This issue could easily be missed by a test-taker who does not remember to consider the non-underlined portion along with the answer choice.
(B) Correct. The active voice wording “Carlos Feller made his debut … and returned” effectively conveys a meaning that makes sense.
Also, using the pronoun “what,” rather than “who,” to refer to “his signature role, Don Alfonso” makes sense, as a role is a thing, not a person.
Answer: B
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 meanings that make sense. You also have to make sure that you put some real energy into finding the correct answers. Finding the correct answer to a Sentence Correction question 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. It may take time for you to see what you have to see. Getting the right answers takes a certain work ethic. You have to be determined 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.
After learning a particular Sentence Correction topic, such as use of participial phases, engage in focused practice with 30 questions or more that involve that topic. As your skills improve, you will then want to practice with questions that test you on skills from multiple Sentence Correction topics.
In order to follow the path described above, you may consider using an online self-study course, so take a look at the GMAT Club reviews for the best verbal courses.
You also may find it helpful to read the following article about how to score 700+ on the GMAT.
Feel free to reach out with any further questions.
From what you ESR says, it seems that you generally catch errors or issues involving grammar but have been less successful in noticing meaning issues. At the same time, in order to get to the 95th percentile, you will have to develop your skill in seeing both types of issues. So, here's an overall approach to increasing your Sentence Correction hit rate.
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, or lack thereof, 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, it is likely that you will have to work on all three of those aspects.
Regarding what you know, 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 in your practice. 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, and by learning to CLEARLY DEFINE why each wrong answer is wrong and each correct answer is correct, you will learn to see what you have to see in order to clearly understand which answer to a Sentence Correction question is correct.
The explanation below is an example of clearly defining why wrong answers are wrong and correct answers are correct.
In 1988, the debut at the Metropolitan Opera of operatic singer Carlos Feller was made as Don Alfonso, regarded as his signature role, and returned there in 1990 as Dr. Bartolo in Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia.
- (A) the debut at the Metropolitan Opera of operatic singer Carlos Feller was made as Don Alfonso, regarded as his signature role, and returned
(B) operatic singer Carlos Feller made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera, in what was regarded as his signature role, Don Alfonso, and he returned
Explanation:
(A) Incorrect. The passive voice wording “the debut … was made” is suboptimal, as it places the focus of the sentence on the debut rather than on Carlos Feller, while Carlos Feller seems to be meant to be the main topic of the sentence, given what the sentence says about the debut, the role, and his returning in 1990.
Also, the wording “the debut … was made as Don Alfonso” does not clearly convey that Carlos Feller was in the role of Don Alfonso, instead conveying the nonsensical meaning that the debut itself somehow “was made as Don Alfonso.”
Also, since the past participial phrase “regarded as his signature role” is separated from the clause that precedes it by a comma, the phrase’s logical target is the subject of the preceding clause, and thus, the sentence seems to convey that Carlos Feller’s debut was regarded as his signature role.
Also, “the debut … was made … and returned” conveys the nonsensical meaning that the debut returned in 1990.
Also, since the sentence opens with “in 1988,” the sentence is essentially “in 1988, the debut ... was made … and returned … in 1990,” conveying that, in 1988, the debut returned in 1990. This issue could easily be missed by a test-taker who does not remember to consider the non-underlined portion along with the answer choice.
(B) Correct. The active voice wording “Carlos Feller made his debut … and returned” effectively conveys a meaning that makes sense.
Also, using the pronoun “what,” rather than “who,” to refer to “his signature role, Don Alfonso” makes sense, as a role is a thing, not a person.
Answer: B
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 meanings that make sense. You also have to make sure that you put some real energy into finding the correct answers. Finding the correct answer to a Sentence Correction question 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. It may take time for you to see what you have to see. Getting the right answers takes a certain work ethic. You have to be determined 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.
After learning a particular Sentence Correction topic, such as use of participial phases, engage in focused practice with 30 questions or more that involve that topic. As your skills improve, you will then want to practice with questions that test you on skills from multiple Sentence Correction topics.
In order to follow the path described above, you may consider using an online self-study course, so take a look at the GMAT Club reviews for the best verbal courses.
You also may find it helpful to read the following article about how to score 700+ on the GMAT.
Feel free to reach out with any further questions.
12 Feb 2019, 21:54
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi pineapple123456,
While the Enhanced Score Report doesn't provide a lot of information, there are usually a few data points that we can use to define what you should work on to score higher. Since you've purchased the ESR, then I'll be happy to analyze it for you. If you'd rather not post it publicly, then you can feel free to PM or email it directly to me.
Beyond that data - and your interest in improving in SC - it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:
Studies:
1) When did you take the Official GMAT and how did you Score (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)?
2) How long have you studied?
3) What study materials have you used so far?
4) How have you scored on EACH of your CATs/mocks (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?
Goals:
5) What is your overall goal score?
6) When are you planning to take the GMAT?
7) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
8) What Schools are you planning to apply to?
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
While the Enhanced Score Report doesn't provide a lot of information, there are usually a few data points that we can use to define what you should work on to score higher. Since you've purchased the ESR, then I'll be happy to analyze it for you. If you'd rather not post it publicly, then you can feel free to PM or email it directly to me.
Beyond that data - and your interest in improving in SC - it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:
Studies:
1) When did you take the Official GMAT and how did you Score (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)?
2) How long have you studied?
3) What study materials have you used so far?
4) How have you scored on EACH of your CATs/mocks (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?
Goals:
5) What is your overall goal score?
6) When are you planning to take the GMAT?
7) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
8) What Schools are you planning to apply to?
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
