GMAT Verbal Disaster - HELP NEEDED!!

Question

Good afternoon,

I did my first GMAT exam yesterday and got a 610 (Q:46 ; V:28).

It was a desilusion. I had done 3 Kaplan GMAT exams during the week and got two 670 and one 660.

The problem was the verbal part of the exam where i used be placed between 70 and 75 percentile and i went down to 48 percentile. I am Portuguese and thought i could do well in the Verbal Part but now i have my doubts.

I want to apply to a top European Business School and i need to get minimum 670. So, i think it is worth to focus on the Verbal Part during the next two weeks and try again.

I need some advice on the way to improve my Verbal Score. From your experience, what do you think i should do? Practise some more online exams? Buy a specific Verbal Book? Read magazines?

I already have Kaplan Premier, The Official Guide and Kaplan 800 and studied them during a month.

Hope someone can HELP.

Thanks,
Luís

Vercules · Answer

Hi Luís,

670
For a score around 670, you would need around 7 more points in both the sections. You should achieve a scores around Q47, V34, this would give you a total score of 670 - 680. And you are right, there is more scope of improvement in verbal.

Well, I think you have only 3-4 weeks for the next test. What is your weak area - SC, CR or RC or all these need some improvement. If you have just solved the OG questions and not really analyzed the solutions thoroughly, then you should go through the OG again. Moreover, have you taken the GMATPrep tests? The books you have mentioned are good, but if you need special attention on a section (SC, CR or RC), it would be a good idea to get a specific book on that.

While you are studying for verbal, do not forget to regularly practice Quant. A friend of mine got the same score as yours and studied vigorously for verbal. His final score was 640, but in quant he scored 43, verbal was around 36.

Hope that helps,

Vercules

GMATPill · Answer

Yes, as vercules says above - make sure you take a GMATPrep test. Books are not enough because the test is on a computer. So make sure you get familiar with the test interface through a GMATPrep practice test.

If you prefer books, that's fine - but at least get comfortable with doing questions in front of a computer screen.

For example, you can practice with these questions here: https://www.gmatpill.com/gmat-practice-t ... -questions

AndreBotha · Answer

Thank you for your help...

I have practised two GMATPrep tests in the beginning of my study but on the days before the test i have just done the Kaplan tests (as i heard they were more difficult) and maybe i got used to their writing and therefore had some trouble in the real exam. I think i will do again the GMATPrep tests on the days before the next exam to make sure i don't get another surprise..

Do you think this can be one of the problems?? Or it is the same practising on the GMATPrep tests and on Kaplan tests?

Many Thanks
Luís

Vercules · Answer

Yes Luís this may have been one of the problems. Kaplan tests are good, but nothing is as accurate and similar to the actual GMAT as GMAT Prep tests. Before entering the test center it is vital to have a comfort level of the test interface and GMAT language in particular. During the last few days till your test it is advisable to again work through the OGs and GMATPrep tests.

Vercules

vasanth0487 · Answer

I had my GMAT exam today. I scored a nasty 620(Q49,V26). 
Needless to say verbal screwed the score.

KarishmaB · Answer

Yeah, the verbal section pulled the score down for both of you. But the good news is that there is a lot of scope for improvement and you really need to worry about one section (verbal) only, not about both (though you must keep practicing quant too).
With a Verbal score in late 20s, my guess is that of the 3 question types (RC, CR and SC), two don't work for you but you might be fine in the third one. If that is the case, you need to get specific books for the two sections that don't work for you. You need to go through those books thoroughly and then try lots of practice questions. Thereafter, you should revisit the OG and see if you perform better this time around.

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