Got 610 on GMAT Online, low verbal - Q48, V25

Question

I'm looking for some guidance.

I'm a black woman with an engineering background and I'm looking to increase my GMAT Verbal score. The end goal is to go to a top 10 school so ideally I'd want to hit the 700 mark.

My verbal scores for the most part have been up and down, ranging from a 27-37 on GMAT Prep Exams and a 35 and 36 on Manhattan Prep Exams. I definitely felt as though the Manhattan Prep Verbal sections were easier than the actual exam. The real test I got a 25 which is the lowest I've ever gotten even though I felt good about it. I signed up for the test again in 3 months and bought the Powerscore CR Book and the Manhattan Prep Sentence Correction book. Is this enough to help increase my score to the 40 range? I'm looking to get to the level of comfort I have with quant, without hesitation when answering questions and knowing for sure it's correct. I've been studying since January but admittedly haven't bucked down on the verbal with full fledged guidance. I haven't been much of a reader but have started reading daily in the past month. The GMAT Online doesn't have the option of getting an enhanced score report so I don't have the breakdown of my performance.

I completed all my practice tests similar to actual testing conditions with no break in between quant and verbal and with quant first. When I take it again, I'm thinking of taking verbal first since I'm more comfortable with quant. Is this suggested to help?

Thanks in advance!

nightblade354 · Answer

Hi Maya,

I strongly recommend you read my RC and CR guides (below in my signature). If your issue is SC (hard to tell given you did not provide a breakdown of your score or an ESR), I recommend you reread the book(s) you have purchased and follow GMATNinja and Generis. They are both brilliant when it comes to SC.

Also, see here: https://gmatclub.com/forum/need-advice- ... l#p2409231

unraveled · Answer

In addition to what nightblade said, practice SC questions(in increasing level of difficulty) as you go through the topics - specially the ones in which you erred by trying to eliminate the choices using that particular concept/topic. For CR Powerscore bible is best and along with Nightblade's guide it should be enough. For RC, reading is necessary as V25 shows you might not have encountered 700 level questions.

A range of 27 - 37 is big. If you got 37 in your last mock then it the best situation to be in, if not you must evaluate the patterns in your errors. V40 with these material is possible but proper application of concepts and test strategy matter most.

See if this helps.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Mayawilliams526,

I'm sorry to hear that Test Day did not turn out better. The 'swings' in your Verbal Scaled Scores are likely the result of a number of different factors, including how frequently you "narrow the answers down to 2 choices" (since probability dictates that you'd likely get just half of those questions correct, which means that you could miss out on a lot of points of you take that approach too often; in addition, you could have a 'lucky' or 'unlucky' day which could lead to a much higher or much lower Verbal Scaled Score).

With another 3 months of consistent, guided study, you could potentially improve a great deal - but your focus has to be on learning and practicing the proper Verbal Tactics. Before I can offer you the specific advice that you’re looking for, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

1) How long did you study before taking the At-home GMAT? How many hours did you typically study each week?
2) What study materials have you used so far?
3) On what dates did you take EACH of your CATs/mocks and how did you score on EACH (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?
4) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

freedom128 · Answer

Hi Mary,

Have you tried to practice and learn from Official Guide bundles (particularly, OG2021 and OG Verbal Review 2021) ? These two books are the best and official resources to prepare and study GMAT.

Since your Verbal score is 25 out of 51, I recommend you do all questions of OG and read all answer explanations on Critical Reasoning and Sentence Correction.

Good luck

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Got 610 on GMAT Online, low verbal - Q48, V25

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