Had a bad gmat test experience

Question

Hi All,

I had a bad gmat test experience today and I would like some expert advice before I start preparing for gmat again.

I have given gmat twice and in both attempts I got a similar score (580,590). I scored 640 in GMAT Prep(1&2) and mid 600s in Manhattan Tests. 
The quant section gave me shock , wherein I scored 43 only. My quant score in all the prep tests was normally 48/49. The only issue was with my verbal in which I was scoring between 29 - 32, with close to 60% accuracy most of time.

I plan to begin my preparation for 3rd attempt from tomorrow and I'm not able to decide what should I begin with because I have exhausted most of the material and tests. One thing which I would like to do is, revisiting the books I have i.e manhattan/veritas/kaplan.

Other than that, I would like to read some advises for planning my strategy for next 4 months. My target score as of now is 670+.

Thanks,
GB

nathandrake · Answer

what questions took the most time in quant in ur two exams ? I saw Coordinate and Geometry to be troublesome..

For 100 day plan check out this post

gbisno · Answer

For me ..its verbal...always verbal.
I guess I'm suffering because I'm a non-native english speaker with very less understanding about economics and finance issues. So the RCs or CRs related to this topic make my head go round-n-round.
I've started working on that front though by reading economist portal. I hope it will help me .
And thanks for the link for 100 days preparation.

gbisno · Answer

these topics*

someone79 · Answer

The GMAT RC's make heads go spin as they make too much use of relative clauses, noun clauses, non-restrictive modifiers, participle phrases, etc. Otherwise, they are very very easy. Also try to get the gist of the passages. See the structure and learn how conjunctive adverbs effect the passage. Once you start focusing on the structure of the passage, you will see that GMAT passages don't have too much of variety, and most of them basically have the same core structure.

Sentences such as these are very common - not exactly but you can get the sense.

Standing by the road side, I saw a guy who was riding in a red bus, which had a flat tire that was not rotating properly.

Try to focus on a book that teaches you the restrictive clauses, non-restrictive modifiers, nominative absolutes(absolute modifier), etc.

I got a passage on the GMAT that was more than 600 words. It did upset my pace and shocked me a bit, but I know I will slay it next time this happens.

Sleep a lot before the exam. Try gym in case the health permits you.

nathandrake · Answer

For verbal..try e-gmat..highly rated for non natives..

For RC..you can try with reading GMAT Fiction (I need to find the link for this one) in this forum..also I suggest practicing RC 1000..its great for practice..

sanjuro9 · Answer

Disclaimer - advice comes from someone who is yet to take the GMAT.. lol.. actually its next week. Shouldn't I be studying then? GMATClub actually helps me unwind and lets me spends some time reflecting upon how I can learn from others' thinking processes, successes and difficulties.

Get powerscore CR bible. The tone/style of the text and its arrangement may sound bit awkward, but stay with it. Go slow and read/understand every page of it. When you are done, glance through MGMAT CR. It would be basically the same concepts presented in a slightly different manner.

Now, don't do CR from any other source other than OG. Get the OG12 and the OG Verbal Review 2nd edition. If you have done your PS CR, I am sure you 'll hit above 90% in OG questions now. But, read the answer explanations for every question (even if you got it right without much effort). You 'll gain further understanding on how to avoid the moon craters GMAC digs for you.

When you are done with this process, try few RC (again from OG or Verbal Review). I 'll bet your success rate will go up. I never used to follow note taking and active reading when doing RC. I thought I will be able to understand a passage without taking notes.

The thinking process developed in CR, combined with note taking, puts what's being discussed in the RC in a sorted format. Think of mini chambers of pieces of information interconnected via cables. The notes that I take are gibberish, I won't be able to understand if I read them afterwards. The point is that the note taking will help you understand, "comprehend" the passage. For questions asking specifics in the passage, you 'll have to read 3 sentences anyway (1 before, 1 after).

When you think that you have mastered CR, do only RCs from OG and Verbal Review. Again checking the answer explanations even if you got a question right. 
I haven't seen RC99, but OG and VR should be more than enough to solidify your practices.

Good luck with your preparation and keep us informed of your progress.

Cheers

GMATPill · Answer

The GMAT verbal is arguably more important to your score than GMAT quant as described in this article: https://www.gmatpill.com/the-gmat-pill-m ... -strategy/

Of the GMAT verbal sections, SC is the easiest to improve and RC is probably the section that will take the longest time to improve. These RC videos may help.

Some people recommend reading the NY Times. While that may be beneficial in the long run, it's unlikely that reading NYTimes will actually help boost your score in a few weeks. Focus on keywords in the passage so you know when you should really pay attention and when you can "skim" parts of a paragraph. This is almost an art rather than a science and takes time to develop.

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