HELP NEEDED FOR VERBAL SCORE

Question

Hello GMAT CLUB community, I'm writing here today because I find myself in a difficult situation with the GMAT Verbal score. Today I took my second gmat, didn't sleep very well last night, more than nervous I was enthusiastic :-D

I've been studying for the GMAT for at least one year. My first mocks results where rather depressing (mid 500) I worked my way up to a 650 in Manttan mocks, my average score in quant was 42 and in Verbal 38. I felt confident today, I dedicated hours and hours in practice quizzes, reviewed all the quant material of GMAT CLUB spent even more hours in reviewing my mistakes. The test today was demanding, I felt I was managing time very well during the quant part although it hand a few monsters in it that reminded me of a few posts discussed here, especially the first question (that I cannot recall). Then VERBAL.. it was very tough, much more difficult than my previous gmat exam, it hit me with quite a few difficuclt (at least half the exam) questions that where mid 600/700 level in my modest opinion, I struggled in SC (where I have an 80% accuracy in manhattan prep) I struggled in the passages and in critical reasoning I had more than 3 questions that where stated in an unfamiliar way (Which of the following questions would... something) it was a nightmare, wasn't prepared. So finally the score came up.. I was rather tense, had working/studying at the same time, had studied at night had tackled all the problems had practiced a lot and invested time and energy in the exam for the past 4 months (after the first attempt).. and a 620 popped out of the screen and hit me in the face just like Rocky Balboa would with a meet carcass. Quant 45 (I feel wonderful about that, and most of my improvement was thanks to the GMAT club's material and active community that is really great!) and a sad 31 iGMATn verbal. Now I find myself in a difficult spot, having to take the exam again in one month and working/preparing the essay at the same time. I would be happy with a GMAT score of 670, what should I do to give the Verbal score a boost? HELP

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Avigano,

I'm sorry to hear that Test Day didn't go as well as planned. A poor night's sleep the night before the Test could very well explain the score drop in the Verbal section (since that's the find 75 minutes of Test Day and most Test Takers are naturally tired during that section - a lack of sleep would have increased that fatigue). Beyond that though, when these types of score drops occur, the two likely "causes" involve either something that was unrealistic during practice or something that was surprising (or not accounted for) on Test Day.

If you can answer a few questions, then we should be able to figure this out:

To start, when you took your CATs:
1) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT each time (including the Essay and IR sections)?
2) Did you take them at home?
3) Did you take them at the same time of day as your Official GMAT?
4) Did you ever do ANYTHING during your CATs that you couldn't do on Test Day (pause the CAT, skip sections, take longer breaks, etc.)? 
5) Did you ever take a CAT more than once? Had you ever seen any of the questions before?

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

Avigano · Answer

Rich, Thank you for your attention, you're a mind reader! Probably I didn't simulate the test as I should of, so.. 1) I did not, I ignored the essay and IR. 2) Yes in my home, alone. 3) Yes I did them at the same time. 4) Yes my pauses where longer (5 minutes longer each) and I went on the balcony to smoke a cigarette. 5) Never took the same CAT more than once, I always prefer to use new conten since it's more realistic and stimulating. So yesterday, in Pain after the 8 point drop in the real exam, I bought a full set of books that where recommended here, hoping they will arrive soon here in Uruguay, what may I do in the meanwhile? We need to get this done!!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Avigano,

The extra information that you've provided is quite useful, as it helps to define what went wrong on Test Day. In real basic terms, you took your CATs in such a way that you were NOT properly training to face the Official GMAT - so you were not ready to face it on Test Day.

Test Day is a rather specific 'event' - the details are specific and they matter, so you have to train as best as you can for all of them. The more realistic you can make your CATs, the more likely the score results are to be accurate. The more you deviate, the more "inflated" your scores can become - and that's what happened here. By skipping sections, taking the CATs at home, taking longer breaks, etc., you weren't properly training for the FULL GMAT 'experience.' Your Verbal score drop is easy to explain - when you took your CATs, you would start the Verbal section after about 1.5 hours of prior work (the Quant section and your extended break) - however, on Test Day, you didn't start the Verbal section until almost 3 hours had gone by. At that point, you were likely exhausted and would have probably found it difficult to focus.

Thankfully, this is a relatively easy set of problems to fix. The big question now is "how long will it take you to properly get 'used to' taking the full GMAT?" You'll certainly need a new set of practice CATs to work with and you have to put in the necessary time to train your brain (and body) for the FULL GMAT. You might also need to invest in some new GMAT training materials.

1) When are you planning to retake the GMAT?

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

Avigano · Answer

Hy Rich, thank you for the attention.
Looks as though there is a solution, that is very positive news.
When am I planning to take the GMAT? in 4 weeks or max 7 weeks, I'm going to prepare essays and personal statement in the meantime because I plan applying in September. I go to work every day from 9 am, to 6 pm, so I can take cats only on week ends, SAT or SUNDAY, that gives me a max of 4/6 cats. While using extra time after work to practice (2.5 hours per day). That's the max I can do unless there is another way to create extra time without suffering from a heart attack, that we yet need to discover, any suggestions? 
Where should I take my CATS? maybe in the office (I have acces on week ends)?
what is there to do?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Avigano,

Raising your Official Score 50 points (and possibly more) in 4-7 weeks is certainly doable. Taking your CATs at your office is a good idea (just make sure to take them at the same time of day as your Official GMAT and make sure to take the FULL EXAM - with the Essay and IR sections - each time). With a Q45/V31, you have the potential to pick up some serious points in BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections. Since you have a greater opportunity in the Verbal section though, I think that you would find the EMPOWERgmat Verbal Score Booster to be quite helpful. Most of our clients finish that Study Plan in under a month, so it would fit your schedule perfectly. During that time, you'll also be able to access any of the Quant resources that interest you.

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

Avigano · Answer

Ok Rich, let's do it, let's get the score up. I'll subscribe tomorrow and we'll kill it!!

MBAPrepCoach · Answer

Giving your time frame, I think the most effective and efficient solution would be to hire a private tutor.

Farrell Dyan Hehn, MBA
Admissions Consultant & Verbal Tutor MBAPrepCoach.com

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HELP NEEDED FOR VERBAL SCORE

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