Help needed! Verbal improvement

Question

Dear all,

I have been studying the gmat for the past six/seven months to score higher than 600 on the real test.
Till so far I didn't have any luck. I tried the economist tutor plan and the magoosh.

My biggest problem is my verbal section, where I score between V26 and V29.

Overall, for the past three test I scored 570, 570, and 590....

It is really frustrating and nothing seems to help. However, on the mock exams I score regularly between 610 -650 (on Manhattan and GMAT prep).

My quant skills are sufficient I think, but my verbal is horrible and everytime I take the test... verbal kinda ruined it... 
Before every test I thought that I have improved my verbal skilss, but sadly.. I was wrong every time.

Please help me out!

Best regards, Rico

RichEconomistGMAT · Answer

Hi Lengtjai,

I'm curious to know if you've narrowed down the verbal areas that give you the most trouble. I wouldn't want to send you on a general "goose chase" of sorts and suggest a number of things to cover everything, especially if you're comfortable with certain question types (you might be stronger in some areas than you realize). If not, take a little time and re-review your previous practice exams. Identify the question types you've gotten wrong most frequently and try to determine WHY you've answered them incorrectly in the past. From there, we'll be able to offer some valuable insight tailored to your needs.

Best,
Rich

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Rico,

You've defined how long you've been studying, and some of the resources that you've used, but I have a few questions about your overall goals and timeline:

1) What is your goal score (is it to score above 600)?
2) How have you scored on each of your practice CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)?
3) Have you taken the ENTIRE CAT each time (including the Essay and IR sections)?

4) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
5) Do you know which Schools you'll be applying to?

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

JimGMATAnswers · Answer

Have you used any of the official material in your studies? The OG or verbal review would be a good place to get some practice. Have you used those? Which areas are giving you the most trouble?

Lengtjai · Answer

Thanks for your prompt reply Rich!

Before I started with the GMAT I had a lot of problems with sentence corrections. I did many things on intuition, rather than think through about the grammar rules and correct idioms. While knowing my weakness, I decided to focus mainly on sentence correction. I learned a lot and I know much more than before on SC. Based on the practice questions, I was really confident that I was able to score higher on the GMAT after those SC practice. However, during mock exams and the real exams it seems like I didn't improve at all. I also find it really difficult to choose the right answer during the test, even when I know that this kind of SC question was easy or medium.

Critical reasoning was sufficient I think, but if it comes to really hard questions I tend to doubt and eventually ending up wasting my time... And for RC, I find it difficult to find the correct answer. It is not the question that is difficult, but I tend to lose my focus every single time. I have to re-read the passages again and again... wasting a lot of time even though it is a easy question.

I personally think that I can really improve on SC, but as said before, I tend to black-out and start doubting about easy questions. This is really frustrating and I wonder what I can do to improve my SC skills and able to do it during the test.

Please let me know what you can think of.
Thank you!

Best regards,
Rico

Lengtjai · Answer

Hi Rich!

Thank you for your reply!

My answers to your questions.
1. Yes, my goal is to score 600+ (minimum score for the business school I want to apply for)
2. My scores on Magoosh were Q42 V29, GMAT prep Q42-46 V25-29, and Manhattan Q42-45 V32-35
The score varies. But Magoosh seems the most accurate test for me. I scored 590 twice on the mock exams and a week later I score 590 on the real test.
3. No, I don't need to do the IR and the essay part. Only the quant and verbal part.
4. I already missed my deadline for the next academic year. But Im planning to apply mid September again.
5. Yes, I already know. RSM erasmus (in the netherlands)

Please let me know if you have some advice for me. Everything is appreciated!

Thanks again!

Best regards,
Rico

Lengtjai · Answer

I have used that in the beginning. The questions are really good, but I didn't feel really comfortable as I was unstable in getting the right answers.

SC gives me the most trouble. I studied a lot and I made a some big progress (atleast i think), but on the mock exams and test days I seem to fail horribly.. every single time.
Most of the hard questions i get it right if i practice, but on the mock and the real test I tend to fail. I know that the questions are easy.. but still ending up getting it wrong.

Also RC is difficult for me. I tend to reread a lot and confuse my self. However, everytime I review the rc questions, it looks so easy. I try to improve my focus and concentration.

Thanks! Let me know what you think of this.

OptimusPrepJanielle · Answer

Hello Rico,

It's first important to understand if you have a global issue with verbal or if you struggle in RC only, for example. Review your previous tests to identify in what question type you have difficulty. Then, categorize within that section the type of questions you tend to miss (for example, SC-comparisons and modifiers CR - assumption RC - detail/according to the passage..). Knowing where your weaknesses are will make your studies more efficient and help you improve your score more quickly. You can choose study materials specifically for verbal or if you feel study materials aren't as helpful, I'd even recommend a private tutor. Once you've worked a bit more on verbal I'd recommend practice with the Official Guide Verbal Review.

Good luck!

GMATPILLBILL · Answer

Hey Lengtjai The SC section is the easiest verbal section to make improvements on. Once you understand how to think and approach this question type, there are only so many ways you can be tested. Here at GMAT Pill we developed the 10 core frameworks which detail the 10 ways to approach GMAT sentence corrections. Here is a sample video detailing one of the core frameworks: https://www.gmatpill.com/gmat-practice-t ... stion/2184 To improve RC - you really need visual guidance. Don't read articles about how to improve reading. You improve by actually doing or watching someone else do. That's why you might find these video walkthroughs helpful: https://www.gmatpill.com/practicequestio ... tions.html Best of luck!

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