How can I improve my CR and RC scores- Please guide me

Question

Hi,

I took GMAT exam in September 2014 and got 660(Q50,V28).

I started to prepare for GMAT exam again in mid-January 2015.

First, I reviewed all sources that I had studied for verbal during my first attempt. (MGMAT SC, e-gmat SC,CR,RC). I did not solve any questions.
I took one Veritas free mock and got 650 (Q48,V31).

Then I started to solve official SC, CR, and RC questions every day. During that period of time, I took following mock exams:

Feb 27 2015 MGMAT 2 600(Q42 V32) I did not pay attention to the timer and one question remained unanswered.
April 4 2015 MGMAT 3 690 (Q44 V39)

After the third MGMAT exam, I did not study GMAT for one month because of some personal reasons. 
I took next MGMAT mock (4th MGMAT Mock) on May 2nd 2015 and got a disappointing 640 (Q 45, V33).
In the 4th MGMAT exam, my RC and CR scores dropped significantly. So I reviewed e-gmat CR and started to solve CR and RC questions
daily. I solved GMAT prep Question pack. My accuracy in both CR and RC questions was 90%. 
I reviewed my SC notes and revised some questions. 
Then I took two MGMAT exams and my scores are as follows:

2015 June 06 MGMAT 5 640 (Q 45, V33)
2015 June 18 MGMAT 6 690 (Q46, V38) 3 CR questions and one RC passage were repetitive because after 5th MGMAT mock, I started to solve 700-800 level questions.
After 5th MGMAT exam, I read Aristotle CR grail.
I have continued to solve GMAT prep official questions and 700-800 level CR and RC questions since June 18th. I took one Veritas mock on June 25th 2015 and again got 640 (Q 46 ,V 32). I got two questions wrong in the first ten questions (No.1 and No.6) and got 11 questions wrong it total.

I do not know how I can improve my RC and CR. The verbal scores are surprising to me, because my accuracy in GMAT prep questions is 90% and the result of my ability test
at e-gmat website is 83%.

Please guide me. I do not know what to do anymore.

GMATPILLBILL · Answer

Hey newgmatlearner For CR, we recommend a visual framework approach to help you understand the complex short passages and how each item relates to each other. Here is a video detailing the visual framework: https://www.gmatpill.com/criticalreasoni ... Estate.mp4 For RC, we recommend our students look at passages such as these passages from Harvard: https://harvardmagazine.com/topic/social-sciences The topic of these sentences tend to be social sciences / humanities / history -oriented and may give you a feel for the type of language you may see in common RC passages.

newgmatlearner · Answer

Hi,

Thank you for your reply.
I watched the video. The process that I use to solve CR questions is very close to that presented in the video. 
I solve 6 RC passages and 20 CR questions every day.  However, my verbal score does not improve.I do not know why?
Considering the number of RC passages that I solve every, do you think I should add reading the Harvard magazine to my daily program?

Best Regards

GMATPill · Answer

Sure, reading Harvard magazine for relevant passages can be a good habit to develop. However, be sure not to just read it for the sake of reading it. Read with an active mindset -- critically ask questions in your head while you are reading. Come in with the eager inquisitive mind of "hmm...why is this author writing this passage....what point is he trying to make?" --- as you read. It also does help to get used to forcing yourself to be excited about what may be boring/un-exciting passages. Having that forced excitement in your mindset--is something you can develop that may be helpful as well.

Of course, we recommend you participate in the GMAT PILL program to best realize your potential.

Of course, we recommend you participate in the GMAT PILL program to best realize your potential.

KarishmaB · Answer

What I understand from your post is this: your current score is about 650 with about V32-35 and you would like to take it up to V40. From the many tests you have taken, find out exactly what kind of questions do you mess up in each RC and CR - strengthen, weaken, inference, specific detail, scope, tone etc. Then pick each one of these question types and read up on them. You can check out our blog for free write ups on most question types: https://www.gmatclub.com/forum/veritas-prep-resource-links-no-longer-available-399979.html#/categor ... rbal-gmat/ Focus on the theory for a bit. When you feel that you actually understand what exactly you are required to do in each question type, try some practice questions. There is no reason you should not see an improvement.

newgmatlearner · Answer

Dear Karishma,

Thank you for your reply.
I will do the same.

PaulShep · Answer

Truly helpful!

OptimusPrepJanielle · Answer

Hello newgmatlearner,

You might wish to review the previous tests to understand where your verbal weakness is. Although if your accuracy is 90 percent on the practice questions but dips significantly for the test, the score may be indicative of a test taking problem - loss of focus or tiredness, for example. But if that's not the case, you should try to understand the concept areas (SC) or question types (CR and RC) in which you are lacking. Practice those question types until you've mastered them. Back to the test taking aspect..for one verbal practice set, take very clear notes on your answer choices and thought process/justification for one answer or elimination of others. When you review the results of the test you'll have a much clearer understanding of your thought processes with this record. You can see where you went wrong and how to fix it.

I hope that helps!

newgmatlearner · Answer

Hello,

Thank you for your reply. I took a GMATPrep mock yesterday and got 730(Q50,V38). My verbal score is inflated because several questions were repetitive. 
During this test, I observed that, after 20th question in verbal, I had to read questions and passages several times to understand them, I was tired , and I could hardly 
concentrate. I had the same experience in my last 3 exams but I did not pay attention to it. Do you think it is a good strategy to take several mocks in following days to
improve my stamina? How can I improve my performance under pressure?

OptimusPrepJanielle · Answer

Dear newgmatlearner,

It appears you lost your focus and you became tired. When you're tired and not focused you reread everything, lose time, and start to panic. The panic and frustration cause you to reread and the cycle repeats. How often are you taking the mock exams? Part of remedying this experience is just practice. I would suggest one or two in a week but not more than that, as you could reach burnout. Burnout is also an obstacle to improvement.

Keep taking full-length tests because you will get used to it. Take it one question at a time instead of thinking about how much is ahead. Be sure that you've slept, eaten, and stayed hydrated. These things all affect your brain chemistry. Breathing certainly does as well, so take slow and even breaths. Check in with yourself once in a while that you're not holding your breath from the tension of the test.

Best of luck

RichEconomistGMAT · Answer

Hi newgmatlearner,

I'd be cautious of taking too many practice CATs in a row. If you're focused specifically on practice exams, you'll quickly find yourself burnt out, which will (of course) not yield results.

However, in terms of reading passages, we broke this down on our blog not long ago, focusing on three specific elements you can expect in a typical GMAT passage. Feel free to check it out here: https://bit.ly/1R7dG6K

Best,
Rich

newgmatlearner · Answer

Hi,

Thank you very much for your reply.
From February to June, I took 4 mocks.
In June I took 3 mocks.
I have taken 2 mocks since the beginning of July.
I will continue taking two mocks per week.

Regards

RichEconomistGMAT · Answer

Hi newgmatlearner,

I'd caution you against taking too many practice exams. You've already done the work to identify areas you'd like to improve in, so repeatedly taking practice exams is not necessarily going to get you to where you'd like to be. The GMAT is an event that you can train for - however, much like a marathoner won't run a course 10-12 times before running a race, you should also keep on reading opinion pieces and practicing your understanding of verbal concepts outside the confines of a practice exam.

Best,
Rich

newgmatlearner · Answer

Dear RichEconomistGMAT,

Thank you very much for your comments.
I am currently working on my verbal. I review the theory related to each topic on CR and then solve 20-30 questions on that topic. 
I review one chapter of MGMAT SC daily. I have added reading Washington Post and Harvard magazine to my daily routine. I solve 3 RCs everyday.
I hope that this program help me improve my score in verbal section.
 I take mocks in order to improve my stamina. I feel that I solve questions slower in the mocks than I do in my daily practices. Sometimes in reviewing mocks, I find errors that I did not find while taking the mocks.So, I think that taking mocks will help me improve my performance under pressure.

Regards

How can I improve my CR and RC scores- Please guide me

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