How to go from 37 to 41 on Verbal??

Question

Hi all,

I've been consistently scoring in the range of 36-38 on Verbal on practice tests (3 MGMATs & 1 PowerPrep). Any ideas on how to take my score upto 40-43? I've already done and understood the questions in OG11. Also, I think my problem lies with SC and RC questions. Thanks for any advice!

Mishari · Answer

for SC, know MGMAT SC guide inside out and practice as many questions as possible from the SC1000 series. For RC, please let me know once you get the answer 8-)

dabots · Answer

you are well within reach, ill echo the MGMAT SC guide

GK_Gmat · Answer

Thanks a lot everyone! I'm located in Delhi - anyone has a clue where I can purchase the MGMAT SC guide? Thanks.

GMATnewb · Answer

Is the SC1000 from a book? If so which one?

Sergey_is_cool · Answer

No there are 1000 SC questions provided by someone. This is a document that can be found on this forum. Just do search and you'll find it.

Futuristic · Answer

I'd recommend the LSAT books for RC and CR...I'm not much of a reader, and it was a nightmare getting back to shape with the first few tests, but just focus on comprehension initially, and work on timing once your hit rate is up. I went from the low 30s initially to 41 on the test.

For SC, the forum is the best resource.

Apart from that, read complex mind-numbing articles where you can find them; do so regularly.

nickeymickey · Answer

https://www.manhattanreview.com/students/downloads/ There's a good SC guide here if you need help boosting your verbal!

baer · Answer

It isn't the SC that is holding you back. I've gotten as many as 8 of these wrong and still scored a 42 on GMAT Prep verbal. You really need to strengthen your RC and CR skills if you want to score 40+. The best way to do this is by reading the official answers in the back of the OG. 

The thing that you have going for you is that there aren't many ways GMAT can ask a RC or CR question. All of the ways they ask these questions are clearly explained in the answer section. This is the key to these sections. I don't know why people think that they are so hard, or yet un-studyable (sorry for the made up word). Whereas, with quant and SC there is a near infinite number of ways to test. 

 Spend 2 weeks disecting both sections in the OG, coupled with the 1000 lists and you'll be more than ready by test day. 

 You can spend a whole lot of time focusing on SC, but the reality is that there are just way too many rules to remember and you won't be able to recall them all on test day. It is more worth your time getting RC and SC airtight, especially since your only scoring in the mid 30's. Getting a few more SC right won't get you up there.

jimmyjamesdonkey · Answer

Baer, 

How does the GMAT score RC sections. I understand if you are performing at hard questions prior to the question that you then get a hard RC set of questions. But assume you get x out of y of those correct, how does the computer calc what level you get next?

baer · Answer

I really have no idea how they are scored. As I understand it, when you get a passage, there are 4 questions that the computer will give for all test takers. So if you get question 1 wrong on a passage, it can't give you an easier question 2 for that passage. This is a possible reason why people think there are counted more. 

I am almost certain though that RC and CR are weighted a lot more heavily than SC. I've taken both GMAT Preps about 6 times each. When I first started I was getting 35 to 38 consistently. In the two weeks prior to my exam I was getting 41-42 every time. I got a 40 on the actual GMAT. 

 Even though I was stong in the CR to begin with, I studied it even more than SC. I got to the point where I had a 96% hit rate in both SC and RC. 

SC I just found to be too convoluted and tricky to improve on that much. I mainly used POE and narrowed it down to 2 possible answers and choose the best one. 

Even though I had learned a bunch of grammar rules, I found it way to difficult to recall them on test day given the time pressure and adrenaline. Plus the SC you see on the actual GMAT do not generally test your knowledge of grammar rules. Look at many of the previous debriefs regarding on what the actual SC was like. Most questions test logical predilection and will use pharasing that is indeed gramatically correct, but not logically. I saw many like this on my test day. 

The reason why I think RC and CR count more is because in each one of those there is without a doubt one clear answer. Even the best test takers on the SC section need to pick between two close answers.

jimmyjamesdonkey · Answer

Baer,

I totally agree with the SC being crazy. I have basically memorized the Manhattan SC guide. The guide is great and I know the rules inside and out, but when I do the questions in the OG it is a crap shoot. The explanations given have very little to do with grammar rules, and mostly just says "idiom" or logically correct. In other words, its a crap shoot.

I'm not great in SC, but I can usually hit a 60% rate in SC. I can hit a 95-99% hit rate in CR, and I'm pushing hard this week to study RC. I'll test your theory soon enough on a practice test.

baer · Answer

Yup, the best you can do is elimate 3 answers that are absolutely wrong and then just pick the best you can. A guy I know who got 780 said that this is the best strategy he's found on SC. 

However, there is ONE redeeming value in SC. It's that each sentence will in most cases test for 2 concepts. So, if you are in a situation where you need to choose between 2 choices, reevaluate each choice and see how they differ. Though, on my actual GMAT, usually when I got it narrowed down to 2 choices, it only tested one concept. 

Usually with RC, the toughest questions are caused by convoluted wording and very poor, dense writing. GMAT loves these questions. Do as many problems in the 1000 RC as you can so that you get a little bit of an instinct in dealing with the passages. After a while they shouldn't be too difficult to navigate.

jimmyjamesdonkey · Answer

Also seems on the RC that some of the wording of the answers is screwed up. i.e. Sometimes words are used in the answers, and after reading the OA, it seems they are misusing the word and don't understand its definition. I wish I had a good example to show right now, but I've seen several in the OG.

baer · Answer

Find some examples and let's have a look. These are the few RC questions that I have a tough time with as well... it would be good to talk a few of them out.

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How to go from 37 to 41 on Verbal??

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