How to improve from 640 to 720+

Question

Hi,

I am an engineer from India. I have been preparing for gmat for 2 months now and then gave 3 test. I am decent in quant but my verbal is average. 
MGMAT 2 630 (q44 v31)
MGMAT 3 630 (q46 v30)
Gmat prep1 640 (q49 v28)

Material Used:
1)MGMAT guides for quant
2)Powerscore Bible for CR
3)eGMAT sentence correction for SC

I have solved all the questions of OG13 and of Verbal Review 2 and i cannot solve them again for practice as i remember most of them.My greatest weakness is RC and and poor time management in Verbal.   Please advise how can i improve my score from 640 to 720. I have booked my GMAT exam on July 9, 2015 .

Is there anything which i should read/solve..should i take more test? how can i improve?

I see that many times in CR and SC i am able to mark the correct answer, when i review the questions after the test but my RC is pathetic 30-40% accuracy only.

Also does anyone know how exactly are scores calculated because i had 8 incorrect in quant in gmat prep1 and got q49 and my friend had 15 incorrect in quant in the same test and she also got q49, whereas I had 14 incorrect in verbal and got v28 and she had 15 incorrect but still got v36.

Please help !! I really need to get 720 and this is my first attempt and i want to do this in this attempt only.

Thanks

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi priya4gmat,

I saw that you posted this in another Forum, so I've copied my response from there....

Raising your score 80+ points in less than 3 weeks will be a challenge - not impossible, but you're going to have to learn to deal with the Verbal section using new approaches. You'll also have to put in the necessary time and repetitions to ingrain those new skills.

Do you have any flexibility to push your Test Date back (even if it's just for a few weeks)? The extra time for your studies could really be useful.

As far as your CATs are concerned:
1) Have you taken any of the GMAC CATs (and if so, then what were your scores)?
2) Have you been taking the ENTIRE CAT (including the Essay and IR sections) each time?

The GMAC scoring algorithm is far more complex than you realize, so you shouldn't be wasting too much time or energy trying to figure it out. You know your 'weak areas' in the Verbal section - THOSE areas are what you need to improve.

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

KarishmaB · Answer

In RC, do you know the various question types and how to deal with each? If you are good at CR, RC should not be a problem. It is just a little more time consuming but that's about it. Here are some posts you will find useful: https://www.gmatclub.com/forum/veritas-prep-resource-links-no-longer-available-399979.html#/2014/10 ... questions/ https://www.gmatclub.com/forum/veritas-prep-resource-links-no-longer-available-399979.html#/2014/10 ... rehension/ https://www.gmatclub.com/forum/veritas-prep-resource-links-no-longer-available-399979.html#/2014/12 ... questions/ https://www.gmatclub.com/forum/veritas-prep-resource-links-no-longer-available-399979.html#/2014/07 ... questions/ Find more such posts at https://www.gmatclub.com/forum/veritas-prep-resource-links-no-longer-available-399979.html#/categor ... rbal-gmat/ Here is a link to posts that will help you raise your Quant score to 51: https://www.gmatclub.com/forum/veritas-prep-resource-links-no-longer-available-399979.html#/categor ... er-wisdom/

priya4gmat · Answer

Hi Rich,

Thanks for your reply.

I may push my date a week or two ahead if it really can guarantee an improvement of 80+

I have given one GMAC official test 640(q49,v28), I usually skip essays and give IR +quant+verbal.

As you said I have to change my approach in my weak areas. Could you please suggest what can i do for the same?

Thanks

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi priya4gmat,

The extra study time won't 'guarantee' you any particular result, but having more time (in theory) gives you extra opportunity to practice and improve. Given that your Verbal scores appear to be "stuck" in the high 20s/low 30s, you'll need to learn some new approaches for that section of the Test.

Given your general timeline (and the Q49 that you scored on your last CAT), there are opportunities for you to pick up points in the Verbal section. As such, I can recommend the EMPOWERgmat Verbal Score Booster. 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. We have a variety of free resources at our site (www.empowergmat.com) that you can use to 'test out' the Course before you set up an account.

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

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