How to improve the verbal part of the GMAT

Question

I've been preparing for the gmat for the lasT 10 days and when i took the practice test i scored 510 ( 45 math section or 71 percentile, and 9 on english with only 16 percentile) im sure in the test i can get around 48-50 on math but how can i improve my english?? Because i need to get more than 600 (im planning to take the test in 10 days) the reason behind the low score in the english section is because im kind of slow

So do u have any suggestion ?? Btw i read the princeton review 2013

ktlemba · Answer

Georgeskai, reading the Princeton book alone will not be enough (actually more frequent recommendations are for the Manhattan and Powerscore books). Have you read this starter thread: new-to-the-gmat-club-start-here-130870.html

There's tons of good advice on this forum, in particular the stories of getting 700+ scores or retake strategies. There are folks here who scored very well, even though English is not their first language.

Also, given that you only have 10 days (less now) to study prior to the test, you might want to consider focusing on Sentence Correction alone to bump up your score. Otherwise, you would spend too much time trying to learn everything, but not fully understanding and end up getting a poor score again.

Since you mentioned that you're slow with Verbal, work on your timing and guess more if you have to in order to finish all the questions.

Thoughts from others on this strategy??

georgeskhai · Answer

Thanks ktlemba for your reply but i bought the GMAT review by WILEY it contains around 900 question that i want to practice but i took the diagnostic test and i store as follow:
CR 8 (the higher grade in the average category)
RC 8 (the higher grade in the BELOW average category)
SC 5 (Below average)
And i was averaging 2 min on each question 
So will this book help me to get around 27 on the verbal section ?? And according to u how can i convert my grade inthe diagnostic test to a grade over 60 ??
Btw they are 4 categories, below avg, avg, above avg and excellent
And thanks god i still didnt take an appointment for my test because as i see i have to postpone it more

ktlemba · Answer

Sorry I can't answer that question as most of the diagnostic tests I'm aware of provide you with scores similiar to GMAT, so there's no translation needed. Which test did you take to get the 510?

I would definitely recommend a pattern of studying, figuring out your weaknesses, then taking practice exams to estimate progress and feedback on what to focus on next. The official site mba.com has free tests that you should be able to take quite a few times before seeing repeat questions that skews the results.

BTW, if you have not read this already, check out this post (esp tip on how to best estimate your GMAT score): gmat-scores-83890.html

Also, from your comments about below average skills in SC and RC, you should focus those 2 areas then. Otherwise, you will not get pass to the more difficult questions -- which is what you'll face from the adaptive nature of the test.

And yeah, if you have luxury of more time... postponing test sounds like the right choice. So don't give up; there are plenty of folks who struggled with verbals and later did great!!

GMATPill · Answer

Well, it's easier to make improvements on SC than it is in the other two verbal sections. When you say you are going slow - perhaps part of it is due to the fact that you are reading or going through every single answer choice. Note that oftentimes, you can get away with answering a question correctly without reading an entire answer choice. Focus on where the problem areas are. For example, if the very end of the underlined portion is where the problem is, then just focus on the end portion of each answer choice. No need to read the entire answer choice. This could save you a lot of time. Here's a perfect example of that: https://www.gmatpill.com/gmat-practice-t ... question/2 Also, jot down notes on where you tend to mess up. Review those mistakes 10 minutes before you go to bed. Then wake up and review them again. Doing this process will help to better retain your learning into your brain so you don't make the same mistakes over and over.

highdiving · Answer

Postponing it was a very wise choice, you might have come back with a disappointing score; a couple weeks more, verbal focused might just help you bump the score up. Apart from all the technical advices you can read here, I personally find hit helpful to read some technical magazines (nature, science, medical reviews and so on).
To postpone the test too much, on the other hand might cause you to lose stamina and focus. Keep it up, good luck.

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