Improving verbal score...

Question

Hi. I took my first gmat prep official test on 22nd dec and scored a pretty embarrasing score of 560 (Q-47 & V-20).
I really need to improve on my verbal.

I started seriously preparing for my gmat from october-end after i took my first ever gmat mock test and scored a really really bad score
of 490(Q 46 V 13 ) .... That was no less than a nightmare for me...I realized that one of my major weakness is "being really inconsistent" with my preperation. The highest that i have ever hit in my verbal is 27 (i guess)... I made up my mind to take my first gmat in jan ... but now i dont see myslelf taking it anytime before march .

When i started my prepeartion the worst of my three section was the rc.. i used to just go blank after reading an passage and had a hard time getting through the question ... While i feel that i hv certainly improved in rc over 1 month, i feel my cr levels have gone down in that course of time..(my sc scoring has been fairly constistent but i still need to improve in that too)...

I really really want to improve on my verbal..

Please experts can you please suggest me ways in which i should prepare in order to improve tremendously in my verbal reasoning...

TheVerbalMentor · Answer

There is a knowledge base that you need to create to score well on the verbal section - parts of speech, phrases and clauses, appositives, subjunctive, etc for SC, and assumptions, inferences, logical deductions, etc for CR. Learn about them. It is recommended that you seek professional help and mentorship. Guided preparation can help.

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TheVerbalMentor · Answer

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itskAKku · Answer

I really appreciate your advice ... but i really can't spend on those costly tutoring ... i am not an earning individual .. Im just a sophomore in college

GMATWhizTeam · Answer

Hi itskAKku,

I need a little more information about your GMAT preparation to help you. I would like to know more about

the time you can devote to studies everyday 
 the way you prepared till now (your study strategy and study plan) 
 your weak areas 
 your approach of solving questions 
 the resources you have used 
 your target score

Answers to these questions will help me guide you in a better way. And I personally suggest to go for the test only after you prepared well and are 100% confident.

Having said that, I would like to have a one-on-one conversation with you. The discussion would be mostly around the answers to the above questions, the approximate time you have for the attempt and the plan of action. You use use the link below to schedule a call with me.

Click here to schedule a call

itskAKku · Answer

- Time i can devote - Till now i used to put around 2 hours per day (Sometimes less than 2 and sometime more than that...). I am going to 
 gradually double it over few days.... I can devote my whole evening in my preperation.

- The way till i have prepared till now - i have been doing only self preperation... I dont have an study plan.. I tried to make one and follow 
 it but that thing got ruined last december when i was having my semester exams.

- Weak area - Ofcrz verbal ...

- My approach of solving problems - For quant ... i dont have an approach ... i just solve it (unless its a data insuffiency problem ).
 For verbal though(especially for sc) , i always try to narrow down my choices to 2 options and then try 
 to find the better of the two . i hv been working on my rc stratagies but haven't come up with 
 anything yet.

- The resources - Gmat club and just books - manhatten's guide set and other manhatten's books such as all the verbal ,kaplan prep plus, princeton review 's , OGs , powerscore cr and rc and few more....

- My target - I want at least 720.. at least.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi itskAKku,

I have the perfect article for you:

How to Score High on GMAT Verbal

Feel free to reach out with any questions.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi itskAKku,

Many GMATers find the Verbal section, the Quant section or both to be challenging - so you're not alone. The Verbal section is as consistent and predictable as the Quant section is, but Verbal questions have no 'safety net' - meaning that if you make a little mistake or miss a vital piece of information, then you will convince yourself that one of the wrong answers is correct (and not realize it). Thankfully, the GMAT is a consistent, predictable Exam, so you CAN train to score at a higher level; you will likely have to make improvements to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections to hit your Score Goal though.

Before I can offer you the specific advice that you’re looking for, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

1) You listed a number of different GMAT books. Did you read through all of them or were you just working through specific sub-sets of each book?
2) On what dates (or approximate dates) did you take EACH of your CATs/mocks and how did you score on EACH (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?
3) Since you are a Sophomore in college, when are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

Contact Rich at: [email protected]

itskAKku · Answer

Sure ,

1"You listed a number of different GMAT books. Did you read through all of them or were you just working through specific sub-sets of each book" - I have read majority of them n also i have skimmed through some parts..Whenever i get stuck in a technical term , i just refer to them . If i dont understand the definition provided in a book , i go for another . So you can say that i keep jumping from one book to other ..

2."On what dates (or approximate dates) did you take EACH of your CATs/mocks and how did you score on EACH (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)"?- This one was a blunder . I gave my first ever mock in oct end n scored 490 (Q 47, V 20) .
 Next day , i took the next one n scored 460(Q 45 , V 9) n then I took another mock test the very next day n scored 520(Q 45, V 19)- Was sceptic of this one cauz i just had 5 problems wrong on Q ... but V one is fine .. i had 20 wrong in verbal- I took few more without any day gap but the score hovered around 520. Okay so a month later in december , i started with another set ... kaplan's practice set... I took its first diagnostic test n scored 660(Q 48 V32) on 15th DEC .... Next one i took on 16th dec n scored 640(Q 46,V30) next on 18th dec n scored 620(Q 45 , V28 ) next on 20th DEC n scored 600 .... Finally on 22nd when i gave my first ever gmat prep , i scored only 560(Q 47, V20). It has been truly horrific for me .... I was really broken ...

3. "Since you are a Sophomore in college, when are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to"?- Well im in my second year n im planning to apply next summer ... that is just before i go to my final year...So i want to head straight to a business school immediately after getting my degree(2024)... I haven't really sorted out the list of business school i am going to apply ... but if i score a good gmat score ... i'll be applying to top DEFFERED programs... or else i'll go for an MIM or MMGT.

(btw thanks to each and every one goin through this post and suggesting me ways and pinning articles of how to improve .. Thank you so much)

GMATWhizTeam · Answer

Hi itskAKku,

I have a few articles which you might find helpful. Please go through them to understand the right way to prepare for GMAT.

How to effectively plan your studies for GMAT

How to score 700+ on GMAT

How to start preparing for GMAT

OG may be a great source for solving GMAT like questions, however, it is definitely not the ideal way to prepare in your case. Moreover, you may find that the OG is a good option as a question bank but lacks detailed explanations for you to use for improvement. It’s always better to prepare with a definitive resource to help you learn concepts while formulating a consistent strategy to solve questions before practicing them from the OG. This way, your preparation will be a lot more structured, and the chances of you leaving gaps in your learning will be significantly less. Focus on improving the method you follow to solve questions because that's what stops people from scoring 700+.

Coming to Verbal, I am bumping up a post for your reference to ace your Verbal prep.

The need of the hour (A personalized study plan):  
The first thing to do is to create a proper study plan with clear deadlines because if you are clear of what to study on any given day, it makes life easier for you. But a generic study plan will not help as you need a study plan according to your requirements. A person who can spend 4 hours a day for studies cannot have the same study plan as a person who can spend just 2 hours a day. So, the study plan has to be personalized, that is, the study plan has to be according to the number of hours one can dedicate for studies.

So, you need a personalized study plan which takes into account the number of hours you can study in a day. Once you have a study plan, make sure to stick to that. Create a habit of studying everyday because consistency is the key. You can go through the recording below to understand the right way to create a study plan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65n8_LIbPIM

I would suggest you to check out the free trial of GMATWhiz and the personalized study plan it provides. And if you wish to have a detailed discussion regarding the study strategy, you can get in touch with me using the below link.
    Click here to schedule a call

Russ19 · Answer

Hi,
I have found some free and useful video lessons for verbal:
1. Gmatninja's video lessons, which are available in gmat club youtube channel
2.manhattan prep gmatprep hour: Jeffrey Vollmer's lecture
3.RC series at gmat club youtube channel by Haily Cusimano, a veritasprep instructor.

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