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29 Oct 2014, 08:06
Kudos
Bookmarks
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am looking for assistance and some serious help. I think there is a fundamental flaw in the way I approach verbal section. Coming from a technological back-ground I have no issue at all with the Quantitative section, even with some goofs up and some silly experiments (To test the scoring algorithm in two CATs and actual Exam) I have always managed score above 40. My verbal part is really poor; I never have crossed 30 even in any of the two Manhattan CATs that I have finished so far. I am consistently scoring between 22 to 25 mark.
Study Material: Cover each and every page of all the available Manhattan guides for both Quantitative and Verbal section (Including their foundation course guides as well). For practice I have used Official Guide 12, 13, & 14. For sentence correction one additional book from Aristotle. For critical reasoning I have mostly rely on PowerScore bible book.
My target score is in 700+ range so that it will open doors of all the top 10 B schools.
If most of the good candidates across the globe are able to cross 40 level mark in Verbal section, then it is definitely achievable.
My approach: First I have covered all the study materials. While studying I have made notes from each of the book. As I am working 9 hours a day in my current job, it took me sometime to finish all the books. After finishing study material ,I started with OG-13 and on one Saturday I have covered all the Critical reasoning questions, next day all Quantitative section questions ,then next two evenings all Sentence correction questions and finally on next Saturday and Sunday all reading comprehension passages and their respective questions. I made note of all the questions which I answered wrongly in my 1st attempt for sentence correction, critical reasoning, and quantitative sections. I struggled mainly in 2 of the OG-13 passages and 8 to 9 questions in total from different passages.
Then I took 1st free CAT of Manhattan, result Quantitative 45 and Verbal 22. My reading comprehension was poor as I skimmed most of it, as my focus on this free test is to test my timing. I have 22 wrongs out of 41. Those 22 wrongs also include sentence correction and critical reasoning questions.
Then I picked 6 different RC passages from different OG sources which I have not covered (Old OG guides, covering all the difficulty level, short, medium and long). I made small script and timed (8 minutes for short passages, 9 minutes for medium and 12 minutes for long passage) those so that I get mixture of medium, short and long passages. My success rate was 90% for all the 6 passages, each having at least 4 questions to answer.
While working on sentence correction problem from OG-13, I found out, even though rules are clear to me, it did not come out nicely from my mind, means I was not able to apply those rules to actual problem. So I referred another sentence correction book from Aristotle.
After working on weakness I took my first actual Manhattan CAT and my score is Quantitative 42 and Verbal 25.Again in Verbal 23 wrong answers.
Then I thought I need more practice ,so I took 2 weeks off and covered OG-15, OG-12 for all verbal part question accept RC passages and next 1 week I have just revised all my notes + all the problems which I answered wrongly on my 1st attempt. After studying for 8 hours a day, on Friday I took my actual GMAT exam (1st attempt).
My feeling was if I have covered all the OGs problems definitely my verbal will improve ,so I took the date of my GMAT exam and just after 2 Manhattan CATs without even testing how good I am on two available practice tests from GMAC, I appeared in GMAT exam, and end up with Quantitative 44 and Verbal 25.
Actual GMAT quantitative questions were tougher compare to what I found in 2 CATs, also my score dropped as I have put 17 minutes to solve 3 very tough quantitative questions. To manage the time, I just blindly select options for 7 quantitative questions b/w question number 18 to 31 smartly so that my score should not drop below 40.
Verbal score shows that there is a fundamental flaw in the way I approach or answer verbal section questions. Now problem is, I have solved OG-12, OG-13 and OG-15 verbal sections completely, what else I can practice for my 2nd GMAT attempt. How much preparation & time is required for me to master verbal section and to secure a decent 40+ score. What should be my new approach for the verbal part.
Thanks in advance for your help.
With Sincere Regards
Deepika
I am looking for assistance and some serious help. I think there is a fundamental flaw in the way I approach verbal section. Coming from a technological back-ground I have no issue at all with the Quantitative section, even with some goofs up and some silly experiments (To test the scoring algorithm in two CATs and actual Exam) I have always managed score above 40. My verbal part is really poor; I never have crossed 30 even in any of the two Manhattan CATs that I have finished so far. I am consistently scoring between 22 to 25 mark.
Study Material: Cover each and every page of all the available Manhattan guides for both Quantitative and Verbal section (Including their foundation course guides as well). For practice I have used Official Guide 12, 13, & 14. For sentence correction one additional book from Aristotle. For critical reasoning I have mostly rely on PowerScore bible book.
My target score is in 700+ range so that it will open doors of all the top 10 B schools.
If most of the good candidates across the globe are able to cross 40 level mark in Verbal section, then it is definitely achievable.
My approach: First I have covered all the study materials. While studying I have made notes from each of the book. As I am working 9 hours a day in my current job, it took me sometime to finish all the books. After finishing study material ,I started with OG-13 and on one Saturday I have covered all the Critical reasoning questions, next day all Quantitative section questions ,then next two evenings all Sentence correction questions and finally on next Saturday and Sunday all reading comprehension passages and their respective questions. I made note of all the questions which I answered wrongly in my 1st attempt for sentence correction, critical reasoning, and quantitative sections. I struggled mainly in 2 of the OG-13 passages and 8 to 9 questions in total from different passages.
Then I took 1st free CAT of Manhattan, result Quantitative 45 and Verbal 22. My reading comprehension was poor as I skimmed most of it, as my focus on this free test is to test my timing. I have 22 wrongs out of 41. Those 22 wrongs also include sentence correction and critical reasoning questions.
Then I picked 6 different RC passages from different OG sources which I have not covered (Old OG guides, covering all the difficulty level, short, medium and long). I made small script and timed (8 minutes for short passages, 9 minutes for medium and 12 minutes for long passage) those so that I get mixture of medium, short and long passages. My success rate was 90% for all the 6 passages, each having at least 4 questions to answer.
While working on sentence correction problem from OG-13, I found out, even though rules are clear to me, it did not come out nicely from my mind, means I was not able to apply those rules to actual problem. So I referred another sentence correction book from Aristotle.
After working on weakness I took my first actual Manhattan CAT and my score is Quantitative 42 and Verbal 25.Again in Verbal 23 wrong answers.
Then I thought I need more practice ,so I took 2 weeks off and covered OG-15, OG-12 for all verbal part question accept RC passages and next 1 week I have just revised all my notes + all the problems which I answered wrongly on my 1st attempt. After studying for 8 hours a day, on Friday I took my actual GMAT exam (1st attempt).
My feeling was if I have covered all the OGs problems definitely my verbal will improve ,so I took the date of my GMAT exam and just after 2 Manhattan CATs without even testing how good I am on two available practice tests from GMAC, I appeared in GMAT exam, and end up with Quantitative 44 and Verbal 25.
Actual GMAT quantitative questions were tougher compare to what I found in 2 CATs, also my score dropped as I have put 17 minutes to solve 3 very tough quantitative questions. To manage the time, I just blindly select options for 7 quantitative questions b/w question number 18 to 31 smartly so that my score should not drop below 40.
Verbal score shows that there is a fundamental flaw in the way I approach or answer verbal section questions. Now problem is, I have solved OG-12, OG-13 and OG-15 verbal sections completely, what else I can practice for my 2nd GMAT attempt. How much preparation & time is required for me to master verbal section and to secure a decent 40+ score. What should be my new approach for the verbal part.
Thanks in advance for your help.
With Sincere Regards
Deepika
03 Nov 2014, 11:53
Kudos
Bookmarks
Dear Deepika,
I'm happy to respond.
First of all, here are some free GMAT Idiom study cards:
https://gmat.magoosh.com/flashcards/idioms
As for your aspirations for a 700 score, I suggest this blog:
https://magoosh.com/gmat/2014/gmat-stud ... 0-or-more/
Here's one thing I notice. You wrote:
"First I have covered all the study materials. While studying I have made notes from each of the book. As I am working 9 hours a day in my current job, it took me sometime to finish all the books. After finishing study material ,I started with OG-13 and on one Saturday I have covered all the Critical reasoning questions, next day all Quantitative section questions ,then next two evenings all Sentence correction questions and finally on next Saturday and Sunday all reading comprehension passages and their respective questions. I made note of all the questions which I answered wrongly in my 1st attempt for sentence correction, critical reasoning, and quantitative sections. I struggled mainly in 2 of the OG-13 passages and 8 to 9 questions in total from different passages."
This is a very hard thing to appreciate --- when you are trying to learn something in depth, you have to disregard the idea of efficiency. Learning with efficiency is always equivalent to shallow learning. When you say, you "covered all the study materials," this makes me very suspicious. With these complex verbal ideas, such as Parallelism, you can't simply read some study materials about them and then consider yourself done. That is absolutely not how the human brain learns. You only get information into long-term memory by repeated exposure. You have to spiral through study material, returning again and again to the same topics until you really know them inside out.
Similarly, binge sessions, while extremely efficient, are virtually useless. For example, doing all the CG questions in the official guide all at once, in one day --- that suggest to me that you didn't engage deeply with any question. You were trying to get done, rather than get deep.
Now, the paradox is: you say you want a 700+ score. You want a truly elite, excellent score, but you are trying to get it using the most "fast food" approach to studying. A 700+ score is excellent. If you want an excellent performance, you have to approach each and every practice question with excellence. You have to wrestle with each question until you can explain, in exhaustive detail, why the right answer is right and why each incorrect choice is wrong. You need to make yourself an expert on that question, and you need to bring that attitude to each and every question. Yes, you will move through the questions much more slowly. This will take some significant time, but that's precisely what excellent requires. Most people don't achieve excellent precisely because they lack the determination and drive to sustain such high quality focus. Most people lack the patience to achieve excellence. One cannot achieve excellence with quick efficiency: excellence is a long game.
As for your study materials, the MGMAT books are truly excellent, and you probably could continue to read and re-read them and get more out of them. I would also recommend Magoosh: we have very high quality verbal lessons, covering all the grammar rules and all the strategies you need. Here's a sample SC lesson:
https://gmat.magoosh.com/lessons/944-substantive-clauses
Here's a practice SC question:
https://gmat.magoosh.com/questions/3586
Here's a practice CR question:
https://gmat.magoosh.com/questions/3746
When you submit your answer to each question, the following page will have a full video explanation. Each one of Magoosh's 800+ practice questions has its own VE --- this immediate feedback encourages deeper learning, which is exactly what you need for an elite score.
Finally, the most important piece of advice: READ. You need to develop a habit of reading. You need to create an hour a day in which to read --- you may have to give up some form of electronic entertainment to do so. You need to read well beyond GMAT materials --- you need to read hard challenging material in English. Since you are planning to go into the business world, I would strongly recommend reading the Wall Street Journal every day and the Economist magazine every week. Bloomberg Businessweek is also excellent. For more recommendations, see:
https://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/gmat-reading-list/
As you read, pay attention to sentence structure, use of idioms, etc.. Pay attention to arguments, evidence, assumptions, etc. Pay attention to main ideas, roles of paragraphs, why details were mentioned, etc. Bring all the GMAT Verbal skills to everything you read.
If you truly want to achieve an excellent GMAT performance, you need to push yourself to read very difficult material in English. Through this exposure, you will develop the instincts for the language that never can learn simply by studying the rules.
Does all this make sense?
Mike
I'm happy to respond.
First of all, here are some free GMAT Idiom study cards:
https://gmat.magoosh.com/flashcards/idioms
As for your aspirations for a 700 score, I suggest this blog:
https://magoosh.com/gmat/2014/gmat-stud ... 0-or-more/
Here's one thing I notice. You wrote:
"First I have covered all the study materials. While studying I have made notes from each of the book. As I am working 9 hours a day in my current job, it took me sometime to finish all the books. After finishing study material ,I started with OG-13 and on one Saturday I have covered all the Critical reasoning questions, next day all Quantitative section questions ,then next two evenings all Sentence correction questions and finally on next Saturday and Sunday all reading comprehension passages and their respective questions. I made note of all the questions which I answered wrongly in my 1st attempt for sentence correction, critical reasoning, and quantitative sections. I struggled mainly in 2 of the OG-13 passages and 8 to 9 questions in total from different passages."
This is a very hard thing to appreciate --- when you are trying to learn something in depth, you have to disregard the idea of efficiency. Learning with efficiency is always equivalent to shallow learning. When you say, you "covered all the study materials," this makes me very suspicious. With these complex verbal ideas, such as Parallelism, you can't simply read some study materials about them and then consider yourself done. That is absolutely not how the human brain learns. You only get information into long-term memory by repeated exposure. You have to spiral through study material, returning again and again to the same topics until you really know them inside out.
Similarly, binge sessions, while extremely efficient, are virtually useless. For example, doing all the CG questions in the official guide all at once, in one day --- that suggest to me that you didn't engage deeply with any question. You were trying to get done, rather than get deep.
Now, the paradox is: you say you want a 700+ score. You want a truly elite, excellent score, but you are trying to get it using the most "fast food" approach to studying. A 700+ score is excellent. If you want an excellent performance, you have to approach each and every practice question with excellence. You have to wrestle with each question until you can explain, in exhaustive detail, why the right answer is right and why each incorrect choice is wrong. You need to make yourself an expert on that question, and you need to bring that attitude to each and every question. Yes, you will move through the questions much more slowly. This will take some significant time, but that's precisely what excellent requires. Most people don't achieve excellent precisely because they lack the determination and drive to sustain such high quality focus. Most people lack the patience to achieve excellence. One cannot achieve excellence with quick efficiency: excellence is a long game.
As for your study materials, the MGMAT books are truly excellent, and you probably could continue to read and re-read them and get more out of them. I would also recommend Magoosh: we have very high quality verbal lessons, covering all the grammar rules and all the strategies you need. Here's a sample SC lesson:
https://gmat.magoosh.com/lessons/944-substantive-clauses
Here's a practice SC question:
https://gmat.magoosh.com/questions/3586
Here's a practice CR question:
https://gmat.magoosh.com/questions/3746
When you submit your answer to each question, the following page will have a full video explanation. Each one of Magoosh's 800+ practice questions has its own VE --- this immediate feedback encourages deeper learning, which is exactly what you need for an elite score.
Finally, the most important piece of advice: READ. You need to develop a habit of reading. You need to create an hour a day in which to read --- you may have to give up some form of electronic entertainment to do so. You need to read well beyond GMAT materials --- you need to read hard challenging material in English. Since you are planning to go into the business world, I would strongly recommend reading the Wall Street Journal every day and the Economist magazine every week. Bloomberg Businessweek is also excellent. For more recommendations, see:
https://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/gmat-reading-list/
As you read, pay attention to sentence structure, use of idioms, etc.. Pay attention to arguments, evidence, assumptions, etc. Pay attention to main ideas, roles of paragraphs, why details were mentioned, etc. Bring all the GMAT Verbal skills to everything you read.
If you truly want to achieve an excellent GMAT performance, you need to push yourself to read very difficult material in English. Through this exposure, you will develop the instincts for the language that never can learn simply by studying the rules.
Does all this make sense?
Mike
