Last visit was: 05 May 2026, 00:10 It is currently 05 May 2026, 00:10
Home
Messages
Tests
Schools
Events
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Go to My Error Log Learn more
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
Back to Forum
Create Topic
avatar
goelvani
avatar
Joined: 27 Feb 2015
Last visit: 25 Nov 2018
Posts: 11
Given Kudos: 3
Posts: 11
Kudos: 0
Need advise regarding tough question sources. 28 Feb 2015, 12:59
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hi All,


I need some advise regarding study material for both quant and verbal.

Currently, i am scoring around 47 in quant and want to touch 51.
For verbal, i havnt been able to make it above 35 and really want to reach above 40.

Being a non native english speaker, i need some good material for verbal.

I have used all three OG guides as well as manhattan strategy guides and cat exams.

Please advise. I will be greatly thankfull.
User avatar
EMPOWERgmatRichC
User avatar
Major Poster
Joined: 19 Dec 2014
Last visit: 31 Dec 2023
Posts: 21,777
Own Kudos:
13,064
 [1]
Given Kudos: 450
Status:GMAT Assassin/Co-Founder
Affiliations: EMPOWERgmat
Location: United States (CA)
GMAT 1: 800 Q51 V49
GRE 1: Q170 V170
Expert
Expert reply
GMAT 1: 800 Q51 V49
GRE 1: Q170 V170
Posts: 21,777
Kudos: 13,064
 [1]
Need advise regarding tough question sources. 28 Feb 2015, 13:49
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hi goelvani,

Your scores are pretty good, so we're going to have to 'nitpick' what you've been doing and the specific types of questions that you're getting wrong (and WHY you're getting them wrong).

I'd like to know a bit more about your studies so far:

1) How long have you been studying?
2) What resources have you been using?
3) How have you scored on each of your CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)?
4) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT each time (including the Essay and IR sections)?

5) When are you planning to take the GMAT?
6) When are you planning to apply to Business School?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
avatar
goelvani
avatar
Joined: 27 Feb 2015
Last visit: 25 Nov 2018
Posts: 11
Given Kudos: 3
Posts: 11
Kudos: 0
Need advise regarding tough question sources. 28 Feb 2015, 22:33
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
EMPOWERgmatRichC
Hi goelvani,

Your scores are pretty good, so we're going to have to 'nitpick' what you've been doing and the specific types of questions that you're getting wrong (and WHY you're getting them wrong).

I'd like to know a bit more about your studies so far:

1) How long have you been studying?
2) What resources have you been using?
3) How have you scored on each of your CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)?
4) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT each time (including the Essay and IR sections)?

5) When are you planning to take the GMAT?
6) When are you planning to apply to Business School?

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



Hi,

Thank you for your response.

1.I have been studying for 5-6 months.
2.As said, I used all manhattan strategy guides and OGs.
3.My scores in CATs(Manhattan mostly) have been in the braket of 650 to 680. Quant is around 45 and verbal is around 32.
4.I took the entire cat each time but did not do AWA and IR. Sometimes i pause between sessions to relax for a bit.
5.I am planning to take GMAT next month.
6.Will apply to Business schools from late this year to early next year.


My quant is good enough but I want to touch 45 in verbal. I am aiming for 750+ in Final. And would do anything for it.
User avatar
DmitryFarberMPrep
User avatar
Manhattan Prep Instructor
Joined: 22 Mar 2011
Last visit: 03 Mar 2026
Posts: 3,005
Own Kudos:
8,628
Given Kudos: 57
Expert
Expert reply
GMAT Focus 1: 745 Q86 V90 DI85
Posts: 3,005
Kudos: 8,628
Need advise regarding tough question sources. 28 Feb 2015, 23:38
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Have you worked through our Advanced GMAT Quant book? (It's a special volume that doesn't normally come with the full set.)
avatar
alexau
avatar
Joined: 12 Nov 2014
Last visit: 08 Jun 2015
Posts: 84
Own Kudos:
69
Given Kudos: 11
Concentration: Finance, Strategy
GMAT 1: 710 Q49 V38
GMAT 2: 760 Q48 V47
Products:
My Reviews
GMAT 2: 760 Q48 V47
Posts: 84
Kudos: 69
Need advise regarding tough question sources. 01 Mar 2015, 11:48
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
I thought the MGMAT Advanced Quant book was a pretty good resource. There aren't a ton of questions in it, but it definitely allows you to think in a different way that will help boost the score on test day.

In terms of other tough question banks, there are always tons of questions here on GMAT Club. You can also check out the GMAC question pack 1 which will add around 400 more questions to GMATPrep (only around 100 are "hard" though).

I know Veritas Prep has a free question bank that may be useful for you. I often found their questions to be a bit harder than the GMATPrep stuff.

In terms of how to improve verbal, I would try to identify what your weakest part is. Its easy to say I am not good at SC or I need to work on CR, but you should really look to get as detailed as possible in your analysis. Ex. My weakness within SC is modifiers. My weakness within CR is assumption questions.

This will allow you to really find the weakest link and work on that nonstop.
User avatar
EMPOWERgmatRichC
User avatar
Major Poster
Joined: 19 Dec 2014
Last visit: 31 Dec 2023
Posts: 21,777
Own Kudos:
13,064
Given Kudos: 450
Status:GMAT Assassin/Co-Founder
Affiliations: EMPOWERgmat
Location: United States (CA)
GMAT 1: 800 Q51 V49
GRE 1: Q170 V170
Expert
Expert reply
GMAT 1: 800 Q51 V49
GRE 1: Q170 V170
Posts: 21,777
Kudos: 13,064
Need advise regarding tough question sources. 01 Mar 2015, 14:22
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hi goelvani,

It's good that you provided answers to these questions because right now you have a significant problem that you didn't realize that you have.

The only way to properly assess your 'readiness' to take the Official GMAT is to take FULL-LENGTH practice CATs under 'test-like' conditions. From what you've described, it does not sound as though you took ANY of your CATs under these conditions. Often, when Test Takers use CATs in an unrealistic way, the score results are "inflated"; as such, we can't assume that these scores are accurate.

With your score goal, and the approach that you've taken so far, you're likely going to need MORE than another month of study time. Sometime soon, you should plan to take a FULL-LENGTH CAT (including the Essay and IR sections) in as realistic a fashion as possible (away from your home, at the same time of day as your Official GMAT, etc.). Once you have those scores, you should report back here.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
avatar
goelvani
avatar
Joined: 27 Feb 2015
Last visit: 25 Nov 2018
Posts: 11
Given Kudos: 3
Posts: 11
Kudos: 0
Need advise regarding tough question sources. 02 Mar 2015, 06:58
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
alexau
I thought the MGMAT Advanced Quant book was a pretty good resource. There aren't a ton of questions in it, but it definitely allows you to think in a different way that will help boost the score on test day.

In terms of other tough question banks, there are always tons of questions here on GMAT Club. You can also check out the GMAC question pack 1 which will add around 400 more questions to GMATPrep (only around 100 are "hard" though).

I know Veritas Prep has a free question bank that may be useful for you. I often found their questions to be a bit harder than the GMATPrep stuff.

In terms of how to improve verbal, I would try to identify what your weakest part is. Its easy to say I am not good at SC or I need to work on CR, but you should really look to get as detailed as possible in your analysis. Ex. My weakness within SC is modifiers. My weakness within CR is assumption questions.

This will allow you to really find the weakest link and work on that nonstop.
Show more


Hi,


Thank you for your suggestions. I have Manhattan Advanced and will be trying it in coming days. I am also planning to take Gmat club tests. I think I have pretty decent material for Quant. But i need help with Verbal material- Some people say 1000 series, Some say LSAT material. Once I know my mistakes/weakness, what material should I use to work on them. I need about a month of daily practice in Verbal to hit may target score.
avatar
goelvani
avatar
Joined: 27 Feb 2015
Last visit: 25 Nov 2018
Posts: 11
Given Kudos: 3
Posts: 11
Kudos: 0
Need advise regarding tough question sources. 02 Mar 2015, 07:01
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
EMPOWERgmatRichC
Hi goelvani,

It's good that you provided answers to these questions because right now you have a significant problem that you didn't realize that you have.

The only way to properly assess your 'readiness' to take the Official GMAT is to take FULL-LENGTH practice CATs under 'test-like' conditions. From what you've described, it does not sound as though you took ANY of your CATs under these conditions. Often, when Test Takers use CATs in an unrealistic way, the score results are "inflated"; as such, we can't assume that these scores are accurate.

With your score goal, and the approach that you've taken so far, you're likely going to need MORE than another month of study time. Sometime soon, you should plan to take a FULL-LENGTH CAT (including the Essay and IR sections) in as realistic a fashion as possible (away from your home, at the same time of day as your Official GMAT, etc.). Once you have those scores, you should report back here.

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


Hi Rich,


I took the test in exact Real Gmat conditions. Below are my scores:

Gmatprep1-650, Q-47, v-32, IR-7

I know my mistakes in Quant and I could work on them. For verbal i need serious help with the right material that will prep me for a 45 score in 30-40 days.

Please advise.
Thanks.
avatar
alexau
avatar
Joined: 12 Nov 2014
Last visit: 08 Jun 2015
Posts: 84
Own Kudos:
69
Given Kudos: 11
Concentration: Finance, Strategy
GMAT 1: 710 Q49 V38
GMAT 2: 760 Q48 V47
Products:
My Reviews
GMAT 2: 760 Q48 V47
Posts: 84
Kudos: 69
Need advise regarding tough question sources. 02 Mar 2015, 12:22
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
goelvani
Thank you for your suggestions. I have Manhattan Advanced and will be trying it in coming days. I am also planning to take Gmat club tests. I think I have pretty decent material for Quant. But i need help with Verbal material- Some people say 1000 series, Some say LSAT material. Once I know my mistakes/weakness, what material should I use to work on them. I need about a month of daily practice in Verbal to hit may target score.
Show more

Personally, I wasn't the biggest fan of the GMAT Club tests. They were definitely a challenge, but from my experience I felt that they were almost overly difficult and not realistic of what you would see on the exam. You can also check out some of bunuel's material on here. He has posted tons of good 700+ difficulty problems with explanations.

I am not personally familiar with the 1000 series that you referenced but have heard some decent things about LSAT material for verbal. Some people have said that certain LSAT stuff may be overkill for the GMAT but I know on Amazon you can get old LSAT practice exams or you could pick up the PowerScore LSAT Critical Reasoning Bible (it may be called logical reasoning for LSAT).

I used the PowerScore GMAT CR bible and found it to be pretty helpful. While bumping your Verbal score up is definitely possible since you have a month, remember that V45 is around 99th percentile. If you can score a Q50, V42 that may put you in the 760 range for 99th percentile overall. It seems like you definitely have a good grasp on quant and will boost that up a bit just by eliminating mistakes, but I wouldn't put too much pressure on yourself and say that you NEED to be at V45. Even with a Verbal score a few points lower, your strong quant score can easily help boost you into the mid-high 90s percentile.

RC tends to be a time killer for most people as they spend too much time there so I would try to do a good amount of reading over the next month. Try to sharpen your RC skills just by reading the newspaper and summarizing it. For SC, some of the stuff can be formulaic, which may work in your favor since you like quant. For CR, focus on "predicting the answer" based on the premise, conclusion, and question stem before you actually take a peek at the answers.

Best of luck!
avatar
goelvani
avatar
Joined: 27 Feb 2015
Last visit: 25 Nov 2018
Posts: 11
Given Kudos: 3
Posts: 11
Kudos: 0
Need advise regarding tough question sources. 03 Mar 2015, 00:33
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
alexau
goelvani
Thank you for your suggestions. I have Manhattan Advanced and will be trying it in coming days. I am also planning to take Gmat club tests. I think I have pretty decent material for Quant. But i need help with Verbal material- Some people say 1000 series, Some say LSAT material. Once I know my mistakes/weakness, what material should I use to work on them. I need about a month of daily practice in Verbal to hit may target score.

Personally, I wasn't the biggest fan of the GMAT Club tests. They were definitely a challenge, but from my experience I felt that they were almost overly difficult and not realistic of what you would see on the exam. You can also check out some of bunuel's material on here. He has posted tons of good 700+ difficulty problems with explanations.

I am not personally familiar with the 1000 series that you referenced but have heard some decent things about LSAT material for verbal. Some people have said that certain LSAT stuff may be overkill for the GMAT but I know on Amazon you can get old LSAT practice exams or you could pick up the PowerScore LSAT Critical Reasoning Bible (it may be called logical reasoning for LSAT).

I used the PowerScore GMAT CR bible and found it to be pretty helpful. While bumping your Verbal score up is definitely possible since you have a month, remember that V45 is around 99th percentile. If you can score a Q50, V42 that may put you in the 760 range for 99th percentile overall. It seems like you definitely have a good grasp on quant and will boost that up a bit just by eliminating mistakes, but I wouldn't put too much pressure on yourself and say that you NEED to be at V45. Even with a Verbal score a few points lower, your strong quant score can easily help boost you into the mid-high 90s percentile.

RC tends to be a time killer for most people as they spend too much time there so I would try to do a good amount of reading over the next month. Try to sharpen your RC skills just by reading the newspaper and summarizing it. For SC, some of the stuff can be formulaic, which may work in your favor since you like quant. For CR, focus on "predicting the answer" based on the premise, conclusion, and question stem before you actually take a peek at the answers.

Best of luck!
Show more


Thank you so much for your tips. I would definitely keep them in mind. I am targeting 750+ and yes anything above 40 in verbal should suffice it. I would be polishing my Quants and rigorously practicing verbal in the coming month.
Moderators:
gchandana
196 posts
MBAACCOUNT2025
General GMAT Forum Moderator
474 posts