Need Help to decide my GMAT Date and STUDY plan

Question

I am non native English speaker with 2+ years of experience in IT industry with a big MNC .I started the GMAT preparation 6 months back.I gave the GMAT Prep Mock that time and scored 530 not sure about breakup score but i think it was (48 Q 23 V) .Since i am targeting 700+ so it was quite clear that i need to improve a lot.I am giving my best to study daily according to advices in the forum. Quant will not be a big problem for me but verbal is a nightmare. So for Verbal i have done following things:- Studied Manhattan SC , power score CR and daily reading editorial page of newspaper(let me tell u i was never interested in reading at all before my preparation:)

) Till now i have practiced SC,Cr and RC from: OG(10,11,12). Grockit. So after all this today my Mock scores are:- Gmat prep - 660 (Q 49, V 32) Manhattan Cat- 620(Q 43, v 33)(I was surprised to see my quant score, but digested finally since i have never practiced Quant for GMAT). I have realized that i am improving gradually. But still not having the confidence to book the date for the big day. I have to get 700+ by any chance in the first attempt only. One problem which i see in me is i am not able to manage the time in CAT.i.e am not able to finish verbal even..Every time i am making guesses in the last RC passage of mocks.i have read timings strategies that this forum is mentioning but some how i am not able to apply probably because of the stress that ticking clock gives me . Please HELP ..... I have to achieve my goal of 700+ for converting my dream to reality.

GMATLA · Answer

Take a look at this post: gmat-study-plan-start-your-gmat-journey-80727.html and make sure you are following a studying plan. It sounds like you have made some great strides! Keep reading the Verbal forums, and keep working hard! Don't give up b/c the only way to get better in verbal is practice and hard work.

You'll get there. I would recommend that you book the test for a couple months out (definitely before the test format changes in June 2012). Those spots will fill fast. So by the time you are ready to take the test there may not be any spots open. Also, having that big day as a deadline will be some HUGE motivation to study and work hard. Good luck!

gorupruthi · Answer

Thanks a lot for the reply

This is very helpful.

georgepaul0071987 · Answer

How long do you take on each question type in verbal ? Which sections do you make most mistakes in ?

egmat · Answer

Gorupathi,

I do a 2 hr session where I help people devise their own study plan. I do address reasons why students are unable to improve beyond a point and how to circumvent this problem. Take a look at the recording of the previous session. The next session is no 28th December.

https://meet25754052.adobeconnect.com/p62qtci115i/

Let me know if you have any questions.

Regards,

Rajat Sadana

GMATPill · Answer

gorupruthi, reading editorials from your newspaper is more of a long term strategy. If your exam is coming up pretty soon, I doubt reading the newspaper is going to help you that much. As for booking a date - note that on June 5, 2012, the new GMAT will be coming out with an integrated reasoning section. Could be good or bed depending on how strong you might be in that section relative to other candidates. But if you don't want to study with new material, you'll probably want to book a date before then. Once you book a date and put down the money, it's a lot easier to force yourself to commit to studying because you're already invested in the pursuit. Try these RC videos for your verbal needs: https://www.gmatpill.com/practice-questi ... -guide-rc/ Or some of the SC videos on our homepage. Keep your head up. Just because English is your second language does not mean you're not capable of improving. Here's proof that others have done it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcK3NARZ1dE

gorupruthi · Answer

On an Average i am taking per Question
SC 1:30 Mins
CR 1:50 Mins

RC total 8 mins for long and 6 mins for small.

I am making mistakes in RC.I am practicing 3 Passages daily these days from RC99.

The major problem is i am not able to manage the time in verbal , one of the reasons is I keep on trying the question for a long time if i get stuck.

GMATPill · Answer

If you're getting stuck on verbal for a single question, there was something wrong in the process where you couldn't retain the material in your head and lost it, got confused, had to reread. This is a problem with reading strategy.

For timing, you'll need to really pay attention to timing strategies during the exam. Refer to this article:
https://www.gmatpill.com/about/studying- ... trategies/

As for reading strategy, you really need to change your thought process. Don't read everything. Capture the key point, focus on the key transitive phrases (guess in your head where the author is going) then skip to the next paragraph. After reading the passage, connect the dots so you understand the MAIN idea before you start answering the questions. Almost guaranteed, every passage will have 1-2 main idea passage questions.
https://www.gmatpill.com/practice-questi ... -guide-rc/

Best of luck!

gorupruthi · Answer

Thanks for the advice and links. 
I need 1 more advice. I am planning to give in march end around march 25th.I am studying acc. to my time table. But i have to take 2 weeks break(feb end) from studies because of some unavoidable task. Can u pls. tell that can this effect my Gmat and if so, then what can i do to avoid the bad effects.

Regards,
GOurav

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