OG Verbal questions - Sufficient or not?

Question

Hello,
I am planning to write GMAT on 20th July and have been preparing it from the past three months.

I have completed all the verbal questions in OG 2020 and my accuracy in SC, RC and CR stands at roughly 70%. I want to know that is it sufficient if I only practice the verbal questions from OG?

If I practice verbal only from OG what could be my verbal score in real GMAT?

For Quants, I am having subscription of Wizako and practicing questions from it.

Posted from my mobile device

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi AbbasAli12,

There's a big difference between how you might perform on a uniform set of practice questions and how you perform on a FULL, adaptive Exam that is throwing question types at you in a random order. By extension, there's no practical way to "convert" what you are describing into a GMAT Score. The only way to assess how you might score on the Official GMAT is to take a practice CAT/mock (and take it in a realistic fashion that matches-up with how you will take your Official GMAT).

Before I can offer you any additional advice for your studies, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

Studies:
1) How many hours do you typically study each week?
2) What study materials have you used so far? What “brands” of CATs/mocks have you used?
3) 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)?

Goals:
4) What is your overall goal score?
5) 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

Naheedmir · Answer

Hello,
Unfortunately, I don't have an answer for you. It is a very difficult question to answer as there is a great difference between taking practice questions and appearing in the real test. I will suggest focusing on your weak area and continuing to take practice tests.

Adambhau · Answer

It depends on how did you practice. Many factors can affect such as timing pressure, exam environment, etc. It would be best to take one GMAC test or other any practice test, and check at what level are you now. If you are reaching to your target score, I would say practice more and give one practice test on each weekend. Hope it helps!

GMATWhizTeam · Answer

Hi AbbasAli12,

You can assess your current level by taking an official mock. That will help you understand whether you need to change your study strategy or not. Having said that, solely relying on practicing questions isn't the right way to prepare for GMAT. Let me elaborate on it.

What is tested on GMAT?  
GMAT is not a typical exam which tests your conceptual knowledge. It tests a lot more than that. So, the normal tendency of “improving the score by practicing more and more questions” doesn’t work here. There is a certain way you have to prepare for GMAT. As GMAT tests your application skills along with the conceptual knowledge, your focus while preparing has to be to learn the right methodology as well.

Only after you are done with learning the concepts and the methodology of a topic, you can jump into solving questions of that topic. Now ask yourself, does OG really help you learn the concepts and the methodologies effectively?

So, it’s always better to start your preparation with a standard resource which can help you learn the concepts and the methodologies and then move to solving questions using OG. This way your preparation will be a lot more structured and there are less chances for you to have any gaps while solving questions.

How to proceed further?  
If you are done with your prep, then take an official mock. Identify your weak areas and work on them accordingly. I can help you in a much better way if you can provide me a few more details such as

your current study strategy 
 your approach of solving questions (for each module)

This will help me guide you in a better way. You can write back to me here or a better way is to get in touch over a call and discuss the same. You can use the link below to schedule a call with me.

Click here to schedule a call

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi AbbasAli12,

As has been said, based on the information provided here, it’s quite difficult to know how you would perform on the actual GMAT. That said, why don’t you take an MBA.com practice test to get a baseline score?

AbbasAli12 · Answer

Hello Scott,
Yes, I will definitely go for official test. That is an indispensable part of preparation. May be I didn't frame my question correctly. I have already studied through EGMAT verbal course and now I am in a practice phase. So, if I already have my concepts in place do you think that using OG will be enough as far as Verbal is concerned.

Thanks for your time.

Posted from my mobile device

AbbasAli12 · Answer

Hello Rich,
So far I have used EGMAT and Wizako for quants and verbal respectively. I am studying approx 3 to 4 hrs daily. My target score is 700 and I am mainly focussed on applying to Indian schools like IIM A, IIM B, IIM C, ISB etc.
I have scheduled my exam on 20th July 2021.

I reframe my question once again. I have already built my concepts in verbal using EGMAT and nowI am in practicing phase. So, I basically wants to know that is OG sufficient enough for practicing verbal?

Thanks for your time.

Posted from my mobile device

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi AbbasAli12,

While the OG certainly can help, it's tough to say exactly what you will need until you take a practice exam. When do you plan to do so?

AbbasAli12 · Answer

Hi Scott,
I am planning to take the practice test in next two to three days. Should I start with official gmat practice test or with Veritas/Manhattan GMAT?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi AbbasAli12,

The OG books are great sources for practice questions, but they're not designed to teach you Tactics, patterns or the little 'secrets' behind the GMAT. In simple terms, if you ultimately have to continue learning how to effectively deal with certain types of Verbal questions, then the OG will likely NOT be enough for this next phase of your studies. With a Score Goal of 700+, you can't afford to have a major "weak spot" in the Verbal section - and if you have not taken any FULL-LENGTH CATs/mocks yet, then we have no idea what your actual 'ability level' is right now.

As such, I strongly recommend that you take one of the Official GMAC CATs sometime soon (perhaps this weekend) - and make sure to take it in a realistic fashion that matches-up with what you will face when you take the Official GMAT (take the FULL CAT - with the Essay and IR sections, at the same time of day as when you'll take the Official GMAT, if you will be at a Test Facility, then wear a face mask, etc.). Once you have that Score, you should PM me and we can discuss the results and how you might best proceed with your studies.

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

AbbasAli12 · Answer

Hello Rich,

Ok then. I will take the practice test this weekend and will get back to you asap.

Thanks for all your help.

Posted from my mobile device

AbbasAli12 · Answer

Hello Scott,
This morning I took the practice test by Veritas and scored Q44 and V31 and overall of 620. After going through various posts here on GMATClub, I learnt that Veritas is bit tougher than original GMAT and 620 on veritas can be easily somewhere between 670 to 680 on real GMAT. Do you have any advice to offer?

AbbasAli12 · Answer

Hello Rich,
I sat Veritas practice test this morning and scored 620 Q44 and V31. Any inputs or advice from your side?

Posted from my mobile device

ved02 · Answer

For Verbal, I prefer sticking mostly to official questions as it’s the closest to the actual exam. Once you exhaust the OG and the Verbal Supplement, can do some earlier OG questions and GMAT Advanced 2020 questions (search by tag in GMATClub).

Also make sure to do all 6 mocks - strongly recommend to do them all properly, with some time (4-5 days+) in between to review drill in any weaknesses. Once done with them, practise GMATPrep questions - in GMATClub, sort by difficulty (600-700 and 700 difficulty) and by source GMATPrep. Don’t do it before, as you’d contaminate your mocks’ accuracy.

All in all, that’s a LOT of questions! Best of luck

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MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi AbbasAli12.

If your accuracy in answering OG questions is about 70 percent, you'll likely score in the low to mid 30s in verbal.

To score in the upper 30s or higher in GMAT verbal, you have to get 75 percent or more of the questions correct, and some of the questions you'll see will be harder than most questions in the OG.

So, if your verbal score goal is in the 40s, you should practice untimed and shoot for close to 100 percent accuracy and seek to fully understand every choice of every verbal question you see.

For some more detail on how to hit your verbal score goal, you could read this post.  How to Score High on GMAT Verbal

AbbasAli12 · Answer

Hello Marty,
Many thanks for your reply. Yesterday I sat my first mock by Veritas and scored 620 Q44 and V31. Verbal was ok but quants was really a tough call. I have read at lot of forums including GmatClub, that veritas mocks are subtly harder than real Gmat and quants is also tough as compared to real GMAT. Do you have any advice to offer?

Thanks in advance.

Posted from my mobile device

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi AbbasAli12,

The most realistic CATs available are the 6 from GMAC, but retaking a CAT that you've already taken is NOT a realistic way to assess your skills - since you will likely see some 'repeat' questions that you have already faced. Unfortunately, seeing even a couple of repeats can 'throw off' the Scoring Algorithm and impact your pacing, energy levels, fatigue, etc. (meaning that they would likely all appear to be better than they actually are). Thankfully, the CATs from Kaplan, MGMAT and Veritas are all 'close enough' to the real thing that they will provide you with a relatively realistic score assessment (assuming that you correctly take the CAT in a realistic fashion that matches the parameters that you will face when you take the Official GMAT). The idea that scoring 620 on a Veritas CAT somehow "translates" to a 670 on the Official GMAT is silly though - and not correct.

Assuming that you took this CAT in a realistic fashion that matches-up with how you will take the Official GMAT, then a 620 is a solid overall Score though. That having been said, raising a 620 to the point that you can consistently score 700+ will likely require that you commit to at least another 2 months of consistent, guided study - and you'll have to make significant improvements to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections. Thankfully, the GMAT is a consistent, predictable Exam so you CAN train to score at a higher level. This is meant to say that your Score Goal is achievable in the timeframe that you've mentioned, but you'll have to be efficient with your studies going forward to achieve that Goal.

1) Are you planning to take the At-home GMAT or are you planning to take your GMAT at a Test Facility?
2) Going forward, how many hours do you think you can consistently study each week?

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

760+: What GMAT Assassins Do to Score at the Highest Levels

AbbasAli12 · Answer

Hello Rich,
Let me first thank you for taking out the time to reply. Yes, I indeed took the mock in a manner in which I would be taking the official gmat.
I have booked the gmat to be taken at test center. Since I am working full time, I can study for 4 hrs in a day with 3 hrs in morning and 1 to 1.5 hrs in evening.
Thanks.

Posted from my mobile device

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

Yes, those tests are known to be a little harder than the real GMAT. So, your current expected score may be in the mid 600s.

Anyway, the move is to just keep going topic by topic, mastering one topic at a time by first learning all about that topic and then answering dozens of questions involving that topic.

Enjoy the game!

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