CharlieT wrote:
Hi,
Thank you for the reply!
Honestly, the questions that I saw felt exactly like those of the practice test, and it got to a point, where with SC, a 3 sentence question would be completely underlined, and I would get a bunch of those back to back; in the practice tests, those were the 700-800 level questions. Even the RC paragraphs were extremely complicated. I kept seeing difficult questions and assumed I was doing good. I was able to get an idea of how well I was doing in Quant, based on the difficulty of the questions, but I guess I was wrong with the verbal. Again, the questions seemed no different from any practice test. I was so shocked that I even asked GMAC that if it was possible to have screwed something up with the computer after I accidentally kicked it during that section which caused a weird buzzing noise; Thats how shocked I was with the score.
As for whether I should take it again, this is what I posted in the general questions section of this site:
-First time I wrote the GMAT, I actually had a complaint about the staff in the writing centre. Right when I started my verbal, they came back from lunch and decided to just have some sort of staff party, and didn't realize that I could hear everything; On top of that, the person who was supposed to watch over the test was with them and not in her seat. So for this reason, I thought my Verbal was ruined by them, and I got a free re-try.
*For anyone that doesn't know, if you are bothered for more than a min during your test, you are allowed to re-schedule for free*
So the second time, I thought that if I just studied the same way, I would get a good verbal score, as long as nothing disturbed me during the test. It turns out that something was really wrong with my verbal because the test centre was perfect.-
Now I'm thinking of private tutoring to focus on Verbal. I know you're with veritas, but do you really believe that private tutoring will help get me out of this verbal mess? And if so, do you recommend anyone to help me?
I'm willing to do the test a 3rd time, I now know what my problem is, and in a month when I can do the test again, I think I'll have what it takes to get a 700.
Thank you for the advice, and anything more would be great!
The format of the questions needn't necessarily reflect difficulty. A 3 sentence all underlined might actually be easier than a one sentence with two words underlined though we will certainly perceive the 3 sentence one to be harder. The point is, we can't say whether we are getting harder or simpler questions especially in Verbal. What seems easy to us might have a trick. What seems hard might again, just be a trick. Anyway, you know now that there is some major gap somewhere. You need to figure it out and I am sure your practice tests can help you. You certainly made mistakes in the practice test - figure out your weakest areas.
As for whether private tutoring can help - we do this for a living - people get value out of it - else we would have had to shut shop long time back.
But you need to understand what to expect - a private tutor is an extremely convenient and efficient strategy. He will look over your work and tell you where you stand right now, why you are lagging in some areas and what to do about those. He will explain you wherever your concepts are weak and will discuss how best to approach certain questions i.e. what will be best for you. He will keep an eye on your progress and solve your individual problems. He will discuss topics that NEED discussion i.e. only according to your requirement so that time is used efficiently. You gain an expert as a mentor to guide you and support you along the way.
But what he cannot do is take the test in your stead i.e. he cannot put in the time and effort to practice; he can make a schedule for you to follow but he cannot follow it for you. He can explain you fundamentals but he cannot absorb them for you. You will need to ask him questions whenever you have any doubts. The point is, you will still have to work hard. It will be smarter, since he will identify your weaknesses and you will not waste time and put your energy only where required but the bottom line is, you will still get rewarded for your hard work only. The more you put in, the more you will get out of it.
I will be able to recommend someone to you once you tell me where you are located.