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aj3001
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Please help prioritise the resources 21 Jun 2020, 13:37
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Hi Guys,
I took a GMAT previously and scored 640 (Q47, V31) and studied using Manhattan and Jamboree online portal in addition to the OG.
I am planning to take the GMAT at the end of August and have the following resources available with me: Egmat online portal, Princeton Review online portal and GMATClub online portal.
How should I plan for my practice tests (both sectional and full length) to achieve a score of 720+ ?
Please guide as to which portal would be helpful in studying for each quant and verbal..

Posted from my mobile device
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Please help prioritise the resources 21 Jun 2020, 20:56
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Hi aj3001,

Before I can offer you the specific advice that you’re looking for, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

1) When did you take your first GMAT and how long did you study before you took it? Have you done any studying recently?
2) What "brands" of practice CATs/mocks did you use during your prior studies?
3) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to?

You might also choose to purchase the Enhanced Score Report for your first GMAT. While the ESR doesn’t provide a lot of information, there are usually a few data points that we can use to define what went wrong on Test Day (and what you should work on to score higher). If you purchase the ESR, then I'll be happy to analyze it for you.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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aj3001
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Please help prioritise the resources 22 Jun 2020, 05:04
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EMPOWERgmatRichC
Hi aj3001,

Before I can offer you the specific advice that you’re looking for, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

1) When did you take your first GMAT and how long did you study before you took it? Have you done any studying recently?
2) What "brands" of practice CATs/mocks did you use during your prior studies?
3) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to?

You might also choose to purchase the Enhanced Score Report for your first GMAT. While the ESR doesn’t provide a lot of information, there are usually a few data points that we can use to define what went wrong on Test Day (and what you should work on to score higher). If you purchase the ESR, then I'll be happy to analyze it for you.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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Hi Sir,
Thank you for your time.

I took the instructor led classes from Jamboree in Jan-Mar 2019, gave GMAT in August 2019 (620) after self study of about 1.5 months (end of June-August). Did not study in between March and June. Then started studying in October again and studied for 1 month and scored 640 in November 2019.
Previously I gave Manhattan CATs and the Official CATs (all 6) and always scored between 620-660.

Now I have already booked for August 2020 and planning for intake of 2021. I have the ESR also of my last exam.
How should I proceed for my studies? Shall I mail my ESR?
Please help with the right tests.
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Please help prioritise the resources 22 Jun 2020, 07:04
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Hi aj3001, looking at your score split, Verbal clearly should be your area of focus, on the next attempt.

Which specific section in Verbal bothers you the most?
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Please help prioritise the resources 22 Jun 2020, 09:18
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Hi aj3001, looking at your score split, Verbal clearly should be your area of focus, on the next attempt.

Which specific section in Verbal bothers you the most?
Show more

Hi Sir,

It's Critical Reasoning. I researched and found out that e-GMAT is the best for Verbal and I have completed the entire CR part but still I dont think that my accuracy has improved much.
Which question bank should I go about for improving my Verbal section??
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Please help prioritise the resources 22 Jun 2020, 11:09
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aj3001
EducationAisle
Hi aj3001, looking at your score split, Verbal clearly should be your area of focus, on the next attempt.

Which specific section in Verbal bothers you the most?

Hi Sir,

It's Critical Reasoning. I researched and found out that e-GMAT is the best for Verbal and I have completed the entire CR part but still I dont think that my accuracy has improved much.
Which question bank should I go about for improving my Verbal section??
Show more

Hi aj3001,

Would you also like some general advice on how to improve your GMAT CR skills?
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GMAT 1: 800 Q51 V49
GRE 1: Q170 V170
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Please help prioritise the resources 22 Jun 2020, 18:51
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Hi aj3001,

Since you have purchased the ESR, then you can either feel free to PM it directly to me or you can include it as an attachment in this thread (for example, you can 'edit' your first post and include the attachment).

GMAC has publicly stated that the Official Score that you earn on Test Day is within +/- 30 points of actual ability. Assuming a similar 'swing' in how your CATs function, your various CAT score results - along with your 2 Official Scores - show that you essentially performed the same each time (about 640 +/- a few points). You handle certain aspects of the GMAT consistently well, but you also make certain consistent mistakes. Since you have been performing at this level for some time, it's possible that you have gotten "stuck" in the mid-600s. By extension, working through lots of additional practice questions in a Quiz Bank in the same ways that you did you before will probably lead to a similar score result. This is meant to say that your focus should be on learning and practicing the proper Tactics (so that you have the necessary skills to earn a 720+) before you spend a lot of time working through additional practice questions.

Once I've had a chance to review your ESR, we can discuss how you might best proceed with your studies going forward.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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Please help prioritise the resources 23 Jun 2020, 22:06
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aj3001
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Hi aj3001, looking at your score split, Verbal clearly should be your area of focus, on the next attempt.

Which specific section in Verbal bothers you the most?

Hi Sir,

It's Critical Reasoning. I researched and found out that e-GMAT is the best for Verbal and I have completed the entire CR part but still I dont think that my accuracy has improved much.
Which question bank should I go about for improving my Verbal section??

Hi aj3001,

Would you also like some general advice on how to improve your GMAT CR skills?
Show more

Hi Sir,

Yes definitely, that would be great!
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EMPOWERgmatRichC
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GMAT 1: 800 Q51 V49
GRE 1: Q170 V170
Expert
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GMAT 1: 800 Q51 V49
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Please help prioritise the resources 24 Jun 2020, 21:09
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Hi aj3001,

I've sent you a PM with an analysis of your ESR and some additional notes.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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Please help prioritise the resources 01 Jul 2020, 18:59
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aj3001
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aj3001
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Hi aj3001, looking at your score split, Verbal clearly should be your area of focus, on the next attempt.

Which specific section in Verbal bothers you the most?

Hi Sir,

It's Critical Reasoning. I researched and found out that e-GMAT is the best for Verbal and I have completed the entire CR part but still I dont think that my accuracy has improved much.
Which question bank should I go about for improving my Verbal section??

Hi aj3001,

Would you also like some general advice on how to improve your GMAT CR skills?

Hi Sir,

Yes definitely, that would be great!
Show more

To improve in Critical Reasoning, you first need to master the individual Critical Reasoning topics: Strengthen the Argument, Weaken the Argument, Resolve the Paradox, etc. As you learn about each question type, do focused practice so you can track your skill in answering each type. If, for example, you get a weakening question wrong, ask yourself why. Did you make a careless mistake? Did you not recognize the specific question type? Were you doing too much analysis in your head? Did you skip over a keyword in an answer choice? You must thoroughly analyze your mistakes and seek to turn weaknesses into strengths by focusing on the question types you dread seeing and the questions you take a long time to answer correctly.

A major mistake that people make when training for CR, and for GMAT verbal in general, is that they do practice questions too fast. To get Critical Reasoning questions correct, you have to see exactly what's going on in the passages and answer choices, and it's likely that you won't learn to do so by spending a few minutes on each question. At this stage of your training, you may need to spend as many as 15 minutes on each question, learning to see what there is to see. Here is a way to look at this process: If you get a new job in a field in which you are not experienced, you may not be as fast as the other people working with you, but you know you have a job to do and you make sure you learn all the angles, so that you do the job well, if not as quickly as those around you. Rushing through the job and doing it incorrectly would not make sense. Then, as you gain more experience, you learn to do the same job more quickly. Think of Critical Reasoning questions similarly. Your job is to do what? To get through questions quickly? Not really. Your job is to get correct answers.

So, first you have to learn to get correct answers, generally at least 10 to 15 in a row consistently, and more in a row would be better. Doing so is your job, and if it takes you fifteen minutes per question to get correct answers consistently, then so be it. Only after you have learned to get correct answers consistently can you work on speeding up. Working quickly but not doing your job is useless. Better to work slowly and learn to do your job well. You can be sure that with experience, you will learn to speed up, and then you will still be doing your job well, i.e., getting correct answers consistently.

Finally, a key aspect of getting correct answers to Critical Reasoning questions is noticing the key differences between trap choices and correct answers. Trap choices can sound temptingly correct but don't get the job done. The logic of what a trap choice says simply doesn't fit what the question is asking you to find. So, to get better at your job, learn to see the key differences between trap choices and correct answers.
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aj3001
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GPA: 4
Schools: ISB'22 (WL) Rotman '23 (D) MBS '22 (D) EDHEC (A$)
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Please help prioritise the resources 06 Jul 2020, 11:39
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aj3001
ScottTargetTestPrep
aj3001
EducationAisle
Hi aj3001, looking at your score split, Verbal clearly should be your area of focus, on the next attempt.

Which specific section in Verbal bothers you the most?

Hi Sir,

It's Critical Reasoning. I researched and found out that e-GMAT is the best for Verbal and I have completed the entire CR part but still I dont think that my accuracy has improved much.
Which question bank should I go about for improving my Verbal section??

Hi aj3001,

Would you also like some general advice on how to improve your GMAT CR skills?

Hi Sir,

Yes definitely, that would be great!

To improve in Critical Reasoning, you first need to master the individual Critical Reasoning topics: Strengthen the Argument, Weaken the Argument, Resolve the Paradox, etc. As you learn about each question type, do focused practice so you can track your skill in answering each type. If, for example, you get a weakening question wrong, ask yourself why. Did you make a careless mistake? Did you not recognize the specific question type? Were you doing too much analysis in your head? Did you skip over a keyword in an answer choice? You must thoroughly analyze your mistakes and seek to turn weaknesses into strengths by focusing on the question types you dread seeing and the questions you take a long time to answer correctly.

A major mistake that people make when training for CR, and for GMAT verbal in general, is that they do practice questions too fast. To get Critical Reasoning questions correct, you have to see exactly what's going on in the passages and answer choices, and it's likely that you won't learn to do so by spending a few minutes on each question. At this stage of your training, you may need to spend as many as 15 minutes on each question, learning to see what there is to see. Here is a way to look at this process: If you get a new job in a field in which you are not experienced, you may not be as fast as the other people working with you, but you know you have a job to do and you make sure you learn all the angles, so that you do the job well, if not as quickly as those around you. Rushing through the job and doing it incorrectly would not make sense. Then, as you gain more experience, you learn to do the same job more quickly. Think of Critical Reasoning questions similarly. Your job is to do what? To get through questions quickly? Not really. Your job is to get correct answers.

So, first you have to learn to get correct answers, generally at least 10 to 15 in a row consistently, and more in a row would be better. Doing so is your job, and if it takes you fifteen minutes per question to get correct answers consistently, then so be it. Only after you have learned to get correct answers consistently can you work on speeding up. Working quickly but not doing your job is useless. Better to work slowly and learn to do your job well. You can be sure that with experience, you will learn to speed up, and then you will still be doing your job well, i.e., getting correct answers consistently.

Finally, a key aspect of getting correct answers to Critical Reasoning questions is noticing the key differences between trap choices and correct answers. Trap choices can sound temptingly correct but don't get the job done. The logic of what a trap choice says simply doesn't fit what the question is asking you to find. So, to get better at your job, learn to see the key differences between trap choices and correct answers.
Show more

Thank you so much for your insight Sir. I am really obliged. I have decided on a new study plan basis your assessment to focus first on accuracy and then speed.
Thank you so much! :)
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Please help prioritise the resources 09 Jul 2020, 13:22
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aj3001


Thank you so much for your insight Sir. I am really obliged. I have decided on a new study plan basis your assessment to focus first on accuracy and then speed.
Thank you so much! :)
Show more

My pleasure!!!
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