Biswadeep20 wrote:
Hello everyone,
I gave my official GMAT test(2nd attempt) yesterday and got the same score as in 1st my 1st attempt. My 1st attempt was partially without preparation, but in this 2nd attempt, I took the
TTP's 6-month course as well for my preparation and actively engaged in GMATClub's questions. I isolated myself from social media; I uninstalled
https://gmatclub.com/chat for 6 months since May this year and my FB account was deactivated for over 4 years since my 1st attempt. Between my 1st and 2nd attempts, I didn't study much during the pandemic period. I have struggled a lot with my Verbal questions in both the official tests. My current job profile has been a huge hindrance for me to concentrate as well since I was working for 12-13 hours a day and even during weekends. I was only able to do my preparation during weekends and while I was taking paid leave to study. I have strictly informed my manager today, although, that I wouldn't be working beyond my shift timings. I should have done this before rather than giving more importance to my work.
Score received in both my official attempts: 460 (Q42 and V10 in 1st attempt) and (Q40 and V14 in yesterday's attempt)
Resources I used during my preparation:
TTP for Verbal: I performed well (not great) in the easy questions in the
TTP's question sets but struggled a bit with medium and got butchered in hard ones. I don't know whether this test isn't for me.
TTP for Quant: I surely got almost all the questions correct, 60-80% of the questions in medium level and 50-70% in hard level ones.
GMATNinja's tutoring videos: I watched the GMATNinja team's Quant & Verbal videos in the playlist (able to solve the 1st 6-7 questions out of the total questions in each of Quant's videos, but Verbal I struggled with especially CR & RC).
Official Guides.
I would urge every expert on this forum to please provide a resolution on what can I do to improve my GMAT score. I have seen so many positive debriefs about students scoring from low 300s to 700s, I want to be such an example too. I am determined to crush this test at any cost now. I would need significant improvement in Verbal since I am finding it difficult to understand the dense passages in RC. I have subscribed to the Economist today based on the debriefs that I have seen previously. I have seen students recommending some non-fiction books. Could you please suggest a list of 5-10 such books that would surely augment my verbal skills? Finally, for Quant, I am sure I would need even more practice and I promise I will deep dive into the Quant mega-thread available in this forum and Official mocks for both Quant & Verbal. But any additional advice is highly appreciated. Do you also recommend meditation or any other ways to improve cognitive thinking? If so, could you please suggest some? I want to give everything before my 3rd attempt. I will be targeting the Focused version of GMAT since I am burnt out way too much now. I will start my preparation in 1st week of January.
ScottTargetTestPrep JeffTargetTestPrep MartyTargetTestPrepbbGMATNinjaGMATNinjaTwoRegards,
Biswadeep
Hi Biswadeep,
It's clear that you're committed to improving your score. When it comes to GMAT prep, it's essential to focus on the basics before diving into more complex strategies or supplementary materials like reading non-fiction books or The Economist. While these activities can be beneficial in the long run, they aren't immediately necessary for boosting your GMAT score.
Your current approach might benefit from a slight shift in focus. Concentrate on getting a solid understanding of the fundamental concepts. You can achieve this through any good test prep company or even self-study materials like the Manhattan guides. The key is to thoroughly complete your chosen material and ensure you have a strong grasp of the basics.
Once you're confident with the fundamentals, you can start practicing with the official guides. Considering your scores, it seems there might be some gaps in your fundamental understanding, particularly in Verbal. Don't get too caught up in the dramatic score improvements others have made; focus on your own journey and progress.
Practicing without a solid understanding of the fundamentals can be counterproductive. It's like trying to build a house without laying a proper foundation first. No matter how much effort you put into practicing, if the basic principles and concepts aren't well understood, it becomes much harder to make significant progress. So, before diving back into practice questions and tests, take a step back and invest time in solidifying your grasp of the fundamental concepts. This will make your practice sessions far more effective and will likely lead to a more significant improvement in your score
You're already putting in the effort, which is commendable. Now, it's just a matter of redirecting that effort more effectively. Finish your test prep material thoroughly, make sure you're comfortable with the fundamentals, and then move on to practice and analysis. You've got this, and with a more focused approach, you'll be well on your way to achieving your goal score in your next attempt.
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01 Mar 2023, 11:22
