Strategy to solve 700 plus level question

Hi anand123456,

The scoring algorithm on the Official GMAT is far more complicated than most people realize. Since that algorithm is proprietary, no GMAT company has an exact match for it, thus CAT scores can vary a bit based on the 'biases' involved in their respective designs. The most realistic CATs available are the 6 from GMAC, but 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). Since there have been some "swings" in your Kaplan CAT Scores, it would be a good idea to see how well you perform on one of the Official CATs.

As such, I strongly recommend that you take one of the Official GMAC CATs sometime soon (perhaps this weekend) and take it in a realistic fashion (take the FULL CAT - with the Essay and IR sections, take it away from your home, at the same time of day as when you'll take the Official GMAT, etc.). Once you have that score, you should report back here and we can discuss the results and how best to proceed.

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

Hi anand123456,

I’m happy to provide some advice, but first I’d like to learn more about your situation with the GMAT. Once you respond to the questions already asked, I can provide detailed advice.

thanks for reply,

I will be sharing my score by this week end as will be having my off day on next saturday.

As discussed I have taken my official GMAC Mock 1
My score are
IR 5
Quant 50(7 incorrect)
Verbal 21(17 incorrect)
score is 610

now after viewing my score I have found that my time management is ok I ended my test by 40 second remaining,but My verbal need a lot of improvement.

kindly suggest how to proceed now.

Hi anand123456,

This initial CAT result shows that all of your Quant study has been effective. However, with a V21, you lost significant points in ALL 3 major Verbal categories (RC, SC and CR). Relative to your other Verbal Scaled Scores on your other CATs, it certainly seems as though you are 'winging it' in the Verbal section (meaning that you do not have a set series of Tactics/steps that you consistently use - and you're just handling each question on a case-by-case basis, often choosing an answer based on how it 'sounds'). With a Score Goal of 700+, you're going to have to spend the bulk of your study time going forward on developing those Verbal skills. Thankfully, you still have several months of study time available - which is good.

1) After reviewing this CAT, how many Verbal questions did you "narrow down to 2 choices" but still get wrong?

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

Yes thanks for reply

I narrow down to 2 option for almost 10-11 question.

Posted from my mobile device

I have reviewed all my question,
Herewith find the detail.
1.RC total 13 question 10 wrong 3 correct
2.CR toatl 10 question 3 wrong 7 correct
3.SC total 13 question 4 wrong 9 correct

Out of those wrong one,all CR and SC question where narrowed down to 2 option,
and in RC all word based where narrowed down to 2 option
and all main idea,inference and analogy based where wrong.
I have made my mind in RC not to spend much time not more than 7-8 minute,and that cost my accuracy but nevertheless that also worked to help me reduce my guesses at the end,and I could complete my exam with 30 second to spare.

Hi anand123456,

While narrowing the answers down in the Verbal section is something that most GMATers do at some point on Test Day, the more often you approach questions in that way, the larger the potential 'swings' in your Verbal Score can be. On a 'good day', you'll get most of those questions correct - although you won't truly know why you got them correct. On a 'bad day' however, you'll get most of those questions wrong - and it will be because you ultimately were guessing far too often (instead of using the proper Tactics, taking the proper notes, etc. and KNOWING what the correct answer was).

Considering your Score Goal, continuing to approach the Verbal section in this way is too much of a gamble. From what you describe, you've been approaching this process with a lot of book-heavy study. However, even the best books are limited in what they can teach you; they also can't force you to approach questions in a certain way and their explanations are often one-sided. By extension, reading a few additional paragraphs about how to handle RC won't be enough to help you hit your Score Goal (you've studied long enough that if that approach was all you needed, then you'd be at that Score Level right now). Thankfully, the Verbal section is just as consistent and predictable as the Quant section is, so you CAN train to score at a higher level. With the proper focused, guided study, you could potentially hit your Goal Score in 1-2 months.

1) Going forward, how many hours do you think you can consistently study each week?

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