Stuck at low 30s in Verbal! CR/RC Recommendations?

Question

Hi All,

I'm an African American male, non-traditional applicant (Kinesiology/Exercise Physiology background). I'm currently stuck at a 610 (Q43/V31/IR 5/AWA 5) and I can't seem to break a V32 on the test. My SC is 87th %, but my CR and RC are 37th% and 47th%, respectively. While I'd like to improve my Quant as well to at least 45+, my overall score would increase a lot if I can get my verbal up to 38+.

I'd love a 700, but my target score is at least 680.

Official Attempts

12/23/17: 570 Q36/V32

6/14/18: 600 Q43/V29

8/25/18: 610 Q43/V31

I've taken a Manhattan prep class after my first attempt but it didn't really seem to help much outside of SC. I'm currently working through Target Test Prep and it has helped my Quant score significantly thus far so I'm confident that I can at get to at least a 45Q, but I'm struggling to figure out how to attack CR/RC.

Materials used so far:

-MGMAT Class (took 5 out of 6 CATs... consistent scores 590-630... one 680 but saw 2 of the same 700-level questions from outside practice materials on Verbal)
-OG Tests (took all 6; 590-660... the 660 was 2 weeks before my official 610 (47Q, 34V... a couple lucky guesses on Quant)
-Powerscore CR Bible (read through twice)
-Magoosh (only used the verbal...helped a lot with SC)
-Target Test Prep (60% complete)

Any help/advice regarding Verbal, CR/RC specifically, would be much appreciated. I plan to take the test again in early November so I have about 2 months until my next attempt. Realistically, I can log about 4 hours per day studying.

Thanks in advance!

Thanks in advance!

souvonik2k · Answer

Hi I think the following post will help you: https://gmatclub.com/forum/how-to-impro ... 42361.html

nilsinelabore · Answer

Hey I'm not an expert, but I used to be in your shoe. Finally cracked V40 in my last mock exam. I would suggest you review the Manhattan CR guide, and watch the instruction videos from GMAT Prep Now. CR is about understanding the different types of questions, and anticipate what might be the answer. After reviewing these materials you should be familiar with the different types of CR questions, know what's the strategy for each type, and avoid the common traps and misconceptions. CR is also the type of question that you would need to practice a lot. I'd suggest you finish all the questions from GMAC (OG, Verbal Guidebook, online question pack and CAT exams).

For RC, considering the fact that you are an American, I take it that you'd have no problem understanding the passage. Therefore you should focus on understanding the different types of RC questions, devise a method of writing down notes that will help you to quickly locate the parts of the passage that contain the answers, and avoid all the trap options. What I understand from RC is that often when the passage is easy, the questions tend to be much trickier, so you'd need to be extra careful. Finally, practice a lot and use the same materials mentioned above.

Hope that helps.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi jarenn1,

GMAC has publicly stated that the Official Score that you earn on Test Day is within +/- 30 points of actual ability. Your last 2 Official Scores show that you essentially performed the same each time (about 600 +/- a few points), even though they were over 2 months apart. You handle certain aspects of the Exam consistently well, but you also make certain consistent mistakes. It's possible that you've gotten 'stuck' at this particular score level, so learning and practicing the proper Tactics will be a must for you to get to the 700+ level. To that end, you're going to have to make significant improvements to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections.

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) How long did you study before each Official GMAT attempt?
2) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
3) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

You might also choose to purchase the Enhanced Score Report. 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 (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

AjiteshArun · Answer

Do you find specific types of RC passages more difficult than others? If yes, you can focus on practicing those.

jarenn1 · Answer

Hi Rich,

I've been studying pretty consistently for the past 6 months. After each attempt, I took about 2 days off and then got back into the swing of things. I can honestly say that my verbal studying is a bit all over the place. I would do timed sets from the OG but feel like it wasn't very structured. I have the ESR for all of my attempts so will PM you.

jarenn1 · Answer

Yes, it does. Thank you! I think a big issue of mine is not knowing the specific strategy for each type. Will re-read the MGMAT CR book.

FAE0811 · Answer

Any recommendation to pass the 35 barrier?

Thanks!

TheGraceful · Answer

Hi, Since you are already using Target Test Prep course, your Quant will undoubtedly going to improve. To give a more finishing touch, use MATclub tests - reviews so far suggest that (without exception) was able to avoid the silly mistakes after subscribing those. For verbal I would suggest to practice,pracice, practice. Also see my opinion (just a suggestion) here: https://gmatclub.com/forum/sentence-cor ... l#p2121322 Hope this helps. Thanks. The Graceful

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi Jarenn1,

I’m glad you reached out, and I’m happy to help. So, the good news is that 610 is a great starting point. That being said, since you are stuck at V32, you may need to make some adjustments regarding your verbal study strategy. Moving forward, you will need to follow a verbal study plan that allows you to learn linearly, such that you can slowly build GMAT mastery of one topic prior to moving on to the next. Within each topic, begin with the foundations and progress toward more advanced concepts.

For example, let’s say you begin studying Critical Reasoning. Your first goal is to fully master the individual Critical Reasoning topics: Strengthen the Argument, Weaken the Argument, Resolve the Paradox, etc. As you learn about each Critical Reasoning question type, do focused practice so that you can track your skill in answering each type of question. If, for example, you get a weakening question wrong, ask yourself why. Did you make a careless mistake? Did you not recognize the specific Critical Reasoning 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.

When practicing Reading Comprehension, you need to develop a reading strategy that is both efficient and thorough. Reading too fast and not understanding what you have read are equally as harmful as reading too slow and using up too much time. When attacking Reading Comprehension passages, you must have one clear goal in mind: to understand the context of what you are reading. However, you must do so efficiently, so you need to avoid getting bogged down in the details of each paragraph and instead focus on understanding the main point of each paragraph. That being said, do not fall into the trap of thinking that you can just read the intro and the conclusion and thereby comprehend the main idea of a paragraph. As you read a paragraph, consider how the context of the paragraph relates to previous paragraphs, so you can continue developing your overall understanding of the passage. Furthermore, as you practice Reading Comprehension, focus on the exact types of questions with which you struggle: Find the Main Idea, Inference, Author’s Tone, etc. As you would handle Critical Reasoning, analyze your incorrect Reading Comprehension answers to better determine why you tend to get a particular question type wrong, and then improve upon your weaknesses. You can perfect your reading strategy with a lot of practice. However, keep in mind that GMAT Reading Comprehension passages are not meant to be easy to read. So, to better prepare yourself to tackle such passages, begin reading magazines with similar content and style, such as the Economist, Scientific American, and Smithsonian.

For quant, continue jamming through the Target Test Prep study plan. Once you complete the course, you will be able to dominate GMAT quant.

Feel free to reach out with further questions.

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