Prep Material for Verbal

Question

My verbal score is at 38-40 range.I have almost completed OG 2013 verbal section (90%) and found that speciall in RC section it contains only 5-6 RC that are 700 + level. So i was planning to buy this LSAT book to focus on RC and CR https://www.amazon.com/Actual-Official-L ... 7PAKJGTHTK , because i think there is dearth of quality question specially in RC section. For CR and SC i found lot of stuff in gmatclub specially the 100 hardest.... thread,but for RC i wanted to practise from a book.So for all these reasons i was planning to buy this book, and wanted views from GMAT expert to know if i am making the right decision. I dont want to solve the only Official verbal book left (OG verbal) right now.

PS - I dont want to purchase book like Manhattan RC which according to me is more of a strategy guide.I want just practise questions to work on.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi manishbhusal,

Your situation presents a number of questions, which I'm hoping that you can answer:

1) With a Verbal Scaled Score in the 38-40 range, you don't have any "weak spots" in the Verbal. Why do you think that RC needs to be focused on (and improved)? How are you performing on SC and CR?
2) What is your overall score goal? And how are you performing in the Quant section?
3) How have you been performing on your practice CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)?

There is something of a debate about whether using LSAT material is appropriate for Test Takers who are prepping for the GMAT. I am NOT a fan of using LSAT material for some specific reasons:

1) The LSAT includes questions types, concepts, wrong answer choices, etc. that do NOT appear on the GMAT, so you would likely end up focusing on material that you will NEVER see on Test Day. That work would be a big waste of time.
2) The LSAT is pencil-and-paper based, so the 'mechanics' that you'd be using would NOT match the mechanics that you would need to use on Test Day. Thus, you'd be training in the wrong format.

There are plenty of quality GMAT resources to use during your studies. Which ones have you used so far?

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

alexau · Answer

I think Rich gives two great points in his comment above.

First, you are already above the 85th percentile for Verbal. Therefore, its hard to say you truly have a "weak" area, unless you get one type of problem wrong every time and ace the other two types. With that said, you are going to want to be as specific as possible when diagnosing your weak areas. It is not enough to say that you are weak in CR, but rather you should say its the assumption questions and boldface questions that you are weak at. This gives you a platform to then go back and redo some of the problems that you have completed and understand the fundamentals of each question.

Second, the LSAT is not an adaptive test. So while some of the stuff may end up being helpful, you are not really studying the most realistic stuff on the market.

In terms of what other resources you can use to continue verbal prep, I would definitely recommend the GMAC Verbal Review (which you said you want to wait on), GMAC question pack 1 (this and exam pack 1 are well worth the investment), and the Veritas Prep question bank. I believe the Veritas Prep question bank is free. The questions are a bit harder than what you would see on the GMAT, imo, but at the end of the day there are decent explanations.

You also may want to look into Magoosh. They have a verbal prep course that will go through RC, CR, and SC. It has a ton of questions, since that is what you want, all with video answers. It also has an entire verbal video course if you are looking to go back and touch up on the weak areas.

GMATPill · Answer

Hi manishbhusal,

If you are looking for practice questions, you may be interested in the Practice Pill Platform here: https://www.gmatpill.com/gmat-practice-test/

You will see basic stats for each question from all the categories including integrated reasoning. Paid membership is required for video explanations and core course videos.

manishbhusal · Answer

Thanks for recommending prep material for verbal,i will certainly look into veritas question bank and magoosh verbal course.Regarding GMAC, i know that one can buy two extra practise test (i will give those two test 2 week before exam). Other than those 2 tests,are there more practise questions we can buy seperately or do those practise question come along with practise test ?

manishbhusal · Answer

1) I am stronger in RC and CR compared to SC.Though i am devoting maximum time right on SC (weakest area in verbal),but still my strategy for verbal is to ace CR and RC and score decent in SC (with 3-5 mistakes). In CATS i am not able to solve CR and SC of 700-800 level. 2) I have till now given 3 CATS.In quant the score ranges from 44-45 and in Verbal it ranges from 35-36 ( i might be wrong,but i think i am at 38-40 range because to me the low score in verbal is more of a stamina issue,because i find it really hard to focus in the last half hour,and on analysing the wrong answers i mostly get them right and don't have problem in understanding where did i go wrong.) My overall score goal is 740+ with 48-49 in quant and 45+ in verbal. 3) Answered above. Now the point is i commute 2 hours daily by train and since 2 hours is a lot of time,i use that to study for GMAT doing verbal section (I have not bought a smartphone,but if there is no other option then i will buy smartphone and use veritas and magoosh),and i also study for 1/2 hour in Library.So during these 2.5 hours i study from book.Now if we consider books, then i am done with OG 13, i will use OG verbal one month before exam.So i wanted a book for verbal. PS- I read this post today https://www.gmatninja.com/2012/11/12/lsa ... rehension/ . After reading the post i was pondering about whether buying this book would be a good idea,so asked here. I want to buy a book for verbal because i spend 9 hours in office looking at screen,then 2 hours at home for gmat,then 1 hour surfing the net,so eyes really get tired looking at screen all day,thats why longing for a book.Also i dont want to buy books which have got rave reviews like Manhattan RC because once when i skimmed through the book i found that 60% of the book was about strategy,same is the case with many other books.I want just practise questions. But if there really is no book with 700+800 level which i can use for 2.5 hours * 50 days = 125 hours. I will have to use smartphone while travelling and in library.So is there any book ?

DmitryFarberMPrep · Answer

LSAT RC is different from GMAT RC to some extent. For one thing, you will actually see the full set of printed questions rather than just 3-4. This means that they can occasionally ask more routine questions, and you're more likely to get asked questions across the whole range of the passage. However, the style and content of the questions is not radically different in the way that LSAT LR is different from CR.

If you want real GMAT passages, you might also consider the 10th edition OG, which has a fair number of passages that don't appear in the current edition. I'm assuming you're also aware of the GMAT Verbal Review book. If you haven't done that, it would probably be the best place to start. True, not all the material is 700 level, but if you're finding it easy, push your speed and work for very high accuracy.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi manishbhusal,

To properly assess your skills, we really have to focus on your CAT results. While you may self-assess your skills at a higher level, until you score at a particular level under the conditions of a realistic, 'test-like', FULL-LENGTH CAT, you are not at that level. Right now, you don't need lots of "700+ materials" - you need to fix the little things that you're getting wrong during your CATs.

With an approximate score around Q44/V35, you have a real opportunity to pick up points in BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections. To hit your score goal, you MUST improve in both areas though.

With the study time that you have available during your commute, it's understandable that you would want new print materials to work with. You might also consider online practice materials (Courses, Quiz Banks, Apps, etc.). One of the significant 'problems' with a book-heavy study approach is that the 'mechanics' of working out of a book are different from those that you'll use when working on a computer. There's a physical aspect to taking the GMAT that really needs to be a big part of your training.

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

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