GMAT Plateau and GMAT vs GRE

Question

Hi All,

I need help to get past GMAT plateau. I have been preparing for gmat over a year now and have not been able to score 700+ in any of my attempts. Following are my scores :

GMAT 1 (V22 Q48) - 580
GMAT 2 (V27 Q47) - 610
GMAT 3 (V27 Q49) - 640
GMAT 4 (V31 Q48) - 650
GMAT 5 (V30 Q48) - 640

As you can see in the last 3 attempts I am stuck on a score of around 640 which is way less than isb average gmat score. 
Particularly, in my last attempt I was not able to manage my time quite well since I was left with around 6 minutes to complete last 10 verbal questions and around 5 to complete last 7 quant questions. 
In my last 2 attempts, I have been preparing mostly from gmat club question bank and practicing gmat prep question for verbal.
Since I have only 2-2.5 months to give my next attempt, so should I try GRE ( I am quite scared of the thought of learning about 1000 gre verbal words) or continue my struggle with gmat ?

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi amangupta207.

Many people have trouble increasing their GMAT verbal scores, and the main reason why is that how to prepare effectively for GMAT verbal is often not clear to people.

So, the good news is that by adjusting how you prepare for GMAT verbal, you should be able to increase your verbal score and achieve your GMAT score goal within your 2.5-month timeframe.

The following posts discuss in detail how to prepare for and master GMAT verbal. In fact, I wrote them after talking with many people who were having similar issues and who generally needed to understand the same things in order to make progress in GMAT verbal. So, by reading these posts, you likely gain the key insights you need for getting the results that have eluded you so far.

How to Score High on GMAT Verbal

Three Key Practice Tips for Mastering GMAT Verbal

How to Get Faster at GMAT Verbal

MBAHOUSE · Answer

Are these official scores?
If yes did you do these tests in the last year?
Most important: what schools are you intending to apply?
Thanks.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Aman,

I'm sorry to hear that your recent Test Day did not go as well as planned, although your prior 640/Q49 is still a solid Score (and it could be enough to get you into your first-choice School). Since it sounds as though you have a specific School in mind, you would likely find it beneficial to speak with an Admissions Expert about your overall profile and plans. Those Experts should be able to answer your Admissions questions and help define the specific areas of your profile that could use some improvement. There's a Forum full of those Experts here:

https://gmatclub.com/forum/ask-admissio ... tants-124/

We never had the opportunity to discuss the data in your prior ESR (from your 3rd attempt back in April), but I'll be happy to do so now if you like (as well as any more recent data - if you bought the ESR for either of your recent attempts). In addition, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

1) On what dates did you take each your Official GMATs?
2) How long did you study overall? Over the last 3 months, how many hours did you typically study each week?
3) What study materials have you used over the course of all of your studies? What “brands” of CATs/mocks have you used?
4) On what dates (or approximate dates) did you take EACH of your CATs/mocks and how did you score on EACH (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?

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

Contact Rich at: [email protected]

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

Particularly, in my last attempt I was not able to manage my time quite well since I was left with around 6 minutes to complete last 10 verbal questions and around 5 to complete last 7 quant questions.

For time management, consider using some time markers to keep yourself on track. For specific suggestions, it might be helpful to mention what issues you face on Verbal. For example, if it takes you longer than you'd like to read through an RC passage.

GMAT 4 (V31 Q48) - 650
GMAT 5 (V30 Q48) - 640

Here's someone I helped who went from an  Official V31 to a V40 . They did a variety of stuff and mentioned some tips towards the end of the post you may be able to leverage.

EducationAisle · Answer

Verbal is consistently showing up as your weak link Aman. How have you been preparing for Verbal?

AjiteshArun · Answer

Hi  amangupta207 ,

It's a big jump, V22 to V30-V31. Well done. Further increases in your score are probably going to be even harder to achieve, but I would absolutely go for it if I were you. I would also take one of the official GRE practice tests, because both the GMAT and the GRE are actually quite similar in terms of the concepts they test. Although there are a few differences (like vocabulary and different question formats), you may not find this to be an either-or situation.

Carcass · Answer

so should I try GRE ( I am quite scared of the thought of learning about 1000 gre verbal words) or continue my struggle with gmat ?

If we take a look at the  Overview of the Verbal Reasoning Measure  it is nowhere stated that this is a test of the more I know vocabulary words the more I will score better.

I do not see ANY possible reference that this is a test based on how many words I do know or memorize. It is a test of critical thinking if you read carefully above.

analyze and evaluate written material; 
  what information and clues we do have; 
 the relationship among the part of the sentence; 
 the relationship between part of the sentence or the sentence as a whole and words (the blanks) and concepts they express.

Both exams are tests about reasoning not memorization of rules. Yes, of course, we must know the rules of exponents rather than what is a coordinating conjunction.

Specifically for the verbal part both on the GRE and GMAT the key is to understand what you read in front of you. I know that my assertion could be too simple to suggest but it is what it is.

The vast majority of test-takers think about strategy, time management, and so forth. They are all by-products of what I understand and if I am able to spot what is going on in the argument in front of me.

For example:

RC - essentially the passage has two types of questions: main idea and inference and both are related to the degree of your understanding. Those passages are academic pieces, essentially. Professional English.

CR - in short, is the same

In quantitative comparison questions - even though they do not have the nuances of DS on the GMAT - are tough: they mimic the real world out there and what we do on a daily basis or what the brokers do at the Nymex stock exchange. We compare data.

Text Completion - it is all about the meaning of the sentence and how it is constructed: if we do have two independent clauses joined by a "FANBOYS", then the two pieces are alike in meaning or in contrast to each other. Therefore, one blank should be + and the other negative OR both go in the same direction.

Both exams are tough. The GMAT is slightly more because is created specifically for a BS and the GRE is more as the name suggests: a GENERAL exam.

My humble suggestion is to understand, really, what you read. The score will automatically jump forward!

regards

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