Suggestion needed

Question

Hi,
I have given Manhattan GMAT test recently and scored 620. May exam is planned in two weeks. Struggling mainly with verbal and specially critical reasoning.. 
Any suggestions to improve the score drastically in short time ?
Regards,
Virender

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi virendermidha,

Before we can talk about what you'll need to do to improve, I'd like to know a bit more about how you've been studying.

1) How long have you been studying?
2) What resources have you been using to study?
3) What were the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores on this most recent practice CAT?
4) What were those scores on your other practice CATs?
5) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT (including the Essay and IR sections) every time?

6) What is your goal score?

When you mention that you want to "drastically" improve in less than 2 weeks, I have to infer that you're after a BIG score improvement. That's not likely to happen in under 2 weeks, but it could happen if you had more time to put into the process. Do you have the flexibility to push your Test Date back?

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

virendermidha · Answer

Before we can talk about what you'll need to do to improve, I'd like to know a bit more about how you've been studying.

1) How long have you been studying?  5 months regular  
2) What resources have you been using to study?  OG 10, 11 and 15. Manhattan book set and online materials. 
3) What were the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores on this most recent practice CAT?  score 620 (Q-45; V-31) 
4) What were those scores on your other practice CATs?  In the Manhattan GMAT test that I gave 2 weeks ago, score was 590 (Q-43 and V-31) 
5) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT (including the Essay and IR sections) every time?
 Full test 2nd time. First time, only Quant and verbal. 
6) What is your goal score?  680-700

When you mention that you want to "drastically" improve in less than 2 weeks, I have to infer that you're after a BIG score improvement. That's not likely to happen in under 2 weeks, but it could happen if you had more time to put into the process. Do you have the flexibility to push your Test Date back? 
 I can postpone for 2 weeks but difficult later due to personal reasons and it’s quite long time that I am studying and getting quite monotonous.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi virendermidha,

The extra information that you've provided is quite helpful. You've been studying a certain way for 5 months now (primarily "self-taught" with books) and during that time you've developed a series of "habits" (some of them good, some of them bad - this is why your CAT/Scaled scores are so close together). As such, you need time to learn some new tactics AND get out of all of the "bad habits" you've developed over the last 5 months. That's going to be tough to do in less than 2 weeks; as such, any extra time that you can put towards this process (by pushing back your Test Date) would be helpful.

After seeing the Scaled Scores on your CATs, I have a few follow-up questions:

1) Do you have a pacing problem in any section of the GMAT? 
2) Do you ever finish early in a section or do you have to rush through a bunch of questions at the end of a section (and if so, then how many?)? Do you ever leave questions unanswered because you run out of time?

The GMAT is a predictable, standardized Exam, so you can absolutely train to score at a higher level. Right now, "your way" of doing things puts you in the low-600s, so you'll probably have to invest in some new resources, AND really practice some new tactics, to improve these scores in a short period of time.

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

JTuquero · Answer

Hi virendermidha

Since you mentioned that Critical Reasoning is a struggle, I thought I'd provide a few tips on how to approach these problems.

One key skill for Critical Reasoning is reading to find the assumption or at least the missing links between the premise and the conclusion. First, read actively by identifying the premises and conclusion(s). From there, you need to identify any missing links or leaps in logic between the two. These are usually subtle and difficult to spot, but it gets easier with practice. You can visit our blog for specific examples of assumptions in passages.

Also, when reading the question, remember to: 
1) watch out for seemingly obvious but irrelevant details 
2) watch out for closely-related facts that aren’t decisive and 
3) watch out for apparent contradictions.

Hope this helps!

Jessica
Jessica

431506 · Answer

Dear gmat expert,

three months ago i was intend to got phd admition so i start prepare for gmat ,based on "kapalan then official guide followed by Princeton and finally online material" i used to be very weak in math ( i don't love it) and i still make silly error.at the begging my math results was so bad ,however it become better (40%) but still have two problems:(wrong answer at the beginning questions and inability to reach a right answer for 700 level questions)

According to verbal section:
im not study it very well as math, and i had sever problem in sentence correction and critical reasoning and im not done any cat test for this section

two weeks ago i had a new job offer so i decide to quit phd admission at least for this year,but the problem left with gmat because i spent a lot of time studying but my math level still low as well as verbal and i need to finish this exam and got high score like (700) but i don't know haw?? what i should do? quit gmat? continue studying with any suggestions from you?? or postpone the exam till i find my self ready ??? im out of my mind and idont know what to do (i took 3.86 out of 4 in bachelor and 4 out of 4 in master ,i work as financial analyst for more than 7 years!! why gmat seems too hard for me???)

thank you and sorry for this long post

manyatpr · Answer

Hi Virender, Please go through all the basics of Critical Reasoning. Also, do find out what question types you are getting wrong most often & practice them. Along with that try to improve SC as well. Do take the GMAT Prep test & see what your score is. In the remaining 2 weeks do regular practice of both Verbal & Math. Do practice online & take complete tests. Hope this helps.Let us know if you require any further guidance. www.manyagroup.com

manyatpr · Answer

Work on grammar rules and consolidate the CR patterns of arguments so that you do well on these 2 components. If you are not so good at RC then do not linger too long on the third and fourth RC passages. Just do the POE aggressively.

Wish you the best.

Wish you the best.

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nupurban · Answer

Hi,

Planning for P.hd. preferably USA, already having MBA from USA, graduated in 2009. 
Can someone please suggest what should be my pattern of GMAT study? My target is 730+ (min.). 
My previous score was not that good (lower of 600). 
Currently, I'm referring Manhattan GMAT material to give a fresh start to my prep. I devote 2 hrs. of time daily and planning to take GMAT in June.
Also do advise if June is a good time to take GMAT, with the kind of score I'm looking at?

Thanks in advance. 
Nupur

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Nupur,

Using your prior score result as a basis for comparison, you're probably not going to score 730+ if you study in the same way that you did before. You would likely benefit from using a GMAT Course of some kind (either Guided Self-Study or Instructor-Led). Thankfully, you have given yourself plenty of time to study, which is good - you can spend some time now to find a Course that matches your personality, timeline and budget.

Most Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time; during that stretch, it's common to spend 10-15 hours per week (or more) on the process - so it's similar to having a part-time job. The 700+ score is the 90th percentile, meaning that 90% of Test Takers either CAN'T or WON'T do what it takes to score at that level. Thankfully, the GMAT is a predictable, standardized Test, so you CAN train to score at a high level. It's a matter of doing the necessary work and having access to the resources that will train you how to score at that level.

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

manyatpr · Answer

Hi nupurban,

GMAT preparation takes anywhere between 3 to 6 months to earn a good score, 730+ in your case.So June will a good time to take your GMAT.Here's something that you should follow from hereon to improve score high in GMAT.

- Start your preparation with a mock test. This would not only familiarize you with the test format but also help you to identify your strong and weak areas.
- Post this, make a study plan for yourself which should give you time enough to cover your basics and also let you attempt a lot of practice questions. Start with 2 hours per day and gradually increase it to 4 hours and eventually 6 hours per day as you approach the test date.
- Once you are over with your basics get hold of as many practice test as you can. Start attempting them. Now, understand that more than giving a practice test, it is critical how much time you spend on analyzing your performance in the same. Typically, if you spend 2 hours in taking a mock test, spend 4-5 hours in analyzing it. Go over each and every question and find out a better, smarter and a faster way to solve each question. Take a note of all the points and make sure you apply them in the next test. The key is to keep improving every day.
- Lastly, join an online study group. I suggest this because the biggest challenge in GMAT preparation is to be able to stay motivated and committed throughout the duration of your preparation.

Let me know if you would have any further questions regarding your GMAT preparation.
www.manyagroup.com

robzzz · Answer

Hi All, I would appreciate if any one present on this group could help me with following queries 1. I appeared for GMAT in Nov,2014 and scored a disaster 560

. I joined a class for same and scored 650 on GMAT PREP1/PREP 2. Was expecting atleast 650 on real GMAT (V-28, Q-38),but yes I was panicked like hell. Messed up right at the start with IR(3/8). Could not gather mysleft post IR. Lot of panic throughout. But, I did miss out some average level questions too. I am planning to re-apear in April/May. Could you please suggest how should i proceed with re-take like what courses should i start with, how should I plan out ? 2. I am BE in Computer Science and have 2.8 yrs of work exp. 1.5 years into IT operations and post that I took Pre-sale in IT. I would like to pursue MBA is Sales/Marketing. My 10th - 83% ,12th- 76% and BE - 74.5% . Also I have received scholarship from Maharashtra Government for 2 consecutive years. Apart from this no appealing aspects are there in my profile. How good is my profile? What should I do to improve as I have one more year to go ahead. 3. Which colleges should I target ? How do I ensure I am best candidate for scholarship ? Awaiting a positive response

OptimusPrep · Answer

practice as many questions as possible and read through all detailed explanations. try to focus on your obvious weakness areas and eliminate your most occurring mistakes.

Suggestion needed

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