RC: Social Science and Humanities Topics

Question

Hey Guys!

I am pretty OK at RC's but when it comes to topics like Social Science (Women in the 19th Century, Feminism or History) and Humanities, I just don't seem to understand the language.

What do I do to understand the passage? Even if i read the passage 2-3 times I do not understand it well. This is causing me to loose a lot of time and I'm not even getting the answers correctly. All the passages on Social Science are long passages and so many questions are asked on them.

On other topics like Business, Science etc I get all answers correctly in a fair amount of time.

Please help me!

Thanks in advance.

abhimahna · Answer

Hey 101mba101 , Read the RC strategies I mentioned in my debrief From V21 to V40 . These strategies really helped me tackle such passages well in the exam. All the best

101mba101 · Answer

Loved your post. Will definitely take all points in consideration. Thanks for the info on other topics as well!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi 101mba101,

You've identified RC as an area that you need to work on, but it's not clear whether that's the only area (or the most important area) for you to be working on at this point. 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:

Studies:
1) How long have you studied?
2) What study materials have you used so far?
3) How have you scored on EACH of your CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?
4) What 'steps' do you go through when dealing with a typical RC passage?

Goals:
5) What is your goal score?
6) When are you planning to take the GMAT?
7) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
8) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

101mba101 · Answer

Hello EMPOWERgmat! Studies: 1. I have been studying for the past 1 month. 2. I have been studying from the previous OG's as well as Veritas Prep. 3. I have taken 2 CAT's till now. 1st one: Q38 V30, 2nd one: Q39 V35. 4.For RC passages, I start reading the passage and take notes side by side. This makes me understand the passage better. For passages on Social Science, I do not understand the language and sentences. Answering the questions becomes extremely difficult. Goals: 1. My goal score is 730 and above. 2. I am planning to take the GMAT by end of June, 2018. 3. I am planning to apply for 2019. 4. I am very much interested in the Finance field and so want to do an MBA in Finance. My dream university is Yale

and I am ready to study as much as required to achieve my goal. Any kind of help from you to achieve my goal would be great. Thanks!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi 101mba101,

Many Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores, so you should not expect to have mastered any part of this Test just yet (RC or anything else). This is meant to say that you might naturally improve as you continue to study. GMAC has publicly stated that the Official Score that you earn on Test Day is within +/- 30 points of actual ability. Assuming a similar 'swing' in how your CATs function, your 2 CAT score results show that you essentially performed at the same general level on both Exams (about 600 +/- a few points). Raising a 600 to a 730+ will likely require at least another 2-3 months of consistent, guided study - and you'll have to make significant improvements to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections. As such, you might need to consider pushing back your Test Date.

1) Are you following a formal Study Plan at this point or has your work so far been focused more on just doing groups of practice questions?
2) Going forward, how many hours do you think you can consistently study each week?

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

101mba101 · Answer

Hey EMPOWERgmat!

1. I have been doing groups of practice questions. Not following any study plan as such.
2. I can study for 36-40 hours a week.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi 101mba101,

Having the free time to study 36-40 hours a week is nice - although you have to be careful about not confusing "quantity" of study with "quality" of study. In addition, you might run the risk of 'burn out' if you study that often over a longer period of time. This is meant to say that you do NOT necessarily need to put in that much study time each week - but you will need to commit to more than one month of study.

Based on what you've described - and considering your Score Goal - you would likely find it beneficial to invest a GMAT Course of some type (either Guided Self-Study or instructor-led), so you should plan to look into the available options. When it comes to studying for the GMAT, there are a variety of different options to putting together a Study Plan. Most GMAT Companies offer some type of free materials (practice problems, Trial Accounts, videos, etc.) that you can use to 'test out' a product before you buy it. We have a variety of those resources at our website (www.empowergmat.com). I suggest that you take advantage of all of them then choose the one that best matches your personality, timeline and budget.

If you have any additional questions, then you can feel free to contact me directly.

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

101mba101 · Answer

Thanks a lot EMPOWERgmat!

I will definitely try a course on your website. I will contact you if I need further help!

Thanks again. Cheers!

RC: Social Science and Humanities Topics

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