When I read fast, I do not comprehend. what should I do?

Question

Hello everyone!

I am studying for the GMAT for over 2 months now, I've learned every topic I can and watched every existing youtube video about the GMAT.

I have done well over 14 mock tests, all of them between 590-650, avg quant 48, avg verbal 30.

My goal is 700.

My problem is clearly in the verbal section:
After tracking my error log for some time, the number 1 problem I face is that I do not understand what I'm reading when I try to read fast, most of the time I start with about 1:45 per question on the first 5, get them right,
but then, in the first RC section, it takes me about 3:20 per question. after about 10 questions, when the questions get hard (700 level) it takes me about 3 mins per question and I usually get them 50% wrong.
and then I find myself at question number 21, with about 20 mins left, rushing as fast as I can with short questions (most of them are mistakes), guessing on the long ones.
I finish the exam right on time but I feel that I just didn't understand anything I was reading on the last 15 questions.
I tried taking the exam without any time limit and got 730.
I have 4 weeks to study before the exam.

I would like to hear some advice, how can I overcome this problem?

My second official exam (last mock test I took today): 23 on verbal, 48 on quant.

Thanks in advance! Ofek.

avigutman · Answer

Hi ofekyariv28 . Based on your name, we're probably from the same part of the world. Have you seen this video yet? https://youtu.be/3NnZEUK1rCE In general, the minute you try to rush your reading on the GMAT, you've already lost the game. You'd be much better off throwing away a long RC passage (just guess on the associated questions) and use that extra time to read the other problems slowly and thoughtfully. In other words, on the GMAT, go big or go home. Meaning, either give the question the time and respect and the effort that it deserves, or just throw it away. Trying to speed through a bunch of questions will always push your score down. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZFpbjWrUgE

Yogananda · Answer

Hi avigutman , Thank you so much for sharing this session. I found it very helpful. https://youtu.be/3NnZEUK1rCE

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi ofekyariv28,

To start, each CAT/mock is really a 'measuring device' - when used correctly, it will give you a realistic score and help define your strengths and weaknesses, but it will NOT help you to fix any of those weaknesses. To raise your scores, you have to learn the necessary Tactics and put in the proper practice and repetitions. The CAT will show you whether your studies are helping you to improve or not. In addition, the process of taking (and reviewing) a CAT requires a significant amount of energy and effort - and takes time to 'recover' from. This is one of the reasons why you typically should not take more than 1 CAT per week - and your last CAT should be taken about 1 week before Test Day. Going forward, you really shouldn't take more than 1 FULL CAT per week.

In addition, you do NOT need to be a 'fast' reader to score at a high level on the GMAT, but you do have to work at a reasonable pace, 'attack' each prompt that you face (re: actively read, look for patterns, etc.) and take a reasonable amount of notes.

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 many hours do you typically study each week?
2) What study materials have you used so far? What “brands” of CATs/mocks have you used?
3) 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)?
4) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

ofekyariv28 · Answer

Hi  avigutman , thank you for your answer! Your answer and video helped me a lot. I will try what you have suggested.

Hi  EMPOWERgmatRichC , thank you for your answer!

I will focus on a systematic approach for each question type. I think it will help me get to the answer quicker.

1) How many hours do you typically study each week?
- I have been studying this past month about 6 hours a day, seven days a week. Mainly doing the mock exams to practice.
2) What study materials have you used so far? What "brands" of CATs/mocks have you used?
- The Princeton Review, I went through the whole online course, did about 12 CATs from their website.
- Official exams - did both of 1 and 2.
- Manhattan Prep youtube channel, binging through the 1 hour long videos, taking notes.
3) 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)?
TPR CATs:
21.8 - 28V 39Q
31.8 - 19V 40Q
2.9 - 34V 47Q
9.9 - 33V 45Q
10.9 - 23V 47Q
11.9 - 34V 40Q
15.9 - 39V 39Q
16.9 - 29V 37Q
18.9 (UNTIMED) - 41V 51Q
Official GMAT prep:
20.9 - 17V 49Q
24.9 - 23V 48Q
4) When are you planning to apply to Business School, and what Schools are you planning to apply to?
- I am planning to apply for MBA starting September 2023 at INSEAD, LBS, HEC.
- I still consider some of the top 20 schools in the U.S, but I'm currently focusing on Europe.

P.S. I heard about two methods regarding timing for the CAT. One was saying that the first 10 questions are the most important for the score. Therefore I should put heavy time on them and later on skipping on hard questions. 
Methode two saying that I should finish with a row of correct answers so my last question would be difficult. 
How would you advise me to plan my time on the verbal?

P.S. 2, I haven't studied for the I.R. and AWA at all (planning to study for about 1-2 days for those). Am I making a big mistake?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi ofekyariv28,

I've sent you a PM with some notes and additional questions.

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

GMATWhizTeam · Answer

Hi Ofek,

Let me share my insights here.

For scoring 700 and above, you need to get the easy medium questions right as  GMAT test is adaptive in nature . For that, being conceptually clear on all topics is really vital. Not only this, you have to be good with application of concepts because  GMAT is a test of application of concepts .

Time management is one of the most important skills for competitive exams that most students struggle with. There is a significant penalty for failing to complete any section of the GMAT exam, so it is also important to develop pacing skills. Once you hone your time management skills strategically, you will be confident about not missing out on any questions on the test day.

The possible reason for struggling with time management in case of Verbal: 
There is one fundamental mistake that most students do, that is trying to read the passage fast.

Talking about the reason behind struggling with time management, you are likely taking more time to solve RC questions. The reason for this might be you are taking too long to read a passage or you might be going back and forth to the passage for every question. This happens when you don’t use the right reading strategies. Students often read the passage from a detail perspective and  stuff themselves  with the details. And once they come across an inferential question or a main point question, they cannot answer it and they read the passage again to find the answer. This would often lead to the wastage of time.  The trick to ace RC is not to understand WHAT is written, but to understand WHY it is written.

While in case of SC/CR, the reason could be -not having conceptually clear knowledge about how to approach the problems thereby leading to confusion in eliminating the incorrect choices.

Important Tip  – Don’t practice tons of questions directly. First focus on learning the right methods for each question. That plays a significant role in getting hard questions correct within 2 mins.

What is to be done? 
 Quant:
 For Quant, identifying your weaker areas and working your weaker areas should ideally get you a score of 49/50. If you are struggling with some specific topics, you may share the same for better understanding.

Verbal:
 Your verbal score clearly indicates there are many conceptual gaps and you may need to start from scratch, revisit the concepts and get a clear understanding of them before you solve the questions. Verbal questions on GMAT are very tricky. Let me help you with the right way to approach your Verbal Prep.

How to Ace your Verbal Prep? 
 GMAT verbal is mostly about  eliminating four incorrect answer choices rather than choosing the right one . Before you start learning, it's important to understand what is actually tested using the questions. Each module in Verbal (SC, CR and RC) has to be approached in a different way
• For SC – Follow the meaning based approach. 
• For CR – Focus on Scope Analysis and Framework driven Pre-thinking. 
• For RC – Involve yourself in the passage and understand why the passage is written and not just on what’s written.

I’d recommend you to  follow this order for the verbal part - SC->CR-RC . The reason for this is very specific. Each question type on the GMAT is testing a specific skill. SC tests your comprehension skills. CR tests comprehension & analytical skills. Finally, RC builds on the previous two skills and also tests your ability to be able to grasp the central point of the passage i.e. Your inferential skills. Thus, when you learn in this order, it's much more effective.

I would suggest you to go for some standard course for your Verbal preparation at least which can help you prepare in a structured and efficient manner thereby increasing your productivity. It’s always better to spare some more time on your preparation until you are ready instead of missing out on your dream colleges/ b-schools in hurry.

Having said this, I would like to know what is the approach being followed by you so that I can suggest you a more structured plan. If you wish to discuss this over a call, you can schedule a free consultation call using the below link. Considering the effort you have put, I would really like to know the concerns and help you improve your score.

Click here to schedule a call

When I read fast, I do not comprehend. what should I do?

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