How to improve GMAT Score 100+ in 2 weeks?

Question

Hi, I've recently sat for my second GMAT sitting.

1st sitting (9 June 2023): V23 Q42 - 550
2nd sitting (20 July 2023): V29 Q47 - 620

Even though it was 6 weeks from the first sitting, I only started studying on 1 July for the second sitting. The 1st sitting, I felt the exam centre threw me off my game. The second sitting, I did it online and there was improvement - felt much calmer. Moreover, for the first sitting I did quant followed by verbal and by the time I started verbal, the exam fatigue hits hard and I was randomly guessing for about a good 5 to 10 questions. On the second sitting I started with verbal followed by quant and found an improvement - attempted this during the mocks.

I am planning to resit again in less than 3 weeks as I am planning to meet the round 1 deadline to a UK school this September. However, I am currently unsure what I can do for my verbal score. My mocks are all in the 700+ range with the highest being 770. There are some caveat to this is that the verbal questions that i have seen in the mocks, I have done them before as I did purchase the additional verbal guide as well. I have also exhausted all 6 practice tests.

Any advice on what I can do to improve my verbal - I know I need at least a V40 and a further boost to my Quant. If I were to rank my verbal strengths it will be in this descending order SC & RC about the same and CR my weakest.

I have used PowerScore CR guide and it did aid in my understanding to better approach questions. However, it is something that i still feel uncomfortable with.

Any advice is appreciated.

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi trailblazer96.

Increasing your score 100 points in three weeks is not going to be easy, but you may be able to do so if things click for you in Verbal since, when things click, you can quickly see improvement, though in SC, you may need to learn some concepts to see a significant improvement.

For some ideas that could help things click, see this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rsw-MJZW2A

trailblazer96 · Answer

Hey Marty! Thanks for the reply. May I know what you mean by click?

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

Much of what it takes to get GMAT Verbal questions correct is understanding what the task involves exactly.

For example, in CR, people can get the impression that getting the questions correct takes using keywords, or using hacks such as eliminating extreme choices. Those ideas are not really accurate. So, as long as someone uses those ideas, he's going to have trouble with CR.

What it takes to get CR questions correct is precise analysis of the implications of statements, and once it clicks for someone that that is the point and the person gets how to do that, then the person can make quick improvements in CR and score higher in Verbal in within a short timeframe.

The same type of thing applies in SC and RC.

Another way to put it is that Verbal is mostly about precision and execution, and once you get that idea and apply it effectively, you can get better at Verbal rather fast.

For some detail on how to prepare for Verbal effectively, see this post.

How to Score High on GMAT Verbal

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

Consider getting the ESR of the recent 620. May provide some helpful insight what to work on. Have suggested Manhattan-Prep's 6th Edition for SC and CR. For RC, becoming familiar with how INFERENCE questions work may be helpful as well. If it's been a while since you took Official Mock 1, it might be worth retaking.

How to get a V40 or higher on the GMAT? What about a V51?

-contact: gmatknight site | gmatclub dm

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