Exam next week! Help with Verbal score on GMAT FE

Question

I am taking my first GMAT FE on 14th August '24

Have been scoring a constant 79/80 on verbal in last 4  egmat  mocks. Unable to really address gaps or even find gaps for that matter.

Any suggestions on what I can do in the next 4-5 days.

Can someone suggest if there is something like the GMAT Club Math book for Verbal.

Found the GMAT Club Math book very, very helpful. Thank you for this piece of art -
  bb   Bunuel   walker   shrouded1  and  sriharimurthy

MartyMurray · Answer

Hi sammmmm56.

Have you taken any official practice tests?

While the third-party tests you've been using are likely good for practicing, they may not produce accurate Verbal scores.

So, your best move may be to take an official practice test, see how you perform on Verbal, and come up with a strategy based on your performance.

That said, if Critical Reasoning is the issue, then the tips in the following post could help.

GMAT Critical Reasoning - Trap Choices Versus Correct Answers

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi sammmmm56,

I'm also curious. Have you taken any official practice exams? Also, what is your score goal? I ask all this because it's important to see how far off you are from your score goal since your exam is so soon. So, try to take an official practice test ASAP so we can get a good indication of where you are at.

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

One thing you could consider including is leveraging your error-log to find the types of question you may find tough/spend a lot of time on. If you find CR assumption questions difficult, for example, the negation technique may be useful to learn. Looking over questions you got incorrect for instance may also remind you of things you potentially overlook.

5 Verbal tips

sammmmm56 · Answer

Thank you   MartyMurray   ScottTargetTestPrep  @GmatKnightTutor

I took my first official mock today as suggested and scored 81 in Verbal. (CR-88th percentile and RC-32nd percentile) had to rush through a RC passage and guess last 2 CR questions due to lack of time.

Overall score is 535 (V81|Q76|DI72)

ScottTargetTestPrep  -  My target score is 655 (however with today's mock score and given that I have only 5 days, I'd be happy if I manage to cross 615)

In the next 5 days, instead of preppping for verbal, I am thinking of going through the entire GMAT club math book pdf and 200 DI Question set available on mba.com

What is the ideal thing to work on at this point?

MartyMurray · Answer

Working on Quant is definitely your best move. At the same time, trying to cover a lot of Quant in five days isn't going to be a good use of time. You're better off just working on Quant normally, meaning that you may be able to thoroughly study and practice a topic or two before your test.

Doing so isn't likely going to enable you to achieve your target score on your upcoming test, but that's OK. You're better off making solid progress toward achieving your target score the next time you take the test than rushing through all of Quant in the next few days and not actually learning very much.

AjiteshArun · Answer

Hi sammmmm56,

I'm working on  something like that  for verbal. Not a book, and it's primarily for retakers, but you could take a look if you need to work on a specific CR type.

All the best for the 14th.

sammmmm56 · Answer

Any suggestions/resources will be very helpful!! @ ScottTargetTestPrep

sammmmm56 · Answer

I followed this suggestion,  MartyMurray.

And I do feel confident compared to where I was a week back wrt to Quants.
Although I couldnt translate it in today's Official Mock 2, here are my latest scores-

Overall score is 545 (V79|Q74|DI78)

sammmmm56 · Answer

Hi everyone,

Overwhelmed, so it is a really RAW post! Got back home from the test centre few hours back.

I scored 595 in my exam today. I targeted 655+ throughout my prep but seeing where I was with my mock scores towards the end, I knew I'd be happy with anything above 605. Did not want to reschedule the exam to a later date, though a month back, one of the mentors at  egmat  suggested I do it. Was really bummed out with that suggestion.

Overall score is 595 (V78|Q78|DI82)

I could have done much better in Verbal, I clearly did not pace myself well so had to rush, but somehow the questions seemed very off and not at all similar to the mocks (in terms of structure, language and just overall idk) so there wasnt much comfort. Once I get the detailed ESR, I'll share an update here.

I came out of the test centre and couldnt wait to give my next GMAT, is it normal? Well, I guess, GMAT can be addictive lol. So I am still contemplating my next steps whether to retake or no (The only reason I need a GMAT is for my ISB application so I have time till say December.) Any views?

Though I am more inclined towards taking it again. It just feels so fresh and during my prep I came across resources I did not have the time to go through so yeah..
Given that my target score now is 700+ what should my next steps be? How much time should I take for prep (there are clearly gaps, especially in Quants, well Verbal too)
I started my prep with  egmat  on 10th April '24, sharing my mock scores.

10th April '24 - 475 (V79|Q75|DI66) - cold mock before prep
29th July '24 - 525 (V80|Q75|DI73) - egmat sigma-x mock
3rd August '24 - 505 (V80|Q77|DI68) - egmat sigma-x mock
6th August '24 - 495 (V79|Q73|DI71) - egmat sigma-x mock
8th August '24 - 535 (V81|Q76|DI72) - official mock 1
10th August '24 - 545 (V79|Q74|DI78) - offcial mock 2

Suggestions please - Any resources, any specific test prep company, would be great if someone can help me chart out a plan wrt my weak points, ideal time for prep, when to take the test next? how to go about? how to improve timing, pacing, how to start the prep basically and points to keep in mind.

THANK YOU to GMAT CLUB, big help in keeping me calm, suggestions with my prep in the last one week, wish I'd used it during my prep as well.  bb   MartyMurray    ScottTargetTestPrep    AjiteshArun   GmatKnightTutor

sammmmm56 · Answer

Hi, sharing the reports, is there any post which can help me pace timing and help with test day tips.

Data Insights

Quants

Verbal

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VirenderSingh092 · Answer

Hey there,

recently gave my GMAT and I have a few suggestions:

- You may want to go with a full course available online or through a private tutor - this would help you cover the basics that you need to crack that 600 mark, which is achievable once your basics are clear.

- Your mocks were all below 600 and aiming for 600+ would have been a bit of a stretch. Try to strengthen your basic prep while slowly taking mocks official or otherwise to gauge your preparation.

I hope this helps.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

You also could practice some official CR and RC questions. And here are two articles that provide some advice:

GMAT Critical Reasoning: 8 Essential Tips

GMAT Reading Comprehension Tips: Top 8 DOs and DON’Ts

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

Consider checking out Manhattan-Prep's 6th Edition for Critical Reasoning. For RC, becoming familiar with how inference questions could be helpful as well. If you feel your fundamentals are solid, working on your solving approach may help a bit. Perhaps include working with a study buddy. There's a study buddy thread on gmatclub you could sign up to, for example.

How to score high on GMAT Verbal.

Exam next week! Help with Verbal score on GMAT FE

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