i have my gmat exam on jan 13, i am improving in c.r &

Question

i have my gmat exam on jan 13, i am improving in c.r & r.c but s.c even though i prepare i am not able to do good
i am doing many mistakes in s.c in practice tests i am getting only 6-7 correct answers in manhattan tests, i am getting verbal scores 28 - 33 
i believe that i approach wrong to s.c can some one guide my to improve my s.c

thanks in advance

metallicafan · Answer

What kind of mistakes do you have? Please provide us more detail.

Do you have the MGMAT SC?
Do you have an error log?
Have you memorized the basic idioms?

anilnandyala · Answer

i have mgmat s.c
i am making more mistakes is modifiers, comparisons & quantities

tirupatibalaji · Answer

Have you gone through MGMAT SC or Power score SC book? These books really helps. I was in similar situation and these books helped me a lot. Also you have to consider reading fictional/Non-fictional novel.

If this helps then please consider giving me a kudos.

If this helps then please consider giving me a kudos.

BKimball · Answer

anilnandyala,

It's good that you know your weaknesses (modifiers, comparisons, and quantities), but I'd take it even one step further. I would try to determine in more detail WHY you are missing these questions. For example:

-Are you unable to identify the errors? (Maybe you're reading too quickly, not splitting and scanning, etc...)
-Are you able to identify the errors but don't know the grammatical rule? (Maybe you need to go back and review grammar from the beginning...)
-Are you able to do all of this, but not in two minutes? (Maybe you need to work on identifying splits easier or increasing your confidence...)

Depending on which one of these is the case, I'd recommend different approaches. But it's really up to you (and your teacher / tutor, if you have one) to determine WHY you are missing the problems. Can't truly fix a problem unless you know why it exists...

If you can figure out why you're missing these things, share it with us and we'll help!

Brett

anilnandyala · Answer

i am on 3rd type, i get about 80% correct with out time limit

thank u brett

whiplash2411 · Answer

If your problem is working in a timed environment, I highly recommend doing sets of say, 20 questions within 25 minutes. Then start working your way down from there so that you can constantly time yourself.

Another useful strategy is to use the 2-3 split that Brett mentioned. It's important to group the answer choices into two or more broad categories. Usually, one of this broad group will have a same structural element as that of the stimulus, and if the stimulus is wrong for some reason, then you can eliminate the choice straight away and when you have lesser choices, it's easier to focus and get things done.

The rules for modifiers and comparisons are fairly simple, so just keep asking yourself - what is it modifying and is it modifying anything at all? Are the comparisons logical in terms of structure and type?

sumandeepal · Answer

Hi Friend 
sometimes Iam unable to identify the errors?
I have read Manhattan SC.what should I do

BKimball · Answer

anilnandyala,

You should be able to do SC problems in between 60 and 90 seconds. You can take a bit longer if you're pretty strong in CR and RC, and you might need to shoot for even shorter times if you aren't. Completing a SC question in 3 or 4 minutes is as good as missing it altogether; timing is critical on this test.

I think whiplash2411's suggestion is a good one, and I'd also do the following:

1. Start the timer and do a single SC problem. If at the end of the problem you look at the timer and see that it has been longer than 90 seconds, that's something you need to work on. Start the timer over and do another problem. Check the time. Repeat this drill until you develop a mental timer that goes off after every 90 seconds or so (nobody is perfect, but you should be able to get to the point where you have a sense of when approximately 90 seconds has passed even though you are intensely focused on the question at hand.)

2. Once you can pretty reliably know when 90 seconds has passed, start the timer again and do two questions. You should be able to finish these two questions in 3 minutes. If you can't, repeat this drill.

3. Repeat this cycle of adding another question and 90 more seconds until you can reliably do 7 SC questions in about 10 minutes.

The point of this drill is to develop an internal sense of how long you have on SC questions so that you can keep yourself on track during the test without looking at the clock so regularly. This means that you'll also have to learn to move through the stages of a SC question more quickly and you'll have to get comfortable guessing. Again: Getting an SC question right in more than 2 minutes is arguably no better than guessing after 1 minute.

Good luck!

Brett

whiplash2411 · Answer

Brett, what'd your suggestion be for someone who finishes the section way ahead of time? Personally, I never feel like I'm rushing because I read really fast but then at the end I see the wrong answers and I see that often I'd narrow it to two choices and choose the wrong one. Consciously slowing down doesn't work too well either. Any suggestions?

Posted from my mobile device

Posted from my mobile device

gtr022001 · Answer

Ron has a different approach to studying SC questions, see his November 18, 2010 recording here -- https://www.manhattangmat.com/thursdays-with-ron.cfm

BKimball · Answer

whiplash2411,

My suggestion for test takers who finish early is this: Divide the number of questions in the section into manageable blocks and hold yourself to those time limits:

Time Remaining / Quant Question
75 / 1
60 / 8
45 / 16
30 / 23
15 / 30
0 / 37

Time Remaining / Verbal Question
75 / 1
60 / 9
45 / 17
30 / 25
15 / 33
0 / 41

These are rough guidelines because 75 minutes doesn't divide perfectly into 37 or 41 questions, but the point is this:

If at any point you fall more than 1 question behind, you need to just go ahead and guess on the very next question that you consider above your ability level. If at any point you are more than 1 question ahead of schedule, use that time on the next question that you consider worth investing extra time. (In truth, the terms "above my ability level" and "worth investing more time" deserve lessons of their own, but that's not the subject of this post.

Think that will work for you?

Brett

i have my gmat exam on jan 13, i am improving in c.r &

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