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Hi
I gave GMAT last year and scored 640(V-29,Q-47) after 2 months of preparation.Some days back,I gave GMAT again after 4 months of rigorous preparation but ended up scoring 610(V-25,Q-48).My target is 700+ as I want to apply for ISB (YLP).I don't understand how to improve my performance particularly in verbal as I have covered each and every topic ,did OGs ,Verbal review,GMAT CLUB resources and gave official and unofficial mocks.I am unsure whether I should give another attempt after 1 month preparation because I have no study material left.Please suggest me what should I do.

AndrewN · Answer

Hello,  nandinigarg0807 . Four months of "rigorous preparation" will not lead to a 4-point decrease in Verbal if that preparation is not misdirected. Perhaps you kept going through questions without really taking the time to understand them, the logical underpinnings that were holding them together. You could go through another thousand questions in such a manner and never make any demonstrable progress. You are going to have to sit down and spend some time with questions you have missed. Too often, students focus on just getting the correct answer when the real trick is knowing how to spot incorrect answers. Perhaps at first, you may consider throwing out the timer altogether. Just work on unraveling a question. (Read community responses to official questions if you cannot make sense of them yourself.) When your accuracy starts to go up to a point that you are happy with, reintegrate the timer and see if you can achieve the same results under time pressure. You can always check the  question directory  to practice other official questions. I guarantee you will find some new material.

You may also want to consider purchasing a dedicated guide on the different Verbal components: Manhattan Prep guides for RC and SC, for instance, or the PowerScore CR Bible for that area of the test. By working through such guides, you will learn effective strategies to questions, and you can then practice some more. Finally, you can check the Marketplace for an online learning module that might suit your needs. The structure of such courses can help students achieve better results in a quicker turnaround time than either self-study or once-in-a-while tutoring. Consistency is key.

Good luck with your preparation, whatever you decide to do. Just stick with it and do not be afraid of being wrong.

- Andrew

RetaketheGMAT · Answer

Hi nandinigarg0807

Since you've covered the material extensively, there are really two possibilities for why your verbal score is falling short of your target:

1) You're not getting the right insights and approaches from your self study efforts
2) Your knowledge of the content in the self study materials isn't matched by a strong in-test process.

With your time frame of less than 1 month, I strongly suggest getting some expert input on if you're approaching the verbal section in the right way.

Remember the GMAT isn't a math and English test -- it's a test of reasoning. So great process ensures that you gather all the information in each question stem, pre process it completely and then follow a efficient path to getting to the correct answer which includes eliminating answers (SC), focusing on core questions first (RC) and restating the argument in (CR). These are just a few examples of process improvements that can take your current knowledge level to a high test score within a short time frame.

I'm happy to discuss and assess your core processes on a call -- let me know if you're interested.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi nandinigarg0807,

I'm sorry to hear that your 2nd attempt did not turn out better. 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) What type of study routine did you follow over the last 4 months? How many hours do you typically study each week?
2) What specific study materials have you used over the course of ALL of your studies?
3) On what 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?

You might also choose to purchase the Enhanced Score Report for your recent attempt. While the ESR doesn’t provide a lot of information, there are usually a few data points that we can use to define what went wrong on Test Day (and what you should work on to score higher). If you purchase the ESR, then I'll be happy to analyze it for you.

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

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi nandingarg0807,

The short answer is that I do think you can improve your GMAT verbal score. That said, before providing specific advice I’d like to know more about your situation with the GMAT. Once you respond to the questions already asked, I can provide some further advice.

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