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Verbal trouble on GMAT? Fix it NOW! Join Sunita Singhvi for a focused webinar on actionable strategies to boost your Verbal score and take your performance to the next level.
07 Nov 2020, 13:15
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The START
I decided to start preparing for GMAT in March 2019. After researching all the options for GMAT preparation, I went for eGMAT Verbal Online package. I preferred the online format as it gave me the flexibility to watch the videos at my convenient time and pace and also an ability to rewatch the concept videos for later reference or doubt.
My first official mock score which I took just before I started my prep was 660 ( V28,Q50 ). I knew Verbal was my weaker section and it needed a lot of work. So I started my preparation with much more focus on Verbal.
Managing GMAT prep and work was a challenging task. Both SC and CR, were totally new topics to me. I, then, started to prepare after coming back from the office. I tried my best to be regular with my studies but on few days, it was really tiring to sit and learn new concepts after office.
For Quant, solving the official guide was enough to brush up on quant topics as quant was my strength. When I got comfortable with all the Verbal topics after going through the eGMAT Verbal modules and completed solving the official guide, I started taking mocks. I was scoring 720-750 in the official mocks. I then decided to book my 1st GMAT attempt date.
1st Attempt. BAD LUCK !
So I gave my first official attempt in the first week of August'19 but unfortunately, it got screwed. There were some disturbances at the test center during the whole duration of my test and I was not able to concentrate. I got the same score in Verbal as I got in my first official mock test which I took before starting my prep. So definitely the score was not a reflection of my current ability. I reached out to the Pearson Test Centre team to allow me for a retake because there were unusual disturbances at the test center and these conditions were not as per the test center norms. I had even reported the same issue to the exam invigilator during the 2 breaks between the test sections. The Pearson team thoroughly looked into the issue and finally agreed to offer me a retake.
I decided to keep a few weeks of gap before my 2nd attempt. I diligently went through the Verbal concepts again, did most of the GMAT Official guide for both Verbal and Quant and Verbal Review, and then switched to eGMAT's Scholaranium for more practice.
While doing my mock analysis, I realized that I used to have very little time left for the last 6-7 questions of the Verbal section and I had to rush through. To increase the time available for these questions, I tried a strategy to devote less time to the initial 10 questions so that I have sufficient amount of time left for the harder level of questions waiting for me towards the end of the section.
This trick worked for me in the mocks. I was scoring an average of 750 in the official mocks.
2nd Attempt. Strategy Error !
But unfortunately, the strategy didn’t work on D-Day. I took my second attempt in Oct first week and applied the same strategy in the Verbal section. I scored a much lower than expected score in Verbal. I got 700 ( V34,Q50 ). I saw my ESR and realized that, because I devoted less time to the initial questions in Verbal section, the accuracy in the first quartile was really low and it brought the difficulty level of the section down. Even though I did really well in the next set of questions, my score didn’t pick up.
This attempt disappointed and demoralized me a lot. I had given my best for this attempt but still couldn’t achieve my target score. I wasn’t satisfied with this score. It took me almost 2 weeks to build the courage to start preparing again for the next and final attempt.
Prep for Final Attempt
I didn't knew this is going to be my final attempt. But I had a target score in my mind and I was willing to do anything to achieve that. I reached out to the eGMAT team to help me analyze my ESR better and chart out the improvements and preparation strategy for the next attempt. Karan and Shaarang from eGMAT became my mentors. I had a video call with them and they helped me identify the root cause of the problem. The issue with my strategy was that I was trying to rush through the questions in the first quartile of Verbal section and because of that I was not following the process and not giving sufficient time, the question deserves. They motivated me and advised me to focus on increasing my ability and skill for each concept first and then try to improve accuracy.
This time I did exactly what was told by them. I did the following changes in my preparation, which also align with the eGMAT’s recommended three stages of learning and excelling.
Corrections in Prep & Strategy
1) I diligently went through the eGMAT Verbal videos again and focused on grasping the concepts very very thoroughly. Doing all in-chapter exercises diligently and not rushing through. Verifying both the logic behind selecting the right answer and the logic behind eliminating the incorrect answers.
2) After completion of each module/chapter from the eGMAT Verbal section, I used to take 3 different sectional tests of Easy, Medium, Hard level respectively. The target was to get 100% accuracy in Easy, 80-90% accuracy in medium and 70% accuracy in Hard level questions. Following this approach helped me strengthen the concept really well and also helped me increase my confidence in that particular concept.
3) I maintained an error log for each topic and also kept a count against each error. Before every mock or sectional test, I used to go through the error log and revise the common mistakes. As a result, with each mock, the frequency of those errors started coming down. And my accuracy in the mocks and customized Scholaranium tests started improving.
I took some additional mocks from Manhattan and Veritas. This time my focus was not on getting the maximum score, but on following the process for each and every question. And I started seeing the results. I was consistently scoring around 680-740 in Manhattan and Veritas mocks and 740-760 in the official mocks. This time I was very confident with my ability and strategy.
2 weeks before my final attempt, I started solving only the official questions from GMAT Club and the official materials. I took an official mock one day before the exam to be in the rhythm and to revise the strategy once more. I scored a 760 ( V42, Q50 ) which maintained my confidence for the D-Day.
Final Attempt
My exam was scheduled for 11:30 AM. On the D-Day, I followed the normal routine to freshen up in the morning but I meditated for 15 mins before I left for the exam center to calm myself and get in the zone for the exam. On my way, I read a light article from the Economist to overcome the comprehension inertia and activate my reading senses.
Everything was smooth at the center. The initial 3 quartiles of the Verbal section went really well and I was very confident with my answers because I eliminated the other options before marking the correct answer. There was a slight rush near the end of the Verbal section which made me nervous during the break.
Quant,IR,AWA sections went really smoothly. And then when a score of 750 popped up on the screen, it was the best feeling ever. I just stared at the screen for few mins, letting the feeling to sink in. All the hard work and wait finally paid off.
This journey was a pure test of patience. I believe every journey teaches a few lessons. So I would like to share some of my learnings here :
The main learning is that , there is a process to solve the questions. Dont try to skip even a single step in the process. Trust and follow the process for every question. Initially, it may take time to solve but as you practice more, the time per question will reduce gradually and your accuracy will improve.
Whichever course you plan to take, do it religiously. Don’t rush through. Move forward only when you have absorbed the concept completely.
Resources which I used
Verbal
Common resources used for all subsections in Verbal
eGMAT Verbal Online ( Videos + Scholaranium )
GMAT Club
Official Guide and Verbal Review
Mocks
Some supplementary material which I used :
SC : Manhattan SC Book
CR : PowerScore CR Bible
RC : Nothing except reading 4-5 articles from Wall Street Journal, NYT and Economist, and taking RC Sectional tests of 3-4 RCs from Scholaranium, each from different genres, daily.
Method for improving RC :
But after reading every article from external sources, I used to do a small exercise :
Understand the article and think why the author has written the article. You can ask the following questions to yourself to know the purpose of the author :
Is he/she trying to convey his/her opinion :
Is he/she trying to explain a new concept/situation
Is the author neutral or biased towards his/her opinion
Is he arguing or just explaining the context
Overall tone of the article
Summary of the passage : No need to write it down. Just think and summarize in your mind. What is the central aim of the author.
Read it once more to confirm the answers to all your questions above.
And this is immensely beneficial if you are struggling with accuracy in RC. Quality matters over quantity while reading. Read less articles but do this exercise for every article you read and you will see a drastic improvement in your comprehension of passage and it will eventually lead to better accuracy.
Read 3-4 good articles, from reputed sources, during your preparation and do the above-mentioned exercise for every article and that is sufficient to get a 100% accuracy in RC. Yes 100% accuracy.
Quant
Mocks
GMAT Club Quant Sectional tests
GMAT Official Guide
IR
eGMAT IR Videos and Mocks
AWA
Chinese burned template
I decided to start preparing for GMAT in March 2019. After researching all the options for GMAT preparation, I went for eGMAT Verbal Online package. I preferred the online format as it gave me the flexibility to watch the videos at my convenient time and pace and also an ability to rewatch the concept videos for later reference or doubt.
My first official mock score which I took just before I started my prep was 660 ( V28,Q50 ). I knew Verbal was my weaker section and it needed a lot of work. So I started my preparation with much more focus on Verbal.
Managing GMAT prep and work was a challenging task. Both SC and CR, were totally new topics to me. I, then, started to prepare after coming back from the office. I tried my best to be regular with my studies but on few days, it was really tiring to sit and learn new concepts after office.
For Quant, solving the official guide was enough to brush up on quant topics as quant was my strength. When I got comfortable with all the Verbal topics after going through the eGMAT Verbal modules and completed solving the official guide, I started taking mocks. I was scoring 720-750 in the official mocks. I then decided to book my 1st GMAT attempt date.
1st Attempt. BAD LUCK !
So I gave my first official attempt in the first week of August'19 but unfortunately, it got screwed. There were some disturbances at the test center during the whole duration of my test and I was not able to concentrate. I got the same score in Verbal as I got in my first official mock test which I took before starting my prep. So definitely the score was not a reflection of my current ability. I reached out to the Pearson Test Centre team to allow me for a retake because there were unusual disturbances at the test center and these conditions were not as per the test center norms. I had even reported the same issue to the exam invigilator during the 2 breaks between the test sections. The Pearson team thoroughly looked into the issue and finally agreed to offer me a retake.
I decided to keep a few weeks of gap before my 2nd attempt. I diligently went through the Verbal concepts again, did most of the GMAT Official guide for both Verbal and Quant and Verbal Review, and then switched to eGMAT's Scholaranium for more practice.
While doing my mock analysis, I realized that I used to have very little time left for the last 6-7 questions of the Verbal section and I had to rush through. To increase the time available for these questions, I tried a strategy to devote less time to the initial 10 questions so that I have sufficient amount of time left for the harder level of questions waiting for me towards the end of the section.
This trick worked for me in the mocks. I was scoring an average of 750 in the official mocks.
2nd Attempt. Strategy Error !
But unfortunately, the strategy didn’t work on D-Day. I took my second attempt in Oct first week and applied the same strategy in the Verbal section. I scored a much lower than expected score in Verbal. I got 700 ( V34,Q50 ). I saw my ESR and realized that, because I devoted less time to the initial questions in Verbal section, the accuracy in the first quartile was really low and it brought the difficulty level of the section down. Even though I did really well in the next set of questions, my score didn’t pick up.
This attempt disappointed and demoralized me a lot. I had given my best for this attempt but still couldn’t achieve my target score. I wasn’t satisfied with this score. It took me almost 2 weeks to build the courage to start preparing again for the next and final attempt.
Prep for Final Attempt
I didn't knew this is going to be my final attempt. But I had a target score in my mind and I was willing to do anything to achieve that. I reached out to the eGMAT team to help me analyze my ESR better and chart out the improvements and preparation strategy for the next attempt. Karan and Shaarang from eGMAT became my mentors. I had a video call with them and they helped me identify the root cause of the problem. The issue with my strategy was that I was trying to rush through the questions in the first quartile of Verbal section and because of that I was not following the process and not giving sufficient time, the question deserves. They motivated me and advised me to focus on increasing my ability and skill for each concept first and then try to improve accuracy.
This time I did exactly what was told by them. I did the following changes in my preparation, which also align with the eGMAT’s recommended three stages of learning and excelling.
Corrections in Prep & Strategy
1) I diligently went through the eGMAT Verbal videos again and focused on grasping the concepts very very thoroughly. Doing all in-chapter exercises diligently and not rushing through. Verifying both the logic behind selecting the right answer and the logic behind eliminating the incorrect answers.
2) After completion of each module/chapter from the eGMAT Verbal section, I used to take 3 different sectional tests of Easy, Medium, Hard level respectively. The target was to get 100% accuracy in Easy, 80-90% accuracy in medium and 70% accuracy in Hard level questions. Following this approach helped me strengthen the concept really well and also helped me increase my confidence in that particular concept.
3) I maintained an error log for each topic and also kept a count against each error. Before every mock or sectional test, I used to go through the error log and revise the common mistakes. As a result, with each mock, the frequency of those errors started coming down. And my accuracy in the mocks and customized Scholaranium tests started improving.
I took some additional mocks from Manhattan and Veritas. This time my focus was not on getting the maximum score, but on following the process for each and every question. And I started seeing the results. I was consistently scoring around 680-740 in Manhattan and Veritas mocks and 740-760 in the official mocks. This time I was very confident with my ability and strategy.
2 weeks before my final attempt, I started solving only the official questions from GMAT Club and the official materials. I took an official mock one day before the exam to be in the rhythm and to revise the strategy once more. I scored a 760 ( V42, Q50 ) which maintained my confidence for the D-Day.
Final Attempt
My exam was scheduled for 11:30 AM. On the D-Day, I followed the normal routine to freshen up in the morning but I meditated for 15 mins before I left for the exam center to calm myself and get in the zone for the exam. On my way, I read a light article from the Economist to overcome the comprehension inertia and activate my reading senses.
Everything was smooth at the center. The initial 3 quartiles of the Verbal section went really well and I was very confident with my answers because I eliminated the other options before marking the correct answer. There was a slight rush near the end of the Verbal section which made me nervous during the break.
Quant,IR,AWA sections went really smoothly. And then when a score of 750 popped up on the screen, it was the best feeling ever. I just stared at the screen for few mins, letting the feeling to sink in. All the hard work and wait finally paid off.
This journey was a pure test of patience. I believe every journey teaches a few lessons. So I would like to share some of my learnings here :
The main learning is that , there is a process to solve the questions. Dont try to skip even a single step in the process. Trust and follow the process for every question. Initially, it may take time to solve but as you practice more, the time per question will reduce gradually and your accuracy will improve.
Whichever course you plan to take, do it religiously. Don’t rush through. Move forward only when you have absorbed the concept completely.
Resources which I used
Verbal
Common resources used for all subsections in Verbal
eGMAT Verbal Online ( Videos + Scholaranium )
GMAT Club
Official Guide and Verbal Review
Mocks
Some supplementary material which I used :
SC : Manhattan SC Book
CR : PowerScore CR Bible
RC : Nothing except reading 4-5 articles from Wall Street Journal, NYT and Economist, and taking RC Sectional tests of 3-4 RCs from Scholaranium, each from different genres, daily.
Method for improving RC :
But after reading every article from external sources, I used to do a small exercise :
Understand the article and think why the author has written the article. You can ask the following questions to yourself to know the purpose of the author :
Is he/she trying to convey his/her opinion :
Is he/she trying to explain a new concept/situation
Is the author neutral or biased towards his/her opinion
Is he arguing or just explaining the context
Overall tone of the article
Summary of the passage : No need to write it down. Just think and summarize in your mind. What is the central aim of the author.
Read it once more to confirm the answers to all your questions above.
And this is immensely beneficial if you are struggling with accuracy in RC. Quality matters over quantity while reading. Read less articles but do this exercise for every article you read and you will see a drastic improvement in your comprehension of passage and it will eventually lead to better accuracy.
Read 3-4 good articles, from reputed sources, during your preparation and do the above-mentioned exercise for every article and that is sufficient to get a 100% accuracy in RC. Yes 100% accuracy.
Quant
Mocks
GMAT Club Quant Sectional tests
GMAT Official Guide
IR
eGMAT IR Videos and Mocks
AWA
Chinese burned template
08 Nov 2020, 11:20
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hey Avimit01 - Congratulations on a great score! Would be mind sharing the order of the sections? Was it V,Q or Q,V?
Also any advise on CR would be of great help!
Posted from my mobile device
Also any advise on CR would be of great help!
Posted from my mobile device
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