How can I improve my verbal score in 2 weeks?

Question

Hello GMATClub family,

I am a college senior who recently took the GMAT and scored  710 - Q50, V35 . This was my first attempt ever with a preparation timeline of about 2 weeks (from the 1st of February). In order to prepare for the exam, I solved questions from the OG, and attempted the following practice tests -

1) GMATPrep #1 - 650 : Q50, V27
2) MGMAT Practice - 680: Q48, V35
3) Kaplan Diagnostic - 700: Q50, V36
4) GMATPrep #2 - 730: Q50, V39
5) Kaplan Practice #2 - 660: Q49, V32 (Messed it up as I was trying to speed things up in Verbal)

My aim at the moment is to give a decent shot at the 2+2 programmes, but my Verbal score seems to be a problem at hand. Key problems that I face in Verbal are -

1) Appropriate time allocation (if I take a lot of time in the early questions in order to make sure that they are absolutely correct, I fail to attempt about 4/5 questions at the end)
2) Choosing the right choice in SC and CR after eliminating 3 incorrect options
3) Difficulty in gauging what are the implications of a given choice in CR (as to how it really connects with the main argument)

I also purchased the ESR for my exam and can provide the same in PM (I don't think that I can post them yet, since I don't have >5 posts in the community). It would be really helpful if you guys could help me figure out what should my strategy be for improving my Verbal score in the coming 2 weeks.

Russ19 · Answer

There are many experts having a great verbal score on this platform whom you can send a private message and seek help. Buying some hours of tutoring sessions with experts is also a good idea. I recommend  MartyTargetTestPrep  as he has got 
V-51, and he seems supportive to learners.

AndrewN · Answer

Hello,  dynamix , and welcome to the community. First off, a 710 is an outstanding score within a two-week prep time. With additional time and preparation, you could earn a 99th-percentile score, I am sure. But since you are asking specifically about how to prepare yourself to jump back into the fray in another two weeks, I would say the best thing you can do on your own is to review. Study those OG questions again, not to take them as though for the first time, since you will likely remember a lot of the answers, but to see whether you can put a finger on why the wrong answers are incorrect. Make full use of the forum to assist you with this process. I often read responses by  GMATNinja ,  daagh ,  VeritasKarishma  and others that are far superior, in my view, to what you find in the Official Explanation to a given question. If you need to practice your newfound understanding of questions, try small sets (5-10 questions) from other official sources, such as the  GMAT™ Advanced  guide, from the  Practice Question Banks . You can also watch YouTube videos by GMAT Ninja or others, such as  fiftyoneverbal , to further refine your reasoning. Finally, if you decide you need to enlist the help of a professional or want to fast-track your learning through an online learning module, there are plenty of options available. Just understand that no matter what type of tutor or teacher or platform you may pay for to help you, it is ultimately up to you to further your own understanding of the material and how to master it.

Good luck. I hope to read some good news in a follow-up debrief in another month or so.

- Andrew

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi dynamix.

The key to improving your verbal score is to become more skilled at seeing what's going on in the questions.

To develop that skill, you should analyze verbal questions choice by choice, untimed, seeking to identify and articulate exactly what makes the incorrect choices incorrect and the correct answers correct.

Another thing it's good to be aware of is that learning gimmicky, "here's how to game GMAT verbal," type strategies will NOT result in your increasing your verbal score above 35. In fact, the value, to the degree to which there is any, to such strategies, tends to top out in the low to mid 30s. So, if you were to seek to apply gimmicky GMAT verbal strategies, you could see your score decrease rather than increase.

A key thing to realize about GMAT verbal is that it tends to test the sophistication of the thinking you bring to bear in answering the questions. Gimmicky strategies are, by definition, not sophisticated. Careful, logical, detail oriented thinking is sophisticated. So, seek to use the latter in answering GMAT verbal questions.

For more on how to prepare for GMAT verbal, you could read the following posts.

GMAT Sentence Correction: 8 Essential Tips

GMAT Critical Reasoning: 8 Essential Tips

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

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi dynamix,

First off, a 710/Q50 is an outstanding Score, so you can comfortably apply to any Business Schools that interest you. As such, a retest is probably not necessary. Since you appear to have some idea as to the Programs that you want to apply to, you would likely find it beneficial to speak with an Admissions Expert about your overall profile and plans. Those Experts should be able to answer your Admissions questions and help define the specific areas of your profile that could use some improvement. There's a Forum full of those Experts here:

https://gmatclub.com/forum/ask-admissio ... tants-124/

Many GMATers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores, so the fact that you scored so well after just 2 weeks of study shows that you are a strong overall critical-thinker, but you did not put in enough time to hone all of the necessary skills to score higher in the Verbal section. For example, if you were frequently "narrowing the answers down to 2 choices and then 'guessing'", then there's a reasonable chance that you got half of those questions wrong (which would limit how high you could score in the Verbal section). Thankfully, the Verbal section is as consistent and predictable as the Quant section is, but it's worth noting that Verbal questions have no 'safety net' - meaning that if you make a little mistake or miss a vital piece of information, then you will convince yourself that one of the wrong answers is correct (and not realize it). This is meant to say that training to learn the patterns, Tactics and little 'secrets' of the Verbal section should help you to pick up some points rather easily.

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:

Studies:
1) How many hours did you study each week?
2) On what dates (or approximate dates) did you take EACH of your CATs/mocks?

Goals:
3) What is your overall goal score?
4) When are you planning to apply to Business School? If it's sometime soon, then what specific application deadlines are you acing?

Before you can include attachments with your posts/PMs, you need to have at least 5 posts in the forums (right now, you have just 1 post). If you would rather not go through those extra steps at this point, then you can feel free to email me directly (at [email protected])

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

egmat · Answer

dynamix – great quant score and good verbal score. Your case is similar to the ones below:

Aayush – 710 to 750 improvement (Columbia with Scholarship): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8Mic351wKQ
Dipinty – 730 to 760 (Tuck with Scholarship): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiJdkDOGgaw

If the above examples resonate with you, then schedule a session using the link below. Also, share your ESR with your Strategy Expert:

Schedule a session with an expert: https://e-gmat.com/psp-free-session/

Cheers!

e-GMAT

vv65 · Answer

You can definitely improve in two weeks, but be realistic about your goals. For example, two weeks is almost certainly not enough time to reach 45+ in verbal.

To move the verbal score from 35 to 40 to 45 requires a great deal of knowledge and understanding and skill and practice. The aim of practice is to internalise rules and processes, so speed increases and time management becomes less of a problem.

If two weeks is really all the time you have, focus on what will pay off most.

Posted from my mobile device

bb · Answer

Good advice. I would also add as a suggestion to chase your mistakes. That’s about the time you have and so you can chase your mistakes and see if you can move the needle on some of them.

As mentioned, invest your time wisely. It’s possible to sync months into reading comprehension and not see results so be realistic with what you can improve.

Posted from my mobile device

CAMANISHPARMAR · Answer

Hi there!

Firstly, 710 is an outstanding score in two weeks prep. What programs are you applying to? and maybe your score might be enough. Is it possible to check with the admissions consultants or respective program office? Also, V35 is 76th percentile and Q50 is 86th percentile. Your highest verbal score is in GMAT prep#2 - V39 is 89th percentile. If you are able to maintain your quant score to a Q50 and increase your verbal score to V39 then you should get a well-balanced score if you want to be very particular about it. I feel your current score itself seems to be well balanced but I agree, a slightly higher score may be better.

Secondly, regarding specific advice, you may find out the specific sections in which you are facing problems and try to improve your understanding of them. There is tons of advice from various experts on gmatclub on how to tackle various sections on the GMAT.

Finally, for consistency and assurance - practice is the key. I would advise you to buy the 4 additional practice exams and see for yourself if you are able to maintain a Q50+ and a V39+ in these exams. If yes, you should be good to go to give the real one. 
All the best!

GMATWhizTeam · Answer

Hi dynamix,

You can go through the below recording to understand the right test taking strategy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uURVseSlAVA

And to answer your other questions, I would need a few more details such as the way you prepared till now and the approach you use to solve questions. And I'll PM you my mail id to which you can send your ESR. We can get in touch over a call and analyze it together.

You can use the below link to get in touch with me.

Click here to schedule a call

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How can I improve my verbal score in 2 weeks?

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