Three weeks left & still scoring 610, any SOLID suggestions?

Question

Can I even make it to 700???

I have been preparing for GMAT for past three months. I took a MGMAT Cat this weekend and scored 610 (41Q, 33V). Sentence correction and then CR are the real reasons for my very low verbal score.

I have three weeks, whats the best I can do and that will improve my chances of good luck and a 700 score.

I spend about 15 hours a week preparing for GMAT.

Thanks for your suggestions.

vinviper · Answer

practice!!

rakesh22 · Answer

Where do you stand on your GMAT Prep tests?

Get the verbal supplement if you want additional practice on your SC's and CR's.

maverick101 · Answer

The last CAT I took was 610 41Q and 33V.

Now I have finished MGMAT SC guide and currently going through Verbal Review (SC).

bobinabob2 · Answer

so your last gmatprep score was a 610?

Tangaroo · Answer

How many CATs have you taken? Is this your first? I was really discouraged at my results for MGMAT and Kaplan too but started feeling better once I took PowerPrep and GMATPrep (I think you can take one now since your test is pretty close) as they are more representative.

For example, my scores for GMATPrep were 610 and 640, and I got 650 on the real thing. If you haven't done any of these yet, I suggest you give it a try and maybe it will make you feel better.

Tenore · Answer

I can offer something on SC, since it was my weakest area but I became strong…

When approaching a SC question, I’ll write A – B – C – D – E on my paper, and as soon as I can eliminate a choice, I cross it out and only focus on the others. (Just be careful that you’re eliminating choices only for valid reasons.)

I became good at SC when I learned how best to eliminate choices. You’ll notice a pattern among all the answers. For instance, two of them may use the pronoun it, whereas the other three of them may use they. Once you see this pattern, then you know exactly what they are testing you on. Figure out which group is right, cross off the ones that are wrong. You’ll usually see 2 or 3 or concepts being tested, and there is always enough to direct you to an answer.

I would spend a few days of doing the above with the official guide, noting the concepts you are iffy on and studying those concepts ‘till you know them cold. Once you have completed 90 – 100 SC questions in depth, go through the MGMAT SC book and read it slowly and in depth. It’s a great book.

Finally, give those last 50 or so questions in the OG a shot.

One last note, the Kaplan 800 book helped me understand a lot too. If you have it, I’d run through their SC questions, which are very tricky. I did this before I did anything else, in fact. Their answer explanations worked well for me.

Oh yeah, and study each question in depth. It’s better to do 5 and understand them fully than to blaze through 50. Mark the ones you get wrong and always go back and refresh yourself on the concept.

kidderek · Answer

What's your latest GMATPrep score? That's what counts the most.

If 610 is your current GMATPrep level, you will probably not approach 700 in 3 weeks. It's not impossible, but it's highly unlikely.

bobinabob2 · Answer

hmm...

Skewed · Answer

Well if you have 3 wks and you are okay w/ timing issues with taking the CATs, I would focus on 1000sc. You'll get at least 13-15 SCs on the test. You don't need to do the entire 1000, but do as many as you can. A bulk of the problems deal w/ comparisons and specific use of idioms. Get good w/ those issues in addition to all the basics in MGMAT SC's. The brutals are a collection of good SC problems, but i fear you won't be encountering some of these if you are not scoring in the 36+ range to begin w/.

As far as CR's go, i don't like the OG examples. I feel as if they are way too easy - the real test won't be so easy. But if you struggling w/ it, get some prep book exclusively focused on CR's. You need to get real good at assumption/weaken/strengthen questions.

Your Q needs a shot in the arm as well. Spend a wk reviewing the basics, doing ds/ps 1000. Working on the OG problems you got wrong. Do paper tests, math sets. If you feel comfortable, jump to MGMAT math problems/GMat Challenges. I wouldn't do MGMAT math problems/GMAT Challenges if you are not scoring at least 43-44 consistently. It's just a waste of your time. Just work w/ efficiency and you'll get your score or come close to it.

maverick101 · Answer

Skewed, kidderek, Tangaroo, Tenore, rakesh22 and others, Thanks for your recommendations. I am actually going through the OG Verbal Review for sentence Correction. I looked at my error log and I think the weakest areas in SC are Parallelism, Tense and Idioms. I'm working on it.

I would take a CAT tomorrow and update you guys. I would be happy if I score around 650. It may not mean anything , but it would give me an encouragement. Good night guys.

omega17 · Answer

I feel your pain.
Not that I am done with GMAT or anything, but about 2 wks ago, I felt exactly the same way. My CAT scores simply were not going up. I was struggling to find out what I was doing wrong. I read many people's comments, debriefs, and etc... Then I found this article "Quality vs Quantity"

Then I decided to do something that I would hate to do. I decided to do all SC questions in OG and Verbal in a very different way. I wrote why that specific answer choice is right or wrong, for EVERY answer choice. Yes, for every answer choice. Most of them were marked with a right answer, but that didn't matter much. I had to write for each question, the followings

1. What's being asked? - Tense? Comparison? Idiom? Modifier?

2. why answer choices are bad/good

For example,

Modifier + Pronoun

a) modifier error, it should be modifying X..., but it illogically modifies Y
b) no clear reference of "it"
c) that is missing
d) logical error, subject can not be X
e) correct

I did this for all the SC questions in Verbal Review, by the time I finish all, I definately got better and was able to see *fast* if there's an error. The reason I did this, primarily, I already did most of SC questions in OG and Verbal Review, but I was not even close to this picky when I solved them. I would just tried to eliminate and pick an answer. Then I would read the explanations and move on. You do not learn much this way. If you can tell why each answer choice is wrong/right for all the SC questions in OG and Verbal, I truly belive that you will learn much more.

Hope this helps

maverick101 · Answer

Thanks Omega17,

Although I did this kind of analysis for SC problems but I would admit that it was very rare and may be only for the 20% of the problems.

But your suggestion makes sense. Would you be able to share the article that you mentioned 'Quality vs Qauntity', sounds interesting.

kidderek · Answer

Hey mav,

I'm not sure whether you're a native speaker, but if you're not, study idioms. You'll be surprised how many answer choices you can eliminate just based on idioms, even the ones that aren't testing idioms. Native speakers do this naturally w/o thinking.

Finally, do NOT study the idioms by themselves. Too dry. Study them in context. Whenever you come across one that you're unsure of, write the entire sentence on an index card and zip through the index cards before you go to sleep.

Good luck.

maverick101 · Answer

kidderek,

I'm not a native English speaker.
Thanks for your suggestion. I had a similar opinion about improving idioms usage. I tried to search the web, where I could type in an idiom and it would give me back a list of examples of how its used, but I didn't find any.

Memorizing the idioms with out using them is not easy for me. But when I'm going through the SCs, I'm making a list of my own, whenever I come across an idiom.

Thanks again.

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Three weeks left & still scoring 610, any SOLID suggestions?

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