Hello everyone,
I just found out about the beat this forum and I was hoping to get some help. I took my gmat and I had a Q40 and v17. Could anyone help with additional resources that could help achieve about 600. My next test will be in a month as the deadline for the school is June 1st. Any help will be greatly appreciated!
5-Day Free Trial
5-day free, full-access trial TTP
Available with Beat the GMAT members only code
MORE DETAILS
490 ON GMAT. LOW VERBAL. HELP!
This topic has expert replies
GMAT/MBA Expert
-
ceilidh.erickson
- GMAT Instructor
- Posts: 2095
- Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2012 3:22 pm
- Thanked: 1443 times
- Followed by:247 members
You'll find ample information on this forum about how to structure your studies and approach specific question types.
But before we can give you specific advice, you'll have to give us more information:
- how have you been studying up til now? What resources have you used already?
- how many practice tests have you taken, and what were your scores?
- how was your timing on the real test?
- how much of the Official Guides (OGs) have you done?
But before we can give you specific advice, you'll have to give us more information:
- how have you been studying up til now? What resources have you used already?
- how many practice tests have you taken, and what were your scores?
- how was your timing on the real test?
- how much of the Official Guides (OGs) have you done?
Ceilidh Erickson
EdM in Mind, Brain, and Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education
EdM in Mind, Brain, and Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education
Kaplan GMAT premier. I did couple of the practise tests with kaplan
GMAT cat 4 590 Q42 V33
GMAT cat 3 470 Q33 V23
GMAT PREP 460
Q35 V19
I had been studying for six weeks reading the kaplan book and several questions in the OG2015 but haven't completed this yet.
I found myself guessing the last 10 questions on the quantitative but completed the verbal and guessed the last 2 questions
I know my scores are relatively low but I'm trying to learn strategies for this test especially for the verbal.
Let me know if i should provide more information.
GMAT cat 4 590 Q42 V33
GMAT cat 3 470 Q33 V23
GMAT PREP 460
Q35 V19
I had been studying for six weeks reading the kaplan book and several questions in the OG2015 but haven't completed this yet.
I found myself guessing the last 10 questions on the quantitative but completed the verbal and guessed the last 2 questions
I know my scores are relatively low but I'm trying to learn strategies for this test especially for the verbal.
Let me know if i should provide more information.
GMAT/MBA Expert
-
ceilidh.erickson
- GMAT Instructor
- Posts: 2095
- Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2012 3:22 pm
- Thanked: 1443 times
- Followed by:247 members
Your scores on both sections are quite inconsistent: there's a wide range in your scores for each. That tells me either:
a) you don't have consistent strategies, and you're just winging it, or
b) timing is throwing you off. Sometimes you guess well, sometimes you don't.
If you run out of time, there's no way for you score to improve. You need a consistent timing strategy:
- when you're practicing, you need to time yourself, and force yourself to guess at the 2 minute mark. Train yourself to know what 2 min feels like.
- when you're taking practice tests, have a timing strategy and stick to it. Here's my preferred method: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... tch-paper/
Here's how you should structure your studies:
- Study topic-by-topic, then practice each topic with OG problems that correspond. For example, read the chapter on SC subject/verb agreement, then go do a set of 8-10 problems in the OGs that relate to that subject.
At Mprep, you can find problems by topic using GMAT Navigator: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/stor ... navigator/
Do this for each chapter in the Quant and Verbal strategy guides. Aim to do this in 8-10 weeks.
- Make sure you are tracking all of the OG questions you do, and timing yourself while you practice. Hold yourself to strict 2-min time limits per question! (I highly recommend using Navigator to track your OG problems, but you can do so yourself in a spreadsheet, too)
- Alternate between Quant and Verbal. Don't just focus all on quant!
- Keep a record of any mistakes you make, so you can locate patterns in your errors: https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... -studying/
- Once you've covered all of the topics, practice your skills with random timed sets out of the OGs. Set the timer for 20 minutes, for example, and do questions 1-10 (skipping any you've already done).
- Take practice tests every 2 weeks. Increase to a test every week for the last 2 weeks before your real exam.
- Analyze your data from the random sets and practice tests, and go back to any topics that need extra work.
Good luck!
a) you don't have consistent strategies, and you're just winging it, or
b) timing is throwing you off. Sometimes you guess well, sometimes you don't.
If you run out of time, there's no way for you score to improve. You need a consistent timing strategy:
- when you're practicing, you need to time yourself, and force yourself to guess at the 2 minute mark. Train yourself to know what 2 min feels like.
- when you're taking practice tests, have a timing strategy and stick to it. Here's my preferred method: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... tch-paper/
Here's how you should structure your studies:
- Study topic-by-topic, then practice each topic with OG problems that correspond. For example, read the chapter on SC subject/verb agreement, then go do a set of 8-10 problems in the OGs that relate to that subject.
At Mprep, you can find problems by topic using GMAT Navigator: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/stor ... navigator/
Do this for each chapter in the Quant and Verbal strategy guides. Aim to do this in 8-10 weeks.
- Make sure you are tracking all of the OG questions you do, and timing yourself while you practice. Hold yourself to strict 2-min time limits per question! (I highly recommend using Navigator to track your OG problems, but you can do so yourself in a spreadsheet, too)
- Alternate between Quant and Verbal. Don't just focus all on quant!
- Keep a record of any mistakes you make, so you can locate patterns in your errors: https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... -studying/
- Once you've covered all of the topics, practice your skills with random timed sets out of the OGs. Set the timer for 20 minutes, for example, and do questions 1-10 (skipping any you've already done).
- Take practice tests every 2 weeks. Increase to a test every week for the last 2 weeks before your real exam.
- Analyze your data from the random sets and practice tests, and go back to any topics that need extra work.
Good luck!
Ceilidh Erickson
EdM in Mind, Brain, and Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education
EdM in Mind, Brain, and Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education
GMAT/MBA Expert
-
[email protected]
- Elite Legendary Member
- Posts: 10392
- Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:38 pm
- Location: Palo Alto, CA
- Thanked: 2867 times
- Followed by:511 members
- GMAT Score:800
Hi Kay,
There are a variety of different score 'combinations' that will get you to a 600. With a Q40/V17, you'll have to make some BIG improvements to at least one (or both) of those sections to get to that goal. You'll likely also need more than a month of additional study time (likely 2 months or more).
1) Did you list all of your CAT scores? On what dates did you take each of these CATs?
2) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
3) What is your exact score goal?
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
There are a variety of different score 'combinations' that will get you to a 600. With a Q40/V17, you'll have to make some BIG improvements to at least one (or both) of those sections to get to that goal. You'll likely also need more than a month of additional study time (likely 2 months or more).
1) Did you list all of your CAT scores? On what dates did you take each of these CATs?
2) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
3) What is your exact score goal?
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
-
MartyMurray
- Legendary Member
- Posts: 2131
- Joined: Mon Feb 03, 2014 9:26 am
- Location: https://martymurraycoaching.com/
- Thanked: 955 times
- Followed by:140 members
- GMAT Score:800
Hi Kay.
My take is that you just haven't done enough yet to hit your score goal. You need to really get good at handling the various types of quant questions and you need to figure out how GMAT verbal works.
To drive your quant score higher, your best bet is to go over your practice tests and see what types of questions took the most time or otherwise gave you the most trouble. Then focus on each type, one at a time, learning to handle that type and them moving onto the next. I mean, learn about how to handle the type and do dozens of questions of that type until you are totally expert in handling those types of questions. Then move onto the next type.
One decent resource for that type of quant work is Target Test Prep. Another good source of practice questions is this website, https://bellcurves.com. You can access the quant question bank by setting up a practice account.
When you are doing practice questions, while doing them timed some of the time can be useful, for the most part you need to start off doing them UNTIMED, focusing on learning how to get RIGHT answers. Getting wrong answers in two minutes each is virtually useless. Once you learn to get right answer you can speed up.
On verbal, you seem to be flailing. Maybe you are choosing answer choices that sound good or maybe you are using strategies that are semi useful but not great. So sometimes what you are doing works, and sometimes it doesn't.
Let's get something clear here. The verbal section of the GMAT is not a grammar test or a high school level test. It's a fairly sophisticated test of reasoning skills, and in order to score high on it you need to give the questions a certain respect. Going for answers that sound right is not really going to work out. As a matter of fact, the CR questions, for instance, often have answer that sound GREAT, but have little to nothing to do with the question being asked.
So in order to score higher on verbal you need to really learn to see what's going on in the questions and answer choices. For starters you could work on the verbal questions in the Official Guide, seeking to understand why each wrong answer choice is wrong and each right answer choice is right. Doing that is going to take way longer than two minutes per question at first.
Also, you can go over every verbal question in your past practice tests to see what it is that you needed to see in order to get them right.
For any verbal question that you don't get right you could ask yourself, "What did I do that resulted in my choosing the wrong answer choice?" "What did I need to do differently in order to choose the right answer choice?" and "What did I need to see in order to get this one right?"
Just by handling verbal with more care and attention to the questions and what you are doing you could conceivably increase your total score by 100 points. Then get a few more quant questions right and you will be set.
My take is that you just haven't done enough yet to hit your score goal. You need to really get good at handling the various types of quant questions and you need to figure out how GMAT verbal works.
To drive your quant score higher, your best bet is to go over your practice tests and see what types of questions took the most time or otherwise gave you the most trouble. Then focus on each type, one at a time, learning to handle that type and them moving onto the next. I mean, learn about how to handle the type and do dozens of questions of that type until you are totally expert in handling those types of questions. Then move onto the next type.
One decent resource for that type of quant work is Target Test Prep. Another good source of practice questions is this website, https://bellcurves.com. You can access the quant question bank by setting up a practice account.
When you are doing practice questions, while doing them timed some of the time can be useful, for the most part you need to start off doing them UNTIMED, focusing on learning how to get RIGHT answers. Getting wrong answers in two minutes each is virtually useless. Once you learn to get right answer you can speed up.
On verbal, you seem to be flailing. Maybe you are choosing answer choices that sound good or maybe you are using strategies that are semi useful but not great. So sometimes what you are doing works, and sometimes it doesn't.
Let's get something clear here. The verbal section of the GMAT is not a grammar test or a high school level test. It's a fairly sophisticated test of reasoning skills, and in order to score high on it you need to give the questions a certain respect. Going for answers that sound right is not really going to work out. As a matter of fact, the CR questions, for instance, often have answer that sound GREAT, but have little to nothing to do with the question being asked.
So in order to score higher on verbal you need to really learn to see what's going on in the questions and answer choices. For starters you could work on the verbal questions in the Official Guide, seeking to understand why each wrong answer choice is wrong and each right answer choice is right. Doing that is going to take way longer than two minutes per question at first.
Also, you can go over every verbal question in your past practice tests to see what it is that you needed to see in order to get them right.
For any verbal question that you don't get right you could ask yourself, "What did I do that resulted in my choosing the wrong answer choice?" "What did I need to do differently in order to choose the right answer choice?" and "What did I need to see in order to get this one right?"
Just by handling verbal with more care and attention to the questions and what you are doing you could conceivably increase your total score by 100 points. Then get a few more quant questions right and you will be set.
Marty Murray
Perfect Scoring Tutor With Over a Decade of Experience
MartyMurrayCoaching.com
Contact me at [email protected] for a free consultation.
Perfect Scoring Tutor With Over a Decade of Experience
MartyMurrayCoaching.com
Contact me at [email protected] for a free consultation.
