GMAT Verbal & Essays

So I took my GMAT for the first time two weeks ago and I was nowhere near satisfied with my results. I'll be taking the test again without a doubt, but I wanted to see if anyone may have been able to help me out by providing some advice.

English is my first language, so by no means did I think it'd throw me for a loop like it did. If you asked me to put my life on the line regarding the fact that I would've scored above a 40 before I hit the submit button, I could've done it without thinking twice. Too bad that that was nowhere near the truth. I'm not sure how it happened as I could've sworn I picked the right choices on most of the sentence correction problems, but I obviously had issues. It just stinks that your not given the results of various categories so that you can improve upon your weaknesses, so I'm only assuming that SC was an issue.

Anyway, I plan on retaking the test within the next 5-6 weeks so that I don't lose most of the skills that I've gained from studying thus far. I had no problems really putting in effort to read all of my MGMAT Study Books for the Quant section, but I'm finding it hard to press through all of the Verbal books for some reason. I don't know if it's because I feel as if I shouldn't have to focus on it since English is my first language or what...but how did you guys study for the verbal? Did you actually read the books, or did you just do plenty of practice problems?

I'm not sure how to go about studying over the course of the next few weeks. Should I be doing the 20 questions per day method where I go through the OG book and just mix up 20 questions per category every day after work, along with one practice exam per week? Is there another method that's proven to be successful? At this point, anything would be awesome. My goal is to score approx 50 points higher than what I previously reeled in, and I'm willing to listen to anything at this point... Thank you!

lionhartzero wrote:It just stinks that your not given the results of various categories so that you can improve upon your weaknesses

GMAC has recently come up with Enhanced score report (for which you have to pay), which, from what I know, gives you a section-wise breakup of your performance.

You might want to look at it.

Hi lionhartzero,

It sounds like you've taken a book-heavy approach to your study plan. While you'll have plenty of practice under your belt, I'd also suggest you supplement these books with online resources. These are great partners to the books you've been using, as they dive deeper into test taking strategies that books alone won't guide you through. Additionally, many of them are equipped with similar adaptive technology to what you experienced on the GMAT, which will help you simulate a more accurate practice environment.

That being said, here's a link to try Economist GMAT Tutor for 7 days, which uses its adaptive technology to tailor a study plan to your specific needs: https://bit.ly/1bPAHuW

Best,
Rich

Here's the basic tips I'd recommend:

1. Build your grammar skills first.

You can ignore most of the challenging vocabulary on sentence corrections as long as you identify what part of speech each word is, and how it functions within the sentence. Where is your grammar knowledge still lacking? Strategy alone won't get you there. Your content knowledge has to be unassailable.

2. Keep a vocab/grammar journal.

Write down any words you don't know as you encounter them. You'll start to notice that certain words appear over and over again. Make flashcards for the ones that have tricky definitions or mean the opposite of what you'd expect. (For example, the word "noisome" does not mean "noisy." It means having an offensive odor or bad smell.) Also write down grammar rules that seem confusing or illogical to you. Go through your flashcards weekly.

3. Apply your idioms.

Yes, you absolutely need to memorize English idioms. This should be easy points for you. Concentrate on 100-200 that are most commonly tested on the GMAT. Know them cold.

4. Think like a thesaurus.

It is much easier to memorize synonyms for words than their full definitions. Start grouping words together mentally (and on paper) according to their meaning. For example, words like "pusillanimous," "poltroonish," and "timorous" would go on the "shy" list.

5. Read and listen to high-quality English publications.

My recommendations include The New Yorker, the Atlantic Monthly, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, or any scholarly journal that you find interesting. Listen to NPR or audio books of English-language classics. Set a regular schedule for your reading and stick to it. Even twenty minutes a day will help you conquer Reading Comprehension.

6. Teach other students tough GMAT problems.

Whether in real life or online, connect with other native and non-native speakers who are prepping for the GMAT. Set a time to meet (either via Skype or in person), and "teach" each other 5 GMAT questions you found challenging that week. WHY is the question hard? WHAT is the major takeaway from the question? Teaching material leads to a much more advanced understanding than simply looking at it from a student perspective.

7. Consider the difference between British and American English.

Many English-language schools outside of the United States focus on British English, while the GMAT is an American-administered test. There are subtle differences in word choice and spelling between the two. While British spellings are officially acceptable in the AWA section, I would suggest familiarizing yourself with their American counterparts and using them to be safe.

8. Challenge yourself with CR.

Aiming for a 700+ score? Once you've practiced identifying the conclusion, evidence, and assumptions and are confident with the Critical Reasoning question types on the GMAT, consider buying an LSAT practice guide like the LSAT LR Bible. The LSAT has significantly more challenging CR questions and the format is the same as those found on the GMAT. Don't neglect your GMAT practice, but if you can master the LSAT CR, then the GMAT questions will start to feel easier.

9. Spend more time on Word Problems.

Though Data Sufficiency certainly requires a significant amount of Quantitative study, remember to save extra time for Word Problems. Practice translating these questions from English keywords to Math equations. Be patient at first - these questions may be especially frustrating. Luckily, the common phrases such as "less than," "is the same as," and "product of" are easily memorized.

10. Look at your situation as an advantage!

Many native speakers are confused by answer choices that include have slang, contain popular (though incorrect) grammatical phrases, or just "sound right." Non-native speakers learn the exact same question types and strategies as native speakers, but can apply them without any prejudice. It really is an advantage!

Now let's get to more specifics:

You're looking to gain 50 points in 5-6 weeks and it's do-able, but I would suggest revising your CR and RC strategies. Just doing 20 questions a day is NOT a good idea. It's much more important to consider how you're going to REVIEW those questions. Don't just do every concept all the time. Select a small number of concepts (perhaps 2-3) from the list below and focus on just that limited number each week.

I like the idea of 1 CAT a week, I recommend you do the 4 GMATPreps and supplement with the MGMAT CATs. Don't stress out about the scores, just use them to flex your strategy/pacing muscles, then use the incorrect questions as a diagnostic tool. Add each incorrect question to the attached Error Log, and attempt to identify WHY you got the question why. Is your strategy not working? Is there a content rule you didn't know? Were you rushing because you were falling behind in the section?

So my more specific tips would be:

1. Review your CATs more thoroughly.

2. Only practice a small number of concepts each week.

3. Re-evaluate and adjust your strategies for each question-type. Where can you get more specific, more analytical, and make better use of your scratch pad?

Feel free to reach out by email if you have any more specific questions!

Best,
Vivian

Vivian - thanks for sharing insights and various attachments to super useful documents. Thanks a lot