GMAT Strategy

So I have been using Veritas Prep for the past 4-6 weeks to study for the GMAT. I bought the 12 books that cover all the various topics, it also includes the video on-demand series. Results are not particularly good, high 600s is my goal and I am not anywhere there yet - largely due to my verbal skills, or lack thereof.

March 13: 620 / 69 | 42 / 57 | 34 / 69
April 3: 590 / 59 | 44 / 63 | 28 / 48
April 3: 650 / 78 | 45 / 68 | 34 / 69
April 8: 630 / 72 | 42 / 57 | 35 / 74
April 12: 570/ 52 | 45 / 66 | 23 / 29

Today (April 12th), I wrote a mock GMAT exam and my results were quite poor. I did the whole 9 yards (AWA and IR) but by the time I hit verbal - my brain was toast, I had a headache, felt kind of dizzy. Pretty much bombed it. For the practice tests I have done prior, I always did the IR and the AWA - so generally pacing is not much of an issue, but today it was different. I have usually done these tests in the evening versus the day as well.
I spoke to the proctor and he said that Veritas isn't a good platform and that the tests are not CAT either (I believe they are, as far as I have read)...?

Anyway, I am fine (for now) with a Q43-45 - it would take some advanced studying to bring that up.
However, I'd get more (in terms of my overall score) if I focused more on my verbal. I'll admit, when studying critical reasoning and sentence correction - things go in one ear and out the other. English is my first language, but I have largely a colloquial understanding of the language through bad habits and what-not. Sigh.

In any case, what's my game plan. I have read SC more than once, but it was in one ear out the other.
RC isn't much better, a lot of the times the nature of the article influences my ability to comprehend what I am reading.
Science and history are my weaknesses.
I need some major advice on how to improve my V score - any thoughts?

EDIT: my verbal score is even lower than what I had originally posted :/

[email protected] wrote:Hi SLS_AMG,

If you're only 4-6 weeks into your studies, then you should probably stick to the material that currently have. Most Test Takers need 3 months (or more) to hit their peak scores. That having been said, you've defined one of your immediate issues: endurance. Since the GMAT is going to be 4 hours long, you have to properly prepare to work at a high level throughout that timeframe. Maybe you've learned the proper tactics, maybe you haven't - but if you're too tired to do the necessary work, then it won't matter how you've prepared.

What is your goal score?
When do you plan to take the GMAT?
What schools are you planning to apply to? And when?

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

My goal is to get a score above 650, the higher the better obviously. But 650-660 would be a nice score.
I haven't booked a date for the test yet, I was targeting something for June or July however.
Pending my GMAT score, just the Canadian schools (Queen's, Ivey, Rotman). In terms of my GPA, it's pretty weak too.
My GPA for my last 2 years is about 3.1 (B, ~76%) - so I'm a pretty weak candidate going in, which is why I need my GMAT to be strong.
I would be aiming for a March 2015 start at Ivey, or potentially a Fall 2016 start at Queen's/Rotman.

I spoke to the proctor and he said that Veritas isn't a good platform and that the tests are not CAT either (I believe they are, as far as I have read)...?

You say this was a "mock exam"

Today (April 12th), I wrote a mock GMAT exam and my results were quite poor.

Please clarify for me - if this was a mock exam who was the proctor? How was there a proctor? Why did the proctor offer an uninformed opinion about Veritas?

Not only are Veritas tests adaptive they are now based on over 3 million responses by actual students. At the recent GMAC meeting - that is where the major test prep companies all get together with the makers of the official GMAT exam - the methodology that Veritas uses was validated as the correct methodology to simulate the actual exam. There will be differences between the official exam and unofficial exams of any type but the Item Response Theory that Veritas uses is the correct way to offer an adaptive test.

Please let me know who was proctoring this exam and what brand of exam it was (GMAC or test from a company).

You said,

I'll admit, when studying critical reasoning and sentence correction - things go in one ear and out the other.

And then

I have read SC more than once, but it was in one ear out the other.

I agree with Rich that adjustments are needed, but I say they are needed right now. Adjustments to your approach need to begin immediately.

It is tough love time again. So here we go...

If studying is "in one ear and out the other" then please end that study session and come back when you are actually ready to study. Before you can succeed, you have to be willing to put in the work and really concentrate. I would rather have you study for 1 hour and really focus rather than "sort of study" for three hours.

Why are things not sticking? Are you not getting enough sleep? Are you studying when you are too tired at the end of the day? Is this the wrong moment in your life to take the GMAT - are you too focused on other things?

With that said your other scores are not bad. Your verbal score varies some but you have 3 tests in the 34-35 range on verbal. You can work with that.

Furthermore, you just said that this most recent test is not representative of your work. You said,

I did the whole 9 yards (AWA and IR) but by the time I hit verbal - my brain was toast, I had a headache, felt kind of dizzy.

This is different from the other full exams you say you have taken when endurance and pacing were not a problem. It might be because, as you say,

I have usually done these tests in the evening versus the day as well.

This does not sound like the set up for success on a practice exam. It is also not a good reason to discount all of the other work that you have done.

Bottom line: Your game plan is to focus any time you are doing anything GMAT related. Turn off the cell phone and other distractions while studying. Concentrate on what you are doing. If your mind will not concentrate then go and get some exercise or some sleep, whichever you need more, and come back and study when you can focus.

Your practice scores have not been that bad. If you really focus on what you are doing then you can get where you need to go.

Also, can you say what the various practice exams you took were on each of those dates?

March 13: 620 / 69 | 42 / 57 | 34 / 69
April 3: 590 / 59 | 44 / 63 | 28 / 48
April 3: 650 / 78 | 45 / 68 | 34 / 69
April 8: 630 / 72 | 42 / 57 | 35 / 74
April 12: 570/ 52 | 45 / 66 | 23 / 29 this was from the GMATPrep software
April 14: 630/ 72 | 46 / 71 | 31 / 59
April 26: 650 | 49 | 28 (this test was Veritas Prep Test #6...I found the quant really easy...and it was weird because the interface of the test was different than the previous VP tests I have done).


Anyway, I went over the SC/RC/CR books again, along with the videos - but didn't see much of an overall improvement in verbal.
It is puzzling to me, because I manage to do fine on the problem sets - but then struggle on these tests.

I am not sure what the next step is, I am looking to do solely CAT Verbal Qs as a method of trying to get better at the Verbal section, but I am not finding anything along those lines. I am just shocked my verbal score is decreasing...despite my added efforts.
I want to write my test this summer, which is sort of down to the wire for first round most schools..so really starting to feel the pressure.