Scored only Q49 V21 after 2 months of hard work

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Hi,
I have started my prep 3 months back. Jan-16(2 weeks break in between)
Below is my performances.
Gmat Prep-01 Q46 V17 End Jan'16
Gmat Prep 01 Q47 V19 End Feb'16
Gmat Prep-02 Q49 V21 31st Mar'16

I have completed quant from Mahatam prep guides and Verbal from Aristotle grail.
Also took additional help on Verbal from Jamboree (3 class).
I did all the OG questions timed/untimed to speed up and understand. I always miss 5-7 questions with few incorrect as well.

I need opinion and help to improve my Verbal score. I will not be satisfied or stop struggling until i score V38-40.

Any suggestions please.

Thanks

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by MartyMurray » Wed Mar 30, 2016 11:07 pm
The most common reason for people having trouble with GMAT verbal is that they don't realize what it is really testing.

GMAT verbal is not really testing your knowledge of rules, and scoring high on GMAT verbal is not really about applying strategies.

I have seen a non native English speaker learn to score 47 on the verbal section of the GMAT because she understood what GMAT verbal is really testing.

GMAT verbal is testing your vision and your skill in using logic to make decisions.

Therefore you can learn all kind of strategies, learn about all kinds of rules and read hundreds of explanations and still not score very high on GMAT verbal if you have not developed your vision, your skill in understanding the logic of the questions and answer choices and your skill in using that logic to arrive at correct answers.

All those books and courses can highlight the types of things that you need to understand and see in order to score high on GMAT verbal, but they can't develop for you your vision and skill in understanding and applying logic. You need to develop those things yourself.

I would even go so far as to say that some of the things that you read or learned about conflict with your developing those things.

For instance, many books and courses talk about eliminating SC answers based on a "splits" method. The truth is that splits are often illusory and that using them can lead you to eliminate the correct answer. Some people also take away from courses and books that in answering CR questions they should eliminate answer choices that are too extreme. While extreme answers are likely incorrect, they are not always incorrect, and the best way to eliminate answer choices is to clearly see the logical reasons why they are not correct.

That brings us back to what you need to do to score higher on verbal.

You need to slow down even more, and do questions only on an untimed basis for now. Whether it takes 5 minutes, 20 minutes or an hour per question, you need to ponder every verbal question that you see until you understand why every wrong answer is wrong and the right answer is right, basically learning to explain them to yourself. While at times you may learn something from explanations, the explanations are definitely not your route to a higher score. Your route to a higher score will be getting good at seeing what is going on.

Finally, when you don't get one right, go back and ask yourself what you needed to do differently in order to have gotten it right. Notice what you missed in terms of details and logic and what about your PROCESS led you to the wrong answer. Your process is key. Via what process do you eliminate answers? Is is solid or based on vague ideas? Are you careful or impulsive? Do you pay attention to every single word or do you skip some words for whatever reasons? Noticing or not noticing one word can make the difference between getting or missing a question.

So to score higher you need to develop an eye for details, to get good at understanding the logic of what is going on in the questions and answer choices and to develop rock solid processes for arriving at answers.
Last edited by MartyMurray on Sat Apr 02, 2016 7:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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by [email protected] » Thu Mar 31, 2016 10:33 am
Hi BHARATSING55,

Your 3 CAT scores are fairly similar (+/- a few correct answers in certain spots), which means that you continue to "see" (and respond to) the GMAT in the same general ways. While I believe that you've worked through lots of practice questions, you haven't focused on the Tactics and built-in patterns in each question that you can use to correctly answer questions and raise your scores to a much higher level.

Raising your Verbal Score to a V38+ will take some considerable time and effort. You'll likely have to invest in some new materials and learn/practice some new Tactics.

1) What is your overall goal score?
2) When are you planning to take the GMAT?
3) When are you planning to apply to Business School?

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by BHARATSINGH55 » Sat Apr 02, 2016 1:58 am
Thanks Marty,
You have very well explained the fact which probably i was ignoring while trying to achieve the speed . I need to analyse each question and develop skills in strategy of answering the question.
Please can you suggest what material would be the best to start analysing the questions and understanding the right approach to attempt the question. Do you think OG question again would be the right start.

Thanks
Last edited by BHARATSINGH55 on Sat Apr 02, 2016 2:11 am, edited 1 time in total.

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by BHARATSINGH55 » Sat Apr 02, 2016 2:10 am
Hi Rich,
Thanks for your response.

I took too long to conclude what you have said, that i need to practice and develop tactics. I understood the concept but right application is completely missing.

My goal score is 720.
My target to take GMAT is in end of April or worst case 1st week of May but I will only appear for GMAT when i score an average of 720 in atleast 5 out of 8 Gmat practice tests. Out of there 4 weeks i need 3-4 days to brush my weakness in quant to try achieve Q50.

As you said i need new material. Will OG/OG Verbal review/ Manhattan /Aristotle grail, which i already have, not sufficient.

what do you suggest will work best for me.

Thanks

Bharat

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by [email protected] » Sat Apr 02, 2016 9:17 am
Hi BHARATSING55,

With a score goal of 720, you'll need to made some BIG improvements to how you handle the entire Verbal section. Raising your Quant Scaled Score to a Q50 or Q51 would provide a small increase to your overall score, but you'll need to focus heavily on all 3 Verbal categories (SC, RC and CR) to hit your score goal in a month - and that will challenging.

To that end, since you've been studying for 3 months, re-using materials that you've already completed will probably not make a big difference UNLESS you learn/practice some new Tactics. Your CAT scores were remarkably consistent, which means that you continue to make certain mistakes again-and-again; this implies that you've developed some 'bad habits' that will take time to fix (and replace with new 'good habits').

1) Do you have the flexibility to push back your Test Date beyond the first week of May?

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by MartyMurray » Sat Apr 02, 2016 7:35 pm
BHARATSINGH55 wrote:Thanks Marty,
You have very well explained the fact which probably i was ignoring while trying to achieve the speed . I need to analyse each question and develop skills in strategy of answering the question.
Please can you suggest what material would be the best to start analysing the questions and understanding the right approach to attempt the question. Do you think OG question again would be the right start.

Thanks
Redoing the OG questions is a good idea given that could handle them in a way much different from the one in which you handled them before.

As you do so, notice what you are doing. Did you really look hard to find the logic of a question? Did you have a good reason to eliminate an answer choice? Did you clearly understand the conclusion of an argument before going to the answer choices? In RC, did you determine what the passage actually says, as opposed to what you initially thought that it said?

Solid processes are the way to right answers.

Also, be sure to analyze EVERY answer choice and to CLEARLY DEFINE why that answer choice is incorrect or correct.
Last edited by MartyMurray on Fri Feb 08, 2019 9:15 am, edited 1 time in total.
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by MBAPrepCoach » Sun Apr 17, 2016 6:08 am
Sorry to hear this, Bharat, you must be feeling pretty deflated after 3 months of diligent work.
Frankly, it is impossible for anyone to know how to advise you from this information. I would need to understand your current approach for each question type and teach you how to break things down.
I will say that I think many students are quite delayed in their progress by working with materials that are subpar. I feel that you will want to stick to OG and maybe Kaplan. Keep in mind, it really does *not* matter if you remember the answers. Those questions won't be on the test. You want to create a model for approaching this type of question on test day. Do get in touch if you would like to speak further.
Farrell
BHARATSINGH55 wrote:Hi,
I have started my prep 3 months back. Jan-16(2 weeks break in between)
Below is my performances.
Gmat Prep-01 Q46 V17 End Jan'16
Gmat Prep 01 Q47 V19 End Feb'16
Gmat Prep-02 Q49 V21 31st Mar'16

I have completed quant from Mahatam prep guides and Verbal from Aristotle grail.
Also took additional help on Verbal from Jamboree (3 class).
I did all the OG questions timed/untimed to speed up and understand. I always miss 5-7 questions with few incorrect as well.

I need opinion and help to improve my Verbal score. I will not be satisfied or stop struggling until i score V38-40.

Any suggestions please.

Thanks
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