Hi I gave my GMAT last week and scored a meagre 660. My breakup was Quant:49, Verbal:32. I secured a 5.5 on AWA's. I am trying for a 700+ score in my second attempt, but at the present moment, I am in a dilemma about how to approach Verbal this time around. An expert opinion will be truly beneficial.
Regards,
P
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Tani
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Your first task will be to identify why your verbal score is low. Is it about grammar? Reading? Reasoning? Kaplan recommends keeping an error log that tracks questions you miss on practice tests. That can show you what type of question you miss consistently, thereby directing your further study.
One technique that helps some people is to work backward. Take a practice verbal section and record all the correct answers BEFORE you read the questions. Then, go through the test, without looking at the explanations, and try to justify the right answers. That sometimes helps you see where your own reasoning is going amiss.
Finally, I always recommend that my students keep track of questions they are uncertain of or guess on. Frequently, students only check those answer they missed, so they never review the ones on which they made lucky guesses. That means that when they see a similar questions they will still have to guess. Ideally, you should review all questions versus the explanations so that you understand why you are getting answers right as well as why you are wrong. The better you understand your own reasoning, the better your chances for improving your score.
If you are in an area that offers test prep, a tutor to address your verbal section only can be very beneficial. Tutors are trained to see patterns in your responses and help you correct underlying concepts.
One technique that helps some people is to work backward. Take a practice verbal section and record all the correct answers BEFORE you read the questions. Then, go through the test, without looking at the explanations, and try to justify the right answers. That sometimes helps you see where your own reasoning is going amiss.
Finally, I always recommend that my students keep track of questions they are uncertain of or guess on. Frequently, students only check those answer they missed, so they never review the ones on which they made lucky guesses. That means that when they see a similar questions they will still have to guess. Ideally, you should review all questions versus the explanations so that you understand why you are getting answers right as well as why you are wrong. The better you understand your own reasoning, the better your chances for improving your score.
If you are in an area that offers test prep, a tutor to address your verbal section only can be very beneficial. Tutors are trained to see patterns in your responses and help you correct underlying concepts.
Tani Wolff
