51-60 math

Expert replies

Anh Duong: Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts; Posts: 17; Joined: Mon Jun 15, 2015 10:43 am

by Anh Duong » Sun Jun 21, 2015 10:52 am

Hello,

I was wondering whether a 51 scaled score for Quantitative will be the same as 58 (anything above 51)? I have taken my 2 CATs, got 660(Q48,V34) for GMATPrep and 660(Q50,V27) for Kaplan.

I have not studied any Math for those 2 yet but spent a month on Verbal already. Since I feel like it will be so much easier to get my Math up even higher I was wondering whether it will be worth it. Is 51 and 60 the same? If yes, then I would be wasting time trying to maximize my Math.

I have 50 days left for the read GMAT and aiming 730 or above.

I would really appreciate it if somebody could give me an answer to this question.

Thanks,
Anh

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Source: Beat The GMAT — Quantitative Reasoning | Sun Jun 21, 2015 10:52 am

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Ian Stewart: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 2623; Joined: Mon Jun 02, 2008 3:17 amFollowed by: 355 members; Location: Montreal; Thanked: 1090 times; GMAT Score:780

by Ian Stewart » Sun Jun 21, 2015 3:16 pm

The highest Quant score you can get is 51. The "0-60" range was used a very long, long time ago, but now the range in Quant and in Verbal is 6-51 only.

Your Quant is obviously very strong already, but if you are scoring Q48 on GMATPrep tests with no study, it's very likely you can improve on that with a bit of work. If you could get to a Q50, that would probably add 20 points to your overall score, which at least would get you closer to your target. Of course Verbal study should be a higher priority in your case, but devoting some time to Quant probably makes sense.

And I'd advise you only to use the official GMATPrep tests if you need to assess your level. Company tests often don't produce reliable scores.

For online GMAT math tutoring, or to buy my higher-level Quant books and problem sets, contact me at ianstewartgmat at gmail.com

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Anh Duong: Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts; Posts: 17; Joined: Mon Jun 15, 2015 10:43 am

by Anh Duong » Thu Jun 25, 2015 8:24 am

Hi Ian,

Thanks for the reply. I just did my second GMATprep test today and got a 660 (Q49, V31) compare to 16 days ago when it was 660 (Q48, V34). I have been studying a lot for the Verbal Part but it just doesnt seem like I am making any progress (I am actually getting worse with Verbal).

Do you have any suggestions for me to improve my Verbal now? I am getting frustrated since my real GMAT is in 45 days and I am aiming for 730.

Thanks a lot.

Anh

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[email protected]: Elite Legendary Member; Posts: 10391; Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:38 pmFollowed by: 511 members; Location: Palo Alto, CA; Thanked: 2867 times; GMAT Score:800

by [email protected] » Thu Jun 25, 2015 9:40 am

Hi Anh Duong,

I'd like to know a bit more about the specifics of your Verbal studies:

1) How long have you been studying the Verbal?
2) What resources have you been using?
3) What is your approach for SC, RC and CR prompts (what 'steps' do you do? what notes do you take? etc.)?

4) When taking your CATs, do you have to rush to finish the Verbal section on time (and do you end up guessing on a bunch of questions)?

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

Contact Rich at [email protected]

Anh Duong: Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts; Posts: 17; Joined: Mon Jun 15, 2015 10:43 am

by Anh Duong » Sat Jun 27, 2015 4:45 pm

Hi Rich,

I started studying around May 20th, and since then I have mostly studied for the verbal part.

I spent like 15 days on the CR (using the Mahattan book and practice doing all questions in the bank on the veritas website). Then I started working on the RC which I find to be the hardest part in the verbal section. I spent 2 weeks just reading the Mahattan book, answering all the questions on veritas, and working through a half of the OG for this part. I wanted to give up so many time since this part was so boring.

I spent 2 days reading through some Quantitative problems because I got so sick of RC. And I have been studying for the SC for the last couple days. (mostly using the Mahattan, veritas bank, and OG again.)

I have done half of the OG and OG for verbal too and I find those questions not as hard as the question in the GMATPrep test or on the veritas website.

My approach for the 3 parts:

For CR, I make sure to use the 4 steps as suggested in the Mahattan book: read, find the premise, find the conclusion, ... I am pretty confident with this part.

For SC, I dont take any notes. All I do is scan for the difference and eliminate wrong answers, write down ABCDE and cross out the letters.

For RC, I usually read the first question then skim through the passage really quick and try looking for the main idea which is usually what the first question ask. Many time skimming through doesnt work because of all the words I dont know (I am Vietnamese btw), so I had to slow down and read most of the passage. I tried taking notes but my notes didnt make sense at all. I couldnt use them for anything, and it doesnt feel like they helped at all. With detail questions I go back look for the key word, read the sentence before and after the word and try finding the answer which I usually end up getting right but this process takes up so much time.

With the first GMATprep test my timing was perfect but I had to take a guess on so many questions (only got 4 RC wrong), but for the second test I spent way too much time on reading passages and ended up having only 4 minutes left for the last 6 questions and got all of them wrong because I was guessing (anw this time I got 3 RC ones wrong).

I have 42 days left, havent really touched the Quantitative part yet. I have no idea how a AWA question looks like yet, and I havent studied for the IR either. I am getting extra frustrated right now since I was planning to take the test only one time.

I would really appreciate it if you have any suggestions for me to improve my Verbal score.

Thanks,
Anh

GMAT/MBA Expert

[email protected]: Elite Legendary Member; Posts: 10391; Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:38 pmFollowed by: 511 members; Location: Palo Alto, CA; Thanked: 2867 times; GMAT Score:800

by [email protected] » Sun Jun 28, 2015 9:24 am

Hi Anh Duong,

From what you describe, the biggest area that you need to work on is probably how you handle RC. Since that category represents about 1/3 of the Verbal section, there are some serious points to be had (and I have to assume that you're not performing all that well in this category).

'Skimming' RC passages and not taking the proper notes are 2 immediate issues that you need to work on. With 42 days, you have plenty of time to practice and build up your skills, so you shouldn't worry too much about pacing just yet. From a tactical standpoint, you have to read a bit slower, get 'invested' in the passages and take more notes. If the resources that you're using aren't teaching you proper RC tactics, how to handle prompts, the common types of questions (and wrong answers) that will appear, etc., then you might need to invest in some different resources.

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

Contact Rich at [email protected]

Anh Duong: Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts; Posts: 17; Joined: Mon Jun 15, 2015 10:43 am

by Anh Duong » Thu Jul 02, 2015 12:17 pm

Hi Rich,

Do you have any suggestion on where I can find articles or news to read to improve my RC skills?

And should I read the entire passage and take notes before answering questions or should I read the couple first and last sentences of each paragraph for the mail idea and come back for details later?
Thanks,
Anh

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