Got 25 in verbal. Need help to improve the score.

Find out how Beat The GMAT members tackled GMAT test prep with positive results. Get tips on GMAT test prep materials, online courses, study tips, and more.
This topic has expert replies
Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2010 1:24 am
Hi,
I gave GMAT few days back and got 540(q30, v25). My major problem in quants was timing. I had to leave 5 questions at the end. I had strategised timing quants and verbal. But, there while giving exam i got panic and didnt follow my strategy. In verbal, I was weak in RC. I was scoring pretty well in SC and CR in practise tests.
I had got -
GMAT PrepTest 1 : 660
GMAT PrepTest 2 : 700
Manhattan Perp 1: 640
I take lot of time to complete RC. Also, i feel if I am able to solve almost all SC and CR questions properly, it would help me to get good score. Please suggest me, how can I improve my verbal.
I had studied through - OG GMAT Review, Princeton Review GMAT. No specific book for Verbal.
I have to give GMAT again in another month. So please give me suggestions on which book/ prep tool to be reffered now to improve my verbal score.

Thank you

tamanna
Source: — I just Beat The GMAT! |

Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2010 2:12 am
Location: Tuticorin, India
GMAT Score:610

by elmer_fudd » Mon Feb 22, 2010 3:21 am
I too am planning to retake the GMAT in a month or two. Got a 29 in verbal. But my story is slightly different (read here: https://www.beatthegmat.com/an-unique-st ... 53485.html)

My only advice for RC would be, skim-read. If the passage is short read it fully. But if it's long and dense, skim-read just enough to remember where to search for the answers after you have read the question. Actually the questions in RC are very simple and do not require u to read the passage thoroughly. But make sure u understand what the passage is all about.

Then again, with my verbal score, I'm in no position to offer advice. Good luck

User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1132
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2009 3:38 am
Location: India
Thanked: 64 times
Followed by:6 members
GMAT Score:760

by harsh.champ » Mon Feb 22, 2010 5:20 am
tamanna wrote:Hi,
I gave GMAT few days back and got 540(q30, v25). My major problem in quants was timing. I had to leave 5 questions at the end. I had strategised timing quants and verbal. But, there while giving exam i got panic and didnt follow my strategy. In verbal, I was weak in RC. I was scoring pretty well in SC and CR in practise tests.
I had got -
GMAT PrepTest 1 : 660
GMAT PrepTest 2 : 700
Manhattan Perp 1: 640
I take lot of time to complete RC. Also, i feel if I am able to solve almost all SC and CR questions properly, it would help me to get good score. Please suggest me, how can I improve my verbal.
I had studied through - OG GMAT Review, Princeton Review GMAT. No specific book for Verbal.
I have to give GMAT again in another month. So please give me suggestions on which book/ prep tool to be reffered now to improve my verbal score.

Thank you

tamanna
Hey tamanna,
THe major reason for most ppl why they are slow i quant is because of solving the DS questions.
It is very imp. to save time in DS so that you can give more time to the Probelm Solving Section.

Also try to speed up thru SC and utilise that time for RC(This is what I do).Hence,you will find yourself in good stead at the end of the section.

For verbal,try different speed reeading techniques and adopt whichever suits you.
It takes time and effort to explain, so if my comment helped you please press Thanks button :)



Just because something is hard doesn't mean you shouldn't try,it means you should just try harder.

"Keep Walking" - Johnny Walker :P

User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 2109
Joined: Sun Apr 19, 2009 10:25 pm
Location: New Jersey
Thanked: 109 times
Followed by:79 members
GMAT Score:640

by money9111 » Mon Feb 22, 2010 11:38 am
if you plan to Skim the long RC paragraphs make sure you spend extra time on the first paragraph and the first sentence of each subsequent paragraph.. you'll be able to pinpoint where in the passage the information is that you need
My goal is to make MBA applicants take onus over their process.

My story from Pre-MBA to Cornell MBA - New Post in Pre-MBA blog

Me featured on Poets & Quants

Free Book for MBA Applicants


Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 183
Joined: Sun Oct 12, 2008 8:13 pm
Location: Greater NYC
Thanked: 14 times

by prinit » Mon Feb 22, 2010 1:34 pm
money9111 wrote:if you plan to Skim the long RC paragraphs make sure you spend extra time on the first paragraph and the first sentence of each subsequent paragraph.. you'll be able to pinpoint where in the passage the information is that you need
@ money9111 Great Advice !! I'm taking it away :)

Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2010 1:24 am

by tamanna » Mon Feb 22, 2010 10:21 pm
Thanks for the replies!

@harsh.champ : yep, thats a good advice. I will try to implement it.

@money9111 : I have no plan to skim through the RC passage. But, yep, I agree, I have to read the first sentences properly, so that I get the gist of Passage.

Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
Posts: 25
Joined: Sun Jan 31, 2010 2:53 pm
Thanked: 1 times

by KingTmo » Tue Feb 23, 2010 7:46 pm
Great advise from everyone - I will have to give the Money911's advise a shot it seems to make sense.