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Score 660 (48Q, 33V), looking for 700+

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Score 660 (48Q, 33V), looking for 700+

by shstylo » Tue Apr 19, 2011 11:59 am
Hey Guys,

I just took my first GMAT last week after 2 months of studying. All together, I took 5 practice tests. I took 3 MGMAT ones and 2 GMATPREPs. Below are my scores:

MGMAT1 - 580 (36Q, 33V) - did not get to the last 6 quant questions
MGMAT2 - 640 (42Q, 36V) - did not get to the last 2 quant questions
MGMAT3 - 580 (39Q, 31V) - this was the first test I completed within the time limit so I was really just racing against time on my math section
GMATPREP1 - 670 (48Q, 35V)
GMATPREP2 - 650 (48Q, 31V)

As you guys can see, my scores didn't really stabilize until I got to the GMATPREP tests. I felt the real test was a fair indication of my GMAT abilities, stronger on Q but weaker in V. Having said all this though I am aiming for a 700+ so I do have some work left to do. Does it make sense to just concentrate on improving my verbal at this point and keep my math level where it is at? I feel it may be easier to improve a mid 30 V to a low 40 than improving a high 40 Q to a low 50. Not sure what you guys thoughts on this are.

Furthermore, I feel like I need a new verbal strategy. I have gone through the 3 MGMAT books on the verbal sections but I didn't do all the practice questions and didn't really follow the book from beginning to end. I kind of just referred to it as I was doing OG questions. Should I work through the MGMAT books beginning to end this time around? Would this help me improve my verbal? I noticed on all my practice tests and real test, I didn't have trouble finishing verbal on time, but at the same time I didn't write down much on my scrap papers. For SC, I can usually spot the error in the sentence, but I'm not consistent at picking the correct answers. I typically get 6-8 questions wrong in this section. For CR, I'm a bit stronger but again I don't write down my conclusions or assumptions, I just think it through in my head. Usually I end up with 1-3 questions incorrect here. RC is where I'm the most inconsistent, on one of the MGMAT preps I didn't get any RC question incorrect, however on some other ones I would see 3 - 4 wrong answers. In this section I take notes for each paragraph, but I rarely refer to the notes as after reading the entire passage I have a good grasp on the overall structure and when I'm faced with a detail question, I have to refer back to the passage anyways.

I apologize for the lengthy post, but if you guys have any suggestions at all on how I can improve on my verbal or change up my strategy I would be grateful!

On a side note, would it be a good idea for me to purchase the PowerScore SC and CR books? Perhaps I need some new materials to keep me interested?

Thanks
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by therealtomrose » Tue Apr 19, 2011 2:32 pm
Great work. You're showing tremendous progress.

Your intuition is good. You should focus on verbal at this point. Your reasoning is also good. It's easier to raise your verbal than your quant. However, the way you should look at this is via percentiles rather than raw scores.

V31 is 58 percentile
Q48 is 82 percentile

It's easier for you to improve relative to other test takers in verbal.

If we hold your quant score constant at 48, to break 700 you'll need a verbal score of roughly 38. 38 in verbal is an 83 percentile score.

Jumping from 58 percentile to 83 percentile DOES warrant a major strategy change.

Based on how you said you were using the strategy guides it sounds like you are applying the MGMAT content piecemeal. There is an overall strategy arc in verbal however that you should be using as well. If you focus on improving your overal verbal system, your score will improve markedly.

DONT switch brands of verbal books now. The strategies are different and non-compatible.

There are plenty of nuggets left in the books you already have.

Many people don't write much on scrap paper in verbal, so that isn't a bad indicator in general.

Here are some questions for you.

(1) Do you use a process of elimination on ALL SC questions? You should.
(2) Do you identify the conclusion proactively on all CR questions (other than draw a conclusion or two-bolds)? It's really an imperative.
(3) On RC, do you have a different fundamental process for general, specific, and inference questions? They're different animals.

Those are the basics. Be honest. Are you doing all those things?
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by shstylo » Tue Apr 19, 2011 3:11 pm
Based on how you said you were using the strategy guides it sounds like you are applying the MGMAT content piecemeal. There is an overall strategy arc in verbal however that you should be using as well. If you focus on improving your overal verbal system, your score will improve markedly.
Can you expand on this a little more, what would be an example of a different overall strategy in verbal? Like for instance, if I know I have no shot at idioms for SC, should I just guess on any SC questions relating to idioms and save myself time for other questions?
(1) Do you use a process of elimination on ALL SC questions? You should.
(2) Do you identify the conclusion proactively on all CR questions (other than draw a conclusion or two-bolds)? It's really an imperative.
(3) On RC, do you have a different fundamental process for general, specific, and inference questions? They're different animals.
1) I try to but sometimes I get stuck between two or three because I don't know which one is correct. I think this is just a matter of me not being familiar with SC.
2) I try to do this but perhaps part of my problem is that I don't always come up with the correct conclusion.
3) No I don't. What should be the different processes? I'm alright for general as with any passage I'm usually able to pick up the correct general idea. Specific questions for me really depends on whether I could comprehend the passage fully. As for inference, I usually struggle with this one. What should be the approach to these type of questions?

For my study plan going forward, would you recommend working through the MGMAT verbal books from beginning to end, working through the additional verbal only OG questions (green book or whatever the color is, can't remember), take a MGMAT CAT (I still have 3 left), and determine when/if I should book another GMAT exam? The latest I would do a retake if I was to do it is July as I'm looking to apply to Western Ivey in Canada in August.

Thanks so much for your tips.
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by therealtomrose » Tue Apr 19, 2011 4:54 pm
1) I try to but sometimes I get stuck between two or three because I don't know which one is correct. I think this is just a matter of me not being familiar with SC.
If you are getting stuck between a couple of different answer choices in SC it is either because you have not uncovered the correct split, or you are familiar with how to rule on a particular gramatical issue. Figure out which of the two is happening to you and then drill until you have worked through the kink. Both issues also point to a general need to audit problems you have previously completed. Go back to your old work. Don't leave any questions behind until you have figured out 100% how to eliminate 4/5 answer choices using a clear-cut gramatical rule.
2) I try to do this but perhaps part of my problem is that I don't always come up with the correct conclusion.
Spotting the correct conclusion for each argument in CR is an imperative. Otherwise, you have no hope of identifying the correct conclusion in most cases, and in other cases will be led into trap answers. Most CR answers should feel "clear" to you after you have identified the correct conclusion and the correct answer choice. You should drill finding of the correct conclusion. You can do this using the CR questions on the MGMAT practice tests you have completed.
3) No I don't. What should be the different processes? I'm alright for general as with any passage I'm usually able to pick up the correct general idea. Specific questions for me really depends on whether I could comprehend the passage fully. As for inference, I usually struggle with this one. What should be the approach to these type of questions?
A) General questions: You hopefully know the answer without referring back to the passage, or your notes.
B) Specific questions: Will be made clear by a specific "proof statement." That is, find that specific, single sentence in the passage that perfectly justifies one of the answer choices. It's there somewhere.
C) Inference questions: These are a variety of specific questions. You're still looking for a proof statement, but this time, the answer will not be justified verbatim by the proof statement. Instead, you'll need to make a small leap in logic to get to the correct answer. The size of the leap in logic is small. You can only get a feel for the right sized jump with deliberate practice. Inference questions can be identified by the words "infer" or "suggest" in the question stem. Investigate these questions together as a group to spot patterns.

Don't do another practice test yet. You aren't ready. Read through the basic sections only in the MGMAT verbal guides. They're pretty short. Then do some detective work on your old problems how I have described above. Only after you have honed your process should you be taking more practice tests. More churning by taking tests using your old strategy will be damaging because it gets you more stuck in your old ways.[/quote]
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by shstylo » Tue Apr 19, 2011 10:47 pm
Thank you for the invaluable tips. I will let you know my progress!
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by alltimeacheiver » Fri Apr 22, 2011 12:02 am
Hi,

I really liked this approach. I want clarify few things from u as my verbal scores are also in the range of 29 to 31.

Firstly, I want to know that I have not follwed diagramatc approach of attempting cr questions thats why maximum questions are wrong from this area. Do this approach helps to solve question with 2 mins interval as I spend max time on these questions. I am not able to make equal pace to all of the verbal questions.

Secondly, I want to know which material is best for RC. I realised that sometimnes my Rc questions goes smoothly and sometimes I make blunders in it. Just for sake of reference I shd concetrate on OG or manhattan RCS

Thanks & regards
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by therealtomrose » Sun Apr 24, 2011 6:09 pm
I recommend the following timing for each type of question in verbal.

SC: 1:30
CR: 2:20
RC: 3:00 (for short passage), 4:00 (for long passage), ~1:00 for each question.

Most people find that trying to do CR in less than 2 minutes is simply too challenging. The questions are confusing no purpose, they're not straight forward like SC questions are. Distribute time accordingly.
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