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Time Management - Verbal

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Time Management - Verbal

by adigmat2013 » Tue Aug 06, 2013 8:32 am
I have a week to go for the exam and my verbal time has not gotten any better. I take the maximum amount of time in RC, then CR and then SC. I'm planning to skip one or 2 RC passages in the main exam.

Is it better to skip a long passage with 5-6 questions or 2 small ones with 3 questions? My concern is that if I skip a long one then I may get 6 consecutive wrong answers which may affect my overall score. On the other hand, skipping 2 small passages sounds extreme. May be I should skip a small passage and 2 difficult SC?

Any suggestions?
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by [email protected] » Wed Aug 07, 2013 12:37 am
Hi adigmat2013,

Since it's so close to your test date, it's really too late to make any major changes in your study habits or plans for Test Day. If you end up retesting, then contact me and we'll put together a plan to help you fix your verbal problems.

For now, I suggest that you spend your time on the earlier passages (in the first 20 questions of the Verbal section). It sounds like your pacing is a big problem, so look anything that is too hard and dump it. In the back half of the Verbal section, that will probably mean 1 RC prompt (you'll have to choose based on whether you think you understand what you're reading or not) and a few CR questions. By spreading out the questions that you skip, you're less likely to lose points.

Be sure to post back here with your results.

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by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Wed Aug 07, 2013 5:19 am
I agree with Rich; it's too late to expect any huge changes in the speed with which you answer Verbal questions. However, have you considered skipping CR questions that have long passages and/or long answer choices? For me, these are the biggest time killers.

Having said that, if you're set on skipping RC questions, I suggest that you identify the passage types (science, historical, business, etc) that give you the most problems. Then look for that passage type to skip on test day,

IMPORTANT: whatever strategy strategy you choose, be sure to practice it on a practice test or two.

Cheers,
Brent
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by adigmat2013 » Wed Aug 07, 2013 7:42 am
Thank you very much both.

Brent - I haven't made up my mind yet whether I will definitely skip RC passages. I will try to do what Rich suggested (focus on the first 20 questions and then skip RC or CR in the 2nd half). And yes, I will practice this strategy on one or two tests.

Thanks again, much appreciated.
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by adigmat2013 » Wed Aug 07, 2013 8:31 am
Rich - I sent you a private message, did you get that?
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by [email protected] » Wed Aug 07, 2013 1:14 pm
Hi Adi,

Yes, I did. Check your inbox.

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by hemant_rajput » Thu Aug 08, 2013 11:29 pm
instead of skipping rc passages you can opt for hunters strategy - read the question and look for the information in passage to answer the question. In this way you can speed up the process and at the same time not making any wild guess.

Best of luck for your exam.
I'm no expert, just trying to work on my skills. If I've made any mistakes please bear with me.
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by [email protected] » Fri Aug 09, 2013 12:57 am
Hi hemant_rajput,

The danger with a "hunter's strategy" is that it can be a remarkably inefficient way to do things (depending on the prompt and the associated questions) and thus have the opposite effect of what is planned.

As we're dealing with a situation that is so close to test day, the practical approach is to "cut and run." With a full study plan and timeline, the approach is to take notes and then use the proper tactics for each type of question (the EMPOWERgmat approach is called the RC Ladder and includes tactics for the 3 types of RC questions and Wrong Answer Analysis); each company has its own philosophy/approach for RC, but whatever the approach, it takes time to learn and practice.

Hopefully, this will all work out. If it doesn't, the good news is that Business Schools don't really care if you retest. With the 31 day waiting period, a student can learn the proper tactics.

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