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How to improve Verbal after studying this much??

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How to improve Verbal after studying this much??

by rabab » Wed Oct 15, 2008 10:41 am
I have been studying over a month now and I have my test due in November. English is not my native language. Just to improve my SC I went through OG 11, MGMAT SC and Spidey's notes.

At this moment I really do not know how to proceed! I am really disappointed at myself! I thought PowerPrep would be an easy test since it contains older questions (when exams used to be a lot easier?!?) but see I just flunked!!

Pls advice me how should I study for the next 1.5 months till my GMAT test in November?
Last edited by rabab on Fri Nov 28, 2008 10:42 am, edited 1 time in total.
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by Prasanna » Wed Oct 15, 2008 12:15 pm
What are the challenges you are facing in VA, more so in SC? When you studied OG 11 and MGMAT SC, did you understand well the question types and the typical errors that is tested on the exam?

I guess you need to revisit the SC preparation atleast, go through OG and MGMAT questions. For each question write down why you think each option is correct or wrong. This will help you have a better learning curve.
Wish you good luck
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by VP_Jim » Wed Oct 15, 2008 12:34 pm
My opinion is that people who score under, say, 20ish on either section need to work on more than GMAT problems. As you say, English is not your native language, which is probably the cause of the low score. To fix the score, you need to work on your English in general, not just on the GMAT.

My best advice for verbal is to read anything you can (in English) - newspapers, books, magazines, academic journals, whatever. Reading will improve your SC because you'll improve your "ear" for proper grammar. Obviously, it will also help your RC by increasing your reading speed and comprehension. Also, it will improve your CR to read pieces that make arguments, as you will get practice understanding and breaking down logical structure.

So, take some time away from the GMAT and become a bookworm. You'll probably show more improvement doing that than you would stressing over GMAT problems without the proper foundation.
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by bekkilyn » Wed Oct 15, 2008 1:45 pm
I'd second the reading suggestion, but make sure what you are reading is quality writing. I can't count how many times I've seen horrible grammar and sentence structure in newspapers and magazine articles. Good reading and writing skills take time and practice and even many native English speakers have serious issues in these areas.

It might help if you go back to the test and go through every question you got wrong and analyze why you chose your answer instead of the correct answer, and also why the correct answer is correct. If you don't already have a good one, you may want to find a book on basic English grammar and refer to it as you are going through the test questions you missed to help reinforce what you are trying to learn from studying the questions.

Keep a dictionary nearby and look up every word you don't know. Now that you aren't in the midst of a timed test, you can spend all of the additional time you need per question to learn it in and out.

A bad verbal score isn't necessarily a bad thing. It is a great opportunity for more learning!
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by Stacey Koprince » Mon Oct 20, 2008 10:27 am
I received a PM asking me to comment.

Agree with bekkilyn and Jim.

I also have some questions. How was your timing during that section? Did you move pretty steadily through the test or did you run out of time at some point and have to start rushing and possibly guessing randomly? If you did have to do this, on how many questions? (I'm trying to figure out whether your current level really is around 17 or whether your score suffered as the result of serious time mis-management - and, if the latter, how much it might have affected your score.)

It's also really critical to understand why you got the things wrong that you got wrong - until you understand the why, you can't really do much about it. Go back to that test and start an error log. For every problem (whether you got it right or wrong), answer these questions:

For ones you get wrong:
1) Why did I get it wrong (as specifically as possible)?
2) What could I do to minimize the chance of making that error (or those errors) again?  How will I make whatever that is a habit so that I really do minimize chances of making the same error again?
3) What are the right / good ways to do it or approach it?
4) Of the right / good ways, which one is the best way for me (combining both efficiency and effectiveness) given my strengths and weaknesses?
5) How will I recognize problems of similar type in future so that I can apply that "best way" to the problem?

For ones you get right:
1) Did I really know what I was doing or did I get lucky?  If I got lucky, review all of the "wrong answer" questions, above
2) If I did know what I was doing, did I also do it in the best way (for me)?  If not, figure out the best way for you.
3) How will I recognize problems of similar type in future so that I can either repeat my original success or apply my new "best way" to the problem?

Also, when you're studying verbal in general, it's a good idea to study why the wrong answers are wrong, not just why the right answers are right. Be able to articulate:
- specifically why each wrong answer is wrong
- which wrong answer is the most tempting and why
- how to recognize that the tempting wrong answer is still wrong anyway so you can eliminate it
- why someone might be tempted to eliminate the right answer
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