I need your GMAT advice

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I need your GMAT advice

by gmat-challenger » Sun Mar 13, 2011 7:04 am
I have always been better at the Q section than the Verbal. I started studying by going over the OG 12 and the Math Guide. I was doing pretty good on both. I created an excel to calculate my percentage of right answers from all the questions.

On the RC I scored 89% from all the questions and on the PS - 96%. After I finished them I made one of the 2 available tests by MBA.com and scored 710 even though I thought I did bad the test. Then I ordered the 1012 GMAT practice questions by Princeton. This is when my problems started appearing. On the RC, even that it appeared pretty easy and straightforward to read, I was scored very low - 70% on all the RC questions. I am starting to think that my intuition of what is correct is being ruined and flawed by the mixture of all the different strategies I have read. I don't know if it is me or the book and the questions, but instead of getting better and more confident after the weeks are passing by, it is the opposite - I am getting worse and worse. The RC was my best section of the verbal and it appears I am losing it.

What would you guys recommend me? Should I disregard the book and throw it in the bin and move on to just practicing CATs (since I read a lot of bad reviews about the book) or the problem is in me and should continue? I would appreciate any advice cause my exam is in 1 month.

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by David@VeritasPrep » Sun Mar 13, 2011 11:41 am
Here are some things:

1) You should know that you can take each of the GMATPrep tests (from MBA.com) at least twice. There is a good chance that will get three (or four) completely different reading passages when you retake (although there will be some overlap between the tests - just hopefully not an entire passage). Retake the test that you have already taken and you will have another opportunity to see how the reading comp goes for you on official passages.

2) Why not try the Official Guide Verbal Review 2nd edition? Again a chance for more official passages.

3) You might want something more challenging than the official passages. The Veritas Reading Comp book is well respected for strategy as well as for having nearly 25 passages to practice on. However, remember that these passages and questions are designed to challenge you and to teach you. If people are getting 9 out of every 10 questions right in our Veritas book we will need to rewrite it to be more challenging - remember we are looking to challenge and teach -- not primarily to assess your performance.


But do not worry too much about the latest result, instead recalibrate yourself with official questions and another shot at the MBA.com GMATPrep CAT.

And lastly, Have confidence...you will do fine!!!
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by gmat-challenger » Mon Mar 14, 2011 8:49 am
Thanks for the info and the support. I bought yesterday the Manhattan SC and RC e-books so I hope I can improve a little more. Today I made a CAT from the Princeton Review website and scored 710 (don't know if it's easier or not). I am going to take the official practice tests 2-3 times more and have 6 Manhattan CATs to finish. Hope this will be enough for my goal - high 600s.

P.S. I am wondering if there is a webpage or some info regarding the universities that have the highest available funds for giving scholarships to MBA students, and especially to international students since I won't be able to pay the full amount of tuitions.