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Verbal help

Critical Reasoning, Reading Comprehension
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Verbal help

by JasonPap » Mon Dec 04, 2017 10:48 am
Hey everybody!

I'm wondering if anyone else has had a similar problem to the one I'm having.

I took a raw practice test three months ago and got a 42 on my verbal and a 36 math. I studied my face off for the past three months and got my math to a 42 and when I took the GMAT my verbal dropped to a 35!

Anyone have any suggestions for how I can get my verbal back to where it was?

Thanks
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by ceilidh.erickson » Tue Dec 12, 2017 10:49 am
Before we can figure out what went wrong on verbal on test day, we'll need some more information:

- Was that 1st practice test the only one you took before taking the real exam? If so, that's not enough preparation. Students should take at least 3 full practice exams before taking the real thing, and 5-8 is ideal.

- Did you focus on quant entirely, and neglect to study verbal at all? That's a common mistake that students make. Remember - schools care most about your *overall* score, so you want to gain points wherever you can! Don't neglect your stronger section.

- How was your timing & stamina on the real exam? If you took the verbal last and were exhausted by the time you got to it, that would negatively affect your score. If you ran out of time before the end of the section, that would seriously damage your score.

There is a wealth of information throughout this forum on how to boost your verbal performance. My recommendation: keep a 50/50 balance of quant and verbal studying from now until when you take the test again.
Ceilidh Erickson
EdM in Mind, Brain, and Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education
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