First GMAT Prep ... HELP!!!!

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abhaypratapsingh: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 51; Joined: Sat Mar 22, 2008 1:08 am; Thanked: 2 times

First GMAT Prep ... HELP!!!!

by abhaypratapsingh » Sat May 24, 2008 8:10 pm

Hi ;
I gave my first GMAT prep test after studying for 1 month.
Score : 630
Verbal: 30 (16 mistakes)
Quant: 47 (14 mistakes)

This was my first and I totally ran out of time in verbal, actually I was at q 30 when only 2 min were left. Also I found it damn hard to answer question during the test as compared to when I solve OG.

My GMAT date is still 1.5 months away.

Is it possible for me to increase my perfrmance to 700+ or should I just drop the idea of GMAT.

Any suggestion would be great help ....

thanks,

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Source: Beat The GMAT — GMAT Strategy | Sat May 24, 2008 8:10 pm

VP_Jim: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 1223; Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 3:29 pm; Location: Los Angeles, CA; Thanked: 185 times; Followed by:15 members

by VP_Jim » Sat May 24, 2008 9:50 pm

It looks like you're pretty well set in math. So, focus on verbal (but still do a few quant practice problems every study session so that you don't lose your momentum in that section).

Are there any areas in verbal you were particularly weak in? For example, did 12 out of your 16 mistakes come from reading comp? That would give you an area to focus on! Without knowing more specifics, it's hard to give you concrete advice.

Finally, some words of encouragement: I recently had a student who scored a 580 on her first practice test but scored a 760 on the real thing, six weeks later. That's an extreme example of course, but I've certainly had many students go from the mid 600s to low 700s. So it can definitely be done with diligent study!

Jim S. | GMAT Instructor | Veritas Prep

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abhaypratapsingh: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 51; Joined: Sat Mar 22, 2008 1:08 am; Thanked: 2 times

by abhaypratapsingh » Sat May 24, 2008 10:34 pm

Thanks Jim for your response!

In verbal my major problem is speed. I could finish only 2/3 of questions. Last minute I spend just selecting randomly.
Also I found that reading from computer screen where the sentences are written along the length of screen is very different from reading from OG where they are written within half of the page width.

Thanks,

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VP_Jim: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 1223; Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 3:29 pm; Location: Los Angeles, CA; Thanked: 185 times; Followed by:15 members

by VP_Jim » Sun May 25, 2008 10:23 am

So, are you saying that if you had unlimited time, you'd get most questions right? If that's the case, then it's just a matter of practice. You'll eventually get good at spotting the common sentence correction errors, seeing conclusions/premises/assumptions in critical reasoning, etc.

As for not being used to the computerized format - just take lots of practice CATs and that should be alleviated. Also, if you sign up for a prep course (most, if not all, have online-only versions), you'll have access to lots of online tests and/or online exercises.

Finally, do remember that it's not necessarily a bad thing to run out of time IF you've done well up to that point. Now, I'm not saying you want to guess on the last 1/3 of the test, but if you find that you have to guess on the last four or five questions, it's not that big a deal and your score will most likely not be affected too badly.

Also, I recommend to some of my slower verbal students that they consider guessing on the entire last reading comprehension passage if it's close to the end of the test (make sure you know where you are in the test!). This is only a last resort - use with caution and only in desperation!!!

Jim S. | GMAT Instructor | Veritas Prep

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simplyjat: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 423; Joined: Thu Dec 27, 2007 1:29 am; Location: Hyderabad, India; Thanked: 36 times; Followed by:2 members; GMAT Score:770

Re: First GMAT Prep ... HELP!!!!

by simplyjat » Sun May 25, 2008 11:13 pm

abhaypratapsingh wrote:Hi ;
I gave my first GMAT prep test after studying for 1 month.
Score : 630
Verbal: 30 (16 mistakes)
Quant: 47 (14 mistakes)

This was my first and I totally ran out of time in verbal, actually I was at q 30 when only 2 min were left. Also I found it damn hard to answer question during the test as compared to when I solve OG.

My GMAT date is still 1.5 months away.

Is it possible for me to increase my perfrmance to 700+ or should I just drop the idea of GMAT.

Any suggestion would be great help ....

thanks,

Please post in correct forum. How does this post belongs to "I just Beat The GMAT!"

simplyjat

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