BREAKING: Target Test Prep releases Brand New 2026 On Demand GMAT prep course

Redeem

Please guide me

This topic has expert replies
Post new topic Post Reply
Previous Topic Next Topic
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 34
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2009 11:58 pm
Thanked: 1 times

Please guide me

by Beat-D-GMAT » Tue Jul 21, 2009 9:36 am
Hello.

I have recently joined this forum and just gone through few feedback which are provided to various persons.I also need your guidance in preparing my GMAT strategy.

First of all let me introduce myself. I am Indian and working for MNC with apprx 4 years work exp in IT (Banking) as Software Consultant. With global experience of approx 3 years 6 months. I am not native english speaker.

I need your help in preparing for GMAT which I am planning to give in Oct,2009.

I had appeared in GMAT 2 years ago and scored 570 (Q 48/ 85%, V 21/ 24% , AWA 4.5). In last minute I could not finish my verbal section in time and I was timed out. Hence this score is with penalty. I do not know how much penalty they put but in practice test my score was around 680.


I have given 1 test GMATPrep this Saturday after 2 years with out any preparations and scored 620 (Q 48, V 27).

Quant section looks ok to me and I am comfortable in it. I think with 2 months preparations I can push it little higher to 50.

I have main problem in verbal section and I am not at all comfortable in it. I do not select answers as confidently as I do it in Quant section. Critical reasoning is ok but I have main problem in Reading comprehension. I read a passage but can not comprehended it very well and I select answers based on some guess.


This time I am doing through analysis of test which I will take.

Can you please guide me how to get a good score in Verbal section ( atleast 40 ) and AWA?

Thank you.


Kind Regards,

Beat-D-Gmat
Top
Source: — GMAT Strategy |
User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 226
Joined: Tue Jan 13, 2009 1:27 pm
Thanked: 23 times
Followed by:1 members

by awesomeusername » Wed Jul 22, 2009 9:39 am
What study materials are you using? Have you been reading members' debriefs?
Constant dripping hollows out a stone.
-Lucretius
Top
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 34
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2009 11:58 pm
Thanked: 1 times

by Beat-D-GMAT » Wed Jul 22, 2009 1:48 pm
Hello awesomeusername,

First of your user name is really cool !!!! :):)

About Gmat prep material.

I had used GMAT OG 11 + Manhattan SC + Kaplan (part of it).

As last weekend only I had started revising SC book. One thing I noticed is that I find this book more interesting then last time. I do not know how much extra I am grasping but that can be checked when I will take my next full test on 31-July-2009. I have planned to take full test in every 2 week and keep a log of all questions which went wrong.

As I had just joined this blog so I am still exploring it but I find lot of information here.

Best part is I can reuse many tools and techniques. Infect that is like tailor made solution. I also come to know various other methods to solve a problem . sometime that may be time consuming but it gives a new angle to look at problem. specially in strategy section few of reply which I had gone through are just awesome. Hence I had put in my request to guide me. I am also facing one more problem that is time constrain. I have a fulltime job and I can not spend more then 2- 3 hours a day during weekday but in weekend it can be 10 hours or more. Hence sometimes I feel that I am running out of time. I will really appreciate if you can direct me.

I do believe that as far as you are ready to learn new things nomatter what it is you will learn it and a right guidance can make this learning much better experience.

I will really thankful to you if you can spent some time in providing your valuable guidance.

Thanks.
Top

GMAT/MBA Expert

User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 2228
Joined: Wed Dec 27, 2006 3:28 pm
Location: Montreal, Canada
Thanked: 639 times
Followed by:694 members
GMAT Score:780

by Stacey Koprince » Wed Jul 29, 2009 6:56 am
Received a PM asking me to respond.

The penalty for not answering a question is 3 percentile points (per question). So the penalty you received would have depended upon the number of questions you left blank.

Question for you: do you take the essays when you take your practice tests? It's really important to do so - you need practice building stamina. A lot of people don't do the essays in practice and then the verbal score drops on the real thing because our energy drops if we're not prepared for the full length of the test. So that may also have been a factor.

You mention that you struggle with RC. What materials are you using that teach you how to get better at RC? (OG doesn't qualify - it doesn't teach you HOW to get better.) If you aren't currently using anything, you need to identify a source (it will come from a test prep company) that teaches you how to get better at RC: how to understand and organize the info, how to answer the questions, how to identify wrong answers more easily, etc.

Some ideas for RC are at the below link; if you like this approach, you can find more in the MGMAT RC book. If you don't like this approach, ask around to see what others like for RC, or go to a bookstore and browse through the different books till you find something you like.

https://www.beatthegmat.com/verbal-strategy-t14035.html

You may also want to do this for CR - you said it's "okay," which sounds better than RC, but maybe not great.

I wouldn't spend more than 2 hours on a weeknight after you've been working. The work you do has one goal: get certain things into your long-term memory effectively so that you can recall those things when you need them. If you do too much after a long day at work, that time isn't going to be very efficiently used because you won't be encoding things into your long-term memory well enough.

In fact, if I need to study anything, I study for 90 minutes to 2 hours at a stretch - that's it. After about 2 hours, my brain starts getting saturated, so I stop. If I want to study more on that same day, I do something else for at least 2 hours before I start studying again. (That gives your brain time to process the info into long-term memories; this actually does continue to happen after you've stopped actively studying.)

For AWA, take a look at some of the suggestions in the Essays thread here. Once you feel like you've gotten better at this, you can get essays graded by the same computer program that will grade your essays on the real test via the GMAT Write program (offered by the people who make the test; there is a fee for the service). See here: https://www.mba.com/mba/store/ProductInfo?SKU=1623X

After you've worked with your new RC (and maybe CR) materials for a little while, come back on if you still feel like you're having trouble making progress and we'll try to help!
Please note: I do not use the Private Messaging system! I will not see any PMs that you send to me!!

Stacey Koprince
GMAT Instructor
Director of Online Community
Manhattan GMAT

Contributor to Beat The GMAT!

Learn more about me
Top
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 132
Joined: Thu Mar 26, 2009 7:53 pm
Location: Gurgaon
Thanked: 1 times

by rookiez » Wed Jul 29, 2009 8:37 am
Buddy, I found GMAT tougher than GMATPrep this time when I was bombed.

My advice would be to do LSAT CR,RC... I have heard in the forum that they are difficult than OGs....and once you have a good handle on LSAT then GMAT becomes easy..
Disclaimer: Those things I have heard from many folks who have score more than 720 on this forum

I am based in Delhi, let me know if you need any help.

Also, you may buy OG12.
Top
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 34
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2009 11:58 pm
Thanked: 1 times

by Beat-D-GMAT » Sat Aug 15, 2009 8:20 am
Dear Stacey,

I have tried those techniques and they are good. Although I have applied it on 10 - 15 passages. I have answered some of passages with 100% accuracy but with no time limit.

Atleast one thing is clear that now I select answers more confidently so I am in bit comfortable condition as compare to my previous condition.

I have also tried technique in CR and it has also helped me in finding answer of a difficult CR.

I have few questions:

1. In case of long passage Skeletal Sketch should be created. In order to create such sketch should I read the complete paragraph first and then sketch the main idea of passage or should I sketch it once I finish a sentence?

2. For limbs should I first go through the passage and then note down key words or I should do it as soon as I see key word but later method breaks concentration.

3. These methods suggest that you should take 2 minutes per question but
I am not able to finish passage with 2 min/question time frame if I want 100% accuracy. Infect in real GMAT roughly it will be 1 min 30 sec.
Now should I first concentrate on accuracy or Speed?

Does RC in OG11 and GMAT verbal review is sufficient or should I go for more practice material. If yes, can you please suggest me some good books?

Thanks in advance for your advice.
Top

GMAT/MBA Expert

User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 2228
Joined: Wed Dec 27, 2006 3:28 pm
Location: Montreal, Canada
Thanked: 639 times
Followed by:694 members
GMAT Score:780

by Stacey Koprince » Mon Aug 24, 2009 6:27 am
I prefer to write as I read each sentence, not the whole paragraph. Sometimes I read two sentences before I write, because one sentence wasn't enough for me to fully understand. But remember our overall goal: to get the basics down on the *first* read-through. If I read a paragraph and then go back to write stuff down, I'm reading it twice, not once. :)

I personally don't use key words at all. This is why: I'm only going to get 3 or 4 questions, and those questions aren't going to cover everything in the passage. I don't know which words are going to show up in the questions. So I could be writing down a LOT of stuff that's unnecessary.

Instead, I just go for the main ideas / overall topics in each paragraph, and I use keywords in a different way. When I get a question, first I ask myself (based on my outline) which paragraph is most likely the best paragraph to answer this question. Then, I see if there's a keyword in the question and I use that to scan the paragraph to find the right text.

Finally, you do NOT want 100% accuracy - you pretty much can't get that throughout the whole section. Most people are getting only about 60% of the questions right in a section; even at the 90+ percentile (within one section), people are only getting about 80% of questions right. You are not going to get 100% of them right - the test is just going to keep giving you harder stuff until you either (a) get them wrong or (b) spend so much time that you get other stuff wrong later because you run out of time.

You want to get right the ones that you can get right within the given timeframe, and you want to make your best educated guess (within the given timeframe!) on the ones that you can't answer within that time. (This applies to quant, too, by the way.)

Also, timing guidelines are only 1 min for general (main idea, tone, passage structure) questions, and 1.5 to 2 min on specific questions (timing will vary a bit based upon complexity of subject matter and question).
Please note: I do not use the Private Messaging system! I will not see any PMs that you send to me!!

Stacey Koprince
GMAT Instructor
Director of Online Community
Manhattan GMAT

Contributor to Beat The GMAT!

Learn more about me
Top
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 34
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2009 11:58 pm
Thanked: 1 times

by Beat-D-GMAT » Sun Sep 13, 2009 4:31 pm
Hello Stacy,

I have I have taken few exams after preparing for quant and verbal .

In full test my performance was :

Test 1 620 ( startting of preparation with out awa)
Test 2 570 Kaplan
Test 3 620 ( M 49 , V 28 with awa) GMATPREP
Test 4 620 ( M 48 , V 27 with AWA) MGMAT
Test 5 620 ( M 49 , V 28 with AWA) GMAT PREP yesterday
Test 6 690 ( M 49 , V 35 with out AWA) GMAT PREP Today

I am bit confused as I am not sure what is my correct position in test. Yesterday's test which I gave was in morning with fresh mind. Today's test I gave after reading for 4 - 5 hours.

I made few mistakes but were less as compare to earlier tests.

I have finished SC from OG 11. CR from OG 11. SC half of problem from OG verbal review. Maths I have hardly looked ( 10 hour total so far).

In RC I am still not that comfortable like I am in quant where I know what is answer.

Is 690 is kind of illusion ??

What should I do know ? repeat SC, CR from OG or go for other sources?

For RC I have not finished OG. I am planning to finish it by 25 sep ( my exam date is in second week of october).

Is there any website which evaluates AWA answers ? ( free and paid both)



Please advice.

Thanks.
Top

GMAT/MBA Expert

User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 2228
Joined: Wed Dec 27, 2006 3:28 pm
Location: Montreal, Canada
Thanked: 639 times
Followed by:694 members
GMAT Score:780

by Stacey Koprince » Wed Sep 16, 2009 10:58 am
The big difference between the two tests? You didn't take the AWA on the 2nd one, and then your verbal score got a lot better. That's not surprising - if you don't spend an hour on the essays before the verbal, then you're a lot more fresh when you get to the verbal.

The valid test score for you at this point is the 620, not the 690, unfortunately - because the 690 test did not mimic what you will have to do on the real test (namely: the essays).

If you don't yet have the verbal score that you want, don't throw away those official questions. You haven't actually learned what you need to learn from them, so moving to other questions (that aren't even as good as the official questions!) won't help you much either.

Most of your learning comes from the review and analysis you do after you have already tried the problem - not while you're doing the problem in the first place. See this thread (that I posted earlier today) for more ideas about what to ask yourself when analyzing problems: https://www.beatthegmat.com/how-should-i ... 44088.html (see my post from today - 16 Sep)

Lessons to learn:
1) take practice tests under full official conditions; otherwise, your score may be artificially inflated by advantages that you would never have during the real test

2) Don't take practice tests two days in a row. Nothing has really changed in your ability to perform, so the "new" data isn't actually new.

Re: essays, GMAC does offer an essay-grading service (called GMAT Write, https://www.mba.com/mba/store/ProductInfo?SKU=1623X). They will grade your essay using the same computer software that will be used to grade your real GMAT essay. (That's only half of the official grade, though - a real person also grades the essays on the real test.)
Please note: I do not use the Private Messaging system! I will not see any PMs that you send to me!!

Stacey Koprince
GMAT Instructor
Director of Online Community
Manhattan GMAT

Contributor to Beat The GMAT!

Learn more about me
Top
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 34
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2009 11:58 pm
Thanked: 1 times

by Beat-D-GMAT » Wed Sep 23, 2009 11:07 am
Thanks Stacey.

Now I have 3 weeks from my scheduled date for GMAT exam. As you had suggested 690 is inflated score and I should give full length tests to get more realistic score. I will be giving 2 full length tests in coming weekends after downloading latest software from MBA.com .

This will be my second attempt for GMAT. Last time it was horribly bad 580 �� .


I am not going to apply for 2010 season but may be 2011 depends on outcome of some future events. So as such I am not in hurry and nothing is fixed but when I will have real GMAT score then I can plan my next step accordingly . Also I have quite decent job so it is not just that I want to change my job and I want to apply for MBA. I want to give GMAT and I will give GMAT. One thing which is clear to me is that MBA from a good college can bring many many opportunities. With my approx 4 years exp I have also realized what a brand name can add to myself and my career. I will go for MBA only from a good college . As such I do not have any pre mind set for any college and all depends on outcome of my test.

My queries are:

1. I am looking for 720+ score. In case my test results shows that I am still performing below 700 should I give exam or should I postponed it till Jan, 2010 to prepare more?

2. Does it matters how many times someone has appeared in GMAT?

3. Till how many years GMAT score is valid? If I give this exam by Oct, 2009 or by Jan , 2010 then till which year I can apply for any college?

Thanks in advance for your such a valuable guidance.
Top

GMAT/MBA Expert

User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 2228
Joined: Wed Dec 27, 2006 3:28 pm
Location: Montreal, Canada
Thanked: 639 times
Followed by:694 members
GMAT Score:780

by Stacey Koprince » Thu Sep 24, 2009 12:29 pm
Ideally, your practice test scores should be in the same range as your goal score before you take the test - so, if they're not, and if you have the flexibility to postpone, then you should do so. (And it sounds like you do have that flexibility, should a postponement be necessary.)

Most schools do not care if students take the test up to 3 times over a relatively short period of time (within 6-12 months). [The rules are a bit different if you took it twice more than two years ago and want to take it again now - then you can probably take it at least twice more without any raised eyebrows.]

GMAT scores are valid for 5 years, so if you take the exam in 2009, the score is good until that same date in 2014. So I think you're okay. :)
Please note: I do not use the Private Messaging system! I will not see any PMs that you send to me!!

Stacey Koprince
GMAT Instructor
Director of Online Community
Manhattan GMAT

Contributor to Beat The GMAT!

Learn more about me
Top
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 34
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2009 11:58 pm
Thanked: 1 times

by Beat-D-GMAT » Fri Sep 25, 2009 10:05 am
Thank you very much!!!

will keep you posted.

Thanks.
Top
Post new topic Post Reply
• Page 1 of 1