Hi, I gave my GMAT official test in Nov 2009 and scored 590 with equally bad performance on both verbal and quant.
What I am struggling with is memorising the concepts. I read various posts on strategies and analysing the practice problems.
In my case, I have been through the theory, practice problems in OG, What i cant get around is the model of the questions, the actual concepts behind it and then recognising the same on a different question.
I cant think of where I am going wrong. I am desperately in need of study help and tips on how to go about preparing for both Verbal and Quant.
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vikramjain
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shalzz9
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See if these post below help.
https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2009/10/ ... ce-problem
https://www.beatthegmat.com/need-tips-fr ... tml#107595
Make as much as notes possible ,the points u think are imp.
Also do OG as many times as u want to , thats the only real thing out there . Its good to learn from the makers of the test.
https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2009/10/ ... ce-problem
https://www.beatthegmat.com/need-tips-fr ... tml#107595
Make as much as notes possible ,the points u think are imp.
Also do OG as many times as u want to , thats the only real thing out there . Its good to learn from the makers of the test.
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vikramjain
- Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
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- Joined: Wed Jan 06, 2010 1:54 am
Thanks Shalzz9. what I am really struggling with is memorising these patterns and concepts in way that I identify them next time I see them.
I have not been making notes. So probably I will start with that area and see how I improve...
I have not been making notes. So probably I will start with that area and see how I improve...
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ManhattanReview
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With consistent practice and an efficient study plan, lots of improvement can be made.
Based on the most recent data published by the GMAC, approximately 21% (percent) of GMAT tests are taken by repeat test-takers who have taken the test more than once within a year. The average gain between the first test and the second test is about 30 points. That means repeat test taking may result in either an increase or decrease.
For students who have taken the GMAT on their own before studying with us, based on our students' feedback, the score increase after preparing with Manhattan Review ranges from 60 to 120, depending on the course chosen and the extent of self-preparation.
Our advice for your situation is the following:
1. Identify your major issues with the GMAT first. Then tackle them one by one or in combination.
2. Make a list of all your mistakes and memorize them in order not to repeat them. You should make sure that you score CONSISTENTLY higher that your original score before you re-take it. Take practice tests to diagnose your weaknesses if you haven't already.
3. Consider taking our private tutoring either in person or online. We also have a wonderful online recording library which includes teaching sessions from Dr. Stephan Riemersma, Mr. Chris Coleridge and other expert instructors.
4. If you have not taken a course with us, we also offer weekend crash course, 1-week intensive course and 28-hour long course in selection cities around the world.
Our 1-week Intensive course (28 hours in total) is great for the student who has limited time to take the exam and can handle an intense work load.
- Our weekend Crash (16 hours in total) course is designed for extremely busy working professionals and others who can benefit the intense preparation over just a weekend in four 4-hour sessions.
- Our 6 or 8-session in-person Long courses and 8-session online Long courses are great for the student who wants more in-depth, hands-on work, and an extended study schedule. Due to the duration of any of our courses, you can come to every class with more questions for the instructor, allowing you to receive more answers.
If you are interested in sitting in on one session of a GMAT class, you are welcome to join us as a free viewer to see if the class will be helpful to you. Please e-mail us at the e-mail address below.
We also offer in-person private tutoring, where you can request a set amount of hours and our tutor will work around your schedule and your strengths and weaknesses. This is a good option if you have been able to diagnose your weak areas with the practice exams and wish to target certain topics.
We certainly hope that you, being a repeat GMAT test taker, will not become one of those students who improved the score by a mere average of 30 points. We truly believe a combination of taking our course and private tutoring will help you increase your score significantly!
More questions, feel free to drop us a line at [email protected].
Based on the most recent data published by the GMAC, approximately 21% (percent) of GMAT tests are taken by repeat test-takers who have taken the test more than once within a year. The average gain between the first test and the second test is about 30 points. That means repeat test taking may result in either an increase or decrease.
For students who have taken the GMAT on their own before studying with us, based on our students' feedback, the score increase after preparing with Manhattan Review ranges from 60 to 120, depending on the course chosen and the extent of self-preparation.
Our advice for your situation is the following:
1. Identify your major issues with the GMAT first. Then tackle them one by one or in combination.
2. Make a list of all your mistakes and memorize them in order not to repeat them. You should make sure that you score CONSISTENTLY higher that your original score before you re-take it. Take practice tests to diagnose your weaknesses if you haven't already.
3. Consider taking our private tutoring either in person or online. We also have a wonderful online recording library which includes teaching sessions from Dr. Stephan Riemersma, Mr. Chris Coleridge and other expert instructors.
4. If you have not taken a course with us, we also offer weekend crash course, 1-week intensive course and 28-hour long course in selection cities around the world.
Our 1-week Intensive course (28 hours in total) is great for the student who has limited time to take the exam and can handle an intense work load.
- Our weekend Crash (16 hours in total) course is designed for extremely busy working professionals and others who can benefit the intense preparation over just a weekend in four 4-hour sessions.
- Our 6 or 8-session in-person Long courses and 8-session online Long courses are great for the student who wants more in-depth, hands-on work, and an extended study schedule. Due to the duration of any of our courses, you can come to every class with more questions for the instructor, allowing you to receive more answers.
If you are interested in sitting in on one session of a GMAT class, you are welcome to join us as a free viewer to see if the class will be helpful to you. Please e-mail us at the e-mail address below.
We also offer in-person private tutoring, where you can request a set amount of hours and our tutor will work around your schedule and your strengths and weaknesses. This is a good option if you have been able to diagnose your weak areas with the practice exams and wish to target certain topics.
We certainly hope that you, being a repeat GMAT test taker, will not become one of those students who improved the score by a mere average of 30 points. We truly believe a combination of taking our course and private tutoring will help you increase your score significantly!
More questions, feel free to drop us a line at [email protected].
-
shalzz9
- Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
- Posts: 61
- Joined: Sat Mar 20, 2010 7:20 am
- Thanked: 14 times
- GMAT Score:660
Making notes n flash cards really helped me
go thru them as many times as possible, thats the only way we can remember.
u can also try the free beat the gmat flash cards and also flash cards available at Manhattan website
both are good.
go thru them as many times as possible, thats the only way we can remember.
u can also try the free beat the gmat flash cards and also flash cards available at Manhattan website
both are good.
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Stacey Koprince
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Received a PM asking me to reply.
shalzz9 already linked to my article about how to analyze practice problems (thanks!), but I'll add: what it sounds like you're trying to say is that you struggle with recognizing new questions, or making connections to old, similar problems when you see a new problem. The process of analyzing practice problems described in the above article is exactly how you learn how to recognize parts of new problems. It requires a lot of work - I might analyze a single problem for 10 or 15 minutes. It also requires you to study from the very explicit viewpoint of "how do I know what each part of this really means and what it is asking me to do?" and "what are some other ways to word a problem that would test the same thing fundamentally?"
When you're doing a new problem right now, can you go and find an old problem that you did in the past few weeks that shares some aspect of this new problem you're doing right now? That's a good start. Then, compare different parts of the problem to figure out which parts are really saying the same thing (or something very similar). It usually won't be the case that the entire problem is the same (though that does happen sometimes), but there will be similar parts.
If you have OG12:
- what do problems 182 and 211 have in common?
- how about 109 -->111 --> 220?
- how about 115 -->124 --> 138?
(Some of the problems in the "chains" have more in common and some have less - but they all do have something in common.)
The above problems are all quant because I haven't done this exercise with verbal yet - but I have gone through and classified (almost) every OG12 and VR2 quant question (DS and PS) into "chains" of problems that have something in common. (A few didn't fit well with any of the others; but I was able to connect 98% of the problems with at least one other problem.)
Now, you don't need to take it that far.
This is my job, after all. But when you're studying a problem, do try to make a connection with at least one other problem you've already done. Ask yourself which aspects are similar and how you know they're similar despite the fact that the words in the problem are somewhat (or even very) different.
Next, try to anticipate: how might they ask this same kind of thing in some future problem that I haven't seen yet? Instead of using the words "factor" or "multiple," perhaps they'll convey the point using the phrase "product of two integers" (the product is the multiple, the two integers are the factors). I would even suggest keeping a list: if I see this language (A, B, C, D), then that all points to a divisibility problem. If I see this (X, Y), that points to a simultaneous equations problem. And so on.
As shalzz9 also recommended, yes, you absolutely need to take notes. See that article that shalzz9 linked (on how to analyze practice problems) in order to learn what kind of notes to take (and what kind of thinking to do!).
shalzz9 already linked to my article about how to analyze practice problems (thanks!), but I'll add: what it sounds like you're trying to say is that you struggle with recognizing new questions, or making connections to old, similar problems when you see a new problem. The process of analyzing practice problems described in the above article is exactly how you learn how to recognize parts of new problems. It requires a lot of work - I might analyze a single problem for 10 or 15 minutes. It also requires you to study from the very explicit viewpoint of "how do I know what each part of this really means and what it is asking me to do?" and "what are some other ways to word a problem that would test the same thing fundamentally?"
When you're doing a new problem right now, can you go and find an old problem that you did in the past few weeks that shares some aspect of this new problem you're doing right now? That's a good start. Then, compare different parts of the problem to figure out which parts are really saying the same thing (or something very similar). It usually won't be the case that the entire problem is the same (though that does happen sometimes), but there will be similar parts.
If you have OG12:
- what do problems 182 and 211 have in common?
- how about 109 -->111 --> 220?
- how about 115 -->124 --> 138?
(Some of the problems in the "chains" have more in common and some have less - but they all do have something in common.)
The above problems are all quant because I haven't done this exercise with verbal yet - but I have gone through and classified (almost) every OG12 and VR2 quant question (DS and PS) into "chains" of problems that have something in common. (A few didn't fit well with any of the others; but I was able to connect 98% of the problems with at least one other problem.)
Now, you don't need to take it that far.
This is my job, after all. But when you're studying a problem, do try to make a connection with at least one other problem you've already done. Ask yourself which aspects are similar and how you know they're similar despite the fact that the words in the problem are somewhat (or even very) different.Next, try to anticipate: how might they ask this same kind of thing in some future problem that I haven't seen yet? Instead of using the words "factor" or "multiple," perhaps they'll convey the point using the phrase "product of two integers" (the product is the multiple, the two integers are the factors). I would even suggest keeping a list: if I see this language (A, B, C, D), then that all points to a divisibility problem. If I see this (X, Y), that points to a simultaneous equations problem. And so on.
As shalzz9 also recommended, yes, you absolutely need to take notes. See that article that shalzz9 linked (on how to analyze practice problems) in order to learn what kind of notes to take (and what kind of thinking to do!).
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Stacey Koprince
GMAT Instructor
Director of Online Community
Manhattan GMAT
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Stacey Koprince
GMAT Instructor
Director of Online Community
Manhattan GMAT
Contributor to Beat The GMAT!
Learn more about me
