GMAT Strategy

Hi,

In July I appeared for GMAT and didn't do well on Verbal.
https://www.beatthegmat.com/640-q47-v30- ... tml#275891

CR and RC are my weak areas (Doesn't mean that I am doing good at SC lol)
So I picked up LSAT tests and doing one section a day and maintaining error logs...

Here's my question:
I am getting around 75-80% hit. Is this a good rate??? In short, is it a sign of improvement????
I know its very difficult to answer this question... but if you have any inputs or suggestions on how to gauge the progress, would be helpful.

Thanks.

I am preparing a more detailed discussion of rules for using LSAT questions to study for the GMAT (both Critical Reasoning and Reading Comp), so look for that posting in the next day or two, but here are some thoughts.

First, if you are talking about doing an entire section of LSAT questions - typically 25 or 26 questions for critical reasoning and 28 questions for Reading Comp - and you are getting 75% + of those correct then you should sit for the LSAT! That is a rate that many of my LSAT students are hoping to achieve. So nice work, there.

However, for the purposes of doing well on the GMAT, concentrate on two things with LSAT Critical Reasoning questions, the first 16 questions of each LSAT test section (especially the first 10). These are closer in difficulty to the GMAT while questions 17 and one are usually much more difficult than anything you would see on the GMAT. And, within those first 16 questions, concentrate on the types of problems that you are familiar with from studying the GMAT. Strengthen, weaken, inference, explain the paradox, and bold-faced reasoning are the most common categories on the GMAT.

The Reading Comp can generally transfer better, LSAT passages are longer and more complex. The questions are often more difficult as well.

I don't know if you have been doing this already, but for a true LSAT challenge, time yourself - only 35 minutes per section! (Yep. 28 Reading Comp in only 35 minutes - that is about 15 minutes faster than it needs to be done on the GMAT).

Hope that helps!

David@VeritasPrep wrote:I am preparing a more detailed discussion of rules for using LSAT questions to study for the GMAT (both Critical Reasoning and Reading Comp), so look for that posting in the next day or two, but here are some thoughts.

Thanks David.. I will look forward to your article...

First, if you are talking about doing an entire section of LSAT questions - typically 25 or 26 questions for critical reasoning and 28 questions for Reading Comp - and you are getting 75% + of those correct then you should sit for the LSAT! That is a rate that many of my LSAT students are hoping to achieve. So nice work, there.

Thank you, yes I am completeing all the questions in a section in single sitting...but as you have mentioned in the last point, I didnt complete these in 35 mins.... Initially I took around 70mins and now I am near 50mins in LR... Will try to reduce the timing further. But when it comes to RC I couldn't reduce beyond 60 mins for some reasons... Have to work hard and start skim the passages instead of trying to undersatnd completely.

However, for the purposes of doing well on the GMAT, concentrate on two things with LSAT Critical Reasoning questions, the first 16 questions of each LSAT test section (especially the first 10). These are closer in difficulty to the GMAT while questions 17 and one are usually much more difficult than anything you would see on the GMAT. And, within those first 16 questions, concentrate on the types of problems that you are familiar with from studying the GMAT. Strengthen, weaken, inference, explain the paradox, and bold-faced reasoning are the most common categories on the GMAT.

I figured this, as I am doing better at the first 10 and last 5 or 6 questions.... But I didnt actually concetrate on categories while doing the test except identifying what type it is, I noticed during error log analysis some areas such as assumptions are weak in my case.... Will try to concentrate while doing the test, so I can worry less about LSAT types such as Princeiples and stuff.

The Reading Comp can generally transfer better, LSAT passages are longer and more complex. The questions are often more difficult as well.

So this is better in a way, so I wouldnt have to wonder what would happen if I get tough, long passges in GMAT exam..

I don't know if you have been doing this already, but for a true LSAT challenge, time yourself - only 35 minutes per section! (Yep. 28 Reading Comp in only 35 minutes - that is about 15 minutes faster than it needs to be done on the GMAT).

Hope that helps!

I am trying to reduce the timing, but find it really hard to complete the section within 35 mins, the closest was 50 or 51 mins I guess, but will aim for 35 mins...

Sure it does help... plus I am feeling good now, esp hearing from a tutor handling both GMAT and LSAT that I am improving my skills..
Thanks much for your inputs.

I was not really serious about doing the LSAT sections in 35 minutes. You should be working more within the GMAT time frame of 2 minutes per question for reading comprehension and critical reasoning. That means 56 minutes for reading comprehension and not 35!

For that reason, please do not skim the passages. We do not want you to get into that habit. Do what you have been doing already...

Keep up the good work!

David

Thanks David.

i didnt time my LSAT tests.. but my timing automatically improved with the sheer daunting task of completing around 50 questions in CR and 4 long passages in RC.
my hit rate was about 21-22/26 for RC and sometimes upto 25/26
and for CR it was about 42/50..

since i knew very clearly which CR areas i was weak in, i focussed on the LSAT papers looking to hammer out those weaknesses.

i think LSAT does help in a big way..

good luck to you!!