Need help guys.

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Need help guys.

by batbond007 » Thu Dec 03, 2009 3:36 pm
Hi Experts,
Need some help to plan my schedule. I am planning to give my GMAT on Jan 11th 2010. Don't have the flexibility to take the test after this date so it's a make/break situation for me right now. I need to get at least 720 (though kind of really want to get to 740/760). My work load at office is normal so should be able to devote 2 hrs everyday and 4-6 hrs every weekend.

I have been preparing for almost 2 weeks now however still struggling badly in Verbal. I was currently focusing on my key weakness which is SC. I have gone through the Manhattan GMAT first 10 chapters (excluding IDIOMS) however still struggle with real questions. (get only 6-7/10 right). Never really learned Grammar at school so it is proving to be a bitch. I had to start from the definition of a Noun :). Any advice as to how I can quickly improve further in SC will certainly help.

I used to be good to excellent in Quant but need to pick it up again.

I haven't given the GMAT prep test yet however planning to give one this weekend. Will post back with the result as soon as I have it.

My background:
IT Analyst with 9 years of experience.

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by DanaJ » Mon Dec 07, 2009 11:05 am
If SC is your issue, then there's certainly room for improvement - SC is like the quant of verbal, so with enough practice you'll be able to get there. The MGMAT SC guide is a really neat book, but it's packed with info! All of it will probably form a dark cloud of confusion in your head unless you take the time to go through it properly. Most people either take notes or make flashcards (a particularly popular way of studying - here are our set of free ones).

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by cramya » Mon Dec 07, 2009 7:24 pm
My 2 cents:

In addition to visiting the SC section of this forum and reading the explanations please visit the GMAT PREP verbal section at https://www.manhattangmat.com/forums/gma ... l-f31.html and read Ron Purewal's approach and explanation to SC questions. This helped me a lot during my prep as he dissects these questions while giving explanations.

Regards,
CR

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by batbond007 » Mon Dec 14, 2009 7:33 am
Hey Thanks Dana and Cramya. I have run into a bigger problem. I tried my first GMATPrep test yesterday and got badly beaten by it.

I was aiming to take the Quant and Verbal part of the GMATPrep test. However I guess I was initially very slow in the beginning in the Quant section and sometimes even verifying my answer in 2 different ways. I was under the impression that I was running just a little behind the time in the beginning. However I could just could just finish 19 questions in the given 75 minutes. I was complete dejected by it and did not even take the Verbal section. Also on doing a quick review I found that out of those 19 questions that I answered 9 were wrong. I guess I got a few questions which stumped me completely and I was trying to get those done. I am very dejected by my performance.

BTW I used to be very good in Quant so really annoyed by my performance. Any Ideas as to how i can improve quickly will be very helpful. How do you guys time which question you should be at a given point of time. What do you do when you hit a question that stumps you? Do you still give it only 2 minutes and guess or spend a little more time with it ?

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by papgust » Mon Dec 14, 2009 7:49 am
From reading your post, it looks like you not only have the timing problem but also the basics. I guess you don't seem to have the grasp of basics. This happens to almost everyone (including myself :)) as people start working out problems after a very long time. But don't get frustrated with it. Take this as a challenge and start putting efforts to master these problems. Remember, GMAT questions are purely based on these basics. You just have to be strong in foundations to overcome GMAT questions. I would recommend you to get your high school math book and focus on topics that is covered in GMAT. Just spend some good time with the book until you are very confident with the basics. Until then, do not try to practice any problems. Once you are done with your basics study, then start doing problems. Generally, it is good to start with OG math problems as they mostly cover below 600-level questions which will make you feel confident when you apply your basics to these questions.

Or if you don't bother to spend some money, you could go for MGMAT quant guides if you want your materials to be well-organized. These guides are very well organized that would take you in the right path.

Also, don't forget your verbal prep. Spend equal time with verbal as well. Remember, getting a high score in verbal takes you to a high overall percentile. How do you feel with verbal section?

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by batbond007 » Mon Dec 14, 2009 9:19 am
Hey papgust,
Actually I did go through the Kaplan Live Quant Basics before taking the test so did not really imagine I would run into the problem with the basics itself.

I guess I need to practice more Quant. I was more worried about my Verbal but guess now first need to get on track with Quant. How do you guys practice. Do you practice the problems with measured time or do you first just aim at getting the problems right. Till now I was just focusing on the getting the problems right but not practicing them with measured time. Any inputs ?

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by DestroyTheGMAT » Mon Dec 14, 2009 10:01 am
cramya wrote:My 2 cents:

In addition to visiting the SC section of this forum and reading the explanations please visit the GMAT PREP verbal section at https://www.manhattangmat.com/forums/gma ... l-f31.html and read Ron Purewal's approach and explanation to SC questions. This helped me a lot during my prep as he dissects these questions while giving explanations.

Regards,
CR
Could you please give me a direct to that post?

Thanks :)