Can I improve by 200 points? Please advise...

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Hi guys,

Gave exam last week and got awful score 540 (q45, v20, awa 6.0) I am totally disappointed. I was aiming at high 600s
I was shocked when I saw number 5.. and wanted to jump out from the third floor. Honestly, I do not remember much thinks about exam day, i was sick (i got cold) and felt myself terribly. Test started very good, got two easy essay topics and managed to write in 26-28 minutes. Then took a break and started quant. I can tell that all questions were similar to gmatprep's both in difficulty level in and in concepts. However, somewhere i had to guess and i believe (unfortunately) that i made some silly mistakes. The same think with verbal.

I have never received such a low score in preparation except the first gmatprep without any preparation (had exactly 540 that time). Especially, V20 was not appeared in any of my CATs. Unfortunately I used only gmatprep and powerprep CATs.

I am totally exhausted. I spent almost three month at least 2-3 hours a day. Being non native speaker, i tried to do my best in verbal, but i knew that verbal was my weakest area especially RC and SC.

Now, after reading a lot of stories from the series of "should i retake?", i decided to prepare and take gmat again. Moreover, the desire of getting into top business school makes me to do it again. I think, i am going to prepare till summer and take exam in july or in august. I want to believe that, i can improve my verbal by from v20 to v40.

So guys, what do you think is it possible with good strategy and study plan to improve verbal from v20 to v40 (especially want to improve RC and SC) and overall score from 540 to 720? I know that, almost 200 score improvement may seem to someone impossible.

I would really appreciate if you guys and dear experts suggest me any tips or strategies to dramatically improve my verbal and overall score by almost 200 points in 6-8 months.

Thanks,

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by Night reader » Sun Oct 24, 2010 11:17 pm
You obviously can hit 38 in Verbal part of the GMAT as a non-native speaker, believe one who is in your shoes!

For the test itself I am scoring close to- and low 600s now by doing GMAT prep. All mankind tools become trivial by the time of their prolonged use, and I feel gaining the high skewness with every next trial of GMAT Prep CAT. You choose sitting for more Quant questions which are spread over various topics and try finding reasonable solutions instead. Do solve the combinatorics, probability, as well as difficult number properties, etc. while you avail time. Below I am attaching the files for your help in Quant. If you are ready to invest further into GMAT, please buy a bundle from GMAC (www.mba.com) of three paper tests and three CATs for Quant - the quantitaive focus (it will cost $140). These should boost your CAT confidence and allow for solving math problems while you drill into Verbal part of the GMAT. Do no let your Quant score go down by idling in math area. Your Quant's scaled score will be estimated accurately with the above mentioned product of GMAC.

For a Verbal part of the GMAT, many of us erroneously believe that SC-s would be their strongest area during test taking day. Those are being based on knowing general grammar rules ONLY. The GMAT grammar is a specialized area which requires at least 40 hours of reading additional rules. GMAT is not math nor grammar test combined in one. It is a specialized test like one profession I know and was practicing in business - auditing. The latter is neither accounting nor the auditing lecture series from your business school. This is a specialized area you must be experiencing to succeed in. Below is one useful file for your help in SC.

Also, you may read the Power Score CR Bible, if you are able obtain this book. Raising one's score in CR will boost one's RC score in the GMAT. Important tip: as a non-native speaker I use my method for answering 90-92% questions on RC correctly at any time I attempt RC. I read in my own (native) language through the lines and remember text(s) by simplifying its (their) wording. But do not do this for CR. You should go beyond the stated facts in CR' text and premises and come up with wrong conclusion (false answer). For CR read English only /...exception is only some very complicated text(s) of the CR problems - you have to simplify the text(s) to understand. For RC do translate in your mind and remember the text(s) in the passage. This will eat your time only once when you read the text(s), but it will recover time after you start answering all RC questions following the passage (usually three-four questions).

Your may wish to plan accordingly in order to hit 49-50 scaled score in Quant at any time - use the reliable CATs like one of GMAC's quant focus (CATs can be obtained separately too). Try having redone the Verbal review questions from OG11 or 12 and hit correct answers. Look up Beat the gmat free flash cards - their of great use and benefit as flash cards.

Good luck in your GMAT work!
Attachments
Sol-Must gmat problems (Solutions).doc
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Sol-300+ GMAT Math questions with Best Solutions.doc
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Gayathari's SC notes .doc
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My knowledge frontiers came to evolve the GMATPill's methods - the credited study means to boost the Verbal competence. I really like their videos, especially for RC, CR and SC. You do check their study methods at https://www.gmatpill.com

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by bkobilov » Mon Oct 25, 2010 5:19 am
Thank you night reader for great advice. Really appreciate that.

Here are the materials I used:
OG Review 10,12
MGMAT SC guide- old version
PowerScore CR Bible
and lots of materials form BTG and forums, including flashcards, sc notes and quant materials
BTG practice questions
Soon going to buy MGMAT CATs with SC guide 4th edition.

Thanks for attachments, very useful materials

Good luck to you too in your preparation!

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by Night reader » Mon Oct 25, 2010 5:46 am
bkobilov wrote:Thank you night reader for great advice. Really appreciate that.

Here are the materials I used:
OG Review 10,12
MGMAT SC guide- old version
PowerScore CR Bible
and lots of materials form BTG and forums, including flashcards, sc notes and quant materials
BTG practice questions
Soon going to buy MGMAT CATs with SC guide 4th edition.

Thanks for attachments, very useful materials

Good luck to you too in your preparation!
Hello again, without prejudice I would not go for MGMAT CATs

plz read my post at https://www.beatthegmat.com/gmat-prep-vs ... 49-15.html
My knowledge frontiers came to evolve the GMATPill's methods - the credited study means to boost the Verbal competence. I really like their videos, especially for RC, CR and SC. You do check their study methods at https://www.gmatpill.com