NEW GMAT Strategy Help

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NEW GMAT Strategy Help

by k-deep83 » Wed Nov 19, 2008 4:09 pm
I have been reading all the postings on this site for quite a while now and was hoping if you guys can give me some advice/feedback on how to overcome the GMAT. I am out of ideas and have been defected twice on this exam. And have no idea how to move forward, in regards to studying for the third time.


I have completed OG 11 at least 5 times and have completed the questions in the separately sold OG Quant and OG Verbal at least 3 times. As for quant in the OG books I have not had too much difficulty doing these questions, I really start to see more mistakes past the 225 question mark in the orange book. As for verbal, I don't have a hard time with the RC and CR , but I do admit I am weak in SC. I have practically memorized all three of the books, by doing the questions over and over and over again.

As for practice exams I have completed the GMAT Prep exams 11 times and also done 1 power-prep exam and 2 Princeton Review exams. For the GMAT Prep I scored between 550-650 and for the PR Test I got 540 twice, and as for the Power-prep I got a 680. I know that the software will have repeat questions but I attempted to minimize it by doing the tests at my local university and doing them on different computers. My quant scores ranged from 39-44 while verbal was between 30-35.

I wrote the exam yesterday for the second time and got the exact same score as when I wrote it back in August, a 470. I was hoping if you could please send me a GMAT Strategy schedule if you already have one that I can follow to write this exam again. Or if you can give me additional advice on what I need to focus on to get a score over 600. I am not looking for a 700+ just a good score over 600.
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by VP_Jim » Wed Nov 19, 2008 6:24 pm
Just a thought, but working on the OG over and over again may be your problem here. You mentioned that you have pretty much "memorized" the guides, which may be part of the reason why you're not finding most of the questions very difficult anymore.

I always recommend taking a long time (as in, 10 minutes or more per question) to analyze the answer - no matter if you got the question right or wrong - so that you know WHY the correct answer choice is what it is. Also, even though I do think that the OG and the quant and verbal guides should be enough practice for most students, it seems as if you should branch out and try some other prep materials as well. You know that you are weak in SC, target that area more when you begin studying again.

Have you considered taking a prep course? Sometimes students just need a fresh perspective into their studying to figure out what their next steps should be.
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by k-deep83 » Wed Nov 19, 2008 7:10 pm
hey jim,

thanks for the feedback, and yes I am now going to downgrade and work with OG 10th edition. I also got a tutor to help me focus on areas I am weak in as well. I have also found online additional RC, CR, and SC questions online. I am also going to pay special attention to DS questions as well. I think nerves and over confidence due to completing the same books over again was my downfall.

I think I am almost where I need to be, but I need to improve in such areas as DS and SC for sure. So from your opinion I should leave the materials such as OG 11 and the OG Quant and OG Verbal alone and focus on newer material only?

Thanks again

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by Stacey Koprince » Mon Nov 24, 2008 1:02 pm
I received a PM asking me to respond.

Jim gives really good advice. Below are some questions to ask yourself as you study problems. OG10 has about 75% overlap with OG11 and the verbal supplements, so you're going to see a lot of questions you've done already, but maybe this time around you can work more on analysis. You do also need some fresh questions, and you'll get some out of OG10, but you may also want to use some other sources as well. Ask around and see what people recommend. (And, for additional official math problems, you can also try GMAT Focus.)

First, keep an error log and write down precisely why you get any problem wrong - NOT (just) how to do it correctly, but why you did it incorrectly. There may be multiple reasons.  Then figure out how you can change your methods or institute new habits in such a way that you will minimize the chances of repeating that type of error in the future.

Don't forget that, sometimes, what you will need to decide is, "This problem is out of my reach.  My best approach is to make an educated guess and move on."  Then figure out how to do that.

As you study a problem (whether you got it right or wrong), try to answer these questions:
Was I able to CATEGORIZE this question by topic and subtopic? By process / technique?
Did I make a CONNECTION to previous experience? Or did I have to do it all from scratch?
Did I COMPREHEND the symbols, text, questions, statements, and answer choices?
Did I understand the CONTENT being tested?
Did I choose the best APPROACH?
Did I have the SKILLS to follow through?
Am I comfortable with OTHER STRATEGIES that would have worked, at least partially? How should I have made an educated guess?
Do I understand every TRAP & TRICK that the writer built into the question, including wrong answers?
Have I MASTERED this problem? Could I explain every aspect, fully, to someone else?
How will I RECOGNIZE similar problems in the future?

When doing verbal, dig in a little bit deeper. Articulate:
- specifically why each wrong answer is wrong
- which wrong answer is the most tempting and why (or why you were tempted by the wrong one you picked)
- how to recognize that the tempting wrong answer is still wrong anyway so you can eliminate it
- why someone might be tempted to eliminate the right answer (or why you did eliminate a right answer)
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by wickely » Mon Nov 24, 2008 1:08 pm
I think working with a tutor is a good idea. I think the only materials you haven't used that are quality materials are the Manhattan GMAT ones, so work through those for some fresh questions. The quality of your prep matters more than the quantity, so instead of powering through again, slow down and try to figure out why things aren't working.