Timing related issue in SC questions

This topic has expert replies
Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
Posts: 10
Joined: Sun May 10, 2015 11:35 pm
Thanked: 2 times
i started preparing for GMAT around two months back. I am facing a problem when i attempt SC questions in online quizzes.

In a online prep course for GMAT is was taught to break up the entire sentence into clauses and then look for each and evry kind of error (the 7-8 major errors of GMAT).

I have tried to solve over 150 problems online of varing levels. So i have some practise of it. My accuracy is around a 51%. I know there is a good scope to improve as i revise my lessons.

My question is strictly associated with timing. By the time we figure out the complete meaning of the sentence and also notice half of the errors, i find myself to have exhausted the 1.5- 2 minutes.

I wish to ask that should i take some time out while solving each and every problem, to check for all the 8 possible errors.

My accuracy is still around 51%. what could help me improve accuracy.
Could you please suggest me a way to plan to solve the SC problem and also put a time frame for each step?
pls help?


How could i revise and improve further. My skill level is such that i am still in the 600 level.
Please help.
Source: — Sentence Correction |

User avatar
MBA Admissions Consultant
Posts: 2279
Joined: Fri Nov 11, 2011 7:51 am
Location: New York
Thanked: 660 times
Followed by:266 members
GMAT Score:770

by Jim@StratusPrep » Tue Jul 14, 2015 8:37 am
This could be a number of things. How confident do you feel with the grammatical rules? Is it that you need to learn them still or are you struggling with identifying errors in the sentences?
GMAT Answers provides a world class adaptive learning platform.
-- Push button course navigation to simplify planning
-- Daily assignments to fit your exam timeline
-- Organized review that is tailored based on your abiility
-- 1,000s of unique GMAT questions
-- 100s of handwritten 'digital flip books' for OG questions
-- 100% Free Trial and less than $20 per month after.
-- Free GMAT Quantitative Review

Image

Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
Posts: 10
Joined: Sun May 10, 2015 11:35 pm
Thanked: 2 times

by [email protected] » Tue Jul 14, 2015 8:44 pm
definitely there are some areas where i need to work on identifying errors.

But i wish to ask how to time my approach to a SC problem.


Could you suggest me a method to approach an SC problem:-

Could you put it in steps along with the timing (max-min) for each of the steps, so that i finish even the tougher problems comfortably.
I will try to bring down each step for the SC within the required time frame.
(You could assume my current ability of around 600)

User avatar
MBA Admissions Consultant
Posts: 2279
Joined: Fri Nov 11, 2011 7:51 am
Location: New York
Thanked: 660 times
Followed by:266 members
GMAT Score:770

by Jim@StratusPrep » Wed Jul 15, 2015 4:45 am
What you want to work on is the basic problems first. If you are having troubles with some error identifying and grammatical issues, you don't need to worry about how to solve the "tougher" problems yet. Those are simply extensions of easier concepts.

For example, even in the sentence you wrote to me, the proper phrasing is:

"Could you suggest to me..."

The reason I say this is that there really are only 2 steps to an SC problem:

1) Identify differences in the answer choices
2) Pick the difference that is grammatically correct and/or most concise while conveying the proper meaning.

In harder problems, the differences are simply more subtle.
GMAT Answers provides a world class adaptive learning platform.
-- Push button course navigation to simplify planning
-- Daily assignments to fit your exam timeline
-- Organized review that is tailored based on your abiility
-- 1,000s of unique GMAT questions
-- 100s of handwritten 'digital flip books' for OG questions
-- 100% Free Trial and less than $20 per month after.
-- Free GMAT Quantitative Review

Image

User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 2663
Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2015 8:25 am
Location: Boston, MA
Thanked: 1153 times
Followed by:128 members
GMAT Score:770

by DavidG@VeritasPrep » Wed Jul 15, 2015 5:10 am
My accuracy is still around 51%. what could help me improve accuracy.
Could you please suggest me a way to plan to solve the SC problem and also put a time frame for each step?
pls help?
Check out our SC lesson: https://www.veritasprep.com/gmat/free-gmat-lesson/
Next, do every SC problem in the Official Guide, and really dissect why each of the incorrect answers is wrong. Anything that isn't clear, post here.
Veritas Prep | GMAT Instructor

Veritas Prep Reviews
Save $100 off any live Veritas Prep GMAT Course

• Page 1 of 1