My way of memorizing SC 'topics'

[piyushdabomb]

Hi,

Don't have a question but a memory statement regarding Sentence Correction type questions. After going through the MGMAT SC book, I've noticed that 'majority' of the Sentences Fall into the topics rightly provided by the MGMAT book.

Because I'm a very QUANT type person and SC seems to be the only section I can treat like a math problem, I memorize the SC topics using the following phrase:

CPIMPS(TM). If you can remember the letter C, PIMPS and TM (for TradeMark), what you can do is use the term for majority of your sentence corrections.

C = Concision
P = Pronoun
I = Idioms
M = Modifiers
P = Parallelism
S = S-V Agreement
T = Tense
M = Meaning

What I do is that when I see an SC question, first write CPIMPS(TM) on my sheet and for each topic going backwards, I look for possible errors in the original sentence. If I find them, I scan the answer choices and start eliminating!

For me this works because I'm a very structured person. I NEED to have a start and end point. CPIMPS(TM) keeps me from forgetting what to look for.

The order doesn't matter as much as knowing what to look for. I've noticed that if I'm stuck because I can't find any possible issues, by using these topics in a structured fashion, I can crack the case.

[komal]

This is a simple yet very effective strategy, thx a million for sharing it

[sars72]

Interesting. This will definitely be helpful for those who are in the initial phases of their GMAT prep. However, in my case atleast, I followed the split strategy specified in the MGMAT book and found it quite effective. First check for an error in the given statement(s). If you find an error, then scan the answer choices and check if the mistake is repeated. Eliminate those. Check the similarities between the remaining answer choices and group them into sets e.g. 2 choices will use "had" and the other 2 will use "have" instead. Eliminiate accordinly until you arrive at the BEST answer.

[thephoenix]

Hi,

Don't have a question but a memory statement regarding Sentence Correction type questions. After going through the MGMAT SC book, I've noticed that 'majority' of the Sentences Fall into the topics rightly provided by the MGMAT book.

Because I'm a very QUANT type person and SC seems to be the only section I can treat like a math problem, I memorize the SC topics using the following phrase:

CPIMPS(TM). If you can remember the letter C, PIMPS and TM (for TradeMark), what you can do is use the term for majority of your sentence corrections.

C = Concision
P = Pronoun
I = Idioms
M = Modifiers
P = Parallelism
S = S-V Agreement
T = Tense
M = Meaning

What I do is that when I see an SC question, first write CPIMPS(TM) on my sheet and for each topic going backwards, I look for possible errors in the original sentence. If I find them, I scan the answer choices and start eliminating!

For me this works because I'm a very structured person. I NEED to have a start and end point. CPIMPS(TM) keeps me from forgetting what to look for.

The order doesn't matter as much as knowing what to look for. I've noticed that if I'm stuck because I can't find any possible issues, by using these topics in a structured fashion, I can crack the case.

hey piyush grt technique.....
i was wondering if u cud post one or two s/c question demonstrating your approach ....
thanks

[money9111]

thanks for posting this... worst case scenario... someone writes it down on the top of their notepad... if it helps 1 person get 1 question correct then that's great... i think i've gotten to a place where im usually aware of what to look for... but hey you never know right?

[gmatmachoman]

Piyush Bhai,

awesome!!! Plz do post some examples showcasing the tip CPIMPS(TM)

[piyushdabomb]

I'm really sorry I just got to this.

I'll show you how this works in a couple days! Its worked VERY well for me so far. Although I'm not getting them 'all' right, at least, I'm close using CPIMPS.

[piyushdabomb]

thanks for posting this... worst case scenario... someone writes it down on the top of their notepad... if it helps 1 person get 1 question correct then that's great... i think i've gotten to a place where im usually aware of what to look for... but hey you never know right?

I can imagine that after 5 time pressured sections on the GMAT exam, it must be difficult to remember everything, unless you have spent a significant amount of time on SC alone to know it all (or are an english major). With these guidelines, it helps to just have your head wrapped around the major concepts.

[piyushdabomb]

Interesting. This will definitely be helpful for those who are in the initial phases of their GMAT prep. However, in my case atleast, I followed the split strategy specified in the MGMAT book and found it quite effective. First check for an error in the given statement(s). If you find an error, then scan the answer choices and check if the mistake is repeated. Eliminate those. Check the similarities between the remaining answer choices and group them into sets e.g. 2 choices will use "had" and the other 2 will use "have" instead. Eliminiate accordinly until you arrive at the BEST answer.

Sars - Thanks. I agree with using the SPLIT method, but what are you going to split if you don't know what to look for?

CPIMPS(TM) seems to help watch out for splits, IMO.