Need your suggestion to improve Verbal

[gmat321]

Hi all,

I have appeared in exam last wednesday. I got 540 (Q49, V16). During dummy test i usually score 20-26 in verbal. Even in Kaplan test my score in verbal was 20-26 but in exam I got only 16 which is my lowest score in verbal ever.

Please suggest me how to improve in verbal to reach atleast 30.

Thanks.

[VP_Tatiana]

Hi there,

It sounds like a couple things may have happened. For one, you may have just gotten test anxiety. I'm not sure why it affected verbal more than math, but maybe it affected your concentration when reading passages. If that is the case, you'll need to find a mental trick to break your anxiety. I have heard a gamut of techniques, including imagining you are Bruce Lee going to go kung-fu those GMAT problems.

You may have a fundamental weakness in grammar or in reading comprehension. Strunk and White's book Elements of Style is great for brushing up your grammar. To improve reading comprehension, practice critical reading of business, science, and social science articles. Make sure you can pick out scope, tone, and main point; those are the keys do doing well on RC questions.

Lastly, you may have blanked out on your verbal tips and tricks. In that case, review the strategies presented in the books you studied.

As I always recommend, take a stab at problems that challenge you, then understand why it is you missed each one you missed. That is at least one more mistake you should be able to avoid come exam time!

Best wishes,

Tatiana