GMAT 650 (Q-48, V-31) - Retaking in a month

[romitsn]

Hi,

I just appeared for my GMAT yesterday and scored 650(Quant -48, Verbal -31). I am planning to take the GMAT in a month again. As you can clearly see my Verbal score let me down. My target score is ~ 720, for which I definitely need to up my verbal score to at least 40. I think I messed the quant section also to some extent. I had been getting 50-52 consistently in Quant, in the Manhattan, Kaplan and GMAC mock tests.

My verbal score is very much reflective of what I used to get in the various mock tests. So,my question is, how do i Increase my Verbal score.

The most painful questions in the Verbal section for me are the RC type questions. Questions like - what is the main idea of the passage, among the below options what is the author most likely to agree with, etc are the ones that I struggle the most with. I am able to narrow down to 2 choices after which I lose my way many a times.

However overall, I would like to sharpen my CR and SC skills. What books, resources or courses do you guys advice for me to follow to boost my verbal preparation during the next 30-45 days.

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Hi romitsn,

First off, a 650/Q48 is a good score (right around the 80th percentile overall), so it's not a terrible performance. Depending on the schools that you're considering, this score might be enough to get you in.

You've identified your primary issue (Verbal), but I'd like to know a bit more about your studies:

1) How long did you study?
2) What resources did you use (was it all books, except for the CATs?)?
3) Can you list your CAT results (including Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)?
4) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT every time (or did you skip the Essay and/or IR sections)?

With your current score, my guess is that you could be comfortably retest in the timeframe you've listed, but you're not going to score 720+ by "winging it" in the Verbal section. You'll likely need to invest in some new resources and learn some specific Verbal tactics.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

[romitsn]

Sure Rich. I will answer your questions, point by point-

1. I purchased the entire set of Manhattan books about 4 months back. I dilly-dallied with the books on and off for the first 2 months and only got to some sort of regular study schedule in the last 2 months. However even during these last 2 months, owing to a lot of work pressure and some health issues, I was able to put only about 45-60 minutes everyday during the weekdays and maybe 3-4 hours during the weekends .

2. As I said , I purchased the entire set of Manhattan books about 4 months back. I went through the books covering Quant topics. I went through the SC book. but I almost didn't even open the CR and RC book. So I admit it's a little hypocritical of me to have not even gone through the Verbal books and then ask for advice here in this forum . I also used the BTG and GmatClub forums a lot

3. Kaplan mock 1- 670 (Q51, V30)
Kaplan mock 2 - 660 (Q50, V30)
GMAC 1 - 640 (Q50, V28)
GMAC2 - 650 (Q49, V31) -- 2 days before the exam and almost exactly same as my actual GMAT score.

I somehow don't have the records for my 2 Manhattan GMAT Scores, but they were in the 630-670 range.

4. In the mock tests, used to do the IR sections but skip the Essay section,except for the last GMAC test that I took, where I wrote the essay to get some practice going.

As I write this response, I realize that I haven't been very methodical with my preparation, I didn't maintain a records of some of my tests, didn't maintain an error log etc. It was more like cramming in some prep questions from BTG or Gmatclub whenever I found time.

I live in Chicago and I am aiming to get into Booth or Kellogs. Since I work in IT, I guess I definitely need a 700+ score, to even stand a chance at these schools.

-Regards
Romit

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Hi Romit,

I think you have a pretty good sense of what you didn't do during your studying the first time around.

The interesting part to me is your overall consistency across both the Quant and Verbal sections - whatever mindset you were in, you stuck with it. You now need to develop a new mindset for the Verbal section.

You've listed some schools that are in the Top10, so they're both really competitive and a higher GMAT score would likely help your overall application. As it stands, a 650/Q48 (in and of itself) would probably not keep you out of contention, but it's understandable why you would want to retest.

From here, you can continue on in a couple of ways:
1) Since you admit that you didn't do much Verbal Prep, you can invest the time and energy with the materials that you already have and see how you improve.
2) You can invest in some new materials that will teach you specific tactics for the Verbal section.

Regardless of how you proceed, you must take FULL CATs - endurance and fatigue are a part of the Official GMAT - if you're not properly facing those issues during your practice, then you won't be ready for them on Test Day.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

[romitsn]

I had planned to retake the GMAT earlier, but due to some personal issues and work pressure , I ended up taking it today. I got a 680 (Q49 V 33).

I have been scoring consistently in the 700-710 range in the Kaplan full length tests. But I fell a little short in the actual test today. My goal is to score somewhere between 720-740. I want to get into a top 20 program . I think with this score it's going to be difficult.

I am planning to retake. Looks like Verbal is my nemesis. Any specific tips to improve verbal. My sore points are CR and any derivative questions in RC such as what is the author most likely to agree with, what is the main idea of the passage etc.

--Regards
Romit

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Hi Romit,

You might consider talking with an Admissions Expert and reviewing the details of your application. A 680/Q49 is an improvement over your prior performance and could very easily help you to get into a Top-20 program (assuming that the other aspects of your application are solid).

Since you have not defined how you've been studying over the last 3 months, all I can do is evaluate your Official scores and offer some perspective. GMAC openly states that Official Scores are within about +-29 points of actual ability. This means that your 680 is statistically within range of what your prior 650 COULD have been. Without evidence to prove otherwise, this makes me think that you made no significant changes to how you "see" the GMAT and earned a slightly higher score that was based more on the design of the Test and a bit of luck on your part.

To score in the 720-740 range, you're going to have to OVERHAUL how you approach the Verbal section. This is not about "tips" or general advice - this requires that you learn and rigorously practice new Verbal tactics and working with new Verbal material.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

[romitsn]

Thanks Rich !

Between my first and second attempt, I took up the e-GMAT course for verbal. However owing to a lot of work pressure, I was able to complete only about 70% of the course. I do agree with your point that an improvement of the score,from the previous 650 to 680,could be due to better luck and/or different exam conditions. However, I feel, I certainly have improved in verbal and have better clarity of the passages and reasoning questions.

My question is, it it possible to cross the 700 mark if I concentrate on the verbal section only and retake the exam in another month.

[[email protected]]

Hi romitsn,

In answer to your "big" question: YES, you can absolutely score 700+ in the next month. You've said that your goal was to score in the 720-740 range though, and that requires a higher attention to detail. At the highest scoring levels, the GMAT becomes really "sensitive" to little mistakes though. As such, you can't really go into either the Quant or Verbal sections without a well-trained mind, a series of tactics that you can use over-and-over and the ability the stay organized and NOT make little mistakes.

At this point, the issue is NOT intelligence, the issue is training. HOW were you trained? HOW do you respond to GMAT prompts? If you look at prompts and think "I don't have any idea what to do", then you're not going to score at the really high level you're aiming at. You have to train to be flawless on any questions that you can reasonably get correct, THEN be ready to properly handle the tougher prompts when they show up.

You have gotten to this score level using a variety of resources, and they might help you to break 700, but I don't think that they're going to help you to get to your goal. You're likely going to need to invest in some new material that will help you handle the GMAT in some new ways.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich