Manhattan Verbal Guides

[gmat_for_life]

Hello Experts,

I recently gave the GMAT but scored a dismal 640(QA: 48 and VA: 30). To add insult to injury, my IR score is a mere 2.0. Could you please let me know my chances at the top 50 b schools in the US and the Canadian B schools? Which schools could I target in particular?

Additionally, I have decided to retake the GMAT within the next 2 months. I need some suggestions regarding how should I approach the Manhattan guides. In what sequence should I study these guides and which practice materials should I follow along with them. Any help would be really appreciated

Regards,
Amit

[[email protected]]

Hi Amit,

First off, a 640/Q48 is a solid score (it's right around the 80th percentile overall), so it could be enough to get you into your first-choice School. As such, a retest might not be necessary. You're ultimately asking Admissions questions though, so you would likely find it beneficial to speak with an Admissions Expert about your overall profile. There's a Forum full of them here:

https://www.beatthegmat.com/ask-an-mba-a ... t-f40.html

Saying that you want to go to a Top-50 School is a rather 'vague' statement; you should do a bit of research to determine exactly what you want out of an MBA, then find the Programs that match what you're looking for. If you do decide to retest, then I'll be happy to offer you advice on how best to put together a study plan for the next couple of months.

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

[gmat_for_life]

Thanks a lot Rich! 😊

Does a low IR score really matter during the application process?

Regards,
Amit

[[email protected]]

Hi Amit,

Many Business Schools have publicly stated that they do not use an applicant's IR score during the application review process, so you likely have nothing to worry about there.

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

[ceilidh.erickson]

I need some suggestions regarding how should I approach the Manhattan guides. In what sequence should I study these guides and which practice materials should I follow along with them. Any help would be really appreciated

Hi Amit,

First of all - congratulations on your impressive Quant score! A 48 shows strong mastery of the material. If you can get your Verbal up into the high 30's, then you'll be above a 700.

As Rich said, don't worry too much about the IR. Practice your timing a little bit to try to go up a few points, but your score there doesn't matter much (at least if you're applying this year).

As for how to use the Manhattan Prep guides, here's what you should do:

- Before you start, analyze any practice tests you've taken in a lot of depth. Which areas were you weakest? Strongest? Fastest? Slowest? Decide which topics and question types need more of your time and attention.

- Starting with the topics that are weakest, go through the Mprep guides one chapter at a time, and do the following:
1. Start with the problem set at the end of the chapter, and quiz yourself before you even read the chapter.
2. Read the chapter, making particular note of anything you struggled with in the problem set.
3. Redo the problem set and see how you do after reading.
4. Do a set of OG questions related to that topic. You can find problems by topic using GMAT Navigator: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/stor ... navigator/

Do this for each chapter in the Quant and Verbal strategy guides. Aim to do this in 8-10 weeks.

- Make sure you are tracking all of the OG questions you do, and timing yourself while you practice. Hold yourself to strict 2-min time limits per question! (I highly recommend using Navigator to track your timing on OG problems)

- Keep a record of any mistakes you make, so you can locate patterns in your errors: https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... -studying/

- Once you've covered all of the topics, practice your skills with random timed sets out of the OGs. Set the timer for 20 minutes, for example, and do questions 1-10 (skipping any you've already done).

- Take a practice test after 3 weeks, then 2 weeks after that. Increase to a test every week for the last 2 weeks before your real exam.

- Analyze your data from the random sets and practice tests, and go back to any topics that need extra work.

Good luck!

[gmat_for_life]

Hello Ceilidh,

Thanks a lot for your detailed suggestion.I have bookmarked this page for further reference.

Regards,
Amit

[MartyMurray]

Hello Amit.

Here is another suggestion for increasing your verbal score, one involving a key detail that can make a HUGE difference.

To increase your verbal score, do most of the verbal practice questions that you do on an UNTIMED basis.

In order to score high on the GMAT verbal section, you need to notice key details of the prompts, passages, questions and answer choices and to be clear about the logic of what is going on. In order to do that for question after question on the test you need to develop an eye for the details and solid analytical skills.

Generally, spending two or three minutes per question is not sufficient for developing those things. Those things are best developed via spending as long as it takes to see the details and logic of practice questions. As long as it takes can mean five minutes, fifteen minutes, or even three hours. I mean, it can help to leave a question and come back to it hours later and continue working on it.

Once you get good at seeing the details and logic of the prompts, passages, questions and answer choices, you can seek to handle them faster. First, however, you need to get good at seeing what's going on and and getting RIGHT answers. No rule, concept, strategy or technique is as useful as developing an eye for the details and good analytical skills.