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Verbal score imrovement strategy

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Verbal score imrovement strategy

by surajsagi » Wed Jan 21, 2009 3:17 am
Hi all,

Brief background - started preparing for GMAT in May 2008, took the test in sep and got 650 (49q, 30v), reworked on verbal and took the test again in Dec, only to get a 640 (49q, 28v). (I am from India, so a high score is a must for me).

Your recommendations have helped me a lot in the past, but there seems to be something fundamentally wrong with my english, hence i am not getting desired results (inspite of hardwork and smart work )

I plan to retake my exam in Sep this yr, i have good 6 months to improve my verbal skills....and i am looking at working on my fundamentals and vocabulary.....and engage in activities such as reading, wren & martin, vocabulary builder books etc. However, i am not sure a) how to go about it and b) what kind of material should i read.

I intend to work only my english fundamentals (no questions) for next 6 months and later use 3-4 weeks for actual practice and CATS. I also plan to give 1 full exam per months (probably retake MGMAT exams) to check my progress and be in practice.

I would highly appreciate, if you could help me on this. I am open to any kind of suggestions here.

My practice tests score were in range of 630 to 680, quant range 43 to 46 and verbal range 30 to 35.

Thanks in advance,
SM
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by Stacey Koprince » Fri Jan 23, 2009 10:00 am
I received a PM asking me to respond. Congrats on your very strong quant work - keep up the good work!

On the verbal side, if you are struggling with reading comp and vocab, I do think it's a good idea to look for some sources of pure reading material. Here are some ideas specifically for RC:

* https://magazine.uchicago.edu/ - particularly articles in the "Investigations" tab
* https://harvardmagazine.com/
* https://sciam.com/ (This can get a bit too casual for the GMAT, but it helps on the science side of things.)

Also just more general sources for improving vocab: NYTimes, The Economist, business and nonfiction books on any topics that you find of interest.

If you're planning to retake in Sep, I would concentrate solely on the reading for maybe 3 months, not 6. Continue to do the reading the entire time, but after about 3 months, start to do some problems. You don't have to do a ton (you shouldn't, actually!) but you should start to do some GMAT-targeted study and practice problems.

You don't mention what GMAT-lesson materials you've used so far, but use the next 3 months to do some research and decide whether to continue using what you have been using or whether to get some new materials. (I'm not talking about OG here: you should definitely have and use OG, even if you've done those problems before. I'm talking about books that teach you how to answer the different kinds of questions on the GMAT.)

Then start using that stuff about 3 months from now - slowly and steadily, not all at once - really make sure you master stuff before you move on to new material.

Keep an error log (see below) and write down precisely why you get any problem wrong.  Then figure out how you can change your methods or institute new habits in such a way that you will minimize the chances of repeating that type of error in the future. Don't forget that, sometimes, what you will need to decide is, "This problem is out of my reach.  My best approach is to make an educated guess and move on."  Then figure out how to do that.

For the ones you got wrong, answer these questions:
1) Why did I get it wrong (as specifically as possible)?
2) What could I do to minimize the chance of making that error (or those errors) again?  How will I make whatever that is a habit so that I really do minimize chances of making the same error again?
3) What are the right ways to approach it?
4) Of the right ways, which one is the best way for me (combining both efficiency and effectiveness) given my strengths and weaknesses?
5) How will I recognize problems of similar type in future so that I can apply that "best way" to the problem?

For ones you get right:
1) Did I really know what I was doing or did I get lucky?  If I got lucky, review all of the "wrong answer" questions, above
2) If I did know what I was doing, did I also do it in the best way (for me)?  If not, figure out the best way for you.
3) How will I recognize problems of similar type in future so that I can either repeat my original success or apply my new "best way" to the problem?

For every question, whether you got it right or wrong:
- specifically why each wrong answer is wrong
- which wrong answer is the most tempting and why
- how to recognize that the tempting wrong answer is still wrong anyway so you can eliminate it
- why someone might be tempted to eliminate the right answer

(The above is in addition to obvious things, such as: why is the right answer right?)

I also like your plan to take one practice test a month in the months leading up to Sep. During the last month, you may want to take 3 tests: 4 weeks before, 2 weeks before, and 1 week before.
Please note: I do not use the Private Messaging system! I will not see any PMs that you send to me!!

Stacey Koprince
GMAT Instructor
Director of Online Community
Manhattan GMAT

Contributor to Beat The GMAT!

Learn more about me
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