please could someone help on this? I'd be hugely thankful for any advice...

Hi JSL,

Seeing a variation in CAT scores is very normal. Even if your test conditions are nearly the same each time, sometimes you might be more tired, sometimes you may be more on your game, sometimes the questions will just seem written for you.

The bigger issue, I think, is that you may have some confusion over the percentiles. A higher percentile translates to a higher GMAT score. For instance, a 760 or higher is 99th percentile. If your score has gone from 59th to 55th percentile this week, it looks like it is decreasing.

Because your scores are jumping, but overall falling, it looks like you may need a new study strategy. Rather than spend 3+ hours each week taking a CAT, you may want to use that time to improve fundamentals. If your issues are with grammar, you may want to read Strunk and White's Elements of Style. If you have trouble with reading comprehension, you may want to practice your critical reading skills on business and science articles and literature.

You are the best one to troubleshoot your weak areas. More than just look at your percentile, you need to see what types of problems you are missing. Do you miss them equally when the difficultly level hits a certain score (ie 500)? Or is one area bringing down your overall score?

Make sure that you read over the explanations for every problem that you miss. It is essential that you understand each problem you miss to avoid missing a similar question in the future.

Best wishes,

Tatiana

Hi jsl, try manhattan verbal review, its highly recommended for SC.
also try some RC strategies - reading each para and summarizing it in the paper before trying to answer - this will help u focus on reading the passage.. hope it helps u..