[dehumanised]

Originally Posted by ajsin

im facing a very simmilar problem,scoring 48 to 50 im my quant but not crossing 34 in verbal...
please sugest what i should do ....also could u find a way o increase your verbal score

alrighty... from someone who had a similar problem:(my math sucked too..)

Sentence Correction:

first things first: pick up MGMAT SC, and go through each chapter very very meticulously... also take down notes and esp. jot down the ones which are highlighted.
now go through all the questions in the OG, which are marked for each chapter in MGMAT. Pick up one of those scoring sheets you find on the web (ursla's??) and score your answers... I always had an ear for grammer, so I used a colomn called 'Sounds right" and marked answers which I am not able to narrow down on an error, but they just "sounded right". Also I included another coloumn called "Alternative" and this I used to mark choics for the 2-3 split.
Once done I included an error log on the sheet, marking under which category I got the answer wrong (pronoun error, idomatic error, etc.). Towards the end I made a graphical analysis of all the answers and errors (nerdy.. yes, but all those cool dudes... this is one effective way, an hide this sheet from your girl and other friends!!) and the results are quite spetacular.. I was able to effectively narrow down on my weak areas and it was quite surprising that I made quite a number of redundancy errors. (attributed to reading a lot of fiction!!), and started working on these areas one by one, by doing the 1000 SC's.
and post that... practice, practice, practice...

Results: I am now able to spot errors very quickly and my sounds right and alternative coloumns are less populated. (i sound like one of those buy on TV commercials, but trust me it worked.. at least for me!!)
Also, the accuracy increased from 75% to 89% and improving...

Critical Reasoning:

Unfortunately no help here... I was good at CR's earlier and I guess you just need to pay more attention to the prompt, and identify the structure (assumption,conclusion,premise) and not jump the gun at all... most of the CR's are quite logical as long as you do not fall into the trap of interpreting your version of the logical prompt!! and post that... practice, practice, practice...

Reading Comprehension:
Hmmm.... one area which puzzled me the most and hurt my previous verbal score... all I can suggest here is to always form a mental roadmap as to what the author is trying to say, use the same tactic as the CR i.e. assumption,conclusion,premise and include how the author logically progresses from one paragraph to another, this should help you get started, also make sure you pay real good attention to 1st and the last para...and post that... practice, practice, practice...

For all the 3 sections, I used to track my answers and errors and analyse them once I finish a material... you can try doing that, or any which way you prefer, but do try to keep track of your errors and progress....

I have just got a date for my GMAT trial 2: 16th August 2008, hope to take on the beast again... well if I do fail after all the above.....
nothing... will try again... I hate it when fate messes with me!! an never say die to an ariean!

Hope this has been of help.. if you require any material/error logs.. do PM me!!

[dehumanised]

Originally Posted by viralin123

sounds like a chapter from my book... i took the GMAT today and ended up with a score of 660. no offense to anyone but i consider that to be quite dismal compared to what i was getting in the mock tests (maybe they were mocking me :eyepop... i have practically lost my appetite :icon_cry::icon_cry::icon_cry:

From the horses mouth!! way I see it...

I lost my appetite too, but everytime I though about it... it pissed me off.. instead of getting depressed... I still tell myself that a dumb comp. and a dumber scoring algorithm cannot tell me what I am fit for... I need to decide it myself and also two can play this game....

so instead of working harder (doing all material a to z.. an collecting software like baseball cards!) I have resolved to work smarter... I stop studying if I feel I had enough for the day, or I am not able to concentrate.. take long breaks... an get back to books..if i still feel the same... I sleep!! dont push yourself... just remember... 660 is not at all a score which proves you are dumb!! (there are still 84%tile, chaps behind ya!)

take it easy for a couple of days.. dont rush into booking dates if you plan to take it up again... settle down get drunk and wear yourself out partying!! once done, put everything behind and get back into the groove afresh!!

dont touch initially, the stuff/material you have already worked on during the last prep. instead, pick up some JJ's and try some books like MGMAT and old OG's!(if ya havn't done that earlier!) run a diag. test first and by now you should be able to identify your weak areas...
work on those one-by-one, and say you complete SC, and move on to RC.. try working on some SC's questions (around 10-15) every day just to maintain the grasp... an after RC's move into CR's and now do 10SC's and 3 RC's every day as you prepare for CR's... once done move on to Quant.. but take one verbal test every day(75mins) and ensure you work on each muscle one at a time, like an athelte and not try like one of those lose weight in 6days program!! It might or might not work for GMAT...

Primarily... past is past... neither you nor I can get it back... so forget what happened and move on... this time with a vengence!! GMAT is afterall just a filter paper developed by some homo sapiens... its not the red sea thrown in your way... an neither does it require divine intervention... (save that for the app'ing process!!)

[shravanthi84]

Originally Posted by viralin123

sounds like a chapter from my book... i took the GMAT today and ended up with a score of 660. no offense to anyone but i consider that to be quite dismal compared to what i was getting in the mock tests (maybe they were mocking me :eyepop

well i have around 2 years of expierence in the IT industry working for a market leader in its domain with a significant proportion of that 2 years spent in UK. i am also moving to UK for a longer stint, They need me there :neutral:
i have a impeccable track record at work, core member, built a team, lead a team with no supervision... blah blah... i have strong recommendations too both from my indian manager and my director in UK...

i have decided to retake the GMAT, can anyone advice me on this... please any help is much appreciated... i have practically lost my appetite :icon_cry::icon_cry::icon_cry:

Hi,

Same story here, 650 (Math - 46, Verbal - 33) on 8th July, after 2 months of prep. I was getting scores of 740 and 720 on the GMATprep and powerPrep during my preperation.
Planning to re-take the test. Need answers to the following questions. Please help guys!!!!!!

1) Should I re-take the GMAT, all the b-schools say they are not biased towards nationality so will they correlate 650 to Indian students???...... pretty much lost hope after today :(
2) The math section was much harder than what I faced in the GMAT prep software. Is this an open secret? I have done OG-11 and Kaplan, what else can be done to better my quant scores?
3) For SC, I did OG-11, Manhattan SC and Kaplan, but still ended up with a 33 in verbal! What do I need to do?

Please help. Really low on morale and energy right now.
Thanks.

[dehumanised]

Originally Posted by shravanthi84

Same story here, 650 (Math - 46, Verbal - 33) on 8th July, after 2 months of prep. I was getting scores of 740 and 720 on the GMATprep and powerPrep during my preperation.
Planning to re-take the test. Need answers to the following questions. Please help guys!!!!!!.

Answering your questions:

1) Should I re-take the GMAT, all the b-schools say they are not biased towards nationality so will they correlate 650 to Indian students???...... pretty much lost hope after today :(

To help answer this question, we would like to know what is the range of the b-schools you are targeting i.e top10; 25-30;60-70???
650 is by no means a bad score.... even when compared with the indian pool of students, and to browbeat the same gyaan again, your GMAT score is just an indicator of your academic potential, as long as you have a stong essay and a good academic track record, your GMAT score might pale in comparision. I do understand the indian applicant pool is quite strong academically and GMAT score wise as well, but all I can suggest is build a stong convincing profile,essay and presentation and then you can cross your fingers and hope other screwed up along these lines to push your app. to forefront.
Retake the test if you feel you can again work your a^& off for the next couple of months, without any pressure from your other engagements. But do not rush into this decision, calm down and think about it, as it not only calls for dedication of time and resources but also good money to be thrown away, which you might otherwise utilize for your apps.

2) The math section was much harder than what I faced in the GMAT prep software. Is this an open secret? I have done OG-11 and Kaplan, what else can be done to better my quant scores?

This seems to be the standard feedback from all those who have taken GMAT recently. I am not sure if they have hiked up the standards (score top case???), but since GMAT is taken up globally I am quite skeptical about this. Quant performance is always relative, for others in US,UK,etc. a score of 45+ is always enviable but this should be supported by verbal score as well. All I can suggest is work primarily on your verbal score, and on quant front, try Arun Sharma or other books for CAT quant, that should ideally help prepare for any curve balls and cover you well on quant front.


3) For SC, I did OG-11, Manhattan SC and Kaplan, but still ended up with a 33 in verbal! What do I need to do?

For this, refer to the posts above...
contrary to what other say, OG is good enough for practice, but most of us go into the exam thinking the questions and the structure would be same as that in the OG. This is a potential pitfall, and to beat it there is no substitute for practice, MGMAT is a good study to identify potential errors, but remember in the exam the SC's do not fall strictly under the error categories as given chapter wise in these books, rather than working hard trying to absord all the darn rules, work smart and understand the reasoning behind an SC rule, this would go a long way in answering SC's.

Please help. Really low on morale and energy right now.

Hmmmmm... again, if you are low on morale and energy right now, forget PG forum for a while take a deep breath and immerse yourself in work,life,etc. come back when you are sufficiently relaxed and take it one step at a time. Its not like you need to retake the test in a month or two, if it needs a period of 1year before you return to normal, by all means give it that time. DONT RUSH INTO IT!! conserve the energy for the much demanding app process and interviews.... an meanwhile build your profile. MBA is not the end of life, but a part of it... so treat it like that and dont get all starry eyed with the package and the social treatment you get after your MBA, given enough time you can recharge and then attack it with a scathed vigour!! Nobody said getting through a good MBA program is easy.. if it is its not a good program anyways... all the top scorer chaps in these forums make it sound easy because at the end of the road you always look back an think that its really easy and small. But in fact it does take considerable amount of dedication and mental energy to sustain. A guy who scored 750+ is not born twice or with an abnormal IQ... its just that he worked harder/smarter than you.

..wow thats a lot of gayaan:bigear: even by my standards... anyways hope its been of help!!

Thanks

[sandy203]

Hi everybody,

am new to this, first post. Started studies for GMAT about a month and a half back and studied off and on. completed OG11 and Kaplan premier and was getting pretty confident when decided to take prac tests and finalli CAT 1 of kaplan. the scores i got have completely put me off. i was not at all as accurate as i was while reading these books. of course i am new to cmptr screen reading and ans ques especially verbal.

can somebody pls guide me what i should do, my date is still some 45 days away, any other books and especially sources for getting some realistic CAT prac?

[vyom.bagda]

Hi Pgites,

I am appearing for the GMAT in Aug End to appear for the 1st round of apps in UK. I have around 6 years of IT experience with Engg background (obvious now-a-days). Excellent acads, good management experience (20-25 member teams), good international experience ~ 5 years and a decent dip in finance world because of my IT projects like trading, funds, treasury etc etc.

I started GMAT prep about 1.5 months back with no background of any other practice earlier like CAT for IIMs, etc..

Did all the OG Qs in 1.5 months (for all five sections). Me working n married as well so couldn't give more than 2-3 hours on weekdays and 5-6 on weekends

While doing OG I had a consistent 80% accuracy (with SC a lil low 70% ) with approx 2 mins time for each Q. I checked every question which was wrong to understand why, but did not revise each wrong question again and again (to remember the mistake). Just wanted to complete one round of OG once, before going back. I did section by section, rather than 10Qs of each everyday.

I gave GMATPREP tests yesterday, but was shocked and devastated to get only 620.
Obviously me doing some basic mistake. Got 47 in Quant but 27 in Verbal. Verbal is weak obviously.
Wot i realised was that GMATPREP was giving me those 20% Qs which I couldn't solve in OG.
(now I understand da f%%%kin pareto principle!! )

Further I found that I didn't particularly had any probs with RC and CR, but in the test I did. Dunno why !!

My target is 720+ and must appear in Aug End. Further due to some personal issues, this year is my "do or die" chance or probably "now or never". Completely depressed since yesterday. Scolded some poor juniors in office as well. Don't know what is wrong. Pls help.

[dehumanised]

Originally Posted by vyom.bagda

Hi Pgites,
While doing OG I had a consistent 80% accuracy (with SC a lil low 70% ) with approx 2 mins time for each Q. I checked every question which was wrong to understand why, but did not revise each wrong question again and again (to remember the mistake). Just wanted to complete one round of OG once, before going back. I did section by section, rather than 10Qs of each everyday.
I gave GMATPREP tests yesterday, but was shocked and devastated to get only 620.
Obviously me doing some basic mistake. Got 47 in Quant but 27 in Verbal. Verbal is weak obviously.
Wot i realised was that GMATPREP was giving me those 20% Qs which I couldn't solve in OG.Further I found that I didn't particularly had any probs with RC and CR, but in the test I did. Dunno why !!
My target is 720+ and must appear in Aug End. Further due to some personal issues, this year is my "do or die" chance or probably "now or never". Completely depressed since yesterday. Scolded some poor juniors in office as well. Don't know what is wrong. Pls help.

mate.... you should seriously relax.... dont take the results to heart.. you still have plenty of time to improve and dont try eating everything piled on your plate, at once!! take a break from you prep. today and spend some quality time with family.. get back to this with fresh mind...

for verbal... follow the strategy outlined in the earlier posts here.. this will surely help!!more important that solving all the Q's in OG is to try and understand the mistakes you made earlier... this part of the process you obviously missed... also try your hand at MGMAT and Kaplan 800... PM me for the material.

whats wrong.. is you are obviously confusing the test prep strategy with your personal reasons why you need an MBA.. space out and be rational in your thought... the more stressed out you are the more mistakes you are bound to make.. so C.H.I.L.L D.O.W.N!! rationalize your thought.. if you freak out during the CAT you take at your desk.. i can imagine your state at the test center... so please pipe down and get your priorities right, analyze the errors and identify broad areas you need to work and get working...

no hardfeelings.. but I guess what you need the most now... is to put GMAT on backburner for a day or two and get back with a more rational mindset... else this vicious cycle will continue.. (it happened to me!!)

[sahil999_v]

My GMAT is in Mid Aug..Due to work pressure I'm not able to study for it regularly. Have lost touch totally lately. Can some one please tell me in this short period of time which books i should refer to . Is OG 10th Edition for both Verbal and quant is enough ?

[tanu123]

I gave my first GMATPrep test yesterday and scored 640 :huh:(46 QA and 31 VA). I am appearing for GMAT in Sept. and have only completed the OG-11 till now.I am struggling with RC. Can any one please help me here:boat:.

[diablorulez]

Originally Posted by tanu123

I gave my first GMATPrep test yesterday and scored 640 :huh:(46 QA and 31 VA). I am appearing for GMAT in Sept. and have only completed the OG-11 till now.I am struggling with RC. Can any one please help me here:boat:.

well first of all dont fret 2 months time is more than enough
apart from OG .. do get urself verbal review.. as I see ur problem is of RC I feel what the prob is of basics there is way to attempt RC and that is active reading.. check out kaplan premier where they have provided in detail way to approach RC ..then after that move over to verbal review.initially dont keep check of time and focus more on accuracy and slowly move over to speed. u need to develop active reading habit for that