I took the GMAT first time in February last year. I worked with all 3 OG guides + online Kaplan material. I studied for 4month. I scored 490.... (Verbal 21 /Quantitative36) I took several GMAT prepsoftware test and always scored the range between 430 and 500..... At that time I was more worried in quantity than in quality. My math bases were not the best. I Then I came to this site and found several advices.
I decided to first work in my Math basis. I first made a guide of basic math that had nothing to do with GMAT but that covered all the basis (fractions, number prop, etc....). Then I made all the Manhattan GMAT guides 2007 (excluding the critical reasoning, geometry and I just read the theory of the reading comprehension guide but I did not do any exercise). I did the entire CR bible and I did the entire orange OG guide excluding the RC... On the RC instead I read every day 3 hr of books in english). I timed every time I practiced for both quant and verbal. I studied for 5 month. I took just 1 test prepsoftware test one week before the test and scored 590 (Quant 44 / verbal 21). Because I just need 550 I decided to take the test and score a pathetic 450(Quant37/ Verbal 17). I think I was nervous but not to blame my nerves for this score.
I am going to take the test again in 1 ½ month. I need your advices because I do not know what else to do. I consider that my weakness areas are: RC and CR (Verbal in general). In the Quant I feel now more secure and even though I do not know why I did not increased my Quant score I feel that this is not the area of the problem. I run out of time in the last 8 questions for every both Quant and Verbal).
Please help because I do not know what else to do.
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- StaceyKoprince
- ManhattanGMAT Staff
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- Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2005 9:05 am
- Location: Montreal
To start, you need to get the hard questions wrong faster. Seriously. There is very little penalty for getting any one question wrong on the test, especially if that question is a hard one. There is a huge penalty for having a string of wrong answers in a row - and that's what you have if you run out of time with around 8 questions to go in each section.
If you leave those questions blank, then the penalty works out to about 3 percentile points per question. If you answer them randomly and get them all wrong, then the penalty works out to about 2 to 2.5 percentile points per question (note: that's for a string of wrong ones in a row, not just for an individual question or two in a row).
The reason you're running out of time is that you're spending too much time on earlier questions, right? So, here's the thing: the ones on which you're spending way too much time are the hardest ones you see - that's why you're getting sucked into spending so much time on them. And you're probably getting a majority of them wrong (after all, they're the hardest ones you're seeing!). So you're getting a lot of those wrong anyway, plus you're losing all those points at the end. That's not a good scenario.
You MUST stick to the following timing guidelines. Average and max times:
SC - about 60-75 sec; max of 90 sec
CR - about 2m; max of 2.5m
RC - about 2.5m (short) to 3.5m (long) to read and max 4m; about 1 min for general purpose questions and max 1.5m; about 1.5 to 2 for everything else and max of 2.5m
If you do not follow these timing guidelines, then it is unlikely that you are going to be able to improve your score significantly. (Note: obviously, going over on only one or two questions won't prevent you from improving significantly - but you're going over on a lot more than one or two questions! That's why I say you won't improve significantly unless you make yourself follow these guidelines.)
I think you would also benefit from a timing exercise: learning about how long one minute is without looking at a watch or stopwatch. If you don't have one already, buy yourself a stopwatch with lap timing capability. When you go to do a set of problems, start the stopwatch but turn it over so you can't see the time. Every time you think one minute has gone by, push the lap button. When you're done, see how good you were - and whether you tend to over or underestimate. Get yourself to the point where you're within 15 seconds either way on a regular basis (that is, you can generally predict between 45 sec and 1min 15 sec).
Now, how do you use that when doing problems? If you're not on track by one minute, make an educated guess and move on. (The general idea is that if you're not on track by the halfway mark, you're unlikely to figure out what's holding you back AND have time to do the whole problem in the 1 min you have left.)
On verbal questions, if you have narrowed down to two choices, look at each choice ONCE more. Then pick one and move on. Do NOT sit there and agonize back and forth over two choices. You either know it or you don't. If you don't, waiting another 30sec or 1m to decide is not going to improve your chances of getting it right, but it is going to prevent you from answering all of the questions at the end of the section.
Also keep in mind two things:
(1) You only need to get 60% of the questions right. You will get about 40% of the questions wrong. Remind yourself of this and it will help you psychologically to let go of a problem and move on.
(2) Most people have to guess on between 5 and 7 questions in a section. You don't get a choice about that. The only choice you get is WHICH 5 to 7 questions. If you don't make a choice, then you will be forced to guess on the last 5 to 7 in the section, some of which you knwo how to do. Or you could choose the 5 to 7 hardest questions as you see them throughout the test. Which do you think is a better choice?
Given what you've described (having to guess randomly on the last 8 per section), fixing the timing problem alone could get you most of the way toward the score you want to get. Try it. :)
If you leave those questions blank, then the penalty works out to about 3 percentile points per question. If you answer them randomly and get them all wrong, then the penalty works out to about 2 to 2.5 percentile points per question (note: that's for a string of wrong ones in a row, not just for an individual question or two in a row).
The reason you're running out of time is that you're spending too much time on earlier questions, right? So, here's the thing: the ones on which you're spending way too much time are the hardest ones you see - that's why you're getting sucked into spending so much time on them. And you're probably getting a majority of them wrong (after all, they're the hardest ones you're seeing!). So you're getting a lot of those wrong anyway, plus you're losing all those points at the end. That's not a good scenario.
You MUST stick to the following timing guidelines. Average and max times:
SC - about 60-75 sec; max of 90 sec
CR - about 2m; max of 2.5m
RC - about 2.5m (short) to 3.5m (long) to read and max 4m; about 1 min for general purpose questions and max 1.5m; about 1.5 to 2 for everything else and max of 2.5m
If you do not follow these timing guidelines, then it is unlikely that you are going to be able to improve your score significantly. (Note: obviously, going over on only one or two questions won't prevent you from improving significantly - but you're going over on a lot more than one or two questions! That's why I say you won't improve significantly unless you make yourself follow these guidelines.)
I think you would also benefit from a timing exercise: learning about how long one minute is without looking at a watch or stopwatch. If you don't have one already, buy yourself a stopwatch with lap timing capability. When you go to do a set of problems, start the stopwatch but turn it over so you can't see the time. Every time you think one minute has gone by, push the lap button. When you're done, see how good you were - and whether you tend to over or underestimate. Get yourself to the point where you're within 15 seconds either way on a regular basis (that is, you can generally predict between 45 sec and 1min 15 sec).
Now, how do you use that when doing problems? If you're not on track by one minute, make an educated guess and move on. (The general idea is that if you're not on track by the halfway mark, you're unlikely to figure out what's holding you back AND have time to do the whole problem in the 1 min you have left.)
On verbal questions, if you have narrowed down to two choices, look at each choice ONCE more. Then pick one and move on. Do NOT sit there and agonize back and forth over two choices. You either know it or you don't. If you don't, waiting another 30sec or 1m to decide is not going to improve your chances of getting it right, but it is going to prevent you from answering all of the questions at the end of the section.
Also keep in mind two things:
(1) You only need to get 60% of the questions right. You will get about 40% of the questions wrong. Remind yourself of this and it will help you psychologically to let go of a problem and move on.
(2) Most people have to guess on between 5 and 7 questions in a section. You don't get a choice about that. The only choice you get is WHICH 5 to 7 questions. If you don't make a choice, then you will be forced to guess on the last 5 to 7 in the section, some of which you knwo how to do. Or you could choose the 5 to 7 hardest questions as you see them throughout the test. Which do you think is a better choice?
Given what you've described (having to guess randomly on the last 8 per section), fixing the timing problem alone could get you most of the way toward the score you want to get. Try it. :)
Last edited by StaceyKoprince on Tue Jan 27, 2009 11:52 am, edited 1 time in total.
Stacey Koprince
Instructor
Director, Content & Curriculum
ManhattanPrep
Instructor
Director, Content & Curriculum
ManhattanPrep
- carlpermar
Thanks Stacey, 2 more doubts about what to do....
Thanks Stacey for helping me to understand what I am doing wrong.
I am going to start working immediately in what you told me.
I have another question for you: Do you think I should work again with the 2007 Manhattan guides or better just to work now with OG material.
I bought the Manhattan guides to build my basis but I do not know if at this point I should concentrate better with material from GMAC.
In the other hand, do you recommend me to work and try the Manhattan CR method? As you read in my post I studied the CR from the CR Bible(powerscore) and even though I bought the Manhattan CR guide I never touched because I did not want to confuse myself with another method. Do you think I should try it or better stick to what I already know?
Regarding practice tests as you also could saw I just took 1 mock one week before the test... I did it because I was more worried to build my fundamentals, However I think that I should have done more CAT test in the last month to build my stamina.... What do you think about this point? How many tests do you recommend me to take in the month1/2 that I have? I have still available the 6 Manhattan CAT tests that came with the books and that I never used.
Thanks again for your help and support.
I am going to start working immediately in what you told me.
I have another question for you: Do you think I should work again with the 2007 Manhattan guides or better just to work now with OG material.
I bought the Manhattan guides to build my basis but I do not know if at this point I should concentrate better with material from GMAC.
In the other hand, do you recommend me to work and try the Manhattan CR method? As you read in my post I studied the CR from the CR Bible(powerscore) and even though I bought the Manhattan CR guide I never touched because I did not want to confuse myself with another method. Do you think I should try it or better stick to what I already know?
Regarding practice tests as you also could saw I just took 1 mock one week before the test... I did it because I was more worried to build my fundamentals, However I think that I should have done more CAT test in the last month to build my stamina.... What do you think about this point? How many tests do you recommend me to take in the month1/2 that I have? I have still available the 6 Manhattan CAT tests that came with the books and that I never used.
Thanks again for your help and support.
- StaceyKoprince
- ManhattanGMAT Staff
- Posts: 9360
- Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2005 9:05 am
- Location: Montreal
At this point, I would work primarily from the OG questions, but go back to the strategy guides whenever you've identified a hole / gap in your knowledge. Don't review everything in the strategy guides - just review the things that you need to review based upon your performance on the practice questions that you do.
For CR, it really depends on whether you feel you've made some good progress with the CR Bible. If you have, and you think CR is pretty good so far (except for that timing problem!), then keep going with it. If you feel like CR is a big weakness and you haven't made much progress with the Bible, then you may need to try something new (and because you already have the other book, you might as well try that).
Re: tests, I generally recommend taking tests about every 2-3 weeks (depending upon how much studying you're doing - for most people, it should be every 3 weeks) until you get close to the test. Then take a test 1 month before, 2 weeks before, and 1 week before. If you are really worried about stamina, you can add one more test 3 weeks before. Don't take tests more frequently than once a week. You have to build stamina for a marathon too, but you don't do that by running a practice marathon a few times a week. :)
When you take your tests, make sure you take them under full official conditions. Do the essays - do not skip them. Take only two 10-min breaks (between essays and quant, and between quant and verbal). Take the test around the same time of day as you plan to take the real test. And so on - mimic the real test as much as possible.
When you study, don't allow yourself to get distracted. Sit down, figure out what you're going to do for the next 2 hours, and then do it with only one 5-10min break in the middle. This will also train you to keep focused for long-ish periods of time.
For CR, it really depends on whether you feel you've made some good progress with the CR Bible. If you have, and you think CR is pretty good so far (except for that timing problem!), then keep going with it. If you feel like CR is a big weakness and you haven't made much progress with the Bible, then you may need to try something new (and because you already have the other book, you might as well try that).
Re: tests, I generally recommend taking tests about every 2-3 weeks (depending upon how much studying you're doing - for most people, it should be every 3 weeks) until you get close to the test. Then take a test 1 month before, 2 weeks before, and 1 week before. If you are really worried about stamina, you can add one more test 3 weeks before. Don't take tests more frequently than once a week. You have to build stamina for a marathon too, but you don't do that by running a practice marathon a few times a week. :)
When you take your tests, make sure you take them under full official conditions. Do the essays - do not skip them. Take only two 10-min breaks (between essays and quant, and between quant and verbal). Take the test around the same time of day as you plan to take the real test. And so on - mimic the real test as much as possible.
When you study, don't allow yourself to get distracted. Sit down, figure out what you're going to do for the next 2 hours, and then do it with only one 5-10min break in the middle. This will also train you to keep focused for long-ish periods of time.
Stacey Koprince
Instructor
Director, Content & Curriculum
ManhattanPrep
Instructor
Director, Content & Curriculum
ManhattanPrep
- carlpermar
Following your advices!!
Hi Stacey;
You have no idea how much I appreciate the advices from a person who really know about GMAT like you. Thank you so much. I am already working with all the recommendations you have provided me and I will keep you inform of my progress.
One of the issues that I have seen that happen with me is that if for example I decide to make again the CR Bible, I know the theory and I understand it... But when I am going to apply the theory is when I do not see the results......Maybe I need more practice with the OG material forcing my self to practice using the strategies learned. Likewise is SC... If I decide to go over again with the Manhattan SC guide...I see that I know the theory and I understand it... but when I am going to solve a problem is not so obvious to apply it.
What do you think about this???.... What do you recommend me?
Once again thanks a lot.
You have no idea how much I appreciate the advices from a person who really know about GMAT like you. Thank you so much. I am already working with all the recommendations you have provided me and I will keep you inform of my progress.
One of the issues that I have seen that happen with me is that if for example I decide to make again the CR Bible, I know the theory and I understand it... But when I am going to apply the theory is when I do not see the results......Maybe I need more practice with the OG material forcing my self to practice using the strategies learned. Likewise is SC... If I decide to go over again with the Manhattan SC guide...I see that I know the theory and I understand it... but when I am going to solve a problem is not so obvious to apply it.
What do you think about this???.... What do you recommend me?
Once again thanks a lot.
- StaceyKoprince
- ManhattanGMAT Staff
- Posts: 9360
- Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2005 9:05 am
- Location: Montreal
Your review at this point should focus on actual questions - only go back to the source (MGMAT SC strategy guide, CR bible) when you realize that there is something you don't know well enough and you can learn that thing from the relevant book. But much more of your time is going to be spent on how to apply what you already know to GMAT-type questions and analyzing those questions and articulating:
- specifically why every 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 (or why you did eliminate the right answer)
- why it was not valid to eliminate an answer for that reason (on the right answer that you eliminated)
- why you got something wrong (as specifically as possible)
- what you need to do to minimize the chances of making that same mistake again in future
So it's not enough just to read a technique or even the official explanation to an answer. You really have to understand all of the above points about a problem!
- specifically why every 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 (or why you did eliminate the right answer)
- why it was not valid to eliminate an answer for that reason (on the right answer that you eliminated)
- why you got something wrong (as specifically as possible)
- what you need to do to minimize the chances of making that same mistake again in future
So it's not enough just to read a technique or even the official explanation to an answer. You really have to understand all of the above points about a problem!
Stacey Koprince
Instructor
Director, Content & Curriculum
ManhattanPrep
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- carlpermar
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Re:
Hello Stacey; I have been following your advices with the timing and I have felt an improvement in the stamina and the control of the time.
I took my first MGMAT test under real test conditions and score 550. I could not concentrate as I wanted because there was too much noise in the library where I was studying. I am going to take a second test this week and hope to get better results.
I want to comment you the following aspect because I would like to hear your recommendation:
- As you read in my first post; I have been studying since almost 7 month ago and sometimes I feel tired and burned out.... However I do not want to stop studying to avoid lost the rhythm that I have and also because I am going to take the exam on march 20. My question is: How do you recommend me to study to keep my stamina and do not burn myself. I have been trying to do per day 2RC, 15Cr, 15SC, 10DS and 10PS including the time to analyze and study every question. However I find this schedule pretty tough that some days I could not even finish all the questions.... Do you think I should continue like this? Other recommendations? Do you think I should take 1 day off...for example Sunday...??
I took my first MGMAT test under real test conditions and score 550. I could not concentrate as I wanted because there was too much noise in the library where I was studying. I am going to take a second test this week and hope to get better results.
I want to comment you the following aspect because I would like to hear your recommendation:
- As you read in my first post; I have been studying since almost 7 month ago and sometimes I feel tired and burned out.... However I do not want to stop studying to avoid lost the rhythm that I have and also because I am going to take the exam on march 20. My question is: How do you recommend me to study to keep my stamina and do not burn myself. I have been trying to do per day 2RC, 15Cr, 15SC, 10DS and 10PS including the time to analyze and study every question. However I find this schedule pretty tough that some days I could not even finish all the questions.... Do you think I should continue like this? Other recommendations? Do you think I should take 1 day off...for example Sunday...??
- StaceyKoprince
- ManhattanGMAT Staff
- Posts: 9360
- Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2005 9:05 am
- Location: Montreal
Re: I do not know what else to do!! PLEASE HELP ME!!
Great job! When did you take that test? I wouldn't take another test until two weeks after whenever you took that test. Instead, take two weeks to really analyze that test and figure out what you need to study as a result. That will put you at the end of February, and then you can start taking tests once a week (because your test is on 20 March).
Everyone definitely gets burned out - you're not the only one. Plan to study 6 days a week, and take one day off. Your day off can be the same day every week (sometimes people like to take Friday off because they work all week and then they want a one night break before they study all week-end) or it can be a "floating" day - if you had a really busy day or you're stressed out from work or whatever, then you take that day off.
When you do study, don't study for more than 2 hours at a time. If you want to study for more than 2 hours on one day, take at least a one-hour break (and, ideally, 2 hours) in between. And I don't recommend studying more than 2 hours total on days on which you work or are otherwise very busy with something that takes brainpower for 6+ hours that day.
Which means: I think you're doing too many problems in one day. In a 2-hour study session, I do problems for about 40 minutes and then I analyze the problems for the remaining time. I also like to stick to doing either math or verbal in one study session - I think it's not as effective to go back and forth.
Everyone definitely gets burned out - you're not the only one. Plan to study 6 days a week, and take one day off. Your day off can be the same day every week (sometimes people like to take Friday off because they work all week and then they want a one night break before they study all week-end) or it can be a "floating" day - if you had a really busy day or you're stressed out from work or whatever, then you take that day off.
When you do study, don't study for more than 2 hours at a time. If you want to study for more than 2 hours on one day, take at least a one-hour break (and, ideally, 2 hours) in between. And I don't recommend studying more than 2 hours total on days on which you work or are otherwise very busy with something that takes brainpower for 6+ hours that day.
Which means: I think you're doing too many problems in one day. In a 2-hour study session, I do problems for about 40 minutes and then I analyze the problems for the remaining time. I also like to stick to doing either math or verbal in one study session - I think it's not as effective to go back and forth.
Stacey Koprince
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Director, Content & Curriculum
ManhattanPrep
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Director, Content & Curriculum
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- carlpermar
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- Joined: Wed Feb 11, 2009 12:02 pm
Re: I do not know what else to do!! PLEASE HELP ME!!
Hello Stacey;
Unfortunately I read your post too late and I took a test today. To answer your question I took the first test 1 week ago (exactly last friday). Even though the result I got this time was disastrous I am happy because I just discovered or better ratified what my problem is.
What is killing me is the Verbal section in general terms, but is the "Timing" in verbal what I do not how to handle. In this second test the Quantitative was 38 and I managed the time without problem (Considering I just need 550, for me is ok). However in verbal when I was in the question 20 I had just "10" min left. "HAAA". What I have found is the following:
I know in the quantitative section how to let questions go.... I know when I have to "guess" and do not waste too much time in a question; besides I manage the 2 min average for these questions ok.... ..But in verbal I just do not know how to handle this. First I can not identify which question is more difficult, all seem the same with exception of some question in SC.
RC was the section in which I performed the poorest (I found in the MGMAT review list that expended "11min in a question"... and did not even notice the amount of time that passed...what worry me the most). Although I think I have found an effective way to attack RC passages (It seems to work when I do normal exercises)... the problem is that when I hit myself with a passage that is difficult to assimilate for me I just lose control and I take too much time analyzing the questions. Sometimes I just find RC lectures that I can Not get........
CR I am also taking too much time (between 3 and 4min). My problem in CR is that I take too much time to understand the stem... Sometimes I read a passage and is like if I wouldn’t read it at all... I just do not get "Anything"...so that I have to go back and Re-Read it again until I can grasp the idea.... Even though I have read twice the CR Bible I am still incapable to hit CR with reliability.
SC is the area I performed the best and I think this is not my problem...(Timing in general terms here is ok).
What do you recommend me Stacey??... For example for RC when I hit with a passage that I identify that is difficult to comprehend for me, what do I have to do??... Skip it immediately without even try (taking in consideration that is hard passage to assimilate for me) or try to do my best keeping in mind that is a "difficult passage" and do not waste too much time on it.............
CR recommendations??
General Verbal Recommendations?
Thanks again Stacey... at least I think I am in the correct path...
Unfortunately I read your post too late and I took a test today. To answer your question I took the first test 1 week ago (exactly last friday). Even though the result I got this time was disastrous I am happy because I just discovered or better ratified what my problem is.
What is killing me is the Verbal section in general terms, but is the "Timing" in verbal what I do not how to handle. In this second test the Quantitative was 38 and I managed the time without problem (Considering I just need 550, for me is ok). However in verbal when I was in the question 20 I had just "10" min left. "HAAA". What I have found is the following:
I know in the quantitative section how to let questions go.... I know when I have to "guess" and do not waste too much time in a question; besides I manage the 2 min average for these questions ok.... ..But in verbal I just do not know how to handle this. First I can not identify which question is more difficult, all seem the same with exception of some question in SC.
RC was the section in which I performed the poorest (I found in the MGMAT review list that expended "11min in a question"... and did not even notice the amount of time that passed...what worry me the most). Although I think I have found an effective way to attack RC passages (It seems to work when I do normal exercises)... the problem is that when I hit myself with a passage that is difficult to assimilate for me I just lose control and I take too much time analyzing the questions. Sometimes I just find RC lectures that I can Not get........
CR I am also taking too much time (between 3 and 4min). My problem in CR is that I take too much time to understand the stem... Sometimes I read a passage and is like if I wouldn’t read it at all... I just do not get "Anything"...so that I have to go back and Re-Read it again until I can grasp the idea.... Even though I have read twice the CR Bible I am still incapable to hit CR with reliability.
SC is the area I performed the best and I think this is not my problem...(Timing in general terms here is ok).
What do you recommend me Stacey??... For example for RC when I hit with a passage that I identify that is difficult to comprehend for me, what do I have to do??... Skip it immediately without even try (taking in consideration that is hard passage to assimilate for me) or try to do my best keeping in mind that is a "difficult passage" and do not waste too much time on it.............
CR recommendations??
General Verbal Recommendations?
Thanks again Stacey... at least I think I am in the correct path...
- StaceyKoprince
- ManhattanGMAT Staff
- Posts: 9360
- Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2005 9:05 am
- Location: Montreal
Re: I do not know what else to do!! PLEASE HELP ME!!
I'm glad that you've identified your major problem - yes, spending too much time can really kill your score.
You can't just give up entirely on one of the question types because you'll then get too many wrong and your score won't lift to where you want it to be. But, because you're going for a 550, you can get away with guessing on a decent number of questions - not random guessing (though you may do this sometimes), but educated guessing, in which you eliminate 1 or 2 or 3 of the wrong answers and then guess from among the remaining answers.
You said your SC timing is fine; I just want to specify what that time should be to make sure. SC questions should average between 1m and 1m15sec. Is that the average time you spend on SC right now?
For RC, I'd like you to try an exercise. Go back to problems / passages you're already done from OG and go over them again with your notes from when you first did these. Now that you've done the problems, checked your answers, and generally know how things were supposed to work, go back and look at (a) what you initially wrote down on your first read-through and (b) what your understanding of the passage was before you started answering questions. How well do (a) and (b) match what you knew of the passage and questions after you'd done the questions and gone back to correct your answers and analyze everything? Probably not very well, given what you describe. Where are the disconnects? Did you not understand the main point of the passage? (Are you consciously trying to find the main point of the passage?) Did you not understand the point of each individual paragraph? Did you not understand the detail within each paragraph? In general, what types of info (main point of passage, point of paragraph, detail) do you tend to struggle with most - all of it? Or certain parts?
Most RC passages give you at least one "main idea" type question, so if you can at least get the main idea, you have a good shot at getting one right. If you get the main idea, you also have a good chance of being able to eliminate some of the wrong answers on the detailed questions - if an answer doesn't make sense relative to the main point, then it's not the right answer, even if you don't know what the details are to get the right answer. So if you can get even that far, you'll accomplish a decent amount on RC.
You may also need to change your mindset on verbal questions (especially RC and CR). Your task is not to find the right answer. Your task is to eliminate as many wrong answers as you can in two minutes, and then pick from whatever's left and move on.
I think you would also benefit from a timing exercise: learning about how long one minute is without looking at a watch or stopwatch. If you don't have one already, buy yourself a stopwatch with lap timing capability. When you go to do a set of problems, start the stopwatch but turn it over so you can't see the time. Every time you think one minute has gone by, push the lap button. When you're done, see how good you were - and whether you tend to over or underestimate. Get yourself to the point where you're within 15 seconds either way on a regular basis (that is, you can generally predict between 45 sec and 1min 15 sec).
Now, here's how to use that "1 minute" timing: By the 1 min mark on SC, you should be done or almost done. By the 1 min mark on CR, you should know what the question is asking you, know what the conclusion is (if there is one) and be ready to eliminate answers. By the 1 min mark on RC, you should be done if it's a general question (What's the primary purpose? etc). If it's a specific RC question, you should know what the question is asking you, you should know in which paragraph to look to find the detail, and you should have read that detail and have a general understanding. You should be ready to start reading and eliminating answers.
If you're not where you're supposed to be at the 1 min mark, then you spend up to one more minute making an educated guess, then pick and move on. "Educated guessing" just means: what's definitely wrong, even if I don't know what's right? For example, on RC, extreme words (always/never) are almost always wrong. If I have to guess, I'm not going to pick something with an extreme word. I'm also not going to pick something that seems to contradict or go against the main idea (unless the question explicitly asks me to go against the author's main point). I'm not going to pick something that is "known" by lots of people in the real world but that wasn't discussed in the passage. Eg, if the passage is about environmental issues related to rain forests, and an answer starts talking about how important it is for us to take care of the environment globally... well, that may be true, but that's not what this passage was about!
For CR, I can't advise how to better use the CR Bible stuff because I'm not familiar with those materials. Because you're still struggling so much with CR, you may want to consider trying materials from another company - perhaps what you need is a different approach.
Overall, definitely keep this in mind: you can get a lot of questions wrong and still get the score you want, but you can't get a lot of questions wrong in a row and still get the score you want. So spread those wrong answers out! Train yourself to be more conscious of time and to let the harder ones go. The key is to give yourself a shot at *all* problems. Don't spend so much time on *any* problem that you then can't get to all of the problems. (Besides, if you're spending that much time on a problem, chances are you're getting that one wrong anyway... you're only spending all that extra time because it's a hard problem!)
You can't just give up entirely on one of the question types because you'll then get too many wrong and your score won't lift to where you want it to be. But, because you're going for a 550, you can get away with guessing on a decent number of questions - not random guessing (though you may do this sometimes), but educated guessing, in which you eliminate 1 or 2 or 3 of the wrong answers and then guess from among the remaining answers.
You said your SC timing is fine; I just want to specify what that time should be to make sure. SC questions should average between 1m and 1m15sec. Is that the average time you spend on SC right now?
For RC, I'd like you to try an exercise. Go back to problems / passages you're already done from OG and go over them again with your notes from when you first did these. Now that you've done the problems, checked your answers, and generally know how things were supposed to work, go back and look at (a) what you initially wrote down on your first read-through and (b) what your understanding of the passage was before you started answering questions. How well do (a) and (b) match what you knew of the passage and questions after you'd done the questions and gone back to correct your answers and analyze everything? Probably not very well, given what you describe. Where are the disconnects? Did you not understand the main point of the passage? (Are you consciously trying to find the main point of the passage?) Did you not understand the point of each individual paragraph? Did you not understand the detail within each paragraph? In general, what types of info (main point of passage, point of paragraph, detail) do you tend to struggle with most - all of it? Or certain parts?
Most RC passages give you at least one "main idea" type question, so if you can at least get the main idea, you have a good shot at getting one right. If you get the main idea, you also have a good chance of being able to eliminate some of the wrong answers on the detailed questions - if an answer doesn't make sense relative to the main point, then it's not the right answer, even if you don't know what the details are to get the right answer. So if you can get even that far, you'll accomplish a decent amount on RC.
You may also need to change your mindset on verbal questions (especially RC and CR). Your task is not to find the right answer. Your task is to eliminate as many wrong answers as you can in two minutes, and then pick from whatever's left and move on.
I think you would also benefit from a timing exercise: learning about how long one minute is without looking at a watch or stopwatch. If you don't have one already, buy yourself a stopwatch with lap timing capability. When you go to do a set of problems, start the stopwatch but turn it over so you can't see the time. Every time you think one minute has gone by, push the lap button. When you're done, see how good you were - and whether you tend to over or underestimate. Get yourself to the point where you're within 15 seconds either way on a regular basis (that is, you can generally predict between 45 sec and 1min 15 sec).
Now, here's how to use that "1 minute" timing: By the 1 min mark on SC, you should be done or almost done. By the 1 min mark on CR, you should know what the question is asking you, know what the conclusion is (if there is one) and be ready to eliminate answers. By the 1 min mark on RC, you should be done if it's a general question (What's the primary purpose? etc). If it's a specific RC question, you should know what the question is asking you, you should know in which paragraph to look to find the detail, and you should have read that detail and have a general understanding. You should be ready to start reading and eliminating answers.
If you're not where you're supposed to be at the 1 min mark, then you spend up to one more minute making an educated guess, then pick and move on. "Educated guessing" just means: what's definitely wrong, even if I don't know what's right? For example, on RC, extreme words (always/never) are almost always wrong. If I have to guess, I'm not going to pick something with an extreme word. I'm also not going to pick something that seems to contradict or go against the main idea (unless the question explicitly asks me to go against the author's main point). I'm not going to pick something that is "known" by lots of people in the real world but that wasn't discussed in the passage. Eg, if the passage is about environmental issues related to rain forests, and an answer starts talking about how important it is for us to take care of the environment globally... well, that may be true, but that's not what this passage was about!
For CR, I can't advise how to better use the CR Bible stuff because I'm not familiar with those materials. Because you're still struggling so much with CR, you may want to consider trying materials from another company - perhaps what you need is a different approach.
Overall, definitely keep this in mind: you can get a lot of questions wrong and still get the score you want, but you can't get a lot of questions wrong in a row and still get the score you want. So spread those wrong answers out! Train yourself to be more conscious of time and to let the harder ones go. The key is to give yourself a shot at *all* problems. Don't spend so much time on *any* problem that you then can't get to all of the problems. (Besides, if you're spending that much time on a problem, chances are you're getting that one wrong anyway... you're only spending all that extra time because it's a hard problem!)
Stacey Koprince
Instructor
Director, Content & Curriculum
ManhattanPrep
Instructor
Director, Content & Curriculum
ManhattanPrep
- carlpermar
- Forum Guests
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Wed Feb 11, 2009 12:02 pm
Re: I do not know what else to do!! PLEASE HELP ME!!
Hi Stacey;
Answering your question in SC I am inside the range between 1m and 1m15sec.
Something wear is happening with me. When I make individual exercises per section, my performance is not so bad... considering timing and efficiency. But when I am going to take a mock or in a real exam is like if I just forget all the tactics and I just start answering without any pattern or strategy.
For example in RC when doing practice exercises because I am measuring with my watch I handle well the timing for short(2.5min) and long passages(3.5). But in a mock or real exam I just have no sense of the time. I think that my problem is Not the general questions but the specific questions. I get the main idea and these type questions I use to get them right. My problem is that I take too much time in the specific questions (specifically Inference) when I am "looking" the answer in the passage (this is when I am spending the most time). I think that my major problem is that I have to let the questions go.... Is like all the good things that I do in the practice exercises I forget them when I am taking a real exam.
In CR I have good tactics that I have learned from the CR Bible... but my problem is that I take too much time to understand the stem. I started working with the Manhattan CR Guide and I am trying to apply the "diagramming"... I think that this can help me to increase my understanding. What I am doing is that I just write something to force me to understand the stem buy I never use what I write.....
Stacey I will inform you of my progress. I guess that what I have to learn to do is: "pick and move on"......It could be that it sounds easy but for me is a nemesis.
Answering your question in SC I am inside the range between 1m and 1m15sec.
Something wear is happening with me. When I make individual exercises per section, my performance is not so bad... considering timing and efficiency. But when I am going to take a mock or in a real exam is like if I just forget all the tactics and I just start answering without any pattern or strategy.
For example in RC when doing practice exercises because I am measuring with my watch I handle well the timing for short(2.5min) and long passages(3.5). But in a mock or real exam I just have no sense of the time. I think that my problem is Not the general questions but the specific questions. I get the main idea and these type questions I use to get them right. My problem is that I take too much time in the specific questions (specifically Inference) when I am "looking" the answer in the passage (this is when I am spending the most time). I think that my major problem is that I have to let the questions go.... Is like all the good things that I do in the practice exercises I forget them when I am taking a real exam.
In CR I have good tactics that I have learned from the CR Bible... but my problem is that I take too much time to understand the stem. I started working with the Manhattan CR Guide and I am trying to apply the "diagramming"... I think that this can help me to increase my understanding. What I am doing is that I just write something to force me to understand the stem buy I never use what I write.....
Stacey I will inform you of my progress. I guess that what I have to learn to do is: "pick and move on"......It could be that it sounds easy but for me is a nemesis.
- StaceyKoprince
- ManhattanGMAT Staff
- Posts: 9360
- Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2005 9:05 am
- Location: Montreal
Re: I do not know what else to do!! PLEASE HELP ME!!
If you're not able to use your skills during the test, usually two things are happening:
1) serious anxiety is messing with your ability to think during the test, and
2) you haven't developed your skills strongly enough such that they are deeply ingrained habits - basically, whenever we're under a lot of stress, we fall back onto our ingrained habits; you're falling back on your bad old habits, before you learned how to do well with this stuff
For 1, try reading this Stress Management article and see whether you can use any of it to help lower your anxiety on test day: http://www.manhattangmat.com/strategy-series-stress.cfm
For 2, you're going to have to find a way to make your new, good techniques into actual habits.
Two other things that might be adding to this: stamina and effective time management. You say you're okay when you're doing individual problems or maybe shorter sets, but struggling when you get to practice tests or the real thing. So, on the time management front, once again: you're okay until you get to a stressful situation, and then you're not actually holding to your timing limits. You're falling back on old habits and mismanaging your time.
It sounds like you also need to do some more blocks of questions. eg: Put together a set of 15 mixed verbal questions, set yourself the appropriate time (depending upon how many of each type you've chosen), and go for it.
For RC, try that exercise I mentioned in my last post. And go one step further: analyze whether your notes clearly tell you (in just a few words) the type of information contained in each paragraph. Your goal is to use your RC notes as an outline. If you create a good outline, this allows you to quickly decide which paragraph you need to use to answer a specific question. eg: The question says something about why the mating habits of butterflies have been changing in recent decades. From my notes, paragraph 2 mentioned mating habits, so I'll go look there.
The timing exercise (learning how long 1 min is without a watch) should also help you. And start practicing in shorter blocks, too: build from one question, where your timing is fine, to 10, to 15, etc. Master getting the timing right before you add to the number of questions for your next set.
Also: everyone struggles with the "pick and move on" thing - it is easier said than done. But it's vital to train yourself to do this on this test. :)
1) serious anxiety is messing with your ability to think during the test, and
2) you haven't developed your skills strongly enough such that they are deeply ingrained habits - basically, whenever we're under a lot of stress, we fall back onto our ingrained habits; you're falling back on your bad old habits, before you learned how to do well with this stuff
For 1, try reading this Stress Management article and see whether you can use any of it to help lower your anxiety on test day: http://www.manhattangmat.com/strategy-series-stress.cfm
For 2, you're going to have to find a way to make your new, good techniques into actual habits.
Two other things that might be adding to this: stamina and effective time management. You say you're okay when you're doing individual problems or maybe shorter sets, but struggling when you get to practice tests or the real thing. So, on the time management front, once again: you're okay until you get to a stressful situation, and then you're not actually holding to your timing limits. You're falling back on old habits and mismanaging your time.
It sounds like you also need to do some more blocks of questions. eg: Put together a set of 15 mixed verbal questions, set yourself the appropriate time (depending upon how many of each type you've chosen), and go for it.
For RC, try that exercise I mentioned in my last post. And go one step further: analyze whether your notes clearly tell you (in just a few words) the type of information contained in each paragraph. Your goal is to use your RC notes as an outline. If you create a good outline, this allows you to quickly decide which paragraph you need to use to answer a specific question. eg: The question says something about why the mating habits of butterflies have been changing in recent decades. From my notes, paragraph 2 mentioned mating habits, so I'll go look there.
The timing exercise (learning how long 1 min is without a watch) should also help you. And start practicing in shorter blocks, too: build from one question, where your timing is fine, to 10, to 15, etc. Master getting the timing right before you add to the number of questions for your next set.
Also: everyone struggles with the "pick and move on" thing - it is easier said than done. But it's vital to train yourself to do this on this test. :)
Stacey Koprince
Instructor
Director, Content & Curriculum
ManhattanPrep
Instructor
Director, Content & Curriculum
ManhattanPrep
- carlpermar
- Forum Guests
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Wed Feb 11, 2009 12:02 pm
Re: I do not know what else to do!! PLEASE HELP ME!!
Dear Stacey;
I had not written because I was trying your recommendations and I am quite happy with the results. I have implemented the "Manhattan Diagramming" method for CR and my accuracy has increased from 60% to 85%. The "diagramming" works perfect for me because most of the times that I missed a question was because of lack of comprehension. The problem is that I am taking more time to answer every question between 2:20 to 2:40......What do you think abou this?
In RC I have reduced my read-through time and I am heating passages with more confidence as well... I think that for RC even though you have the best method and have practiced a lot.. if during the exam you get a hard passage to assimilate your are going to have anyway troubles so that I will keep in mind the POE and move on. The questions that I use to fail the most are "Inference" questions for the rest of question types I am ok. Any recommendations to attack this particular questions
In the other hand I have been thinking to increase the number of practice test to 2 exams per week because I thinkI need to build more stamina.... What do you think about this....I know that you told me not to do this before, but I would like to do this just to get more use to pressure conditions.
Thanks Stacey looking forward to hearing your answer.
I had not written because I was trying your recommendations and I am quite happy with the results. I have implemented the "Manhattan Diagramming" method for CR and my accuracy has increased from 60% to 85%. The "diagramming" works perfect for me because most of the times that I missed a question was because of lack of comprehension. The problem is that I am taking more time to answer every question between 2:20 to 2:40......What do you think abou this?
In RC I have reduced my read-through time and I am heating passages with more confidence as well... I think that for RC even though you have the best method and have practiced a lot.. if during the exam you get a hard passage to assimilate your are going to have anyway troubles so that I will keep in mind the POE and move on. The questions that I use to fail the most are "Inference" questions for the rest of question types I am ok. Any recommendations to attack this particular questions
In the other hand I have been thinking to increase the number of practice test to 2 exams per week because I thinkI need to build more stamina.... What do you think about this....I know that you told me not to do this before, but I would like to do this just to get more use to pressure conditions.
Thanks Stacey looking forward to hearing your answer.
- JonathanSchneider
- ManhattanGMAT Staff
- Posts: 477
- Joined: Wed Dec 12, 2007 5:40 am
- Location: Durham, NC
Re: I do not know what else to do!! PLEASE HELP ME!!
Hi carlpermar,
I'm actually filling in for Stacey just for a bit, but I hope I can answer your most recent questions here. If you have a followup question, Stacey will be back to check those soon.
As for diagramming, I'm glad to have seen improvement! I firmly believe that diagramming is helpful. I also feel that eventually diagramming can actually save you time. This only comes with a lot of practice, however. You need to get to the point where you are only writing down the important info, and even then only in shorthand. I'm not saying not to write stuff down, just to write down only what you must. Again, this comes with practice. One thing you might try: after completing a diagram and question, go back to re-diagram the argument, asking yourself: how could I have made this faster? How could I have known to make my diagram in such-and-such a way?
Inference questions are very tricky, but there is a specific pattern: claim only that which is proveable from the text. (Ditto for Draw a Conclusion questions on CR) On RC, we often have two pieces of info, and you have to simply connect the dots between the two. A silly example: let's say we are told in one part of a passage that all dolphins are either pink or blue. Now, let's say that we are told later on that James, a dolphin, is not blue. What can we infer? That James is pink. A silly example, I know, but this is how these questions often function. My advice: go back over the Inference questions you have missed on your CATs, and find the specific points of proof. Remember, these questions are very much like CR questions: you have to stay very close to the text.
I'd discourage you from overdosing on CATs. Instead, consider going over your previous CATs in more detail. Ultimately, taking more CATs helps us to build stamina, but taking practice tests doesn't teach us anything, really; it's only a marker of what we've already learned via slower, more careful review.
Good luck!
I'm actually filling in for Stacey just for a bit, but I hope I can answer your most recent questions here. If you have a followup question, Stacey will be back to check those soon.
As for diagramming, I'm glad to have seen improvement! I firmly believe that diagramming is helpful. I also feel that eventually diagramming can actually save you time. This only comes with a lot of practice, however. You need to get to the point where you are only writing down the important info, and even then only in shorthand. I'm not saying not to write stuff down, just to write down only what you must. Again, this comes with practice. One thing you might try: after completing a diagram and question, go back to re-diagram the argument, asking yourself: how could I have made this faster? How could I have known to make my diagram in such-and-such a way?
Inference questions are very tricky, but there is a specific pattern: claim only that which is proveable from the text. (Ditto for Draw a Conclusion questions on CR) On RC, we often have two pieces of info, and you have to simply connect the dots between the two. A silly example: let's say we are told in one part of a passage that all dolphins are either pink or blue. Now, let's say that we are told later on that James, a dolphin, is not blue. What can we infer? That James is pink. A silly example, I know, but this is how these questions often function. My advice: go back over the Inference questions you have missed on your CATs, and find the specific points of proof. Remember, these questions are very much like CR questions: you have to stay very close to the text.
I'd discourage you from overdosing on CATs. Instead, consider going over your previous CATs in more detail. Ultimately, taking more CATs helps us to build stamina, but taking practice tests doesn't teach us anything, really; it's only a marker of what we've already learned via slower, more careful review.
Good luck!
- carlpermar
- Forum Guests
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Wed Feb 11, 2009 12:02 pm
I am trying to see what else I can do!!
Hello Stacey;
I would like to hear your comments regarding these points:
RC
The only problem I think I have in RC is inference questions. (The passage suggest that.... It can be inferred that ....
Even though Jonathan gave me a good advice to attack the inference questions in RC; they continue to be a problem for me. I am ok with the timing and other question types but I always have problems with inference. What I have noticed is that for me is difficult to make the "inference"... I just do not "plunder" the questions... and when I read the options all are the same for me because I do not understand the question (Must of the times and in order to not deliberate I just eliminate answers with extreme words or those out of scope.
CR
I am better with CR since I implemented diagramming; however I am taking too much time... any advice to reduce the time. I would like to avoid the diagramming but this allows me to understand the stem so I have to keep working with it.
GMAT Strategy
- I had told you that the problem that I identified on me was "that I do not let the difficult questions go". I think in quant this is not a problem any more. I know which types of problems are difficult for me in the Quant and I move on. But in Verbal I am still running out of time.... Any strategy to see verbal questions since other perspective.
- In the other hand I have been feeling (I do not know if are just ideas on mind) that my performance is decreasing. I do not know if I am too tired or I am starting to get burn..... I have been studying more verbal than Quant (Even though I have never stopped to study Quant) and in my last cat attempt my performance was much better in Quant than in Verbal...but far away,,,, Is like if would have been studying more Quant than Verbal base on the results.... Any advice?
Thanks a lot Stacey
I would like to hear your comments regarding these points:
RC
The only problem I think I have in RC is inference questions. (The passage suggest that.... It can be inferred that ....
Even though Jonathan gave me a good advice to attack the inference questions in RC; they continue to be a problem for me. I am ok with the timing and other question types but I always have problems with inference. What I have noticed is that for me is difficult to make the "inference"... I just do not "plunder" the questions... and when I read the options all are the same for me because I do not understand the question (Must of the times and in order to not deliberate I just eliminate answers with extreme words or those out of scope.
CR
I am better with CR since I implemented diagramming; however I am taking too much time... any advice to reduce the time. I would like to avoid the diagramming but this allows me to understand the stem so I have to keep working with it.
GMAT Strategy
- I had told you that the problem that I identified on me was "that I do not let the difficult questions go". I think in quant this is not a problem any more. I know which types of problems are difficult for me in the Quant and I move on. But in Verbal I am still running out of time.... Any strategy to see verbal questions since other perspective.
- In the other hand I have been feeling (I do not know if are just ideas on mind) that my performance is decreasing. I do not know if I am too tired or I am starting to get burn..... I have been studying more verbal than Quant (Even though I have never stopped to study Quant) and in my last cat attempt my performance was much better in Quant than in Verbal...but far away,,,, Is like if would have been studying more Quant than Verbal base on the results.... Any advice?
Thanks a lot Stacey