GMAT Score Booster Dec 17 PDF
GMAT Score Booster Dec 17 PDF
GMAT Score Booster Dec 17 PDF
Agenda
1. Score Plateau
Understand why do we not
improve beyond a certain point?
3. Timing
What is a timing problem and
why do we have it?
3 parts to this Webinar
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
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for 24+ months
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Verbal Courses
LIVE AND ONLINE
1. Verbal Online
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The Company
3. Timing
What is a timing problem and
why do we have it?
Two Goals – Score Improvement and Maximum Performance
640
LE TS U N D E RS TA ND
620
580
1 . W H Y I T H A PPE N S
2 . H O W TO
O V E R C OME I T… .
How many of you have experienced score Plateau?
Score Plateau is when, at a certain point in your preparation, your score hits a wall. It does not improve
despite countless hours of preparation.
CR Bold Face Question….
Collision Avoidance Technology (CAT) is the latest technology to improve the safety of drivers on the road. To
determine the effectiveness of this technology, a study was recently conducted by the Highway Data Loss Institute
(HDLI) in various models equipped with the technology. According to the HDLI, the technology seems to work
well in Volvo cars. The researchers found that individuals driving the Volvo XC60—a specific model equipped
with CAT—reported 27 percent fewer auto insurance claims than those driving other comparable vehicles.
However, with the exception of Volvo cars, the research so far does not conclusively establish the role of CAT in
preventing catastrophic auto accidents, mainly because individuals who do have access to these systems
possibly do not use it responsibly.
In the argument given, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?
A. The first provides a fact whose validity is questioned by the author; the second provides a reason to support the
position taken by the argument.
B. The first provides a conclusion that is not disputed by the argument; the second provides a consideration that
supports the main conclusion of the argument.
C. The first states a conclusion whose validity is questioned in the argument; the second provides a consideration to
question the validity of that conclusion.
D. The first is a fact that supports the conclusion refuted by the argument; the second is a reason for the position that the
argument as a whole seeks to establish.
E. The first is a conclusion that the author agrees with; the second is a reason that goes against that conclusion.
How did you approach this question (Short Answer Poll)?
Process for answering BF questions
Overall: Fact
According to the HDLI, the technology seems to Bolded: Opinion of HDLI
work well in Volvo cars.
Fact vs. Opinion
Fact – Something that can be unanimously proven to be right.
Opinion – what someone (or group) thinks
A. It is 15 degrees outside – Fact (since it can be proven)
B. It is cold outside – Opinion (Ask a South Indian and then ask a Finn)
Fact, since we cannot dispute that
BusinessWeek said something (in
the GMAT Context)
Overall: Fact
According to the HDLI, the technology seems to Bolded: Opinion of HDLI
work well in Volvo cars.
mainly because individuals who do have access to BF2 is an opinion (note the use of the word-possibly)
these systems possibly do not use it responsibly. presented by the author in support of the opinion
above
Logical Structure
Collision Avoidance Technology (CAT) is the latest Context for the argument
1
technology to improve the safety of drivers on the road.
To determine the effectiveness of this technology, a
2 study was recently conducted by the Highway Data Context for the argument
Loss Institute (HDLI) in various models equipped with
the technology.
3 According to the HDLI, the technology seems to Overall fact, Bolded - Claim by
work well in Volvo cars. HDLI
The researchers found that individuals driving the
4 Volvo XC60—a specific model equipped with CAT— Fact – to support HDLI’s claim
reported 27 percent fewer auto insurance claims than
those driving other comparable vehicles.
However, with the exception of Volvo cars, the research Main Conclusion
5 so far does not conclusively establish the role of CAT in
preventing catastrophic auto accidents,
Author’s opinion Supporting his
mainly because individuals who do have access to
6 “Main Conclusion”
these systems possibly do not use it responsibly.
Let’s Determine BF1 and BF2
However, with the exception of Volvo cars, the research so far
Main Conclusion does not conclusively establish the role of CAT in preventing
catastrophic auto accidents,
the technology seems to work well in Volvo Claim (opinion) that the author agrees
3
cars. with in the Main Conclusion
mainly because individuals who do have access Claim (opinion) that the author presents
6 to these systems possibly do not use it to support the Main Conclusion
responsibly.
CR Bold Face Question….
Collision Avoidance Technology (CAT) is the latest technology to improve the safety of drivers on the road. To
determine the effectiveness of this technology, a study was recently conducted by the Highway Data Loss Institute
(HDLI) in various models equipped with the technology. According to the HDLI, the technology seems to work
well in Volvo cars. The researchers found that individuals driving the Volvo XC60—a specific model equipped
with CAT—reported 27 percent fewer auto insurance claims than those driving other comparable vehicles.
However, with the exception of Volvo cars, the research so far does not conclusively establish the role of CAT in
preventing catastrophic auto accidents, mainly because individuals who do have access to these systems
possibly do not use it responsibly.
In the argument given, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?
A. The first provides a fact whose validity is questioned by the author; the second provides a reason to support the
position taken by the argument.
B. The first provides a conclusion that is not disputed by the argument; the second provides a consideration that
supports the main conclusion of the argument.
C. The first states a conclusion whose validity is questioned in the argument; the second provides a consideration to
question the validity of that conclusion.
D. The first is a
fact that supports the conclusion refuted by the argument; the second is a reason for the position that the
argument as a whole seeks to establish.
E. The first is a conclusion that the author agrees with; the second is a reason that goes against that conclusion. BF1
Why/Where did you make a mistake? (Core skills )
Core Skill What is it? How/Where will you learn it?
Is this a fact, belief, observation, In the Bold Face concept files, and
1. Ability to Classify a statement?
principle, conclusion, prediction, Premise and Conclusion files (part
main point, etc. of free trial)
2. Relating the statement to the Support or refute the main point. Premise and Conclusion,
conclusion/main point Strengthen/Weaken files, &
Scholaranium
3. Relating both the bold face Support, refute or no relation Premise and Conclusion,
statements Strengthen/Weaken files &
Scholaranium
4. Evaluating the answer Bold Face Application, Bold Face
choices Compare and Select Practice, OG Solutions, &
Scholaranium
Incorrect Answer Choices and Core Skills
A. The first provides a fact whose validity is
1. Ability to Classify a statement
questioned by the author; the second provides a
2. Logical Structure of Argument
reason to support the position taken by the
argument.
B. Correct answer choice
C. The first states a conclusion whose validity is
1. Logical Structure
questioned in the argument; the second provides
2. Relationship between the bolded statements
a consideration to question the validity of that
conclusion.
D. The first is a fact that supports the conclusion
1. Ability to classify a statement
refuted by the argument; the second is a reason
2. Logical Structure
for the position that the argument as a whole seeks
to establish.
E. The first is a conclusion that the author agrees
with; the second is a reason that goes against that 1. Relationship between bolded statements
conclusion.
Can you see that your performance will improve if
you strengthen these core skills?
Why do you hit a score plateau?
Because you did not know that you had to work on these skills?
Take Away: Improve your core skills and your scores will improve?
Core Skills for CR as a Whole!!
Core Skill What is it? How/Where will you learn it?
7. Identify various answer choices Understand how out of scope, All Application files (10 files), all
iSWAT, Opposite etc. answer Practice Files (10), all OG
choice types are constructed on the solutions, and Scholaranium
test
Agenda
1. Score Plateau
Understand why do we not
improve beyond a certain point?
3. Timing
What is a timing problem and
why do we have it?
Preparing Efficiently = Higher Score = 2X chances
of getting admitted AND receiving
Scholarships
Admission rate by GMAT Score
Inference
For 99 percentilers, admission rates at
Johnson, Yale, McCombs, Darden, UCLA,
2X and Ross are even higher than 50 percent
>2X
Schools Considered
Michigan Ross, INSEAD, Tuck, UCLA,
NYU Stern, UVA Darden, Yale SOM,
McCombs, UNC Kenan-Flagler, Cornell
Johnson, CMU Tepper, London Business
School, and Kelley
Schools Participants
Tuck, HAAS, MIT Sloan, e-GMAT, Veritas Prep,
Harvard, Babson, Boston Accepted.com, Stacey Blackman,
University, Yale, IESE, Stern, myEssayReview, GMAC, ETS
INSEAD, UCLA Anderson, (GRE), Prodigy Finance + a
London Business School,
Rotman, Darden, Tepper, number of independent admission
Wharton, Stanford, HKS, etc. consultants
an adaptive test
works?
Adaptive test algorithm
higher
score
60% 5 questions above
accuracy average difficulty level
Case 1
Average Difficulty Level
60% Case 2 Only 1 question at
accuracy average difficulty level
1 2 3 4 5 6
Question #
Challenge 1: Get difficult Questions served
Challenge 2: Answer them correctly
Your GMAT score is governed by your ABILITY to answer DIFFICULT QUESTIONS CORRECTLY.
GMAT – a test of your ABILITY
43 97 percentile 7500 rank 32 65 percentile 87500 rank
1 11 21 31 1 11 21 31
2 12 22 32 2 12 22 32
3 13 23 33 3 13 23 33
4 14 24 34 4 14 24 34
5 15 25 35 5 15 25 35
6 16 26 36
6 16 26 36
7 17 27 37 7 17 27 37
8 18 28 38 8 18 28 38
9 19 29 39 9 19 29 39
10 20 30 40 10 20 30 40
41 41
Your GMAT score is governed by your ABILITY to CORRECTLY answer DIFFICULT QUESTIONS.
“Ability” and the Fabric of GMAT
Remember => Ability is your “comparative” rank
Ability and the Fabric of GMAT
++ SC
▬ CR
▬ RC
Little benefit in
working on SC.
Most Work
required in RC
Take-Away(s)
1. Your GMAT Score is composed of your individual Sectional Abilities
2. Score out of 60 == Scores of 100
3. Best Way to Improve 1) Identify your weakness and 2) Improve on it
How does “Ability” fare in your
Preparations?
Repeatable & Predictable
Score Improvement
SC 70% RC
CR
How to Prepare Efficiently?
Principle: Take a Section, master it (70% ability), and only then move to the next section
Retakers (V>30)
Comparison
Parallelism
To ace the GMAT
1 2 3 4
What is best Way to get Where are you How to Build/Improve Have you actually
to your Target Score? currently lacking? Core skills improved?
All the Tools that you need… From Starting your preparation to
reaching your Target Score
Agenda
1. Score Plateau
Understand why do we not
improve beyond a certain point?
3. Timing
What is a timing problem and
why do we have it?
How many of you have a timing problem?
Why do we take long to answer a question?
CR Assumption Question
Student 1 Student 2
Ability to read and
Understand the argument
comprehend 30-45 S 30 S
Understanding of the
concepts
Attack Strategy 0S
(Process) Pre-think the answer 15 S
Familiarity with
question types
Agility of the mind 15-30 S 60 -
150S
Evaluate the answer choices
60 to 90 90 to 180
seconds Seconds
Following a structured process improves timing & reduces anxiety during exam.
Timing is not a cause…. It’s a symptom. The
problem is generally process
Join the RC or Quant Session to learn how (lack of) core skills or process causes timing issues
Given your “ability”, if you spend < than TAKT time, you jeopardize accuracy. If > TAKT time, you lose TIME.
Accuracy (confined set) Vs. Takt Time
50%
15 – 25 S
Time
Case 1: V37 to V40 by leveraging Takt Time
...There was a video from eGMAT that introduced me to the idea of Takt time. Takt time is the
optimum time an individual needs to mark a question of a certain type …
There is a school of thought that suggests that you must answer SC questions by 1 minute. In
my case, the strategy did not work. After I got introduced to the concept of takt time, I observed
that 1:30 minutes is the average time I needed to mark an SC question correctly. I improved
only marginally on that timing later on through practice. In my actual test the average time I
took to answer SC questions should have been somewhere close to 1:20 minutes but not 1
minute. However, CR was my strength and I observed that on an average I needed 1:45
minutes there. I read almost all RC passages big or small between 2 to 3 minutes and took 1
minute to answer the questions that followed.
Typically, in the test, you will receive an average of 4 RC passages with a total of 13 questions,
14 CR questions and 14 SC questions. If you do the math, my timing strategy fits perfectly into
the total 75 minute span for Verbal. The bottom line is that there is no one size that fits all
when it comes to timing strategy. There is no point compromising on accuracy on questions
where you tend to be naturally slow. Improve timing where it can be improved and only to an
extent that is possible without giving up accuracy.
http://gmatclub.com/forum/750-q50-v41-how-i-bettered-my-mock-test-scores-158043.html
Understand your limitations and strengths through Takt time and use this information judiciously in the test.
Take AWAY
750+
Recipe for
success in
GMAT
Your Takt
Ability Time
Your 30 day Plan
IMPROVE FROM 630 TO 720
To Personalize your GMAT Study Plan
Quant Verbal
50 38
2 3 4 5 720
Device your Quant Strategy Create a plan for Quant Execute Quant Plan
Take Mocks
Device your Verbal Strategy Create a plan for Verbal Execute Verbal Plan
SC CR RC
percentile percentile percentile
• Excellent SC
• Very Good CR
90 80 60
• Excellent RC 70 70 90
• Above Average SC-CR
Try GMAT
• Excellent SC-RC
90 50 90 Planner
Why is it important to decide how to get to V38?
(Short Answer Poll)
1. Leverage Strengths
2. Sequence of studying
3. Extent of mastery
3. Create your Plan for Verbal
SC CR RC Thought Process
percentile percentile percentile
• What are the major sources of improvement?
Target Level
• Excellent SC
90 80 60 • SC & CR
• Should you start with SC or CR?
• Very Good CR • Improve SC from 50 to 90
• SC Skills help with understanding CR
Passages
1 2 3 • Improve CR from 50 to 80
• Now pick out the last section
• With improved SC and CR skillset, RC skills
would have improved.
• Thus, not as much effort should be needed to go
from 40 to 60.
Starting Level 50 50 40
4. Execute your Verbal Plan
SC CR SC RC
Learn SC
Day 1 -7 Refine
Refine
SC
SC
Day 8 -10 Learn CR
Day 11 - 17 Refine 24 Days
CR
Day 18-20 Revise V27 to V38
SC
Day 21 Learn RC
Day 22 - 24
SC 50 90
CR 50 50 80
RC 40 50 60
1: Take SC Ability Quiz Refine SC
Comparison
Parallelism
2. Revise Pertinent Course Material Refine SC
Parallelism
2. Revise Pertinent Course Material Refine SC
Comparisons
3. Take Custom Quiz Refine SC
1. Excellent Questions
2. Amazing Solutions
3. Ability quizzes
4. Custom Quizzes
5. Analytics
4. Execute your Verbal Plan
SC CR SC RC
Learn SC
Day 1 -7 Refine
Refine
SC
SC
Day 8 -10 Learn CR
Day 11 - 17 Refine 24 Days
CR
Day 18-20 Revise V27 to V38
SC
Day 21 Learn RC
Day 22 - 24
SC 50 90
CR 50 50 80
RC 40 50 60
1 2 3 4
What is best Way to get Where are you How to Build/Improve Have you actually
to your Target Score? currently lacking? Core skills improved?
All the Tools that you need… From Starting your preparation to
reaching your Target Score
Key to Execution
Focus Devise a strategy based on your strengths
Learn Understand the Core skills that you need to learn. Your
score will not improve if you don’t focus on core skills