Why Are My Verbal Scores Not Improving?

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Many students spend considerable time and effort preparing for the GMAT, and understandably, they expect to achieve their targeted score. However, achieving a high GMAT Verbal Score is not easy, and there are several reasons why some students need help to achieve their target score. Let us explore three behaviours that are leading indicators of suboptimal performance, and we will offer guidance on overcoming them.

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1) Lack of Confidence in Your Answer

One of the primary reasons why students struggle to achieve their target GMAT Verbal score is a lack of confidence in their answers. Many students report a high accuracy rate when practising questions on their own, but they are not sure why the correct answer is correct or why the incorrect answer is incorrect. They often say the correct answer seems “better” than the incorrect one. However, high accuracy is necessary, but more is needed to perform well on the GMAT. You also need to solve questions quickly to finish all the questions in the stipulated time.

The GMAT Verbal section comprises questions from different topics such as Reading Comprehension (RC), Critical Reasoning (CR), and Sentence Correction (SC). One has to solve questions under time constraints. Students who lack confidence in their answers tend to take longer to solve a question and are not confident about their answers, resulting in a vicious circle in which their accuracy and scores precipitate.

To overcome this challenge, you must understand the reasons behind the correct answer and, more importantly, why the incorrect answers are wrong. You must understand the concepts tested in the GMAT Verbal section and have a clear strategy for approaching each question type. Students who can reason out why the correct answer is correct and the incorrect answer is incorrect are much more likely to maintain their accuracy when solving problems of different kinds, even when faced with time pressure.

Hence it is essential that you watch videos on how RCs are solved correctly by GMAT experts. At GMATPoint, you can watch free video lectures on how to solve GMAT questions by experts and then try these questions on your own.

2) Narrowing Down to Two Choices and Getting Confused

Another common challenge GMAT Verbal test-takers face is getting stuck between two answer choices and being unable to decide on the correct answer. This happens even to the best of us. However, students who stop their analysis at this point are not taking the necessary corrective action. They must acknowledge their shortcomings and take concrete steps to fix the gaps in their understanding.

Students who do not work on bridging the gaps in their understanding continue to make the same mistakes, so they do not improve. It is essential to understand that for the official questions, there is only one correct answer, and any confusion in choosing between two answer choices results from a gap in understanding.

It also leads to confusion during the mocks when the timer is ticking and you fail to achieve any clarity on the correct option even after having spent more than a minute on the question. Hence it is important to set a time of 1-2 minutes, after which you will have to mark either of the options and move on to the next question. The accuracy of your guess is also likely to improve as you keep practising GMAT-level RCs more often.

If you are looking for a repository of quality GMAT questions that you can solve in a timed fashion for free, head over to GMATPoint Daily Targets. Here you will get 5 questions of VR and 5 questions of QA daily, which you must answer within a time limit. After solving the questions, you will be provided with video solutions of how to solve these questions in the best manner possible. If you are a serious GMAT aspirant, this is an indispensable tool for you. Take your first daily target now!

3) Feeling Hopeless After Taking a Mock

Taking a mock is very essential to GMAT Verbal test preparation. It helps students understand how far they are from their target score and identify areas they need to improve. However, some students feel hopeless after seeing a low score in the mock and are unsure how to proceed.

If your scores are not improving your scores in mock exams, it may be because you are not taking the time to analyze your performance properly. You may be simply looking at your overall score without identifying specific areas where you need to improve. This can make knowing how to move forward difficult, and low mock scores can lead to a lack of motivation.

After thoroughly analyzing the mock test, you should be able to identify at least three areas where you need to improve. If you cannot do so, try to note down the mistakes you made and try to understand where you went wrong. After reviewing your mistakes, try to find out if there is any pattern. If you can find a pattern, solve the questions related to that topic. This will help you improve upon it and gain confidence.

Preparing for the GMAT Verbal section requires a comprehensive approach that involves building a strong foundation of concepts, a consistent reading habit, developing effective strategies, practising regularly, analyzing your performance, and staying motivated. Identifying your weaknesses and focusing your practice on those areas while also analyzing your mistakes and tracking your progress over time is essential.

Achieving your target score requires discipline and perseverance, so it’s imperative to stay motivated by setting realistic goals and celebrating your successes along the way. By following these tips and adjusting your preparation strategy accordingly, you can improve your score and achieve your target score on the GMAT Verbal section.

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