The document discusses various issues faced by a GMAT retaker in preparing for the exam again. It covers strategy issues, analyzing questions, maintaining mental focus, choosing prep materials, and solving a sample sentence correction question. Common challenges are outlined for each section, along with tips on how to effectively prepare for 10-15 hours per week. The conclusion recommends setting a test date, sending weekly progress updates, and staying connected with the CrackVerbal community for additional support.

1. Retaking the GMAT

2. Issues faced

3. Strategy Issues
I don'treallyfaceanyissues while solving moderatequestions(while doing questions,I tryto classify
them intoeasy,moderate,difficult).The problemI faceis when I see agood 700level question.Time
spent?Is my strategycorrect?Whatif I haveto runthroughthe questionagainandendup spending
moretime? Whatif I am notabletosolve the questioncorrectlythe very firsttime?How tofigureoutin
the first30 secondswhatis thebestwaytoapproachthe question?TherearethequestionsthatI am
tryingtodeal with.
I have tremendoustime managementproblem.I takemoretime tosolve first20 questionsin verbal.I
havecommonnotionthatif myaccuracygoes higherin 1st20question,I will get higher score,butI can
nothandlethe pressurein end. Lastcouple ofRCsI just markedabruptly,leadingtolow accuracyin last
15-18questionsandlow marks.Is mynotioncorrect?

4. Analyzing Questions
“I am facingproblemwith theanalysis.I don’t knowwhatkind ofanalysishelps actually.Just checking the
explanationandsomewhereon forumor OGwill not help.How,i amgoing to retainallthose things.
Retainingthepointsthatwhatmistakei didseems tobea difficultpartforme.My be I am analysing in a
wrongway.”
“SC-Ihave startedwithSC thistime as alot ofupfrontinvestment is requiredhere.Ido aquestionandcheck
the answer.Postthis ,I check in variousforumstoget differentviews aboutthe questionandtheapproach
theysuggest.While I dothis, Imakea noteofthe learning's/concepts.I dothis forall
questions(Correct/Incorrect).Iremember,youalwaysinsiston getting the juicefromthe question.My
questiontoyouis-Is thisthe right way?The challengeI'm facingis thatittakesalot oftime doing thiswayand
causesburningoutandhencelosemotivation.Whatdoyousuggest theright processtoattackSC andhowto
dothe review please.”

5. MentalFocus
“I am feeling exhausted.I covered up advancedoc,OG13 andVerbal review. I dailystudy3-4 hour.I stopmy
smiling. My wholeconcentrationis justonly GMAT ,butstillitis not happening. WhenI sleep I thinkaboutGMAT
whenI am in office I thinkaboutGMAT. Am I giving too much attention?I don't know. ”
“Mymain problem don't know if thiscanbe solved : I don't get time to studyfor GMAT on weekdays. Reason:My
office is 30 kms onewayfrom home andI spend around4.5-5 hours injourney apartfrom 10 hoursoffice timings. I
startby 7.50 AM andreachhome backby 10.30 PM. So I find itdevote time on daily basis.ButI am tryingmy best
to atleastgive 1 hourof time dailyassuggested byyou. ”
“I'm planningto retakeduringJune'15 but to be frank,theentusiasmis down currently.I've been hearingfrom my
friends thattest location andtest takingmonth also play amajor role in thescore. I hadtakenexams both times in
Coimbatore (Heardthatnon-southtestlocations favor ahigherscore). I'm not able to understandwhetherthese
thingsalso reallymatter.”

6. MentalFocus
“Mainproblem whichi had weremy flatmates(indirectly).They never used to disturb me butit usedto be difficult
to restrictmyself from engaging in chit-chating, planningetc.However, thebest thingwhichhelped me to come out
of thatwaswakingearly inthe morning wheneveryone was sleeping. Till thetime people wakeup, i complete my 4
hrs(3hrs serious) study. For thatanyhow i hadto go to bed by 10 max (this was very impt part whichi hadto
include somehow in my time-table)”
“Thebusier schedule atwork andsome other personal issueshave made me lose complete focus andI do not know
if I willever be able toget backto theoriginal track.I stillhave thezealto clearGMAT witha very good score.”
“I am facing issuesin CR. Sometimes I am not properly analysizingtheConclusion andsometimes I am notdoing
paraphrasingor prethinkproperly. It is more due totime pressure. Otherthingis now adays, I am feeling like not
studying atall may be dueto fatigue or some kind of saturation.”

7. Prep Material
“As perGMAT I kindoffeel I have exhaustedmy resourcesafterhaving studiedformonthslastyearI don't
knowfromwhereto startafteragap ofmorethan6 months.”
“NowI don'tknowwheretostartmy preparation,asI have alreadydone OG, VerbalReasoningguide,QA
Guide andotherbooks.I mostlyfacedissues in CRandSC,my friendshavetoldmetogo thru PowerscorerCR
BibleandManhattanforSC.I wanttostartagainbutI mynotable tobringmyself backtothatlevel, alsoI
wouldneed yourdirectiononhow andwheretostartagain. My mockscoreusedto bearound710-730.”

8. Miscellaneous
“Everythingwasgoing good in theexam till I reached mylastquestionin theQuantssection,I came acrossa
very simple questionsandthoughtthatI wouldhaveperformedpoorlyin thatsection. AfterthatI couldn't
concentrateandkeptthinkingaboutthatquestion.I hadtotallytankedin Verbal. ”
“MyVerbalpercentile was89 andQuantpercentile was68.Ihadoptedtoattendonlyverbal classatCV and
practisedquantaccordingtotheplan given at CV. MyIR scorewas verybaddespite decent scoresduring the
practisetests.Ifeltthatthe existing studymateriali.e OG13wasinadequate.”

9. Sentence Correction

10. Solve this
Nikola Tesla, the inventor ofalternating current, because he was excited with the prospects ofharnessing NiagaraFalls for producing
electric power, he predicted in the mid-1890's that electricity generated at Niagarawould one daypower the streetcars ofLondon and
the streetlights ofParis.
(A)Nikola Tesla, the inventor ofalternating current, because he was excited with the prospects ofharnessing Niagara Falls for producing
electric power, he
(B) The prospects ofharnessing Niagara Falls toproduce electric power was exciting toNikola Tesla, the inventor ofalternating current,
andso he
(C) Excited about the prospects ofharnessing Niagara Falls toproduce electric power, Nikola Tesla, the inventor ofalternating current,
(D) Nikola Tesla, the inventor ofalternating current, excited about the prospects ofharnessing NiagaraFalls for the production ofelectric
power and
(E)The inventor ofalternating current, excited with the prospects ofharnessing Niagara Falls for producing of electric power, Nikola
Tesla

11. SC Thinking-3-stepanalysis
Step1:While solving thequestion
WasI able tostripthroughtheflabandget tothe corestructure?
DidI figureouttherule/sub-rulethatis being tested?
DidI understandwhatis meaning/message is conveyed?
Step 2:Whileanalyzingtheanswers
DidI pickthe rightreasonformy eliminationstrategy?
DidI havetherequired skills tofindthe answerin thegiven time?
DidI doanycareless mistake?
Step3:While revising thequestion
WasI able toapplyanyconceptfromaprevious problem?
How will I beableto remember thisconcept forfuturequestions?

12. CommonProblems
Takeyoureyes ofthe rule youareusing andsee if thereis anythingelse onthe sentencethatcanbeused.
Decidewhich response:(A) Haveno clue,(B) Last2butconfused,(C) Picked theright onebutamnot
comfortable
Eliminatethe wronganswerchoicesforagood grammaticalreasonsso youarefocusingonlyon thelast 2 –
yourbrainwill workbetterthis way.
Useananalogytosee if itworksin asimilar butsimplercase.
Don’tforget thebasicrules–if youwantjustwritedownonyourscratch-padto sortof“revise” beforeyou
startVerbal.
If all thingsfail, youmayjust wanttouseyour“ear”butthenthis isthe bestwaytodoif youHAVE tomakea
randomguess.

13. Critical Reasoning

14. CommonChallenges
1. Bold-face questions are troublesome
2. I get confused with EXCEPT questions - don't know if I should strengthen or weaken
3. Unable to crackthe CR questions even though I can determine the premises and
conclusion
4. CR is taking too much time
5. All the answers look either RIGHT orAll the answers look WRONG

15. Reading Comprehension

16. Points toremember
1 RememberAnswering Questions >> Understanding the passage
2 Phrasing ofthe answeroptions is a lot more important than you think
3 You neednot be100% sure while selecting the option but be 100% sure while
eliminating the options
4 Mapping is just to help you "think through". Don't let the process overbearthe results.
5 Mental focus and composure is a lot more important in RC than any othersection on
the GMAT. Take a deepbreath!

17. CommonChallenges
1) I am unable to map
2) When I read a passage fast, I am unable to comprehend the passage well enough to
answerquestion correctly
3) I am able to getbig picture questions right in RC buthave difficulty in specific detail
questions or vice versa
4) Is it a goodstrategy tosolve only 3 out of 4 passages? RC is taking too much time

18. 10 ways to Prep (again)?

19. 1.The 80-20RuleofPrep
Don’t do MORE but do LESS: The Essentialist Mindset
The largest share of results is produced by the smallest part of
the work.
In time-management, the goal is to increase efficiency by fitting
more tasks into a given period of time. Under 80/20 rule -
helps you focus on the 20% of tasks that will give you the 80%
returns.

20. 2.Whattypeofstudentare you?
Are you a Planner, a Worker, or aReviewer?
Onceyou identify start to focus on improving your efficiency by rearrangingthe processes.
It is important that you recognize the “weakest link”. Theone areathat you know you are
not focusing on.

21. 3.De-clutteryou mind
Removeclutter – at anytime study 1 or2 things but do them well.
Don’t keepan objective to do a little bit of everything. You can dothat when you take a test.
The“no internet” and “no forums” policy
Have 1 day just for planning & analysis: Sowe focus on WHY and notWHAT.

22. 4.The 4-hour Ruletostudying
Time for rest is important for your brain. This lets it make the important synaptic
connections with the neurons to have the “A-HA” moments.
Sleep increases your ability to think, connect ideas, and maximise your productivity during
waking hours.
If you havefree time don’t study so that way you are morefocused (and guilty) the next
time you hit the books.

23. 5.Goal foryour study sessions
Foreach study session have an ESSENTIAL INTENT: Onemain objective that is clear and
concrete.
An end goal of solving “x numberof questions” means you are looking at the objective
incorrectly.
Try to keepweekly goals instead of daily goals so you can keepit flexible.

24. 6.Sunk Cost Bias
 Do you have a book that you purchased before you joined CrackVerbal
 A free online course that your friend gave you freeaccess to?
 A huge PDF that someone who scored 760 gave to you?
This is called “sunk cost bias” –the perceivedvalue of something goesup just because we
havealreadyinvested in it (emotionally orfinancially)
Stop doing unnecessary things - solving questions from a source just to put a tick-mark on
your mental GMAT checklist is the worst thing you could do to sabotage your prep.

25. 7.How toPlan
Do you knowwhat you plan to do tomorrow?
Assume Plans will not go as planned. That is why it is called Plan and not Actual.The biggest
mistake is assuming ourplans will go as expected. Be prepared for the most common
obstacles.
 Relatives comeover when you don’t want them
 The family function will be kept during your GMAT date
 Onceyou plan to commit you will get an onsite opportunity
 You will suddenly get atough project/boss
 You will suddenly start getting health issues
Question toask yourself: Is it a reason or anexcuse?

26. 8.Testsare likeThermometers
Small wins createmomentum, which givesyou the confidence to further succeed.
Moreover, they allow you to stay ontrack by giving you the opportunity to checkwhether
you areheading in the right direction.
If you aregetting inflated scores on the GMATPrep then show me how you get an 800 (Q51
V51)

27. 9.How tomakethisa habit?
Routines creates a habit, thus making difficult things becomeeasierover time. It is prudent
to createa routine that aligns with your goals.
Remember the reptilian brain will always try to win over the mammalian brain so no
matter how goodyour will-power is you will endup losing.
Understand howthe Habit Loop Works and use it to your advantage.

29. 10.Think bigpicture
Thebiggerreward really lies in the largerreason you are doing what you aredoing.
Put upa resume with your dream job anddream college at yourstudy place.
Keepreminding yourself WHY you aredoing WHAT you are doing. Get someone else who
is walking this journey together.

30. Do thisexercise
4 Steps to Getting Started:
1) Write down how much untouched material you have left.
2) Write down how you will analyze material that you havealready solved.
3) Write down how many hours you plan to study and when you plan to study each
week
4) Sharethis goal with someone and ask him to check with you everyweek

31. 5 rules for GMAT Success
1. 25,000 people EVERY YEAR score a 700 & above.
Don't tell me its difficult.
2. Do not externalize the problem - it lies WITHIN you to
solve the question
3. GMAT is not a test of your "intelligence" or how
successful you will be in life. Don’t get emotional.
4. Understand that GMAT is a standardized test. Use it to
your advantage – ONLY Official Material.
5. Optimization is a lot more difficult than Improvement.
Analysis plays a key role in this phase.

32. Conclusion

33. NextSteps
BookatestdatebeforeJune
Mail prep@crackverbal.comwithyouranalysis.
Wewill get backwith aplan.
Everyweek sending anupdateonyourprogress.
If youwanttobepartof theCrackVerbalAmbassadorProgram(CAP) thenyoumail
community@crackverbal.com

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