Hi all pagal, Its over am Im so glad it is… 730 is a decent score, and the essay got a 6.0… and after 1 month of study and major messes in the indian competitive exams… Thanks Bibin Vergese, for solving my quant doubts… And…
Hi all pagal,
Its over am Im so glad it is... 730 is a decent score, and the essay got a 6.0... and after 1 month of study and major messes in the indian competitive exams...
Thanks Bibin Vergese, for solving my quant doubts...
And the biggest, hugest, largest, whatever the adjective.. THANKYOU... to a certain 'Baba Yagi'... Never interracted with you sir but your thread worked! Thanks for writing about ur experience and hope youve got the college u wanted...
I will write about my experience soon, it might help... but for now I have something more important to say...
my CAT score was 69%tile.. XAT 70... NMAT 81... SNAP 63... i dun wanto write any more of it...
Point is.. my scores are (i dun need to scream it out) pathetic... pathetic failures... they are degrading, disturbing and not what the doctor ordered for motivation...
If there is anyone reading this whos going thru failures and cant stand it anymore.. please please please (i cant say it enough) please dont give up! These scores dont always determine your intelligence or your capacity to make it big in life... they only decide your quant and verbal skills, thats all!!!! sometimes, they dont even do that!
and its even worse wen your peers seem to get by easily and you just seem to be stuck behind sumwer.. and sumtimes, you just cant tell what the problem with you is.. i mean you do everything u can to better status quo but no amount of effort seems to be enough... and u just cant for the love of god figure out why!!! Its the most horrible terrible feeling on Earth and I wudnt wish it on anyone.. but its hard times like these that make you tougher.. these failures and rejections help u to appreciate small gains.. and wen failures are a part of you, u dun feel scared of any height u want to climb to.. because after a while, ur not afraid of falling....
sum ppl get depressed with failures and give up and accept that they (or so their peers claim) are dumb.. theyve lost the war before the battle begins... I kno competitive exams are insignificant in comparison to wat life can throw at you, but they are examples of how awful things can get, like trailers.. no matter what happens.. JUST DONT LET THEM STOP YOU!! dont ever give up the battle. Sometimes, the last battle you fight, can win the war for you.. And thats what our goal is.. not to win the small battles.. but to win the WAR!
so look up and keep at it... somewer, uve just gotto break even! Like I did...
somewer along the way, that 69%tile will turn into 96%tile.. just dun give up...
(btw - 730 this time is 96%tile :shock::biggrin: - my CAT was 69)
Will write my experience soon...
Lotsa luck..
PS: Experience written below.
Very well said.... and many congratulations! 
730 is more than a decent score, i guess. And especially when u mention the other scores. I think it's a great achievement (not only score but success after failures) after those scores. Congrats for that.
Please do share your experience and let us know the link to that post.
Thank you.
Hi all pagal,
Its over am Im so glad it is... 730 is a decent score, and the essay got a 6.0... and after 1 month of study and major messes in the indian competitive exams...
Thanks Bibin Vergese, for solving my quant doubts...
And the biggest, hugest, largest, whatever the adjective.. THANKYOU... to a certain 'Baba Yagi'... Never interracted with you sir but your thread worked! Thanks for writing about ur experience and hope youve got the college u wanted...
I will write about my experience soon, it might help... but for now I have something more important to say...
my CAT score was 69%tile.. XAT 70... NMAT 81... SNAP 63... i dun wanto write any more of it...
Point is.. my scores are (i dun need to scream it out) pathetic... pathetic failures... they are degrading, disturbing and not what the doctor ordered for motivation...
If there is anyone reading this whos going thru failures and cant stand it anymore.. please please please (i cant say it enough) please dont give up! These scores dont always determine your intelligence or your capacity to make it big in life... they only decide your quant and verbal skills, thats all!!!! sometimes, they dont even do that!
and its even worse wen your peers seem to get by easily and you just seem to be stuck behind sumwer.. and sumtimes, you just cant tell what the problem with you is.. i mean you do everything u can to better status quo but no amount of effort seems to be enough... and u just cant for the love of god figure out why!!! Its the most horrible terrible feeling on Earth and I wudnt wish it on anyone.. but its hard times like these that make you tougher.. these failures and rejections help u to appreciate small gains.. and wen failures are a part of you, u dun feel scared of any height u want to climb to.. because after a while, ur not afraid of falling....
sum ppl get depressed with failures and give up and accept that they (or so their peers claim) are dumb.. theyve lost the war before the battle begins... I kno competitive exams are insignificant in comparison to wat life can throw at you, but they are examples of how awful things can get, like trailers.. no matter what happens.. JUST DONT LET THEM STOP YOU!! dont ever give up the battle. Sometimes, the last battle you fight, can win the war for you.. And thats what our goal is.. not to win the small battles.. but to win the WAR!
so look up and keep at it... somewer, uve just gotto break even! Like I did...
somewer along the way, that 69%tile will turn into 96%tile.. just dun give up...
(btw - 730 this time is 96%tile :shock::biggrin: - my CAT was 69)
Will write my experience soon...
Lotsa luck..
Congrats Iridium...
Your prep strategy is awaited to follow by others.
http://www.pagalguy.com/discussions/760-my-gmat-experience-25006505
Thats Baba Yagi's link... I think he took the GMAT in 2005, things have changed since, will write the new stuff tonite...
Thats Baba Yagi's link... I think he took the GMAT in 2005, things have changed since, will write the new stuff tonite...
Hi All,
I broke my glasses.. the new ones are on my nose rite now.. fresh.. so im going to write the whole circus just like I promised.
Before I begin, I suggest you go thru Baba Yagi's thread... I pretty much followed it as it is... http://www.pagalguy.com/discussions/760-my-gmat-experience-25006505
Or else u can just read what Ive ritten below... !!! Similar stuff...
Another thing, I kept an error log, wer I copied sums and sentence correction questions from the mock tests.. revised it last few days.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
OFFICIAL GUIDE:
Essential... Bible, Koran, Geeta... All-in-one... I solved everything from this and revised the mistakes during the last few days.. I suggest you scribble down what your thoughts were while solving the questions you get wrong.. helps during revision..
KAPLAN:
Excellent quant.. Verbal is tough.. if you go expecting that kinda verbal to the GMAT exam, you'll be relieved with the actual thing and probably do better!!! 
KAPLAN CD:
Very low scoring... I got 560, 560 then a 580 and again a 560...Error Log zindabad! copied the quant sums i got wrong especially from these tests. Not verbal!
KAPLAN 800:
Didnt buy this one... didnt have the time.. but they say u shud solve this if u want a 700+ score.. hehe.. fer me.. error log zindabad!!
KAPLAN VERBAL:
Like I said.. helps keep ur spirits soaring during the real exam... RC is good practice cos its very tough here.. so if you can manage Kaplan RCs.. i think u can do anything! ;)
PRINCETON:
AWESOME!! Its like reading a kiddies book.. AWA very well explained.. Fun read and their sentence correction tacts are useful... liked their CD, used to watch it wen I was bored of solving! Bins are alrite.. good to practice... didnt put anything on the error log from here tho...
POWER PREP:
Vhaat eet ees?? Its a software u can download from mba.com wen u register for the GMAT. u can also ask for a CD of the same software to be posted to u... I downloaded the software and solved the first mock test before I began studying.. my score was 710.
Finished the non-OG material.. then solved the second one.. score 690... finished the OG.. and deleted the downloaded software.. by that time the CD had arrived by post (id read that reloading it shuffles the questions) Loaded the CD and gave only the secong test from it, two days prior to D-Day.. score 720.
Wukay, now, please dun get Barrons.. Ive heard its good for GRE.. but i wasted good money on it for GMAT...
Alrite..now what I did...
MY STUDY:
I finished all books except the OG.. 15 days before the exam I started the OG.. finished it in abt a week ... revised only the mistakes after that... while solving, make sure you go thru the explanation for the questions u got rite as well... just to make sure you were thinking correctly.. shunt be correct by fluke..
CD tests make u comfortable with the computer.. take each test in one sitting.. 4 hours... Dun skip the essays.. the more u write in 30mins the faster u get used to it. Remember, you are NOT ALLOWED TO TAKE EATABLES OR EVEN A BOTTLE OF WATER into the exam cubicle.. so if youre the thirsty sorts... you can drink only during the 10 min breaks u get inbetween sections. Get used to that... I was parched thruout every section inspite of taking every break!
LAST FEW DAYS:
I had an interview with SPJain on the 8th in Bombay and my GMAT was on the 14th in Ahmedabad.. im in pune... so I finished solving everything two days before the interview. After I'd come back home, I had 3 days.. during which I only revised the OG and the error log... did not solve anthing new. Power prep like I mentioned, thats all.
THE DAY OF THE EXAM:
I had to catch a train to Gujrat on the eve of the exam... my parents came along... they thot it was a picnic! so i had fun with them on the train.. no revision...
Reached on 14th morning... freshened up and gave myself a lil pep talk. Watched TV. Lunch and off to the centre... in a mast green rickshaw... 
AT THE EXAM CENTRE:
GMAT has changed hands to Pearson Vue... nuthing much has changed with the exam. Dun wurry.
Each section (there are only two - Problem solving and Verbal) has some experimentative questions that have no score. You can never tell which ones they are from among the 37/41 questions that u get. But if you suddenly get a silly, simple question after a few hard ones, dun panic, its probably experimentative, or its a booby trap!! hehe.. be careful.
When you reach the centre, u will be asked to read a set of rules. Then u'l have to produce your passport and a print of the online receipt u get wen u register. I was asked to sign only once. No bevy of beautiful documents anymore.. you just need to make one digital signature and youre job's done. Now u have to sit back, relax, and snap!! - they take a picture of yours, so wash ur pretty faces before u go to the centre.
Oh yah! You cant wear your wrist watch either! I was kinda baffled cos i was accustomed to timing my test on the position of the minute hand!!! Get used to using the digital timer on the test screen.
Another thing - the erasable scratch pad is not one magical tablet.. I got a booklet of ten laminated pages with block ruling. You get a felt-tipped marker. You dun get anything to erase with.. they say "10pages are more than enuf, you wont need to erase anything". I had roughwork all over my white trousers cos I kept the scratch pad in my lap!!
Then u are taken to your cubicle and logged in. The test does not begin immediately. you have to accept the rules again and select 5 colleges you'd like to send your scores to.
You see, sending ur gmat score to any college costs YOU money. Only these 5 colleges get your scores without you having to shell out anything. So choose those 5 ones well.
Essays.. then problems.. then verbal.. and youre free.
There's lots of time to solve every question systematically. Take advantage of that. I got to solve every quant sum twice and still had 2mins on hand at the end. So relax and practice ur sums properly while preparing for the exam. Verbal was a lil tight with time..
After the exam, youre asked confirm your score.. pls dun cancel ur score in ur anxiety! Careful... then ur score is displayed.
Now it asks you to edit ur mba.com profile.. I screwed up with my GPA! I typed 2.0 wen mine is 3.5.. now my official score card is showing 2.0!!! Ive mailed the GMAC guys.. no reply yet! :nervous:
PHEW!:
I didnt expect a 730.. was so accustomed to seeing scores lower than expectations that I thot id get 680 r sumthin.. even 580!! 730 was a pleasant surprise.. I felt avenged actually. :black: Break up - Quant 49 - 89%tile and Verbal 41 - 93%tile
Got the essay score yesterday.. 6.0 was, uh.. shocking actually.. i only wrote the CD test essays.. I like to write essays.. so probably thats why it was simple for me to pick up.. if u dun like stringing words, practice a few essays. you get a list of them in the OG.
MY TIPS:
1) Wen u read the essay formats in ur ref bks, just type all the skeletons in Word. Then mix n match them n voila! you have ur own format!
2) When u write the essay, type the introduction and the conclusion first. Then start filling in the main body. That way, even if you dun get time to finish all your ideas, atleast the essay is concluded, therefore, COMPLETE!
3) When youre eliminating answer options, dont write (a), (b), (c) ... on the scratch pad and then sit striking them off. Eats ur time.
Use your fingers instead. Let ur thumb be option (a) and the lil finger be option (e).. lucky the test has five options and you have five fingers! ;)
Hold your fist open. Wen u think the option is wrong, just close that finger in. The one left open is your answer. With a little practice, you get used to it. It actually reduced my silly mistakes. And it saves time.
4) ERROR LOG ZINDABAAAAAAD!!!
THATS IT!:
Go forth with courage in your heart! Its a walk in the park really if youve prepared for CAT and XAT... 700+ is easy.. i mean in comparison to CAT.. So dun wury.
I hope this helps...
Regards
Hi Iridium,
Awesome post .. a roadmap for new GMAT takes.
I noticed that you had to appear for interview for S.P. Jain, so you got call, based on ur CAT - 69 / XAT - 70 percentile. Is it so? I think you have excellent acad and workex.
Now, it's clear to me how to proceed for GMAT, yet next hurdle is to to get the prep books, viz Kaplan Premier Ed. 2008 with CD, Princeton Review with DVD, OG 11, and Kaplan 800.
Request you tell us from where you got the books & CDs, which you used for your prep, and could tell approx. cost of each.
Thanking you in anticipation.
:tellme:
Hi All,
I broke my glasses.. the new ones are on my nose rite now.. fresh.. so im going to write the whole circus just like I promised.
Before I begin, I suggest you go thru Baba Yagi's thread... I pretty much followed it as it is... http://www.pagalguy.com/discussions/760-my-gmat-experience-25006505
Or else u can just read what Ive ritten below... !!! Similar stuff...
Another thing, I kept an error log, wer I copied sums and sentence correction questions from the mock tests.. revised it last few days.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
OFFICIAL GUIDE:
Essential... Bible, Koran, Geeta... All-in-one... I solved everything from this and revised the mistakes during the last few days.. I suggest you scribble down what your thoughts were while solving the questions you get wrong.. helps during revision..
KAPLAN:
Excellent quant.. Verbal is tough.. if you go expecting that kinda verbal to the GMAT exam, you'll be relieved with the actual thing and probably do better!!!
KAPLAN CD:
Very low scoring... I got 560, 560 then a 580 and again a 560...Error Log zindabad! copied the quant sums i got wrong especially from these tests. Not verbal!
KAPLAN 800:
Didnt buy this one... didnt have the time.. but they say u shud solve this if u want a 700+ score.. hehe.. fer me.. error log zindabad!!
KAPLAN VERBAL:
Like I said.. helps keep ur spirits soaring during the real exam... RC is good practice cos its very tough here.. so if you can manage Kaplan RCs.. i think u can do anything! ;)
PRINCETON:
AWESOME!! Its like reading a kiddies book.. AWA very well explained.. Fun read and their sentence correction tacts are useful... liked their CD, used to watch it wen I was bored of solving! Bins are alrite.. good to practice... didnt put anything on the error log from here tho...
POWER PREP:
Vhaat eet ees?? Its a software u can download from mba.com wen u register for the GMAT. u can also ask for a CD of the same software to be posted to u... I downloaded the software and solved the first mock test before I began studying.. my score was 710.
Finished the non-OG material.. then solved the second one.. score 690... finished the OG.. and deleted the downloaded software.. by that time the CD had arrived by post (id read that reloading it shuffles the questions) Loaded the CD and gave only the secong test from it, two days prior to D-Day.. score 720.
Wukay, now, please dun get Barrons.. Ive heard its good for GRE.. but i wasted good money on it for GMAT...
Alrite..now what I did...
MY STUDY:
I finished all books except the OG.. 15 days before the exam I started the OG.. finished it in abt a week ... revised only the mistakes after that... while solving, make sure you go thru the explanation for the questions u got rite as well... just to make sure you were thinking correctly.. shunt be correct by fluke..
CD tests make u comfortable with the computer.. take each test in one sitting.. 4 hours... Dun skip the essays.. the more u write in 30mins the faster u get used to it. Remember, you are NOT ALLOWED TO TAKE EATABLES OR EVEN A BOTTLE OF WATER into the exam cubicle.. so if youre the thirsty sorts... you can drink only during the 10 min breaks u get inbetween sections. Get used to that... I was parched thruout every section inspite of taking every break!
LAST FEW DAYS:
I had an interview with SPJain on the 8th in Bombay and my GMAT was on the 14th in Ahmedabad.. im in pune... so I finished solving everything two days before the interview. After I'd come back home, I had 3 days.. during which I only revised the OG and the error log... did not solve anthing new. Power prep like I mentioned, thats all.
THE DAY OF THE EXAM:
I had to catch a train to Gujrat on the eve of the exam... my parents came along... they thot it was a picnic! so i had fun with them on the train.. no revision...
Reached on 14th morning... freshened up and gave myself a lil pep talk. Watched TV. Lunch and off to the centre... in a mast green rickshaw...
AT THE EXAM CENTRE:
GMAT has changed hands to Pearson Vue... nuthing much has changed with the exam. Dun wurry.
Each section (there are only two - Problem solving and Verbal) has some experimentative questions that have no score. You can never tell which ones they are from among the 37/41 questions that u get. But if you suddenly get a silly, simple question after a few hard ones, dun panic, its probably experimentative, or its a booby trap!! hehe.. be careful.
When you reach the centre, u will be asked to read a set of rules. Then u'l have to produce your passport and a print of the online receipt u get wen u register. I was asked to sign only once. No bevy of beautiful documents anymore.. you just need to make one digital signature and youre job's done. Now u have to sit back, relax, and snap!! - they take a picture of yours, so wash ur pretty faces before u go to the centre.
Then u are taken to your cubicle and logged in. The test does not begin immediately. you have to accept the rules again and select 5 colleges you'd like to send your scores to.
You see, sending ur gmat score to any college costs YOU money. Only these 5 colleges get your scores without you having to shell out anything. So choose those 5 ones well.
Essays.. then problems.. then verbal.. and youre free.
Theres lots of time to every question systematically. Take advantage of that. I got to solve every quant sum twice and still had 2mins on hand at the end. So relax and practice ur sums properly while preparing for the exam. Verbal was a lil tight with time..
After the exam, youre asked confirm your score.. pls dun cancel ur score in ur anxiety! Careful... then ur score is displayed.
Now it askes you to edit ur mba.com profile.. I screwed up with my GPA! I typed 2.0 wen mine is 3.5.. now my official score card is showing 2.0!!! Ive mailed the GMAC guys.. no reply yet! :nervous:
PHEW!:
I didnt expect a 730.. was so accustomed to seeing scores lower than expectations that I thot id get 680 r sumthin.. even 580!! 730 was a pleasant surprise.. I felt avenged actually. :black: Break up - Quant 49 - 89%tile and Verbal 41 - 93%tile
Got the essay score yesterday.. 6.0 was, uh.. shocking actually.. i only wrote the CD test essays.. I like to write essays.. so probably thats why it was simple for me to pick up.. if u dun like stringing words, practice a few essays. you get a list of them in the OG.
MY TIPS:
1) Wen u read the essay formats in ur ref bks, just type all the skeletons in Word. Then mix n match them n voila! you have ur own format!
2) When u write the essay, type the introduction and the conclusion first. Then start filling in the main body. That way, even if you dun get time to finish all your ideas, atleast the essay is concluded, therefore, COMPLETE!
3) When youre eliminating answer options, dont write (a), (b), (c) ... on the scratch pad and then sit striking them off. Eats ur time.
Use your fingers instead. Let ur thumb be option (a) and the lil finger be option (e).. lucky the test has five options and you have five fingers! ;)
Hold your fist open. Wen u think the option is wrong, just close that finger in. The one left open is your answer. With a little practice, you get used to it. It actually reduced my silly mistakes. And it saves time.
4) ERROR LOG ZINDABAAAAAAD!!!
THATS IT!:
Go forth with courage in your heart! Its a walk in the park really if youve prepared for CAT and XAT... 700+ is easy.. i mean in comparison to CAT.. So dun wury.
I hope this helps...
Regards
Hi,
Books are expensive.. I have a book-walla in Pune who gives me chota chota discounts cos im an old customer of his.. Crosword Stores, surprisingly, have to worst material in the market! You should find good ref mat in any bookshop actually.. thoda puchtach (investigation) karo...
Princeton - Rs. 650/-
Kaplan - Rs. 1130/-
O.G. - I forgot but its above a thou for sure. (My savings have vanished!!)
These books have a serial number on the last page... you need to register that number on their respective websites and then you get access to their tests online (Princeton). Second hand books dun give you that advantage.. but frankly speaking... the online tests dun make a world of a difference.. so you might as well get your second hand copies with their CDs.
Regards.
Hi all pagal,
Its over am Im so glad it is... 730 is a decent score, and the essay got a 6.0... and after 1 month of study and major messes in the indian competitive exams...
Thanks Bibin Vergese, for solving my quant doubts...
..................................
Will write my experience soon...
Lotsa luck..
PS: Experience written below.
Just one query, I guess this is maximum score one can get in essays or AWA whatever you call them :huh:
Please can you elaborate in detail the strategy, preapration resources and other points on this.
Regards,
Andy :)
:-P
Hi all pagal,
Its over am Im so glad it is... 730 is a decent score, and the essay got a 6.0... and after 1 month of study and major messes in the indian competitive exams...
Thanks Bibin Vergese, for solving my quant doubts...
And the biggest, hugest, largest, whatever the adjective.. THANKYOU... to a certain 'Baba Yagi'... Never interracted with you sir but your thread worked! Thanks for writing about ur experience and hope youve got the college u wanted...
I will write about my experience soon, it might help... but for now I have something more important to say...
my CAT score was 69%tile.. XAT 70... NMAT 81... SNAP 63... i dun wanto write any more of it...
Point is.. my scores are (i dun need to scream it out) pathetic... pathetic failures... they are degrading, disturbing and not what the doctor ordered for motivation...
If there is anyone reading this whos going thru failures and cant stand it anymore.. please please please (i cant say it enough) please dont give up! These scores dont always determine your intelligence or your capacity to make it big in life... they only decide your quant and verbal skills, thats all!!!! sometimes, they dont even do that!
and its even worse wen your peers seem to get by easily and you just seem to be stuck behind sumwer.. and sumtimes, you just cant tell what the problem with you is.. i mean you do everything u can to better status quo but no amount of effort seems to be enough... and u just cant for the love of god figure out why!!! Its the most horrible terrible feeling on Earth and I wudnt wish it on anyone.. but its hard times like these that make you tougher.. these failures and rejections help u to appreciate small gains.. and wen failures are a part of you, u dun feel scared of any height u want to climb to.. because after a while, ur not afraid of falling....
sum ppl get depressed with failures and give up and accept that they (or so their peers claim) are dumb.. theyve lost the war before the battle begins... I kno competitive exams are insignificant in comparison to wat life can throw at you, but they are examples of how awful things can get, like trailers.. no matter what happens.. JUST DONT LET THEM STOP YOU!! dont ever give up the battle. Sometimes, the last battle you fight, can win the war for you.. And thats what our goal is.. not to win the small battles.. but to win the WAR!
so look up and keep at it... somewer, uve just gotto break even! Like I did...
somewer along the way, that 69%tile will turn into 96%tile.. just dun give up...
(btw - 730 this time is 96%tile :shock::biggrin: - my CAT was 69)
Will write my experience soon...
Lotsa luck..
PS: Experience written below.
hi,
That was one of the most inspiring effort frm u...........many congrats 4 ur success.........keep on updating us on further gyan
riti:-P
Hi Andy,
Essays are called Analytical Writing Assessment... thats wer the "AWA" comes from...
Regarding prep... well, whats nice about the essays is that you dun need to be creative with the format. You'd find formats in any prep book... all bks follow a similar format, just the words change.
Best thing is to go thru all the formats you have, from all the books uve got. Then, you can come up with your own format.. or try what I did (Have mentioned it in the prep method Iv described in a post above)... format is the easy part.
Whats imp abt AWA is the points you come up with in your essay. You are scored based on the strength of the points you have. Incase you arent aware, you have 2 essays in the GMAT - Issue and Analysis.
In an Issue essay, you get two opposing views, you take one stand, and defend it...
In an Argument Essay, you get a situation that you weigh, so you dun take one side and fight!! you just explain pros and cons of the argument.
In either essay, you must have logical points to prove what your opinion is. Examples improve scoring, but stick to only one or two examples... you dun have time for more than two anyway.
I dun know what more to say, once you have your own format in place actually, all you need is to keep writing.. mba.com has 127 essay topics you can download. Just keep practicing and read the explanation in Princeton. Its the best.. This isnt much help.. but its what I did..
Regards.
First of all congratulations for crackin GMAT wid a great score.
I have a some doubts though.. i m new to MBA prep never attempted even CAT or know the type of questions and i plan to give GMAT maybe in july august i wanna know if
1) is there any coaching required for me as i know next to nothing bout mba prep
2) I stay in a comparatively sleepy town where i can find only one GMAT coachin centre so dunno how it is.
3)should i try to prepare myself(seems tough though)
4) Wat should be the first step i should take.
I got names of all books n matter mentioned in ur thread n the one of Yogi baba.
Regards
"Questions are never indiscreet. Answers sometimes are. "
Hi Allure,
Depends on how good your school maths and english is..
Classes have their pluses.. they help you undersand the game faster. They also help you with the registration and give you an exam environment to practice in.
But the portion for GMAT per se is not tough, if you were good at maths in school, and if you have your school grammar book (like Wren & Martin) you may not need a class. Once u understand how GMAT works (that any prep book will tell you) .. all you need is practice.
Tell you what..
Get any one prep book, like Princeton... or Manhattan.. run thru the stuff in that one book quickly... so you'll know what is needed of you for the exam.
Then see if you can get someone to send you the POWER PREP software.. like I said in an earlier post, its two tests you get from the GMAT guys directly... solve the first test with your rudimantary preparation and see what your score is..
If you get a 600 or a 620+ score, dun think you need a class.. just practice and motivation..
If your score is below 600, then maybe u can get yourself enrolled for the class..
Talk to Anees... he is one of the best persons you can talk to on Pagalguy regarding any mba query.. see what he says..
Hope Ive helped..
Regards.
"When Life sucks, living it well is Revenge."
Hi Iridium
Congrats for ur awesome score.
Pls help me out with my verbal strategy!!
I have read ur posts regarding strategies that u followed but anyways I'm stuck in verbal
It has been a month since I started my prep. However, I can't feel the momentum going my way. I started my GMAt Preparation with Kaplan Premier, completed it in 10 days(QA in 2 days). THen I completed SC from OG 11 using the sheet format mentioned in the beatthegmat forum. After this, I took GMAt Prep1 and scored 600 (Qa 48 va 24). COuldn't even finish verbal in time.
I then started with RC and Cr from OG 11 slowly but steadily. However, I was startled to see my speed in RC.(very slow). I was taking too much time. I did most of the questions in CR in timed mode. However, I was not able to do RC in the proper time limit.
After finishing off verbal from OG-11, I took one GMAT CAT 1 from Kaplan CD this Saturday. I was expecting better this time. However the score was demoralising 570 (QA 50 Va 24).
THe common things that I noted during both the tests are that suddenly out of nowwhere , I start crumbling under sheer pressure of SC and RC. Sometimes I fail to distinguish what is the error being tested in SC. This doesn't happen with me while solving OG-11 questions. In Rc, I don't remember the paragraph, so that I have to go and check each and every option from the passage and that takes a lot of time.
QA is ok for me. In both the tests, I have been able to comlpete QA 15-minutes in advance.
My question:
Pls let me know what additnal things(material ) to do.Is it advisable to once agin go to OG-11 at this time?
Thanks in anticipation.
Hi Dextar
1) Kaplan tests ARE demoralising... so dun worry.. 570 is a fine score if its Kaplan.
2) You probably know.. wen you dun finish a section, you get penalised even more severely. Thats why the first test was only 600 inspite of a good quant score. YOU HAVE TO COMPLETE EACH SECTION.
3) What is the time limit ur aiming at for RC?
4) OG questions are simpler than the actual GMAT. In OG11, the first diagnostic test (I felt) had tougher questions than the rest of the book.
5) One of the major probs with SC is that u cant identify the error in the question sentence.
In those cases, read the options. Identify errors in options. Strike out options that are not feasible.
6) Yes, u can forget the para in RCs. Especially if its Kaplan Verbal.. tough paras.
Before reading -
(a)count number of paras in the RC
(b)Glance thru first and last line of each para to identify whether the RC is Scientific, Geographic or Social or whatever.
(c)After reading each para, quickly ask urself if uv understood. If yes, then proceed. If no, glance thru it again.. trust me.. there is time...just dun get distracted by panicking.
If u still cant remember, then while reading, just remember in general what the para says. When u read a question, even if u cant answer the question directly, you shud know wer in the passage the answer is.
7) Reading speed. Hmm... what can i say? U have to make a conscious effort. Run ur finger quickly below the line ur reading. It might help.
Ur afraid of the VA. Dun be. Everytime u feel panicky just breathe. When u panic, ur breathing rate goes up.. control ur breathing rate and the anxiety reduces..its not magic.. its biology.
9) Id say u need to revise the VA. What are ur mistakes? Which ones are common? Is it the idioms u get wrong? Is it the punctuation? If u cunt identify the error, could you understand it in the answer explanation or couldn't you? Is your thinking wrong in CR? What is wrong? Can you understand the answer explanations?
RC needs practice nuthing else.
Take some time off ur regular study and just gather all ur mistakes. OG, Kaplan, the tests, wateva else uv solved. Make notes of ur mistakes. Clear the mistakes u understand. What u cant agree with, bring it here to the forum.. maybe we can all help u understand.. savvy?
Im sorry I dun know the beatthegmat format for SC.. if you can tell me what it is, i can help u.
When are you taking the GMAT?
Regards.
Hi,
Dunno where to post this query...I am from Pune and i have gotten admission into SPJCM.
I have to join in Dubai on the 13th of May.
I would like to know if there is anyone here who is from Pune and would be joining in Dubai like me.
Please could such a person get in touch with me so we cud maybe leave Pune together..
hoping for responses...
Hi Allure,
Depends on how good your school maths and english is..
Classes have their pluses.. they help you undersand the game faster. They also help you with the registration and give you an exam environment to practice in.
But the portion for GMAT per se is not tough, if you were good at maths in school, and if you have your school grammar book (like Wren & Martin) you may not need a class. Once u understand how GMAT works (that any prep book will tell you) .. all you need is practice.
Tell you what..
Get any one prep book, like Princeton... or Manhattan.. run thru the stuff in that one book quickly... so you'll know what is needed of you for the exam.
Then see if you can get someone to send you the POWER PREP software.. like I said in an earlier post, its two tests you get from the GMAT guys directly... solve the first test with your rudimantary preparation and see what your score is..
If you get a 600 or a 620+ score, dun think you need a class.. just practice and motivation..
If your score is below 600, then maybe u can get yourself enrolled for the class..
Talk to Anees... he is one of the best persons you can talk to on Pagalguy regarding any mba query.. see what he says..
Hope Ive helped..
Regards.
"When Life sucks, living it well is Revenge."
Hi Iridium,
Seen ur helpful replies an thought of asking u for some dope on GMAT prep tests.....u must hae gone thru them.
How do the foll prep tests compare with the actual GMAT in terms of scores. How many points more/less:
Kaplan
Princeton
Veritas
800
Powerprep (mba.com)
Pls do reply.......I have given 1 test after studying for close to 2 months....Got 710 on Princeton....dont know how to rate myself.....Will be taking the GMAT end June. Need to know where I stand.
Thanks,
Raj
Hi Raj,
I cant tell you how many points more or less comparative scores wud be re...
I'll tell you how I scored.. maybe it'll give you an idea..
Kaplan is very low scoring.. dun compare ur Kaplan scores to anything... use Kaplan for practice.. esp the quant.. 560-620 is a good score..
Princeton- i scored 690.. so ur 710 is wonderful
Veritas-i dun know aything about this one.. never used it
800- dunno. didnt do this either.. but its Kaplan rite.. hehe notorious.. need i say more? :)
Powerprep is apparently the closest to the real thing..they say ull probably score close to the scores u get here... however.. shud tell you.. . the questions on the actual gmat were tougher... but then my score was also better on the actual one
PP1 - 710 PP2 - 690 Actual GMAT - 730
So you see... lotsa luck to you!
Hi Raj,
I cant tell you how many points more or less comparative scores wud be re...
I'll tell you how I scored.. maybe it'll give you an idea..
Kaplan is very low scoring.. dun compare ur Kaplan scores to anything... use Kaplan for practice.. esp the quant.. 560-620 is a good score..
Princeton- i scored 690.. so ur 710 is wonderful
Veritas-i dun know aything about this one.. never used it
800- dunno. didnt do this either.. but its Kaplan rite.. hehe notorious.. need i say more? :)
Powerprep is apparently the closest to the real thing..they say ull probably score close to the scores u get here... however.. shud tell you.. . the questions on the actual gmat were tougher... but then my score was also better on the actual one
PP1 - 710 PP2 - 690 Actual GMAT - 730
So you see... lotsa luck to you!
thanks buddy.....will kepp that in mind