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/forum/gmat-a...xperience.html (760 - My GMAT experience)
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!
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.
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
- my CAT was 69)
Re: GMAT cracked - 730/6.0 -
18-03-2008, 06:32 PM
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