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Trainee PaGaL
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Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Melaka, Malaysia | Re: Mumbaities giving Gmat in July/Aug 08 -
12-05-2008, 06:06 AM
I wrote GMAT on 09-May-08 after having re-scheduled it 3 times. From 5th November 07 to 10th December 07 to 24th March 08 to 09th May 08. Every time I re-scheduled, I felt I would get some extra time to cross that magical 700. However, it was not to happen so, at least in my first attempt. I scored 650 (Q-48, V-31). Obviously, Verbal let me down as expected since beginning.
I started my preparation in the month of August 2007 after my decision to turn down my AIM admission. Started with enthusiasm but sooner than expected the focused enthusiasm died down on account of various reasons. However, it was in the February 2008 when I decided to get my GMAT thing done now.
I started preparation once again with vigor. But on account of the work and due to many of the self created distractions, I could only prepare for the exam on and off. On an average, I studied 1 hr on working days and 4 hrs on Sundays. I don’t get weekends as such and hence I have to content myself with one Sunday in a week. However, I was determined to finish the process till the end this time.
Started with Arco. Finished its 5 Tests, not recommended though because of its very easy Mathematics and substandard Verbal. Then took three numbers of Manhattan pdf Tests downloaded from e-snips. Then Kaplan Verbal, OG Verbal, OG 10 (in the office). By then it was April 10 -12. And Now I was chiefly left out with OG-11 and Kaplan 800.
Started OG-11 from the last questions. Logged the tough questions properly in the xls. Finished RC, CR, SC and 100 last DS questions. Did some 60 PS questions. Then started Kaplan 800 and did CR, SC and RC completely. However, I did not do PS from K-800.
Revised ManhattanSC.
During the last 20 days or so I started experiencing something which might have affected my preparation quite detrimentally. And I feel better while attributing my poor performance in GMAT to such external disturbances as prospects of transfer to Faridabad, this disturbed me at least for 3-4 days and then my sudden trip to my home country- Mumbai for 4 days. It took my 5 productive days from 23rd April to 27th April. So by the time I was done with above two of the major hindrances on my way to GMAT I was left out only with 10 days before GMAT. Though the majority of material was already covered by me, I still had to revisit lot of stuffs and take some tests.
Last 10 days, I took GMAT Prep tests 4 times.
The mock tests that I covered during my preparation period along with the scores I got are listed below.
1. Kaplan CD-1 550 {V-25 (R-21, W-20), M-36(R-21, W-16)}
2. Kaplan CD-2 570 {V-28 (R-21, W-20), M-41(R-29, W-8}
3. Kaplan CD-3 560 {V-29 (R-18, W-23), M-39(R-29, W-8}
4. Kaplan CD-4 580 {V-31 (R-25 W-16), M-41(R-30, W-7)}
1. Powerprep-1 730 {V-40 (R-32 W-9), M-49(R-33, W-4)}
2. Powerprep-2 690 {V-35 (R-32 W-9), M-48(R-31, W-6)}
1. GMAT Prep-1 710 {V-36 (R-28 W-13), M-50(R-29, W-8}
2. GMAT Prep-2 690 {V-35 (R-27 W-14), M-48(R-27, W-10)}
1. GMAT Prep-1_Re 740 {V-41 (R-31 W-10, M-49(R-27, W-10)}
2. GMAT Prep-2_Re 740 {V-44 (R-35 W-6), M-47(R-24, W-13)}
Though, through out my preparation period, I never seemed doing well enough to surpass 700 or even touch 680, in the hindsight I used to feel that I can curtail my mistakes in verbal to 11-12 and touch 690 at the least. My confidence level got a big boost when I started doing pretty decent at GMAT Prep tests. By the end of my preparation I estimated my score to be in the range of 670 to 710 (Worst to Best cases respectively).
Test started unusually well with AWA- argument analysis where I could easily rip the argument apart by exposing several logical fallacies of the author. Wrote a decent 5 paragraph essay with strong conclusion at the end. Similarly analysis of issue went equally well as the topic even appeared to me an already read one. All these foreboded a good beginning of the end of my GMAT journey. Checked out after two essay writings for a low sugar RED BULL. Felt good till then.
Then came Math section. The first question on work and time was a bomb for me. I could not make out what exactly is being asked. I spent about 3 minutes on that question, however, at the end I decided to click the guess and move on. It was not a good sign indeed for my Math paper and immediately reminded me about GRE debacle a 6 years ago. Fortunately I could able to pick up the pace along with the accuracy with subsequent questions. There were no Probability questions. One combination question and other questions very much similar to those of GMAT Preps. I felt like doing reasonably well in the Math section till the end and finished the section 30 sec before the allotted time. Checked out once again for the break before the verbal section and had another with sugar RED BULL.
Verbal started with 2 SCs followed by 1 CR and then again 2 SCs. Then came one RC with 4 questions. I felt doing well and even the RCs were quite comprehendible. Then series of SCs, Crs and RCs. I got 1 bold face CR at about 14th question. Finished my Verbal 40 second before the time.
However, when I saw my score I could not believe I did so badly in Verbal. Unfortunately, I don’t even know where I went wrong. SC, RC, CR or all the three sections of Verbal I did equally good/ bad. Usually I won’t fare well in RCs where I used to make unusually high number of mistakes. I know that in SCs I have improved phenomenally, though still I was not perfect, most of the questions I started doing correctly in OG-11 and mocks. In the RCs too I was doing quite well off late. For example in GMAT Prep-2 I did all 14 RC questions right.
I am planning to re-write GMAT but, I am yet to firm up what shall be my strategy to tackle it better this time and how long shall be my preparation period. Meanwhile, I am also going to be transferred back to India from Malaysia, where I stayed since last two years.
Request all veterans to suggest when shall I take the next date and how shall I go about the preparation stuff.
Let me brief about my profile here,
B.E – Mechanical Engg – NIT Jamshedpur 75%
M. Tech – IIT M CGPA-7.5
Working with L&T’s since last 7 years (2 Years in Malaysia) as Planning & Control Manager- Hydrocarbon Projects.
My target institutes are 1 year MBA courses in India - IIMs, ISB and XLRI |
Re: Mumbaities giving Gmat in July/Aug 08 -
12-05-2008, 09:04 PM
Linear Mode
