760 - My GMAT experience

[Baba Yaga]

Originally Posted by funfever

hi BABA YAGA,

i took Princeton Test1 i scored 25 in quant and 21 in verbal is it ok.? what should i do to improve my sentence correction part?

It is most definitely NOT ok! … 25 in Quant and 21 in Verbal is pretty low, boy … I’m not sure of the conditions under which you took this test, but I suggest you take another one to re-evaluate your real score … If you haven’t already done so, take a Powerprep test … It’s freely downloadable from mba.com … And it is as real a simulation of the actual GMAT as you can get … If after taking this test you still get around the same range, then you have plenty of work to do …

And as for improving your sentence correction … Most importantly, get your grammar basics dead right … No need to read Wren and Martin cover to cover! … Just revise the main concepts of sentence structure and tenses … That is the most important part … And you could check out the guidelines laid down by the Princeton Review for the Sentence Correction section … They have about 8-10 main categories in which most SC problems fall in ... Get into the habit of identifing the error and classifying it in these categories ... A proactive approach would go a long way in improving your SC score ...

[funfever]

Originally Posted by Baba Yaga

It is most definitely NOT ok! … 25 in Quant and 21 in Verbal is pretty low, boy … I’m not sure of the conditions under which you took this test, but I suggest you take another one to re-evaluate your real score … If you haven’t already done so, take a Powerprep test … It’s freely downloadable from mba.com … And it is as real a simulation of the actual GMAT as you can get … If after taking this test you still get around the same range, then you have plenty of work to do …

And as for improving your sentence correction … Most importantly, get your grammar basics dead right … No need to read Wren and Martin cover to cover! … Just revise the main concepts of sentence structure and tenses … That is the most important part … And you could check out the guidelines laid down by the Princeton Review for the Sentence Correction section … They have about 8-10 main categories in which most SC problems fall in ... Get into the habit of identifing the error and classifying it in these categories ... A proactive approach would go a long way in improving your SC score ...

BABA,
what should be the intial score in quant , verbal. guide me......

[funfever]

Hi BABA,

i took another test on SUnday My composite score was 610, Quant-42 , english-32. my problem was sentence correction were only one was correct. another is DS where 8 were wrong out of 18. what to do abt SC

[Baba Yaga]

Originally Posted by funfever

Hi BABA,

i took another test on SUnday My composite score was 610, Quant-42 , english-32. my problem was sentence correction were only one was correct. another is DS where 8 were wrong out of 18. what to do abt SC

Hi Funfever ...

610 is definitely a BIG improvement and more representative of your probable score ... Aim for 45 in Quant and atleast 35 in Verbal ... You can easily reach that mark in Quant once you get familiar with the tricks and techniques behind the Data Sufficiency questions ... Practice, Practice, Practice ...

There still is lots of scope for improvement in the SC section ... Do what I told you in my last post ... Get thorough with certain basic grammar fundamentals first, and then try solving questions by identifying the problem in each question ... The verbal section in this forum is excellent - Gmatclub.com ... Participate actively ...

[Intangible]

hi Baba yaga

man u rock...u have got a great gmat score and an even better strategy.......

i am planning to take gmat this year....same story...got a boot by IIMs....2 yr work X in IT ....got an MDI call yesterday ......but planning to take the gmat plunge

ciao
Ritesh

[girish_mangtani]

hi baba......congrats on ur score.....it'd b helpful if u let us know abt univs u hv applied to n admits u get...also abt ur profile....

btw...im girish frm bombay..im wrkng as a s/w engg.....will b completing 1 year this april.......im planning 2 take GMAT sometime mid this year..arnd june....planning 2 apply r jan 2006 session.

i hv decent acads.....i need to know ..wich univs to apply to..wud it b feasible to apply to top 10 univs in US...wat chance do i stand...im also planning 2 apply to asian schools like AIM , ISB....i hvnt planed nething yet....please tell me if i can get thru these univs based on my profile, work ex n all....wats the optimum gmat score given tht by jan 2006 i'll hv 20 mnths of wrk ex..... i m serious abt going 4 mba coz i cant wait til i hv 4 yrs of wrk ex..i wana start in 2006...plz help..

[funfever]

HI girish, it seems we got a similar goal. i too want to appear in JUne/July. But i am trying for non-US Bschools. ISB, Insead, LBS, LSE Australia Gratuate School of Management. ... IS my decision ok???

Also YAGA BABA Help

[Baba Yaga]

Girish

I have'nt applied to any Universities yet, but I have a few in mind ... As and when I apply I will surely update my experiences here ...

About my Profile -
I've graduated from BITS, Pilani in M.Sc.(Tech) Finance ... (Yes, it's a Bachelor's degree) ... Got recruited on campus in a software company ... Worked on the technical side for one and a half years, and then decided that Software is not for me ... Decided to rediscover my roots, and get back into Finance ... Left behind all the skillsets I had built up over the last 18 months and took up a position as a Financial Analyst last month ... I'm enjoying my current job immensely and hence have decided to wait it out indefinitely for an MBA ... Even though I'll be applying for 2007 or later, I have started my research for the Univs ... It's a long process, and the earlier you're at it, the better it is ...

And Funfever and Girish ... It really is very difficult for me to say what school is right for you and what is not ... I've said it before in this thread, but I'll say it once again ... there is no fixed formula to make a decision like this ... This is very different from CAT, where you plug in your percentiles, work-ex, acads, etc and you can say with almost certainty from which Univs you'll get a call from ...

I'm not criticizing what the IIMs are doing - it's because they have no choice ... In fact, I can't think of a better way, given the circumstances ... Just compare the number of applicants for the IIMs (over 1.5 lakhs) with the number for a typical good US B-School (on an average 4000-5000) ... The IIMs CANNOT review each and every application individually ... Hence the next best thing they can do is eliminate people en masse ... Basis for elimination? - Intelligence and Aptitude ... Whether that is the correct basis to eliminate people is a whole new debate altogether ... But it serves the purpose ... You come down to a few thousand people, whom you can then evaluate more closely in GDs and Interviews ...

But when you apply through the GMAT, whether it's ISB or an Asian Univ or a US Univ, the Application by itself becomes so much more important ... Essays, I would say, are THE most crucial aspects of your Application - 10 times more important than GMAT and Acads put together ... They want to see what kind of a person you are ... Show them the man/woman behind the application ... Make them realize that it is they who need you, not the other way around, and you are through ... Statistics don't tell much about whether you can make a good manager ...

I can say this for certain, though ... Any school worth it's salt is going to look for one thing above all else - Whether you have direction ... So don't even think about applying if you don't know what you want ... You will be shot down quickly and painlessly ... These guys review thousands of applications, and can't be bluffed that easily ...

But remember, I'm talking only about the MBA from good schools ... If you crack your GMAT out of shape, you'll get loads of offers (some with schols) from much lower ranked schools ... If you're willing to compromise, you could always try for them ... It's been only one month since I've given the GMAT, and already my mailbox is full of mails from these schools asking if I'm interested ...

If you guys really want a high GMAT score to count, you could try for an MFE (Masters in Financial Engineering) programme ... Berkeley has the best in the US, followed by CMU ... There is not that much emphasis on work-ex ... And your Software background will be a plus! ... It'll also help if you max your GMAT quant ... Some MFE programmes even take GRE scores ...

And then there are other programmes like the MLOG (Master's in Supply Chain and Logistics) from MIT ... I got a couple of mails from them too, and they seem to be drawn quite a lot by high GMAT scores ... It's a relatively new program ( started in 98 ) and the duration is just for 9 months ... They claim the placements are excellent ... And no one should doubt the MIT tag ...

But you have to be very careful when you are treading the Non-Traditional path ... If it's not an MBA, be sure that it is what you really need ... Interact with ex-students, check out placement statistics and contact the Ad comm ... Doon't be lazy - The web is a beautiful source of information! ... Everything I know I've found out not through experience but simply by surfing! ...

I'm sorry if you guys feel I'm being harsh or not giving you proper advice ... But please do not ask such generic questions! ... "These are my stats - will I get in?" ... In other MBA forums it is considered very rude ... I'm not a member of the Ad Comm ... I'm just another MBA aspirant, like you guys ...

[girish_mangtani]

thnx baba for ur valued advice.well i hv a similar profile.im wrking as a software engg in a reputed IT firm in bombay.but then i feel tht software is not the kinda work place i want. so i hv decided to go for mba.i want a complete career change. im very much interested in finance. i hv 1 yr of experience.i cannot wait 4 mba. i wana get out of software asap. i feel im wasting my precious time here....but if i get an opportunity to get into finance domain prior to mba, i can wait 4 couple of years. but it seems very unlikely given the fact tht im an engg. i dnt hv formal degree but interest in finance.though i knw a lot abt finance. i wud be helpful if advise regarding this. ...is it feasible to look 4 a finance job or go 4 mba straightaway wid only a year of experience......i hv 2 explain field switch if at all i do...plz help.

[pagalguy]

Baba Yaga, Great post there. Very insightful and would be helpful to a lot of people Nice work and great effort!