Day 2 : Nov 29th 2005

Amazon is a little slow in shipping. I will have to wait for the study material.

Today I downloaded the GMATPrep Software (http://www.mba.com/FreeGMATPrepTestPreparationSoftware.htm) From www.mba.com. It is very good. I used the initial orientation sections to understand the types of quesitons to expect. I went through the Maths section today. After walking through, Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry and Word Problems I decided to take a close look at coupld of sections. So I took the easiest, Arithmetic and Algebra. I was surprised to find how simple those sections were. These are the problems which all of us did before class 7 in India. I remember everything vividly. My father taught me all the section I went through today. The exception will be probability and counting methods. I was embarassed to have forgotten the formulae for solving quadratic equations. I did not do any practice tests today. Got an email from Eric from www.beatthegmat.com fame. Very interesting.

Day 1: November 28th 2005

Today I started my serious preparation for getting into Columbia in Fall 2006. I am pressed with time. March 1st 2006 will be the final date for accepting the applications. I have to finish my GMAT, TOEFL, Application essays, Get Transcripts, Recommendations all rounded up in the next 3 months. In between I and my wife are taking a nice 10 day vacation too !!. It is going to be very hectic.

Prelude:-


I ordered the following books from Amazon,

1. The Official Guide for GMAT Review
   


2. Princeton Review : Cracking the GMAT with CD-ROM, 2006
   


3. Kaplan GMAT 800
   


4. Sentence Correction GMAT Preparation Guide (Manhattan Gmat Prep)
   


5. GMAT 2006, Premier Program (Kaplan Gmat (Book & CD-Rom))
   


6. Critical Reasoning & Reading Comprehension GMAT Preparation Guide (Manhattan Gmat Prep)
   

Total Cost $125

I am waiting for the books now. Also I cleared up my study table , setup my laptop, etc. In the meantime I am reading a lot on www.beatthegmat.com Blog Space. My Plan is taking shape. Surprisingly simple after reading though some very succesful strategies. Staying on track, Identifying the weaker areas, Practice tests are the key.