'Downtown and down to earth'. That is what Stern stands for. I am all set to submit my R1 Stern application. In fact, I may do it right after I publish this blog. []Update : And Yes, true to my word, I did too. So that is two down and one to go]
Stern application is a lot shorter than Wharton's. There are only three essays to tell your story with, of which one is an odd ball - the creative essay where you can submit anything but food, electronic media and worn T-Shirts. There is no space in the application for your job responsibilities, but of course it requires a resume. Another oddity is that Stern needs your official transcripts , and a copy of the degree certificate.
I went to Stern on Monday afternoon. I carried a rather conspicuous package, my creative essay. After I submitted the essay and the transcript I enquired whether I could attend a class. I knew the class visit schedule was full. Even so they were nice enough to ask me to hang around to see whether there are any open slots. Though I was keen to attend a marketing class, in this situation I took what was available. A class on Global Banking Risks. The class blew me away!
The quality of teaching was way better than what I experienced in Wharton. Again please take this comment with lots of salt. Since, the Wharton classes I attended were the last ones before the midterm. Hence the subject matter was at a much more advanced state. Where as, the Stern class was an independent capsule in itself. The professor was a very respected Wall St. Executive with lots of hands on experience. In addition, I had in depth knowledge on all the cases he discussed in the class - the LTCM collapse, Russian debt defaulting and the Japanese Real Estate decline. So it is quiet possible that my Wharton class visit is not quiet representative to be compared with my Stern class visit.
I will conclude with a line I penned to a friend few minutes back. - So to summarize, my brain likes Stern more where as my heart still beats Whar'..'Ton'...''Whar'..'Ton'...''Whar'..'Ton'...''Whar'..'Ton'...'
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Monday, November 27, 2006
The IT Pride
In the MBA Admissions world, Indian, Engineer, IT (IE-IT) combination apparently is plenty. At least that is what many IE-ITs out there think. A large number of IE-ITs also think they are in a tremendously competitive 'pool'. This thought naturally is extrapolated to a bigger question, How will I differentiate myself from the other 999 clones?. While an important question, in my opinion the roots, progression and manifestation of the question are all wrong.
I am an IE-IT applicant, So my words, thoughts and actions have some credibility. I do not expect everyone to agree. I would love to have a healthy debate In case you differ with my opinions.
In my opinion, a regular IE-IT applicant has tremendous advantage. The advantage is firmly rooted on many unique aspects.
India has 28 states and 7 union territories. Each of those states differ from each other in more than subtle ways. We come from different cultures, talking different languages, experiencing different ideologies and reading different newspapers. Let us not even go near the cuisines; how lame is it that so many restaurants out there call themselves 'Indian'?, Can there ever be an Indian restaurant showcasing at least 28 dishes; one each from each of those states?, How many chefs are going to be there!
Your experiences mould you. And since those experiences are different, how you became who you are is different. Hence I do not see lack of uniqueness in an IE-IT.
Now, let us focus on the IT aspect. My IT experience has made me an expert in certain areas of the following industries; investment banking, pharmaceuticals, food and nutrition. I know aspects of book publishing and assessing personalities in 29-dimensions :-). I know how e-commerce makes money, and I know how to analyze the customer demographics to make informed marketing decisions. How many applicants out there, you think, carry such a huge opportunity to learn so many different businesses? I would say very few. In any year, most of IE-ITs shift across three business segments. You are supposed to learn, master and apply skills in completely new industries overnight. Now, it is easy to get tangled in braces, semicolons and asterisk. But those with business dreams written all over will learn the business of the project they are in. If you do not, please do. While how you comment a line of code may change from project to project, and may at times be an exciting learning opportunity, do not miss the bigger picture and miss the chance to internalize one more new business knowledge. Believe me you the uniqueness will be written all over each of us once we do this internalization.
IE-ITs are exposed to tremendous leadership development opportunities daily! You know what I am talking about, we get to learn from our managers up close, we get to lead teams fairly early in our careers, we get client facing assignments sooner, we interview people...And, if your job is not letting you do all these, you have the option to turn in your papers and walk over to some where across the street where you get what you want.
International experiences are something that sets IE-ITs apart. We do not get to work in 'one' country abroad; we frequent countries. Be in the look out for new cultural experiences. Understand the local customs, the way people do business, underlying philosophies etc. Don't take comfort in the dal and chapati. Experiment. Get to know your neighbors. Learn from every morsel of 'newness' that comes across you.
While IE-ITs have similar opportunities to be unique, the uniqueness of these opportunities make all the difference. So, I believe being IE-IT is nothing but a great advantage when you are trying to set yourself apart.
Ohh, one more thing, stop worrying about that high GMAT. Nobody cares much!
I am an IE-IT applicant, So my words, thoughts and actions have some credibility. I do not expect everyone to agree. I would love to have a healthy debate In case you differ with my opinions.
In my opinion, a regular IE-IT applicant has tremendous advantage. The advantage is firmly rooted on many unique aspects.
India has 28 states and 7 union territories. Each of those states differ from each other in more than subtle ways. We come from different cultures, talking different languages, experiencing different ideologies and reading different newspapers. Let us not even go near the cuisines; how lame is it that so many restaurants out there call themselves 'Indian'?, Can there ever be an Indian restaurant showcasing at least 28 dishes; one each from each of those states?, How many chefs are going to be there!
Your experiences mould you. And since those experiences are different, how you became who you are is different. Hence I do not see lack of uniqueness in an IE-IT.
Now, let us focus on the IT aspect. My IT experience has made me an expert in certain areas of the following industries; investment banking, pharmaceuticals, food and nutrition. I know aspects of book publishing and assessing personalities in 29-dimensions :-). I know how e-commerce makes money, and I know how to analyze the customer demographics to make informed marketing decisions. How many applicants out there, you think, carry such a huge opportunity to learn so many different businesses? I would say very few. In any year, most of IE-ITs shift across three business segments. You are supposed to learn, master and apply skills in completely new industries overnight. Now, it is easy to get tangled in braces, semicolons and asterisk. But those with business dreams written all over will learn the business of the project they are in. If you do not, please do. While how you comment a line of code may change from project to project, and may at times be an exciting learning opportunity, do not miss the bigger picture and miss the chance to internalize one more new business knowledge. Believe me you the uniqueness will be written all over each of us once we do this internalization.
IE-ITs are exposed to tremendous leadership development opportunities daily! You know what I am talking about, we get to learn from our managers up close, we get to lead teams fairly early in our careers, we get client facing assignments sooner, we interview people...And, if your job is not letting you do all these, you have the option to turn in your papers and walk over to some where across the street where you get what you want.
International experiences are something that sets IE-ITs apart. We do not get to work in 'one' country abroad; we frequent countries. Be in the look out for new cultural experiences. Understand the local customs, the way people do business, underlying philosophies etc. Don't take comfort in the dal and chapati. Experiment. Get to know your neighbors. Learn from every morsel of 'newness' that comes across you.
While IE-ITs have similar opportunities to be unique, the uniqueness of these opportunities make all the difference. So, I believe being IE-IT is nothing but a great advantage when you are trying to set yourself apart.
Ohh, one more thing, stop worrying about that high GMAT. Nobody cares much!
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
A tough question - That still lingers
My Wharton interview is over for many days now. As days pass by the vividness of the interview experience is fading. With a busy schedule of NYC schools' admissions looming in the background, distancing from the Wharton experience will help reduce stress. How much ever I try I guess part of my mind will agonize over the criticality of Dec 21st - the decision day!.
The whole admissions process was an introspective experience. Of all the probing questions that my interviewer asked me, the one which caused significant introspection to me was , "How will you define success?". My spontaneous answer which covered some qualitative and quantitative aspects of success was very original, and once again took me through the now so familiar self discovery zone. So, to all the applicants out there, do ask yourself this seemingly innocent question : "How will YOU define success?"
The whole admissions process was an introspective experience. Of all the probing questions that my interviewer asked me, the one which caused significant introspection to me was , "How will you define success?". My spontaneous answer which covered some qualitative and quantitative aspects of success was very original, and once again took me through the now so familiar self discovery zone. So, to all the applicants out there, do ask yourself this seemingly innocent question : "How will YOU define success?"
Friday, November 17, 2006
The Wharton interview
Four hours back, exactly at 11:50PM EST, I finished my very enjoyable 40mnts long interview with a Wharton Graduate Assistant. Everything Mr. Thomas Caleel, preaches is true as far as Wharton's admission process goes - there are no tricks.
Interview started exactly on time, and my interviewer first explained to me what is the format of the interview and what to expect. She then proceeded with the ice breaker of walking through the resume. She followed up with a Question on my leadership style. Then we discussed , Why MBA?, Why Wharton?, Leadership Example, Team work Example, How I'll define success , What will I contribute, How will my classmates remember me by and a few more questions expectable from an MBA admissions interview. Lastly she answered all my three questions to her at length, and escorted me out into the lobby.
She did a wonderful job of showing complete involvment in the interview process. In fact though I was a little nervous in the beginning she made me feel completely at home through her friendly approach.
In short I love Wharton even more now, and will look forward to the decision day, December 21st.
Interview started exactly on time, and my interviewer first explained to me what is the format of the interview and what to expect. She then proceeded with the ice breaker of walking through the resume. She followed up with a Question on my leadership style. Then we discussed , Why MBA?, Why Wharton?, Leadership Example, Team work Example, How I'll define success , What will I contribute, How will my classmates remember me by and a few more questions expectable from an MBA admissions interview. Lastly she answered all my three questions to her at length, and escorted me out into the lobby.
She did a wonderful job of showing complete involvment in the interview process. In fact though I was a little nervous in the beginning she made me feel completely at home through her friendly approach.
In short I love Wharton even more now, and will look forward to the decision day, December 21st.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Wharton would like to see my face...
Today Wharton invited me for an interview. What a wonderful thing to write. It is exciting to know that the endless hours spent writing, editing, fine-tuning the application and the long months spent learning, teaching and dissecting GMAT complexities did not end with no tangible results. Statistically Wharton admits 50% of those interviewed. It is an important milestone, yet no time to rest yet!
The Stern Essays are coming up very well. The Wharton essay experience has sculpted my writing style from raw clay to a beautiful flowing art-form. It definitely was not through self discovery. It was through the numerous feedback sessions from my friends who wore a ruthless critique's cap to dissect my essays. Thank you all. In retrospective, internalizing your teachings has also helped me reduce your critiquing efforts for the later essays. However, you still amaze me with those invaluable suggestions that gives my essays new dimensions.
At some point of time, definitely after all the admissions excitement is over, I'd publish those essays here.
But for now, let it all be Robert Frost , "Miles to before I sleep..."
The Stern Essays are coming up very well. The Wharton essay experience has sculpted my writing style from raw clay to a beautiful flowing art-form. It definitely was not through self discovery. It was through the numerous feedback sessions from my friends who wore a ruthless critique's cap to dissect my essays. Thank you all. In retrospective, internalizing your teachings has also helped me reduce your critiquing efforts for the later essays. However, you still amaze me with those invaluable suggestions that gives my essays new dimensions.
At some point of time, definitely after all the admissions excitement is over, I'd publish those essays here.
But for now, let it all be Robert Frost , "Miles to before I sleep..."
Saturday, October 21, 2006
One down and Many more to Go
I submitted Wharton R1 application on October 11th, one day before the deadline. I felt relief and pride at achieving an important milestone. The essays took a lot more time than I anticipated. It went through a complete rewrite and then continuous incremental tightening to convey my story in the most concise way I could. My friends helped me all the way. Each critic has contributed invaluable quality to my final version. Finally when I felt each sentence has a purpose, and each word inside each of those sentences are the most accurate one to convey my message I stopped.
Even the final day had enough drama. I feel every applicant may have one black sheep essay - the one perceived as the weak one. I had one too. So in the last two days I decided to pick a new topic for my last essay. I completed the essay, tightened it, whartonised it and finally was left with two glowing essays. I had to fight hard to pick a favorite. Finally, in an anticlimax, I went with my original essay.
Once Wharton applications done, I decided to visit Wharton. It takes close to two hours and $13 for me to reach Wharton. I attended two classes, had lunch with students, and made a few new applicant friends. Looked like I was the only R1 applicant. The students were very impressive. They showed us around and gave us very good information on the application process, curriculum, life @ Wharton and housing options in Philadelphia. I decided to head back after lunch.
Now I have self set deadlines of Nov 20th for Stern and Dec 21st for Columbia. It gives me one month for Stern and two months for Columbia.
Even the final day had enough drama. I feel every applicant may have one black sheep essay - the one perceived as the weak one. I had one too. So in the last two days I decided to pick a new topic for my last essay. I completed the essay, tightened it, whartonised it and finally was left with two glowing essays. I had to fight hard to pick a favorite. Finally, in an anticlimax, I went with my original essay.
Once Wharton applications done, I decided to visit Wharton. It takes close to two hours and $13 for me to reach Wharton. I attended two classes, had lunch with students, and made a few new applicant friends. Looked like I was the only R1 applicant. The students were very impressive. They showed us around and gave us very good information on the application process, curriculum, life @ Wharton and housing options in Philadelphia. I decided to head back after lunch.
Now I have self set deadlines of Nov 20th for Stern and Dec 21st for Columbia. It gives me one month for Stern and two months for Columbia.
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
The F-Factor in the Applications
It is ironic that there is no 'F' in the word 'MBA Admission'. I would love to pluggin an 'F' before and after each letter. The 'F' stands for Friends. And where will my essays be without all those friends to help me out.
Do not get me wrong! I still have not reached the bad state where I shamelessly ask my friends to pen the Essays for me. As of now they are my support system. Some are brutal - waiting like a hungry lioness for the fresh essay to popup on their inbox, and some are like parents - 'Why would you do use that word?', and again some are like seasoned editors - with my essays coming back via return mail, neatly commented in the margin with anecdotal suggestions on how to improve. And an unique critique of the lot is my dearest wife. She loves everything I write! After seeing the brutal treatments from other editors she currently is trying very hard to change her outlook and really look for places to change. And she made some wonderful suggestions that tied my essay sets together.
Overall I am in a good shape with my essays. One school's is done. It is a challenge to work with word limits when Essays pretty much want you talk about your whole life. Still, that is one of the main aspect tested; concision in communication.
If this essay set does not win me an interview and an admission, I will be sure that I missed the bus for some other factor - not essays. Still I will sleep well at night with the satisfaction that I gave my best shot.
Do not get me wrong! I still have not reached the bad state where I shamelessly ask my friends to pen the Essays for me. As of now they are my support system. Some are brutal - waiting like a hungry lioness for the fresh essay to popup on their inbox, and some are like parents - 'Why would you do use that word?', and again some are like seasoned editors - with my essays coming back via return mail, neatly commented in the margin with anecdotal suggestions on how to improve. And an unique critique of the lot is my dearest wife. She loves everything I write! After seeing the brutal treatments from other editors she currently is trying very hard to change her outlook and really look for places to change. And she made some wonderful suggestions that tied my essay sets together.
Overall I am in a good shape with my essays. One school's is done. It is a challenge to work with word limits when Essays pretty much want you talk about your whole life. Still, that is one of the main aspect tested; concision in communication.
If this essay set does not win me an interview and an admission, I will be sure that I missed the bus for some other factor - not essays. Still I will sleep well at night with the satisfaction that I gave my best shot.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
A Brief Update
Last two months were very eventful in my personal life. Wonderful things happened. The MBA Admissions train is rolling on smoothly. I have all my schools figured out. For most of the schools the application timeliness and Essay topics are published. Also I have packed my September Calendar with campus Visits and Class Visits. A most important development is that I discussed my MBA plans with my recommenders. They were very supportive. One of my recommenders is my recent manager. Even though he is not my current Manager he knows me very well. He also has an MBA from a top school. The other recommender is someone who knows me for about 8 Years now. He was my Peer for a long time. When I and a group of colleagues founded our new company he was our leader. I believe these two will do a wonderful Job of bringing out my personality to the Adcom in the right perspective. They both are wonderful people whom I respect to the core.
Monday, June 26, 2006
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
After the long pause
Long pauses are annoying. Sometimes you do not know the reasons for the pause. Sometimes, even more painful than the former, you do. I had a pause in my GMAT preparations. Now if you are one of the few who have been following my MBA prep, you are bound to be confused. Did this dude, just finish his GMAT, like a month back?. Yes, I sure did. However it fell short of my expectations so as per my plan, I decided to give it another go. So the pause I was chewing on was simple procrastination. Yesterday I broke it and got back on to the tread mill.
Starting off second time is confusing. You kind of have finished one full circle. What is the point in running the same track again?. I think this time around I may get to enjoy the track better. My shoes are run in too.
The areas to concentrate on are well defined. It is Verbal, and no marks for guessing that. 42 is achievable and I must get it this time. The finer areas for improvement are all three SC,RC and CR. The execution should be very careful this time.
Starting off second time is confusing. You kind of have finished one full circle. What is the point in running the same track again?. I think this time around I may get to enjoy the track better. My shoes are run in too.
The areas to concentrate on are well defined. It is Verbal, and no marks for guessing that. 42 is achievable and I must get it this time. The finer areas for improvement are all three SC,RC and CR. The execution should be very careful this time.
- Do complete 1000SC, By posting comments on to the blog
- Do a complete workout of old LSAT for CR and RC.
- Re do OG, OG Verbal, OG Quant.
- Practice tests on Princeton Review, GMATPrep and Kaplan. (4 Tests in all)
- Write two more sets of AWA.
timeliness are tight, and I need to get a new coffee maker. My old one broke. Critical for early morning starters.
In the mean time, I have started my application with Columbia and Stern. I created the user profiles and went through the essay questions.
Also I have decided to do 4 courses in a near by Community College to beef up my transcript.
I am feeling very good getting back to writing this blog.
Friday, April 07, 2006
Official Score Report : And AWA
Day before yesterday, a full 8 days after my GMAT, I got an email from VUE Pearson. It said, that my score will be available online in 24 hrs. I tried to access the link provided in the email immediately and it said the score is not yet in. Naturally I only wanted to know the AWA score. Yesterday, I forgot about this all together. So went to sleep a little late. Half an hour into the sleep I remembered that I should be able to access the score by then. Got up and checked the score. AWA turned in a good 5.5/6 score. I am very happy about it.
Analysis of the issue
Going into the test I decided that the Issue analysis should start with a personal experience. However the subject did not let me bring in any personal experience. What do I have to do with art and government support!!. So I decided to go with plan B, ie. To start with a joke. This has worked to my advantage many time in the past. So I started it with a joke involving Michael Angelo, The Pope and the Sistine chapel. The first paragraph touched upon two or three important points without any elaboration. I tried to put down few points on the paper before I start typing, but none were coming along. So started typing any way.
Second Paragraph my position I am taking was stated, and two main points were elaborated. I tried to use the correct pronouns, and cite cite examples as I was moving through. Each paragraph I tried to organize with a simple premises leads to conclusion fashion.
Third Paragraph also I continued the same rant in similar style elaborating two more points. I believe I took an example with Alexander and Homer here.
Fourth Paragraph, was devoted for anticipating some criticism from the critics. The assumptions in my previous two paragraphs were opened for attack from Critics, and then I put in some points to counter those criticism. I tried to sit little bit on the fence here, without getting poked too much on the wrong place.
Fifth paragraph was a nice simple conclusion which said, my point is absolutely correct, even though there may be some critics who disagree with it.
I finished with 5 minutes to spare. I spent the remaining time correcting grammar and spelling.
Analysis of the Argument
In the GMAT, I got the argument analysis first. It was about a newspaper article advocating that a local mall construction should be stopped. My strategy for the argument was to look at it like I would look at a CR question. In general there is no fool proof argument in GMAT. There are some underlying assumptions. So concentrate on those assumptions and ferret them out. Questioning the validity of each assumption is the strategy to go for in the argument analysis. When the assumptions become questionable, the conclusion becomes questionable. Never question the validity of premises. Premises are the only pieces of fact. The way they are interpreted is always questionable.
I spent the first 6 to 7 minutes in preparing my essay outline on the scratch paper.
The first paragraph was devoted to paraphrasing the argument structure. Different argument parts were detailed as premises and conclusion. I did that to make E-raters job a little easier.
Second paragraph was for listing down each of the assumptions the author has made in connecting premises to conclusion. At this point also I did not take any stand.
Third paragraph was a critical evaluation of authors argument style. This was the place I chose to hop on the fence once in a while. I will lean in, land a punch on solar plexus, and immediately sooth out the pain by offering a candy. I hope you get the metaphor. Very gentle but prove your point without directly attacking the author. This went on till I dissected and destroyed every single assumption's validity.
Once done with that Fourth paragraph was for conceding points. Citing additional premises if at all available might help the original argument's cause.
Fifth and last paragraph was for conclusion. In the conclusion my stand was that even though there are many good points cited in the original argument, non availability of data to bridge the assumptions gap make it vulnerable to criticism. There fore further research and additional premises are required to make the argument valid.
I completed the section with 5 mnts to spare. I checked the spelling and grammar, and submitted the essay.
Analysis of the issue
Going into the test I decided that the Issue analysis should start with a personal experience. However the subject did not let me bring in any personal experience. What do I have to do with art and government support!!. So I decided to go with plan B, ie. To start with a joke. This has worked to my advantage many time in the past. So I started it with a joke involving Michael Angelo, The Pope and the Sistine chapel. The first paragraph touched upon two or three important points without any elaboration. I tried to put down few points on the paper before I start typing, but none were coming along. So started typing any way.
Second Paragraph my position I am taking was stated, and two main points were elaborated. I tried to use the correct pronouns, and cite cite examples as I was moving through. Each paragraph I tried to organize with a simple premises leads to conclusion fashion.
Third Paragraph also I continued the same rant in similar style elaborating two more points. I believe I took an example with Alexander and Homer here.
Fourth Paragraph, was devoted for anticipating some criticism from the critics. The assumptions in my previous two paragraphs were opened for attack from Critics, and then I put in some points to counter those criticism. I tried to sit little bit on the fence here, without getting poked too much on the wrong place.
Fifth paragraph was a nice simple conclusion which said, my point is absolutely correct, even though there may be some critics who disagree with it.
I finished with 5 minutes to spare. I spent the remaining time correcting grammar and spelling.
Analysis of the Argument
In the GMAT, I got the argument analysis first. It was about a newspaper article advocating that a local mall construction should be stopped. My strategy for the argument was to look at it like I would look at a CR question. In general there is no fool proof argument in GMAT. There are some underlying assumptions. So concentrate on those assumptions and ferret them out. Questioning the validity of each assumption is the strategy to go for in the argument analysis. When the assumptions become questionable, the conclusion becomes questionable. Never question the validity of premises. Premises are the only pieces of fact. The way they are interpreted is always questionable.
I spent the first 6 to 7 minutes in preparing my essay outline on the scratch paper.
The first paragraph was devoted to paraphrasing the argument structure. Different argument parts were detailed as premises and conclusion. I did that to make E-raters job a little easier.
Second paragraph was for listing down each of the assumptions the author has made in connecting premises to conclusion. At this point also I did not take any stand.
Third paragraph was a critical evaluation of authors argument style. This was the place I chose to hop on the fence once in a while. I will lean in, land a punch on solar plexus, and immediately sooth out the pain by offering a candy. I hope you get the metaphor. Very gentle but prove your point without directly attacking the author. This went on till I dissected and destroyed every single assumption's validity.
Once done with that Fourth paragraph was for conceding points. Citing additional premises if at all available might help the original argument's cause.
Fifth and last paragraph was for conclusion. In the conclusion my stand was that even though there are many good points cited in the original argument, non availability of data to bridge the assumptions gap make it vulnerable to criticism. There fore further research and additional premises are required to make the argument valid.
I completed the section with 5 mnts to spare. I checked the spelling and grammar, and submitted the essay.
Friday, March 31, 2006
Phase 1 Summary : Day 0 to G-Day
I took GMAT on 28th March, 2006: Over All 710 a 94th Percentile, With Q49(90th Percentile) and V38 (85th Percentile). This is a rather long post and I am leaving it that way. It mostly is chronicle of events. I am trying not to put unnecessary conclusions. The purpose of my post, and the blog in general is to provide as much information on my methods. It’s up to the reader to draw conclusions, generalizations etc if required. In the grand scheme of things this may help a few in making minor course corrections to his or her benefits.
December:
I started the GMAT preparation in December. I read through many of the blogged experiences of GMAT high scorers. My hypothesis is that in the US if you follow the similar methods you can expect similar results. So if a high scorer has sincerely chronicled his or her study efforts, I could follow the method to get similar results. My starting point was Beat the GMAT Blog, www.beatthegmat.com. From there I spent few hours understanding famous study techniques of Erin, Ursula, TwinSplitter etc. You know what I am refering to. At the end of two days I had a clear idea of which all study materials I should buy. Also I got a good picture of sequence of using these materials, and how much time it is going to take. This estimate was very important to me. That gave a clear idea that I will be able to take GMAT only around February end. Around the same time I took a diagnostic test on Princeton Review website. I got a dismal 570 in that.
Study Material and General Strategy:
I ordered all the study material from Amazon. Amazon took around 2 weeks to deliver those. There were some problems in delivery, but Amazon customer support was excellent. Very much understandably so, since their 1-800 numbers is not advertised. Hence they must be getting very few phone calls. While waiting for the Amazon shipments I started practicing with the practice questions on GMATPrep software. Those Questions, if you have ever attempted them you will know, are simple sets. After I received my Amazon shipments, I started with Princeton Review. I read through Princeton Review completely to get the over all idea of the test and types of questions. Princeton Review - Cracking the GMAT book is a very simple book. It covers subjects in a very superfluous manner. Frankly after the first 1 week I did not even open the Princeton Review book. On an average my weekly schedule was, 2 hours daily in the morning and 6-8 hours in the weekend. I cannot emphasize how much of family support is required to follow such a schedule if you are married. I am very lucky to have a very understanding wife.My Plan for each section was to first study the techniques in Kaplan, then move on to the techniques in Manhattan GMAT. I bought the verbal books of Manhattan GMAT also. After these two are over, I intended to work out the complete OG Section. Also I wanted to keep track of the practice using an Excel Grid I got from one of the GMAT Forums. I did some customization on it to keep track of the time, etc.
Critical Reasoning:
I started with the Critical Reasoning Section. Soon enough found that I had a knack for that section. So was genuinely interested in the subject. First two days I finished the Kaplan chapter, made a set of notes, and moved on to the Manhattan GMAT CR. I did not find the Manhattan GMAT techniques very useful. So decided to stick to the Kaplan way of doing things. CR is very simple in that, once you dissect the argument into Premises and Conclusion and do not lose sight of the scope and the question stem, you can never go wrong. So after the first two days I moved on to OG. Daily load was 40 question sets. Which was not strenuous at all? I could finish 40 questions and its analysis in the morning itself each day. In the worst case, I may finish the analysis part later in the evening. This was my regular schedule. I kept a separate Excel grid for each of my practice sessions. I think it took 4 days for me to finish the CR part of OG. If I am not mistaken I had around 90% accuracy at that time.After this, I moved to the Kaplan 800 , CR Questions. They were really tough. I think I attempted around 10 or so, and decided to go back to it later.
Reading Comprehension:
The next section was RC. Here also I learnt the basic strategy from Kaplan. The strategy is very good and simple. You read and make notes, giving a lot of importance to thinking, why the Author wrote this passage. Also I developed a habit of paraphrasing and summarizing as I was reading. I kept writing notes on the scrap paper for each paragraph. Once the basic strategy was in place, I tried to see what was the strategy advocated by Manhattan GMAT. Their’s was radically different from Kaplan. I do not want to confuse any by going through the nitty grities. I did not find Manhattan GMAT RC technique useful. So for RC also I decided to stick with Kaplan techniques. I first finished the RC passages, which may have taken 2 days or so. Later I moved on to OG passages. I continued to complete around 40 questions a day from OG. I believe I finished the OG, RC section in 4 days or so. A point to note is that, various GMAT Old question papers sold separately by GMAC, carries the same RC passages as the ones in Og 11th edition. This proved a little bit of a dampener later when I started taking old GMAT question papers. So if you have plans of taking the Old question papers later, keep in mind that you may be seeing some repeat questions from OG. No other section seems to be so adversely affected. Once OG was completed, I moved on to Kaplan 800. The passages were visibly tougher. But not as tough as some of the RC passages in the Kaplan CD, practice tests.Around this time, I started practicing with the practice sections of Kaplan CD. Kaplan CD has around 5 , 25mnts crash tests on each of the sections. Apart from those Kaplan has 4 full length tests. The Verbal sections of these Kaplan full length tests are insanely difficult. At least I found those insanely difficult. The quant sections from these practice tests are good. Keep in mind that Kaplan questions are the farthest away from the real GMAT questions. So, you need to analyze and understand what you take away from each of the questions you answer with Kaplan CD. My method was to reduce each question to the barebones fundamental concept being tested, and understand how to solve it. This approach works in any section.
January:
Sentence Correction Round 1
Next I started with the Sentence Correction section (SC). I first read through Kaplan and made notes. Later graduated over to the Manhattan GMAT SC book. This book is the best GMAT literature on GMAT grammar. It is not about the tricks, but all about the fundamental grammar and sentence construction those are tested in GMAT. It has organized the sections into different areas tested in GMAT. Also it has indexed each Chapter with a number of OG Questions. So, as you learn one particular SC area, you have the opportunity to practice real GMAT questions, that test that particular skill. In my first round of study I read through the Manhattan GMAT book, but did not execute the OG questions chapter wise. Soon after I finished the Manhattan GMAT, I attempter to do Kaplan Questions. I came out with around 75% accuracy. This in GMAT world is equivalent to pathetic. The fears were re-confirmed when I started taking OG. In short I sucked in SC. Hacking at it for next few days did not provide any considerable improvements. So I decided to visit SC once I am done with the Quant section.
A Short Break
At this point, My wife and I left for a 10 day trip to Puerto Rico; letting go off all GMAT preparation for a whole 10 days. When I came back after the vacation, recharged as I was, I found myself getting up late, not concentrating much on GMAT etc. Basically there was tremendous resistance to get back to the preparation process. So, if you are weak at heart please do not take a long break from your GMAT preparations. It is best done in one shot. I would attribute a 20 day over all delay caused by my 10 day vacation. Needless to say, we enjoyed the vacation very much.
Problem Solving:
I did not spend any time studying for Quant. Right away I started solving the problems. I started with OG, first 50 questions. All the wrong answers stemmed from silly mistakes. So I decided to be more careful with PS. Data sufficiency was visibly lagging behind PS efficiency. As I was practicing certain areas were identified for intensive revision. In my case they were, o-ordinate geometry, Inequalities, Geometric theorems , Statistics, Probability and Combinations. I learnt that I am very good at number theory, fractions, and different word problems involving speed, work and mixtures. So I spent some time reading through online resources to clear the fundamentals on the first mentioned areas. Those readings were mostly to jog some forgotten areas of high school math. I mostly used resources from some High School Math help websites. Each time I googled on the subject and picked the articles I wanted to read. They were very helpful.With the fundamentals I wanted to clear clear, I started with OG PS. 40 questions a morning, and after working through to Qn 100, I decided to skip over to Question 150 to end. This I did, since the tougher questions in OG are always at the end. To be honest, OG 11th Edition Quant is not tough at all. So if you are aiming for 50 in Quant you will need a lot more practice than what OG provides. Once again, The GMATPrep software has significantly more challenging problems than what OG has. Also, Kaplan 800 has a few tough problems. Kaplan CD practice tests have even tougher ones. But the toughest problems in the block I found in Manhattan GMAT practice tests. I owe it to Manhattan GMAT and GMAT Yahoo Group for my 49 in Quant.Once I was done with OG Practice I finished Kaplan Question in one sitting with around 98% accuracy. So of all the questions available to me for practice, the only ones I missed out would be question 100 to 150 on PS in OG.
February:
Data Sufficiency:
With One section of Quant completed, I started with Data Sufficiency practice. First I finished the Kaplan Questions. The initial accuracy levels were at around 90%. As I did with each of the other sections, I did a thorough analysis with the ones I got wrong. This analysis parts sometimes reveals subtle logical flaws in your reasoning. If you could address it properly the scores go up. I cannot stress on this wrong answer analysis part more. This part of the practice, done properly could contribute the most to a high score in GMAT.I methodically worked through the practice questions in DS from OG. It took 4 days or so to complete OG data sufficiency with all questions answered and all wrong answers analyzed. Over all by the end of it I had a good approach toward Data Sufficiency. Good enough to get 99% correct. Data sufficiency is a tricky area. You need to keep each of the facts separate. Then if required combine the facts and look back at the problem. My Data sufficiency skills were most honed by the barrage of tough questions I got from various discussion groups. The One group I was very active in, was 'GMAT' in Yahoo Groups. There were many clear, bright minds there that helped me correct some of my DS flaws. It is imperative that you at least do all the questions from Official Guide.
Sentence Correction Round 2:
Now with Quant section also completed, I had only my Achilles’ heel to attend to. The Sentence Correction section. I made a detailed plan as to how to about it. I decided to discount out everything except for Manhattan GMAT technique. I followed Manhattan GMAT as a lesson plan. As I worked through each of the sections there, I also completed the practice questions from OG as indexed at the end of each chapter. Manhattan GMAT has the most exquisite method for teaching GMAT grammar. With properly following their techniques, I improved my correct answer rate from 75% to 95%. Also I read a technique mentioned by cali_boy. He suggested writing why each choice is wrong for an SC question. This was a simple but immensely powerful technique. So with one question, you get to practice to identify lot many different wrong answer reasons. In GMAT there is only finite number of ways with which the test writer makes a choice wrong. If you know how a test writers mind works you are almost there in getting everything correct in SC. This technique also helped a lot. So for example when answering a SC question, I may write (A) Wrong Subject-Verb agreement, (B) Wrong , Subject - Verb, Wrong idiom, (C) Correct (D) Wrong idiom, (E) Modifier Problem, Awkward Construction. Another point to remember in all Verbal sections is to read through the Official Guide explanation. It does not matter whether you got a question right or wrong. The Official Guide explanation tells you clearly what reasoning is used by the Question writer in choosing a particular choice as correct. You must develop a skill in thinking like that. I did not develop a good enough skill in this department. I plan to correct it when I retake the GMAT. Mostly this will be my only preparation for GMAT retaking.
The End Game:
In February, before I started the SC, I took two full length practice tests. First I took Power Prep and got a score of 740, and next I took the Paper Test at the end of Kaplan, to get a score of 660. I did not take any more tests till my SC preparations were over.Towards the end of February I decided that it is time for me to lay out the plan for full length tests. At that point I had a number of options for full length tests left. 3 From Manhattan GMAT, 4 from Kaplan, 4 From Princeton Review, 2 From GMAT Prep and 1 From Power Prep. So over all I had a choice of 14 tests. First I fixed my GMAT appointment and time. I wanted a morning section, and I exactly had 4 weekends ahead of me. So I made a clean plan to take 3 full length tests on each of the weekend from then to the test day weekend. Test was on a Tuesday. So on the last weekend I planned to take 1 GMAT Prep, 1 PowerPrep and 1 Kaplan. This plans changed slightly over the course of time. But this was the general idea.
March:
Full Length Tests:
I tried to take at least 1 test each on Saturday and Sunday on each weekend that followed. I stuck to it every weekend. My initials scores were around 720. During the other days I spent learning time by analyzing what I got wrong and why I got wrong. Also I spent time re doing the last 50 questions from each OG section. In addition to this a friend of mine gave my the Verbal Review book for one weekend. I practiced with those as well. This book is also published by GMAC, and carries retired questions. Another opportunity to practice with real GMAT questions I got, when another friend forwarded to me a set of retired question papers. These items formed the basis for my March Practice. The philosophy at this point was to, Eat, Drink and Sleep Official GMAT Questions so that, my approach will be very much aligned to those. I found the Manhattan GMAT full length tests toughest. So spaced them out in such a way that I could complete all three with a week to spare. These tests gave me enough information to understand my weak areas and improve on those. There was a single area in data sufficiency , with absolute values and inequality that I found I could go wrong. So I practiced as much as possible on that. It is very important to know your odds in each of the types of questions. That was you will know how much time you could spend on getting an answer correct. The verbal scores kind of settled around a constant 42 in most of the tests. The Quant scores moved from 45 upward to a maximum of 50. Around this time I was settling down for a score of 720. The Lokesh Khanna , from Yahoo Groups scored a 750 with Q50 and V41. This made me realize that 750 is within reach. So I attempted the last weekend tests with extra energy. In the last 5 full length tests I took I scored, 690, 720, 740, 740 and 750. Last 3 were Paper Test, PowerPrep and GMATPrep. At the end of each test I spent time to understand why I got some wrong. This, I repeat, was the most important exercise in getting my score higher each time. By the end my best performing question types were; PS,RC,CR,DS,SC Listed in the descending order. In the last week I started with Kaplan 800 Quant part. I finished every question in the Quant section. They were pretty good. I got almost all of them correct. I got 2 wrong in the Data Sufficiency section.
General AWA Strategy
I started practice on AWA to wards the middle of March. I must have written 3 Argument analysis and 3 Issue analysis before the final test. I kind of felt that is all that is required. I am not bad in argueing, and I am very good at writing articles. So I did not anticipate any problems in writing 2 very specific issue oriented essays in half an hour. I did not work with any templates for this. I still have not got my AWA score. So will report back later whether this strategy worked.
The Penultimate Day
I took the day off before the test day. I planned to read through OG verbal explanations. That really did not happen. I made a document with details of what to note before going into each section. I practiced some more tough Quant questions, mainly by retaking the GMATPrep. You may want to note that retaking GMATPrep gives you newer questions. The catch is that you should be pushing harder each time. As your score level is elevating the software gives out very varied set of questions.Going into the test, I had a few jitters about the erasable notepad, and making some stupid mistakes in Quant. But that was all I was worried about. I watched some TV in the evening and went to bed early. My test day details are covered in the post below and it is very detailed indeed. So I will not repeat those.
December:
I started the GMAT preparation in December. I read through many of the blogged experiences of GMAT high scorers. My hypothesis is that in the US if you follow the similar methods you can expect similar results. So if a high scorer has sincerely chronicled his or her study efforts, I could follow the method to get similar results. My starting point was Beat the GMAT Blog, www.beatthegmat.com. From there I spent few hours understanding famous study techniques of Erin, Ursula, TwinSplitter etc. You know what I am refering to. At the end of two days I had a clear idea of which all study materials I should buy. Also I got a good picture of sequence of using these materials, and how much time it is going to take. This estimate was very important to me. That gave a clear idea that I will be able to take GMAT only around February end. Around the same time I took a diagnostic test on Princeton Review website. I got a dismal 570 in that.
Study Material and General Strategy:
I ordered all the study material from Amazon. Amazon took around 2 weeks to deliver those. There were some problems in delivery, but Amazon customer support was excellent. Very much understandably so, since their 1-800 numbers is not advertised. Hence they must be getting very few phone calls. While waiting for the Amazon shipments I started practicing with the practice questions on GMATPrep software. Those Questions, if you have ever attempted them you will know, are simple sets. After I received my Amazon shipments, I started with Princeton Review. I read through Princeton Review completely to get the over all idea of the test and types of questions. Princeton Review - Cracking the GMAT book is a very simple book. It covers subjects in a very superfluous manner. Frankly after the first 1 week I did not even open the Princeton Review book. On an average my weekly schedule was, 2 hours daily in the morning and 6-8 hours in the weekend. I cannot emphasize how much of family support is required to follow such a schedule if you are married. I am very lucky to have a very understanding wife.My Plan for each section was to first study the techniques in Kaplan, then move on to the techniques in Manhattan GMAT. I bought the verbal books of Manhattan GMAT also. After these two are over, I intended to work out the complete OG Section. Also I wanted to keep track of the practice using an Excel Grid I got from one of the GMAT Forums. I did some customization on it to keep track of the time, etc.
Critical Reasoning:
I started with the Critical Reasoning Section. Soon enough found that I had a knack for that section. So was genuinely interested in the subject. First two days I finished the Kaplan chapter, made a set of notes, and moved on to the Manhattan GMAT CR. I did not find the Manhattan GMAT techniques very useful. So decided to stick to the Kaplan way of doing things. CR is very simple in that, once you dissect the argument into Premises and Conclusion and do not lose sight of the scope and the question stem, you can never go wrong. So after the first two days I moved on to OG. Daily load was 40 question sets. Which was not strenuous at all? I could finish 40 questions and its analysis in the morning itself each day. In the worst case, I may finish the analysis part later in the evening. This was my regular schedule. I kept a separate Excel grid for each of my practice sessions. I think it took 4 days for me to finish the CR part of OG. If I am not mistaken I had around 90% accuracy at that time.After this, I moved to the Kaplan 800 , CR Questions. They were really tough. I think I attempted around 10 or so, and decided to go back to it later.
Reading Comprehension:
The next section was RC. Here also I learnt the basic strategy from Kaplan. The strategy is very good and simple. You read and make notes, giving a lot of importance to thinking, why the Author wrote this passage. Also I developed a habit of paraphrasing and summarizing as I was reading. I kept writing notes on the scrap paper for each paragraph. Once the basic strategy was in place, I tried to see what was the strategy advocated by Manhattan GMAT. Their’s was radically different from Kaplan. I do not want to confuse any by going through the nitty grities. I did not find Manhattan GMAT RC technique useful. So for RC also I decided to stick with Kaplan techniques. I first finished the RC passages, which may have taken 2 days or so. Later I moved on to OG passages. I continued to complete around 40 questions a day from OG. I believe I finished the OG, RC section in 4 days or so. A point to note is that, various GMAT Old question papers sold separately by GMAC, carries the same RC passages as the ones in Og 11th edition. This proved a little bit of a dampener later when I started taking old GMAT question papers. So if you have plans of taking the Old question papers later, keep in mind that you may be seeing some repeat questions from OG. No other section seems to be so adversely affected. Once OG was completed, I moved on to Kaplan 800. The passages were visibly tougher. But not as tough as some of the RC passages in the Kaplan CD, practice tests.Around this time, I started practicing with the practice sections of Kaplan CD. Kaplan CD has around 5 , 25mnts crash tests on each of the sections. Apart from those Kaplan has 4 full length tests. The Verbal sections of these Kaplan full length tests are insanely difficult. At least I found those insanely difficult. The quant sections from these practice tests are good. Keep in mind that Kaplan questions are the farthest away from the real GMAT questions. So, you need to analyze and understand what you take away from each of the questions you answer with Kaplan CD. My method was to reduce each question to the barebones fundamental concept being tested, and understand how to solve it. This approach works in any section.
January:
Sentence Correction Round 1
Next I started with the Sentence Correction section (SC). I first read through Kaplan and made notes. Later graduated over to the Manhattan GMAT SC book. This book is the best GMAT literature on GMAT grammar. It is not about the tricks, but all about the fundamental grammar and sentence construction those are tested in GMAT. It has organized the sections into different areas tested in GMAT. Also it has indexed each Chapter with a number of OG Questions. So, as you learn one particular SC area, you have the opportunity to practice real GMAT questions, that test that particular skill. In my first round of study I read through the Manhattan GMAT book, but did not execute the OG questions chapter wise. Soon after I finished the Manhattan GMAT, I attempter to do Kaplan Questions. I came out with around 75% accuracy. This in GMAT world is equivalent to pathetic. The fears were re-confirmed when I started taking OG. In short I sucked in SC. Hacking at it for next few days did not provide any considerable improvements. So I decided to visit SC once I am done with the Quant section.
A Short Break
At this point, My wife and I left for a 10 day trip to Puerto Rico; letting go off all GMAT preparation for a whole 10 days. When I came back after the vacation, recharged as I was, I found myself getting up late, not concentrating much on GMAT etc. Basically there was tremendous resistance to get back to the preparation process. So, if you are weak at heart please do not take a long break from your GMAT preparations. It is best done in one shot. I would attribute a 20 day over all delay caused by my 10 day vacation. Needless to say, we enjoyed the vacation very much.
Problem Solving:
I did not spend any time studying for Quant. Right away I started solving the problems. I started with OG, first 50 questions. All the wrong answers stemmed from silly mistakes. So I decided to be more careful with PS. Data sufficiency was visibly lagging behind PS efficiency. As I was practicing certain areas were identified for intensive revision. In my case they were, o-ordinate geometry, Inequalities, Geometric theorems , Statistics, Probability and Combinations. I learnt that I am very good at number theory, fractions, and different word problems involving speed, work and mixtures. So I spent some time reading through online resources to clear the fundamentals on the first mentioned areas. Those readings were mostly to jog some forgotten areas of high school math. I mostly used resources from some High School Math help websites. Each time I googled on the subject and picked the articles I wanted to read. They were very helpful.With the fundamentals I wanted to clear clear, I started with OG PS. 40 questions a morning, and after working through to Qn 100, I decided to skip over to Question 150 to end. This I did, since the tougher questions in OG are always at the end. To be honest, OG 11th Edition Quant is not tough at all. So if you are aiming for 50 in Quant you will need a lot more practice than what OG provides. Once again, The GMATPrep software has significantly more challenging problems than what OG has. Also, Kaplan 800 has a few tough problems. Kaplan CD practice tests have even tougher ones. But the toughest problems in the block I found in Manhattan GMAT practice tests. I owe it to Manhattan GMAT and GMAT Yahoo Group for my 49 in Quant.Once I was done with OG Practice I finished Kaplan Question in one sitting with around 98% accuracy. So of all the questions available to me for practice, the only ones I missed out would be question 100 to 150 on PS in OG.
February:
Data Sufficiency:
With One section of Quant completed, I started with Data Sufficiency practice. First I finished the Kaplan Questions. The initial accuracy levels were at around 90%. As I did with each of the other sections, I did a thorough analysis with the ones I got wrong. This analysis parts sometimes reveals subtle logical flaws in your reasoning. If you could address it properly the scores go up. I cannot stress on this wrong answer analysis part more. This part of the practice, done properly could contribute the most to a high score in GMAT.I methodically worked through the practice questions in DS from OG. It took 4 days or so to complete OG data sufficiency with all questions answered and all wrong answers analyzed. Over all by the end of it I had a good approach toward Data Sufficiency. Good enough to get 99% correct. Data sufficiency is a tricky area. You need to keep each of the facts separate. Then if required combine the facts and look back at the problem. My Data sufficiency skills were most honed by the barrage of tough questions I got from various discussion groups. The One group I was very active in, was 'GMAT' in Yahoo Groups. There were many clear, bright minds there that helped me correct some of my DS flaws. It is imperative that you at least do all the questions from Official Guide.
Sentence Correction Round 2:
Now with Quant section also completed, I had only my Achilles’ heel to attend to. The Sentence Correction section. I made a detailed plan as to how to about it. I decided to discount out everything except for Manhattan GMAT technique. I followed Manhattan GMAT as a lesson plan. As I worked through each of the sections there, I also completed the practice questions from OG as indexed at the end of each chapter. Manhattan GMAT has the most exquisite method for teaching GMAT grammar. With properly following their techniques, I improved my correct answer rate from 75% to 95%. Also I read a technique mentioned by cali_boy. He suggested writing why each choice is wrong for an SC question. This was a simple but immensely powerful technique. So with one question, you get to practice to identify lot many different wrong answer reasons. In GMAT there is only finite number of ways with which the test writer makes a choice wrong. If you know how a test writers mind works you are almost there in getting everything correct in SC. This technique also helped a lot. So for example when answering a SC question, I may write (A) Wrong Subject-Verb agreement, (B) Wrong , Subject - Verb, Wrong idiom, (C) Correct (D) Wrong idiom, (E) Modifier Problem, Awkward Construction. Another point to remember in all Verbal sections is to read through the Official Guide explanation. It does not matter whether you got a question right or wrong. The Official Guide explanation tells you clearly what reasoning is used by the Question writer in choosing a particular choice as correct. You must develop a skill in thinking like that. I did not develop a good enough skill in this department. I plan to correct it when I retake the GMAT. Mostly this will be my only preparation for GMAT retaking.
The End Game:
In February, before I started the SC, I took two full length practice tests. First I took Power Prep and got a score of 740, and next I took the Paper Test at the end of Kaplan, to get a score of 660. I did not take any more tests till my SC preparations were over.Towards the end of February I decided that it is time for me to lay out the plan for full length tests. At that point I had a number of options for full length tests left. 3 From Manhattan GMAT, 4 from Kaplan, 4 From Princeton Review, 2 From GMAT Prep and 1 From Power Prep. So over all I had a choice of 14 tests. First I fixed my GMAT appointment and time. I wanted a morning section, and I exactly had 4 weekends ahead of me. So I made a clean plan to take 3 full length tests on each of the weekend from then to the test day weekend. Test was on a Tuesday. So on the last weekend I planned to take 1 GMAT Prep, 1 PowerPrep and 1 Kaplan. This plans changed slightly over the course of time. But this was the general idea.
March:
Full Length Tests:
I tried to take at least 1 test each on Saturday and Sunday on each weekend that followed. I stuck to it every weekend. My initials scores were around 720. During the other days I spent learning time by analyzing what I got wrong and why I got wrong. Also I spent time re doing the last 50 questions from each OG section. In addition to this a friend of mine gave my the Verbal Review book for one weekend. I practiced with those as well. This book is also published by GMAC, and carries retired questions. Another opportunity to practice with real GMAT questions I got, when another friend forwarded to me a set of retired question papers. These items formed the basis for my March Practice. The philosophy at this point was to, Eat, Drink and Sleep Official GMAT Questions so that, my approach will be very much aligned to those. I found the Manhattan GMAT full length tests toughest. So spaced them out in such a way that I could complete all three with a week to spare. These tests gave me enough information to understand my weak areas and improve on those. There was a single area in data sufficiency , with absolute values and inequality that I found I could go wrong. So I practiced as much as possible on that. It is very important to know your odds in each of the types of questions. That was you will know how much time you could spend on getting an answer correct. The verbal scores kind of settled around a constant 42 in most of the tests. The Quant scores moved from 45 upward to a maximum of 50. Around this time I was settling down for a score of 720. The Lokesh Khanna , from Yahoo Groups scored a 750 with Q50 and V41. This made me realize that 750 is within reach. So I attempted the last weekend tests with extra energy. In the last 5 full length tests I took I scored, 690, 720, 740, 740 and 750. Last 3 were Paper Test, PowerPrep and GMATPrep. At the end of each test I spent time to understand why I got some wrong. This, I repeat, was the most important exercise in getting my score higher each time. By the end my best performing question types were; PS,RC,CR,DS,SC Listed in the descending order. In the last week I started with Kaplan 800 Quant part. I finished every question in the Quant section. They were pretty good. I got almost all of them correct. I got 2 wrong in the Data Sufficiency section.
General AWA Strategy
I started practice on AWA to wards the middle of March. I must have written 3 Argument analysis and 3 Issue analysis before the final test. I kind of felt that is all that is required. I am not bad in argueing, and I am very good at writing articles. So I did not anticipate any problems in writing 2 very specific issue oriented essays in half an hour. I did not work with any templates for this. I still have not got my AWA score. So will report back later whether this strategy worked.
The Penultimate Day
I took the day off before the test day. I planned to read through OG verbal explanations. That really did not happen. I made a document with details of what to note before going into each section. I practiced some more tough Quant questions, mainly by retaking the GMATPrep. You may want to note that retaking GMATPrep gives you newer questions. The catch is that you should be pushing harder each time. As your score level is elevating the software gives out very varied set of questions.Going into the test, I had a few jitters about the erasable notepad, and making some stupid mistakes in Quant. But that was all I was worried about. I watched some TV in the evening and went to bed early. My test day details are covered in the post below and it is very detailed indeed. So I will not repeat those.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
What shall I call it, "A smooth landing?"
Today was the test day. Slept late till around 6:30am. Unlike the mornings when GMAT preparation, I did not have anything to study. Unlike every other morning, had breakfast at home. Should do it more often. Yeh right !!. Started for the test center at around 7:30. Reached there by 8:15. Sat in the parking lot flipping through some flash cards. Went inside at around 8:30. Signed in and listened to the sermon. She gave me my workstation at 9:00 am. The first was, Argument analysis. I expect a 5 Score on that. The issue analysis did not go very well. I kind of write better when I disagree. This issue I agreed whole heartedly. So was not very passionate. So I expect a 4 score.
I was expecting the breaks to be 5mnts in length. In reality they were 10mnts. So much time. I took the whole 10 mnts to reiterate my Quant strategy. Which, simply put was to go at it very actively. Question 3, a simple one involving three decimal numbers took a hell a lot of time than I anticipated. I did not want to guess so early. So took the hit and solved it. By my first 1/3rd mark when the clock struck 50mnts, I was already 3 questions behind. From then on there was not a single question where I had to spend a lot of time to get to an answer. By the time 2nd 1/3rd was over, ie at 25mnts left on the clocks, I covered the lost ground and was even with the planned number of questions. So I was very relaxed for the last 13 questions. Last question I finished with 30 seconds to spare on the clock. I am very sure that it was experimental question, since that was far too easy.
My reflection on my Quant performance was that I am going to get 45. So I knew the Verbal plan is cut out very vividly. I must go at it with all the energy I got, and score as much as possible. I spent the 10 mnts break flipping through some points I wrote down, like read actively, what to do in CR, what to do in RC, what all errors to expect in SC etc. Also I ate a banana, and my chocolate. The chocolate has been a constant companion through out my test taking. My hypothesis is that if I take a bite of chocolate before every full test section, my brain kind of will know that it has some work ahead. Kind of stupid, but I believe it. Chocolate is known to have some effects on one's mood.
I started the verbal promptly at the end of 10 mnts break. I found the verbal section pretty easy. There were 4 RC passages spread evenly. I got 2 bold face CR and 2 fill the _____, CR. This gave me an indication that I am doing pretty well in Verbal. My definition of pretty good in Verbal is if I am scoring at 42 :-). So I was very happy. I made some cynical calculation that since I am going to be above 90 percentile, no one else in the room has a statistical probability of getting a 90 percentile (Since there were only two other persons in the room taking the GMAT at that time.). Pretty cocky of me. I think I kind of became a little over confident towards the last part of the Verbal and let my guard down. That is in retrospective. I finished verbal with around 1 minute to spare on the clock. Clicked through the screens and waited for the score.
The score report said I scored more than 94% of people who takes GMAT. The overall score was 710, with Quantitative chipping in 49 and Verbal accounting for a miserable 38. I was surprised with both my scores. I was expecting to do a lot better than that on the Verbal. However, the overall score and the balance of the sections should be enough for me to make my case be heard by the admission committees of most of B-Schools. So I am happy with the way GMAT went.
The Phase I is over. I will take a break of one week before I finalize on the rest of the application process. GMAT out of the way is a good thing. I shall just bask in it for a few days, and then get back into action.
I was expecting the breaks to be 5mnts in length. In reality they were 10mnts. So much time. I took the whole 10 mnts to reiterate my Quant strategy. Which, simply put was to go at it very actively. Question 3, a simple one involving three decimal numbers took a hell a lot of time than I anticipated. I did not want to guess so early. So took the hit and solved it. By my first 1/3rd mark when the clock struck 50mnts, I was already 3 questions behind. From then on there was not a single question where I had to spend a lot of time to get to an answer. By the time 2nd 1/3rd was over, ie at 25mnts left on the clocks, I covered the lost ground and was even with the planned number of questions. So I was very relaxed for the last 13 questions. Last question I finished with 30 seconds to spare on the clock. I am very sure that it was experimental question, since that was far too easy.
My reflection on my Quant performance was that I am going to get 45. So I knew the Verbal plan is cut out very vividly. I must go at it with all the energy I got, and score as much as possible. I spent the 10 mnts break flipping through some points I wrote down, like read actively, what to do in CR, what to do in RC, what all errors to expect in SC etc. Also I ate a banana, and my chocolate. The chocolate has been a constant companion through out my test taking. My hypothesis is that if I take a bite of chocolate before every full test section, my brain kind of will know that it has some work ahead. Kind of stupid, but I believe it. Chocolate is known to have some effects on one's mood.
I started the verbal promptly at the end of 10 mnts break. I found the verbal section pretty easy. There were 4 RC passages spread evenly. I got 2 bold face CR and 2 fill the _____, CR. This gave me an indication that I am doing pretty well in Verbal. My definition of pretty good in Verbal is if I am scoring at 42 :-). So I was very happy. I made some cynical calculation that since I am going to be above 90 percentile, no one else in the room has a statistical probability of getting a 90 percentile (Since there were only two other persons in the room taking the GMAT at that time.). Pretty cocky of me. I think I kind of became a little over confident towards the last part of the Verbal and let my guard down. That is in retrospective. I finished verbal with around 1 minute to spare on the clock. Clicked through the screens and waited for the score.
The score report said I scored more than 94% of people who takes GMAT. The overall score was 710, with Quantitative chipping in 49 and Verbal accounting for a miserable 38. I was surprised with both my scores. I was expecting to do a lot better than that on the Verbal. However, the overall score and the balance of the sections should be enough for me to make my case be heard by the admission committees of most of B-Schools. So I am happy with the way GMAT went.
The Phase I is over. I will take a break of one week before I finalize on the rest of the application process. GMAT out of the way is a good thing. I shall just bask in it for a few days, and then get back into action.
Sunday, March 26, 2006
GMATPrep Test1
I already took the test 2 from GMATPrep some time back. So this was my 2nd GMATPrep Test. Over all score was a cool 750 with Q48 and V45. As I was finishing my Quant I realized I am not performing upto my expectations. I badly screwed up with the time and ended up rushing through the last few. I was some what disappointed when I got up for my 5mnts break . Then a question popped in my mind. What am I going to do if the same happens on GMAT?. The answer made it all clear for me. The answer was, "I am going to answer every question in Verbal as if my life depends on it". It paid off well too. I never got 45 in verbal in any of my CAT tests. One paper test I got 50, but I will put it as a fluke. This one, I toiled for it to make up for my weakness in Quant. The morale of the story is, just not accept the obvious. Hack at it with all the energy you got for that 4 hours. Contrary to what many say, it is not just a test if you are expecting a lot from how you perform in it. Give it your 100%.
Saturday, March 25, 2006
My last date with PowerPrep
Today morning, I took my second and last full length test on PowerPrep. The score was 740 with a split of Q49,V41. I felt very good. If this is the indicator of things to come on Tuesday..Wow..
Reflecting on the test, I did not understand the question correctly when Quant at 3 occasions. Not that I miss read the question. I truly felt ambiguous meanings in the question. I got all three wrong.
Verbal was relatively event less. It is my consistent average score and average performance.
In the last few tests, I am taking the time in writing the AWA part. The essays are looking like good reads. For the future test takers, All you need to do is just spend one week in preparing how you are going to write your GMAT essays. Then for the last 3 full length tests, write those essays. Essays are not very important in the overall scheme of things. So do not spend a lot of time preparing for it.
Reflecting on the test, I did not understand the question correctly when Quant at 3 occasions. Not that I miss read the question. I truly felt ambiguous meanings in the question. I got all three wrong.
Verbal was relatively event less. It is my consistent average score and average performance.
In the last few tests, I am taking the time in writing the AWA part. The essays are looking like good reads. For the future test takers, All you need to do is just spend one week in preparing how you are going to write your GMAT essays. Then for the last 3 full length tests, write those essays. Essays are not very important in the overall scheme of things. So do not spend a lot of time preparing for it.
The Crescendo
This is my last weekend before GMAT. As usual there is plan for this one too. Around 4 more hours of practice left. Kaplan 800 Quant section is almost complete. And Some practice on Manhattan GMAT. Then the all important full length tests. I think I will be very comfortable if I do three more.
The last of the Manhattan GMAT tough full length fetched a dream like 690. It felt very good. I am not seeing weakness in any particular section.
This week I did a paper test of Old GMAT. The score was flooring. 740 with a 50 in Verbal. I am very confident of a good score as of now. All I need from now on is an active mind and the right attitude for those 4 hours. It is going to be just fine.
Towards the last part of practice, I need to read through the OG Verbal. In Verbal, aligning with the GMAC reasoning is the most important thing. The same goes true for AWA as well.
The last of the Manhattan GMAT tough full length fetched a dream like 690. It felt very good. I am not seeing weakness in any particular section.
This week I did a paper test of Old GMAT. The score was flooring. 740 with a 50 in Verbal. I am very confident of a good score as of now. All I need from now on is an active mind and the right attitude for those 4 hours. It is going to be just fine.
Towards the last part of practice, I need to read through the OG Verbal. In Verbal, aligning with the GMAC reasoning is the most important thing. The same goes true for AWA as well.
Saturday, March 18, 2006
One More Full Length Test Down
Today it was the day for Princeton Review , Test 3 , 720 (Q49,V41). Over all I did not find the quant section difficult at all. That is a very good sign. Sentence correction still is the drag on Verbal. I had 6 Wrong answers in that section alone. Very well, I will earnestly revise my methods once again. Tomorrow I will take the last of Manhattan GMAT toughies.
Morning started rather lazily. Sleeping till 6:30 and then reading through old notes and Manhattan GMAT Mathc books I got on loan from a good friend. Manhattan GMAT has not done an earnest job of writing good maths books. I went through every section. They are designed for a sub 700 score. I would rate its Strategy series articles, published online, much higher than their Quant books. So my verdict is, Manhattan GMAT has one excellent book on sentence correction and rest all are sub par.
Morning started rather lazily. Sleeping till 6:30 and then reading through old notes and Manhattan GMAT Mathc books I got on loan from a good friend. Manhattan GMAT has not done an earnest job of writing good maths books. I went through every section. They are designed for a sub 700 score. I would rate its Strategy series articles, published online, much higher than their Quant books. So my verdict is, Manhattan GMAT has one excellent book on sentence correction and rest all are sub par.
Friday, March 17, 2006
One More Week to Go
This is the last lap in the GMAT race.
I am very happy with the distance covered and the way the distance was covered. Made lots of new friends, Worked really hard, stuck to a plan, sharpened the weak areas. Going into the last lap these are the points to remember.
I am very happy with the distance covered and the way the distance was covered. Made lots of new friends, Worked really hard, stuck to a plan, sharpened the weak areas. Going into the last lap these are the points to remember.
- Do as many more full length tests as possible. Today morning I started at 4:00 am to finish a Kaplan test. If I could do could more like that I will be able to exhaust out the full length tests.
- Make a Revision notebook with quick memory jogger for Quant and Verbal. May be I will just use the Flash Cards, Kim made. (www.beatthegmat.com)
- Read through the inequalities and Geometry books of Manhattan GMAT. Especially similar triangle theorems.
- Finish off the last 50s set from OG, Also Finish Verbal review which I have on loan from a friend for this weekend.
- Do not do anything to change the current style, it is too late to attempt anything drastic.
- Sleep well starting from next Friday.
Monday, March 13, 2006
Out of Context: But I just remembered...
My father taught me Basic maths. He is a great person. I am so proud of him. His life defies the assumption that Ordinary people live ordinary lives. Wait a second; what makes one ordinary any way? Is anybody ordinary?. No one can be ordinary with respect to one's life. Ordinary life must be one of the worst stereotypes created by Culture.
This funny incident used to happen quiet a lot between us. He will give some extremely tough question which needs a considerable time to solve. I will very confidently solve and give the right answer in less than half the required time. He will have no idea how some one could solve it that fast. Beaming with pride, he will then proceed to check my answer. 110% of the time, I must have used some very very very wrong way to solve it, yet get the correct answer. In my later years this has lead some of my favorite Math teachers to believe that, I was trying to fool them in Trigonometry, using the, ' A little consideration will show that : LHS = RHS 'trick. :-)
Funny thing is that, I really am hoping that I get that trait back for GMAT.
This funny incident used to happen quiet a lot between us. He will give some extremely tough question which needs a considerable time to solve. I will very confidently solve and give the right answer in less than half the required time. He will have no idea how some one could solve it that fast. Beaming with pride, he will then proceed to check my answer. 110% of the time, I must have used some very very very wrong way to solve it, yet get the correct answer. In my later years this has lead some of my favorite Math teachers to believe that, I was trying to fool them in Trigonometry, using the, ' A little consideration will show that : LHS = RHS 'trick. :-)
Funny thing is that, I really am hoping that I get that trait back for GMAT.
Sunday, March 12, 2006
After A Long Time
My Work pressure is preventing my from posting regularly. Last 9 days were very hectic. I was taking full length tests, And practicing the weak areas. At some point you need to accept the realities and move on. 42 is kind of the maximum I am going to fetch in Verbal. Not that it is a bad score, But shy of my original goals. By being extremely alert on CR and RC and taking my much improved chances on SC, My Verbal score will be up there. Quant, I still have space to push. I am kind of Pushing 48 now. Mid 50's is my Realistic aim. This weekend took some really tough tests to ferret out all the possible areas where I could make myself better. I was happy to see a couple of lose ends emerging. Will be working on those during this week to prepare for the dress rehersal next weekend. Two more weekends to go before the final showdown.
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