Cracked a 770 on GMAT!!

Hiya all!!

I just cracked the GMAT with a 770 score. QA-50 VA-45 AWA-5. I am so happy. This forum is great guys!! And the detailed blog...simply rocks!!

I took it on 30 oct '06. I started my preparations 2 months before that. Initialy I targeted the verbal section starting with CR and SC. Then after taking the diagnostics I felt that I need to work on quant as well. I was pretty confident about my quant skills...but the diagnostic made me realise that on the tests i was making silly mistakes.
Also that time I was solely following OG 10. I completed the entire OG verbal section in one months time. After that I got myself kaplan 800 and kaplan verbal. Also I finsihed doing the Manhattan SC in a week's time.

My accuracy levels saw an instant rise after that in SC. Manahattan is a great book. Kaplan is great for CR's and RC"s.

I made a chart while doing the OG of all the problems which i did wrong on my first go. After the first month....I started doing the tougher problems in DS, SC and CR. And I started my Practise tests sessions. Along with it, I started doing the OG again. I made a list of SC rules, idioms and DS mistakes.

What I have observed that GMAT requires you to comb out ur weak points. For a great score, you don't need to mug up every formulae....but you do need to elimintae all things which go wrong...so its like reducing the -ve rather adding the +ve.

I have started a blog for all of you...plz check it out...

cheers!!

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Hi Guyz!!

This post is going to come right out of my heart. This is simply to share my experiences as a GMAT taker and my journey till now. Yes it takes a lot to make your dreams come true....and this is the story of my journey!!

I have done my engg. from IIT Delhi and Graduated last year. I took CAT two times and failed miserably. Both the times I screwed up the DI section. It's just not my cup of tea. I scored well in maths and english sections.

I was devastated...seeing all my batchmates go to IIMs and some to big companies like McKinsey, BCG, ML was doing me no good. I felt like a loser. It was not that my prep for CAT was not gud enuf...but some things are just meant to happen in a certain way...

I can't express in words how miserable I felt when I had to leave IIT with a mediocre IT job. I did some introspection and got some advice from my sister who's in US...she told me something which now I totally believe..."everything happens for a reason". May be I didn't clear CAT because I have somethin better. She told me to prepare for GMAT and meanwhile get the feel of the industry. That's what i did. I didn't look for switching my job. I came to Pune and since then I am here...

I didn't expect my prep to start right away...so I waited and it was only in june when I started thinking about GMAT. I took out my Kaplan 2004 guide..which I bought in IIT but never read. Initailly the prep didn get kick started. The reason was that I didn't have a test date.

Lesson learned till now:
Forget about past failures.
Look forward...try options and always have a positive attitude.
Have a dream and be passionate about it.
Lastly get a test date...keep urself on the toes and focussed!!

I took a test date...on 30 Oct..I can never forget that date...I also took a date for TOEFL on 1 Oct.

My actual preparation started in Aug when I took a date. I started looking for resources on the net. I started looking at the posts in PG, beat the GMAT, score top...I downloaded some stuff from eSnips.

Strategising was not a problem for me...I know how to study to make the most out of it...the trick is simple...I don't think/do anything when I study...and the other thing I do is kinda strange but works for me....I make a comittment to myself and all the time I think about how bad I wud feel if i didn't keep that. So I thought I would score a 720 in my GMAT. That was an honest goal for me.

In a month I knew what all I lack...what are the areas where I need to push myself more...I was lacking the accuracy..I was making silly mistakes...and If I could cut down my silly mistakes and brush up some old CAT concepts, a 750 is not impossible for me.

I took Gmat prep for the first time and scored 710...I was happy to see the 700 figure...and happiness is gud..especially if u've been depressed all the time!!

It gave confidence and I made a master plan for me. The plan was for Sep and Oct...two months....I made a big chart....its basically a calendar with big blocks for each day....
I collected all the
Materials....1000 sc, 1000 cr, OG, Kaplan guide, Kaplan 800, Kaplan verbal, Manhatan, all the tests...kaplan, gmat prep, and IMS Cds.

I made a schedule...and fitted all of it in those two months. each day I would come after office and without food started my study sessions...at the end I would cross out the date...like an executioner....The crosses gave me confidence and a sense of satisfaction. It felt gud to see that the days were not just passing by but I was progressing and getting nearer to my goal.

I stuck post-its all over my place with quotes and motivational stuff...each day when I woke up I would know that I would finish this thing today...I knew that GMAT was the only way to redeem myself...I took TOEFL...which helped me get a feel of the computer test...also I learnt a lesson that always reach your centres early.

I was inline with my schedule...and some days I would not keep up with the schedule...which I wud make up on weekends...I had scheduled my sessions takin the possibility of over times...

Two weeks before the test I started my practise test Marathon. I had 12 ims tests. 4 kaplan tests, 1 gmat test. I finished all of them in those two weeks. My sequence was...12 ims tests. were not so good. CR was no way GMAT type...maths was good. helped me with time management in maths but totally wcrewed up in english...cuz crs were very short....unlike actaual gmat where it takes time just to read the CR.

Anyways I moved to Kaplan...I was aware of the notorious reputation of Kaplna tests...but Keya's (another Pagli here) post helped me a lot. I knew if I managed a 650 average on all 4 tests....I was gud...and i did...

I had kept the GMAT prep for the last...cuz I knew its the fairest approximation...so i took it two days before...i got a 740. I was sure i wud get 740-750 on gmat....

last two days I prepared for AWA. and revised my SC tips, cr pointers and did some reading...random stuff...

Lesson learnt:
keep the GMAT prep test 2 for last day....and yess memorise the format...its exactly the same....even the colors...that is blue...everything is ditto...except the questions

On the final day:

I went to mumbai a day before....went to my fellow iitian friend's place...had light chit chat....talked bout good old days when all we had to do was play quake and gossip at nescafe....

woke up early...reached the centre early...the guard didnt allow me in before time...finaly the hour arrived...went in...did some formalities...and entered the test room.....

I know why..but I was totally realxed...I thot to myself, "Mukul this is your chance buddy...U had taken so many tests and scored well...no reason why u wud screw up today...U r goin to make it big" and then I thot of my parents and how happy they wud be...and started off...

paced thru the usual yada lada...and arrived at the awa section...was gud...ten there was the optional break after one hr of awa...which I didnt take!! should have taken tho...but I was too excited...

I started gettin tuff problems after 5-6 question..meant i was doing good...got stuck in a question....my iitian ego was not letting me let go off the question...but after some ime i had to guess and move forward..

lesson learnt...let go off the question after an intelligent guess..

Overall i felt my quant section was gud...more than 50 i thot...

then took a break....verbal....bold face CR in the 6th quesn...was happy...okkk i am doing gud..now time to concentrate and get this one rite at any cost...I guess i did it correctly....after that I dont know why...but I thot questions were easy...i got sad...but didnt let myself be bothered...I finished the verbal well before time....

and thennnnnnnnnnnnnnn..................i was so excited...i just paced thru the screens...atleast 10 screens....then it said...show scores???

Hell yesssssss!! I expected a 740 to be honest....

it said 770 (50 qa, 45 va, 5 awa)!! I raised my hands and literally jumped up....I came out of the room...and te invigilator looked at my score sheet and gave a big smile...

I was ecstatic....guys I am so much more relieved and confident now...
I learnt a lot from my preparations....and I thought I wud write all of it to help you guys....

I have given a detailed description of section wise prepping in my blog....u can go thru it...hope it helps....

ATB...if I can do it...so can you...

catch ya guys...

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