I have benifited from the opinions and the experiences of the members of this community(a silent beneficiary...
). So it is only correct that I share the details of my rendezvous with the GMAT! 
GMAT Take One- Oct 4th, 2010- 690(Q 50,V 34,AWA 5)
Few points:
1. Quant-Having prepared for CAT(Indian aptitude test), learning concepts in Quant did not require too much effort. However, I did brush up the concepts and solved OG 12 helping me to get familiar with the type of questions(esp DS)
2. Verbal-Was overly confident of performing well in this section. I did consistently well in the Verbal section of CAT, and was hoping that the green would rub off on the GMAT as well. Fatigue, lack of learning and practicing did me in!
3. Tests: GMAT Prep1:700:Q50,V34(Spookily, the break up was exactly same as that of the actual test), GMAT Prep2:680, Few IMS tests
GMAT Take Two- Aug 30th, 2011- 730(Q 50,V 38,AWA 4.5)
1. Quant-Brushed up the concepts as I was taking the test after a long time.
2. Verbal-Started anew:picked up Manhattan SC, Powerscore CR Bible.
3. Beating fatigue, Auto pilot mode in Verbal Section: I was freaked out about fatigue before the test. Evidence:
https://www.beatthegmat.com/performance- ... tml#397690!
Few things I tried and got right: a. Learnt the grammar rules. So I did not have to actively try and figure out the most melodious sounding answer after long hours of essay writing and problem solving!
I was good at figuring out correct answers even without the rules. However, learning the rules made error-spotting more mechanical. b.I got familiar with the CR question types. I used to think of each question very abstractly. Just knowing what I was looking for, made it a lot more easier. c. Timed verbal tests(sometimes at odd hours) helped me get in the groove d. Timed Full Length tests(in near-test-conditions) helped me focus and persist. d. Got a decent sleep before the test; had energizing foods on the test day-Idlis for breakfast, and Red Bull and chocolates during the breakI picked up the cue about auto-pilot in Verbal section from this forum. Doing the stuff I mentioned above helped me get into that mode.
4. Tests taken: GMAT Prep1: 770, GMAT Prep2: 740, Manhattan1 :680, Manhattan3:740, Manhattan4:730, Manhattan5:720.Qunt scores were consistently around 50. Verbal scores varied from 35 to 45.
5. GMAT Prep is easily the closest to the actual test. Only flaw is that some questions are repeated from the OG leading to inflated score(Evidence my GMAT Prep1 score of 770!
) Manhattan's questions and scores are also close to the actual GMAT. However, I found Manhattan Quant to be slighly more difficult than the actual test and the scoring algorithm in Manhattan Quant emphasized too much on consistent performance throughout the test.6. I was a little rattled because of the type of questions in the Quant section and unneccsarily ran short of time, affecting my performance in my Verbal section. Summarily, I'd say never try and second guess the GMAT algorithm!
Though there is a lingering feeling that the performance could have been better, I should say that I am mightily pleased with my score and I hereby announce my retirement from all MBA exams!
.If anyone wants to know more, I'd be glad to tell!
Cheers,
Bibu
