Always found the term funny used in this context.
This post is to simply to recount my experience this morning with the GMAT. I do not post much on this forum but have learnt a great deal from it. I would like to give back in whatever way I can.
I had a an early morning appointment at 8:30 AM. The test center was far so I left @ 7:00 AM to reach at 8:00 AM. Unfortunately, I had a restlessness night and did not sleep too well - don't know why. The effects were going to manifest themselves later. The center was closed even at 8 AM and almost all the test takers were already present. The proctors arrived soon enough and let each one of us in one after another with the usual routine.
I settled down at my desk and went through all the tutorials, selected my schools etc. Then came the AWA Argument prompt. The prompt was easy and I was able to comfortably finish it. The keyboard, however, was not up to the mark and slowed my typing down; No worries though. Next was the issue prompt. It seemed easy enough and I started typing after noting down the possible reasons. When I completed my 2nd para it struck me that I had misinterpreted the prompt and was writing in a completely different direction. For e.g., if the prompt was "X is causing Y and Z", I misinterpreted it as "Y and Z are happening; Is it harmful or not?" when it really meant "X is causing Y and Z; Yes or No?" - Sheesh!. By the time I realized this, I had 17 minutes left on the clock - panic ensued. All my points were shot; I had to rework the first paragraph; Rework the 2nd paragraph and quickly write the rest. I managed to finish everything in time but it still felt short of a great essay. Of course, by itself the AWA doesn't mean much but what is important is its aftereffects.
The AWA left me in a frazzled state of mind. This coupled with a lack of sleep the previous night meant that I was not in the best of mental conditions. Its effects were evident as soon as I started my Quant section. The first question was a simple algebraic one but I took 5 minutes to complete it. Normally I would have done this in 0.5 minutes, not 5 minutes. I made one silly mistake after another. The second question was quite tough and I took another 5 minutes on it. I was now really panicking. The two questions really shook me up and I concentrated much harder on the next questions. However my game picked up only after the 15th question or so. I think I pretty much answered every question correct after that. Towards the end the questions were easy and I really wondered whether I had messed up resulting in easy questions. In the end, ironically enough, I finished my Quant section with 17 minutes left. The irony was killing.
I was still shaken and believed that I had messed it up. I knew that this will affect my Verbal section adversely so decided to calm myself down in the extra time. I told myself that it is not the end of the world and even I did screw up the Quant section I must make it up in the Verbal section; I simply could not afford to take the test another time or live with a low score. I calmed myself took the break and came back ready to attack the Verbal section. I started off quite well until I was hit with the first RC. It was a short and tough RC. Managed to finish it and move on. Overall I did well and finished just in time.
It was time for the experimental section. I was curious to see what it would be like. The questions were refreshing and section quite interesting overall. The takers of the new format will have a good time . There were 12 questions to be answered in 30 minutes. I did 6 of them seriously and then started giving up. I was anxious to see my scores. I guessed the rest and moved on. Quickly chose to report my score and just get it over with. Was overjoyed and surprised at the score !
Even though I got a high score, I was shaken by how much effect the lack of sleep had on my state of mind and performance. It could have really messed up my score. I think what saved me was the huge amount of practice I had put in and the fact that I am used to taking tests with little sleep. In my undergraduate days, I had taken tests with no sleep the night before !
Key lessons:
1. Getting good sleep the night before is critical. Do what you need to but get good sleep.
2. Ready the AWA prompts carefully.
3. Practice a lot. Even if you have become good at answering well, practice. It will do you a world of good during the test when faced with stressful situations. The practice will kick in and take over. You will be on autopilot the rest of the way.
4. Even when faced with tough questions, move on with determination. GMAT will reward you for this.
5. Maybe it is not a good idea to take an appointment at 8:30 in the morning !
"Debrief" - 770 (Q51, V44) !
This topic has expert replies
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Hey,
Congrats on an outstanding score. Good Luck with your apps!
Congrats on an outstanding score. Good Luck with your apps!
Cheers!
Things are not what they appear to be... nor are they otherwise
Things are not what they appear to be... nor are they otherwise
- vineeshp
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Love this line.4. Even when faced with tough questions, move on with determination. GMAT will reward you for this.
Congrats. It's is an AWESOME score.
Vineesh,
Just telling you what I know and think. I am not the expert.
Just telling you what I know and think. I am not the expert.
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Are you a native speaker ?
where did you practice from ?
where did you practice Rcs from ? Did u use RC 99 or any of the 1000 CR,SCs or Rcs
where did you practice from ?
where did you practice Rcs from ? Did u use RC 99 or any of the 1000 CR,SCs or Rcs
I Seek Explanations Not Answers
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Wow! That is an awesome score. congratulations. I find it safe to assume that you would have scored 800 if got good sleep the night before
---------------------------------
Everything is possible in this world. Even the word Impossible says - I'm possible
Everything is possible in this world. Even the word Impossible says - I'm possible
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Well, technically I am not a native speaker. However, I have been speaking in English and more importantly thinking in English for more than a decade now. I also read a lot - including publications like Economist etc. - which keeps me abreast with good English.mundasingh123 wrote:Are you a native speaker ?
where did you practice from ?
where did you practice Rcs from ? Did u use RC 99 or any of the 1000 CR,SCs or Rcs
I did not use anything other than OG12 for RCs. For some reason I was overconfident. For SC and CR I used OG12 and MGMAT guides.
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That's what I thought too !thebigkats wrote:Wow! That is an awesome score. congratulations. I find it safe to assume that you would have scored 800 if got good sleep the night before
However, frankly, no. If I had slept well maybe I would have got 780 at best. You cannot get a better score in quants than 51 and 44 in verbal is more or less a true reflection of my abilities. What saved me was the number of hours of practice I had put in.
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I must mention a big part of my preparation - the concept of peaking.
I truly believe that in the run up to these standardized tests, there comes a time when your preparation, your abilities and your mental state all come together in perfect unison to get you the score you are meant to get. However, before this time and more importantly after this time, the score drops.
My test was scheduled for the Aug 19 to begin with. I sensed during the middle of July that my preparation was reaching a saturation point and my practice test scores were already hitting a high. I decided (not without some trepidation) to advance my test date by 15 days to Aug 4!
In hindsight, I really think I made the right decision as the during the last 4-5 days before the test I could feel fatigue setting in; I could not have sustained the preparation at the same level and as a result my score would have dropped.
I find a lot of peers in these forums who have been preparing for ages. I really recommend that they set a test date and just go for it. Too much preparation can in fact bring the score down a notch or two.
My 2 bits.
I truly believe that in the run up to these standardized tests, there comes a time when your preparation, your abilities and your mental state all come together in perfect unison to get you the score you are meant to get. However, before this time and more importantly after this time, the score drops.
My test was scheduled for the Aug 19 to begin with. I sensed during the middle of July that my preparation was reaching a saturation point and my practice test scores were already hitting a high. I decided (not without some trepidation) to advance my test date by 15 days to Aug 4!
In hindsight, I really think I made the right decision as the during the last 4-5 days before the test I could feel fatigue setting in; I could not have sustained the preparation at the same level and as a result my score would have dropped.
I find a lot of peers in these forums who have been preparing for ages. I really recommend that they set a test date and just go for it. Too much preparation can in fact bring the score down a notch or two.
My 2 bits.
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This is from my blog https://shekmba.blocked - If any part of it does not make sense please visit my blog.
----------------
GMAT Strategy
I have been meaning to write this for a while now and I also owe it to some people.
Step 1 - Diagnostic Test
Before doing anything, take the diagnostic test. I know that most people say this, but I digress as follows:
If you have been out of touch with academics for some years now (which I suspect is the case with most people) practice 20 problems from each section with some light revision of the concepts. Take the test after you have completed all the problems. This way, your diagnostic test will give you a true "diagnostic" score and tell you where you truly stand before preparations start full swing. My theory is that if you take the diagnostic test straight off the bat you might get an unusually low score because you didn't remember some silly concept which could be obtained by simply glancing at it.
So my advise would be as above when it comes to diagnostic tests so you are not stressed unnecessarily.
Once you take the diagnostic test, you know where you stand and then you can determine how many weeks of prep is necessary. I got a 690 on my diagnostic and after 8 weeks of prep my score was 770.
It is silly to get hung up on just the score. You must make sure you analyze the test thoroughly to identify you area of weak points. If possible, record them in the GMAT scoring sheet freely available on www.beatthegmat.com, www.testmagic.com or www.gmatclub.com. Also make sure you record whether wrong answers were due to silly errors or concept errors.
Step 2 - Books & Resources
Upon taking the diagnostic test and identifying the weak areas, buy the books which you need. I used the following books:
Quants
OG12
Manhattan Series
Kaplan
OG Quant Review
Verbal
OG12
Manhattan SC, CR Guide
Kaplan
OG Verbal Review
I really recommend MGMAT guides for all the sections. Its effectiveness in the SC section is well known but I found that for the Quant section too it is of immense help. It really drives in the concepts in a simple, GMAT focused way. In order to do well in Quants it is a must that you are fundamental concepts are rock solid before you start practicing like crazy. See my more detailed post here.
OG12 is of course great for practice. So is Kaplan. OG Quant guide is very simple and not worth wasting money on. OG Verbal guide in contrast has good questions to practice with.
Besides books, there are several online resources:
Beat The GMAT Questions
Test Magic Questions
However, I did not use the online resources except the occasional snippet of information.
Step 3 - Study Schedule
After buying the books and identifying the resources, set up a schedule for yourself.
Oh, meanwhile, please do set a test date for motivation. Without a test date you are doomed. Period.
The most popular strategy seems to be to spend 2 weeks on a weak section, 1 week on strong section etc. I beg to differ. I believe the better strategy is:
0. Start cycle
1. Pick up a section (not completed in this cycle)
2. Run through the concepts
3. Practice problems (partial set if you want to)
4. Identify weak areas
5. Go to step one with another section (if all sections not completed else go to Step 6)
6. Take a test and analyze
7. Go to step 0.
Yes, there are several gaping holes in the "algorithm" but you get the idea. My first cycle lasteed about 30 days (6 days for each section). 2nd cycle lasted 15 days, 3rd - 9 days and last - 5 days. All approximations. This way you can go on identifying weak areas and strong areas and keep allocating time and resources accordingly. It makes for a more targeted and efficient preparation.
The length of each cycle can expand and contract based on the need to catch up on concepts etc.
Go through the MGMAT SC book at least 2 times and make sure you do the advanced section - It seems tough at first but you warm up to it.
Step 4 - Take the test
And finally take the test. Make sure you rest well before the test. I don't know if it is ok to not practice one day before the exam or not but make sure you rest well. See my debrief for better understanding,
I know this is not a lot of advice; However, there is tons of good advice out there on usual things and I want to contribute in a way which will add to everything else.
----------------
GMAT Strategy
I have been meaning to write this for a while now and I also owe it to some people.
Step 1 - Diagnostic Test
Before doing anything, take the diagnostic test. I know that most people say this, but I digress as follows:
If you have been out of touch with academics for some years now (which I suspect is the case with most people) practice 20 problems from each section with some light revision of the concepts. Take the test after you have completed all the problems. This way, your diagnostic test will give you a true "diagnostic" score and tell you where you truly stand before preparations start full swing. My theory is that if you take the diagnostic test straight off the bat you might get an unusually low score because you didn't remember some silly concept which could be obtained by simply glancing at it.
So my advise would be as above when it comes to diagnostic tests so you are not stressed unnecessarily.
Once you take the diagnostic test, you know where you stand and then you can determine how many weeks of prep is necessary. I got a 690 on my diagnostic and after 8 weeks of prep my score was 770.
It is silly to get hung up on just the score. You must make sure you analyze the test thoroughly to identify you area of weak points. If possible, record them in the GMAT scoring sheet freely available on www.beatthegmat.com, www.testmagic.com or www.gmatclub.com. Also make sure you record whether wrong answers were due to silly errors or concept errors.
Step 2 - Books & Resources
Upon taking the diagnostic test and identifying the weak areas, buy the books which you need. I used the following books:
Quants
OG12
Manhattan Series
Kaplan
OG Quant Review
Verbal
OG12
Manhattan SC, CR Guide
Kaplan
OG Verbal Review
I really recommend MGMAT guides for all the sections. Its effectiveness in the SC section is well known but I found that for the Quant section too it is of immense help. It really drives in the concepts in a simple, GMAT focused way. In order to do well in Quants it is a must that you are fundamental concepts are rock solid before you start practicing like crazy. See my more detailed post here.
OG12 is of course great for practice. So is Kaplan. OG Quant guide is very simple and not worth wasting money on. OG Verbal guide in contrast has good questions to practice with.
Besides books, there are several online resources:
Beat The GMAT Questions
Test Magic Questions
However, I did not use the online resources except the occasional snippet of information.
Step 3 - Study Schedule
After buying the books and identifying the resources, set up a schedule for yourself.
Oh, meanwhile, please do set a test date for motivation. Without a test date you are doomed. Period.
The most popular strategy seems to be to spend 2 weeks on a weak section, 1 week on strong section etc. I beg to differ. I believe the better strategy is:
0. Start cycle
1. Pick up a section (not completed in this cycle)
2. Run through the concepts
3. Practice problems (partial set if you want to)
4. Identify weak areas
5. Go to step one with another section (if all sections not completed else go to Step 6)
6. Take a test and analyze
7. Go to step 0.
Yes, there are several gaping holes in the "algorithm" but you get the idea. My first cycle lasteed about 30 days (6 days for each section). 2nd cycle lasted 15 days, 3rd - 9 days and last - 5 days. All approximations. This way you can go on identifying weak areas and strong areas and keep allocating time and resources accordingly. It makes for a more targeted and efficient preparation.
The length of each cycle can expand and contract based on the need to catch up on concepts etc.
Go through the MGMAT SC book at least 2 times and make sure you do the advanced section - It seems tough at first but you warm up to it.
Step 4 - Take the test
And finally take the test. Make sure you rest well before the test. I don't know if it is ok to not practice one day before the exam or not but make sure you rest well. See my debrief for better understanding,
I know this is not a lot of advice; However, there is tons of good advice out there on usual things and I want to contribute in a way which will add to everything else.
-
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