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Starting out on a 1 month prep for the GMAT. Target: 750

by TargetKellogg » Tue Jun 28, 2011 11:48 am
Hi everyone,

Test Date: I am taking the test on the 1st of August 2011.

Target Score: Above 750

Prep Material: Done some research on this and have collated the following for my GMAT Prep-
1. OG 12
2. OG Verbal Review (since i am not a native english speaker)
3. GMAT Prep Software
4. MGMAT SC Guide
5. BTG Flash Cards

Study Plan: (June 29th to July 9th)

1. Go through the quant topics mentioned in the GMAT Prep software and make notes.
2. Go through the BTG Flashcards while making my own while i go along.
3. Learn SC rules from MGMAT SC Guide
4. Go through the OG 12 in a phased manner i.e. solving 25 questions from each section every day. (12 days)
5. I will time myself while doing these 25 set questions in order to create exam like conditions.
6. Maintain an error log and repeat the questions i get wrong to ensure i get the concept in my head.
7. Work through the OG Verbal review for additional verbal practice.

Study Hours: I will study in 2 slots of 4 hours each, again trying to stimulate actual GMAT conditions

Test Plan: (July 10th to July 29th)

1. I have taken two power prep tests and scored 670 and 700 in the two tests.
2. Once i am done with the OG 12, i plan to take the GMAT Prep tests. I believe each test can be repeated innumerable times and hence i have decided to take each of the 2 tests five times, taking a test on every alternate day.
3. After taking each test i will analyze my weaknesses and will go back to the OG questions pertaining to my weak areas.

AWA: (Days 23 - 30)
This section i have left for the last week of my preparation. i plan to create a template for each of the two sections and write 3 essays each in exam conditions before the test.

Exercise and Meditation will be an integral part of my game plan.

The last 2 days before the test will be complete rest days.

I know it is going to be a challenge and i also know that i am up for it. I will be posting my daily progress on this thread. Please send me your best wishes and suggestions if any.

Bring it on GMAT!!!
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by sharmasumitn1 » Tue Jun 28, 2011 1:34 pm
TargetKellogg wrote:Hi everyone,

Test Date: I am taking the test on the 1st of August 2011.

Target Score: Above 750

Prep Material: Done some research on this and have collated the following for my GMAT Prep-
1. OG 12
2. OG Verbal Review (since i am not a native english speaker)
3. GMAT Prep Software
4. MGMAT SC Guide
5. BTG Flash Cards

Study Plan: (June 29th to July 9th)

1. Go through the quant topics mentioned in the GMAT Prep software and make notes.
2. Go through the BTG Flashcards while making my own while i go along.
3. Learn SC rules from MGMAT SC Guide
4. Go through the OG 12 in a phased manner i.e. solving 25 questions from each section every day. (12 days)
5. I will time myself while doing these 25 set questions in order to create exam like conditions.
6. Maintain an error log and repeat the questions i get wrong to ensure i get the concept in my head.
7. Work through the OG Verbal review for additional verbal practice.

Study Hours: I will study in 2 slots of 4 hours each, again trying to stimulate actual GMAT conditions

Test Plan: (July 10th to July 29th)

1. I have taken two power prep tests and scored 670 and 700 in the two tests.
2. Once i am done with the OG 12, i plan to take the GMAT Prep tests. I believe each test can be repeated innumerable times and hence i have decided to take each of the 2 tests five times, taking a test on every alternate day.
3. After taking each test i will analyze my weaknesses and will go back to the OG questions pertaining to my weak areas.

AWA: (Days 23 - 30)
This section i have left for the last week of my preparation. i plan to create a template for each of the two sections and write 3 essays each in exam conditions before the test.

Exercise and Meditation will be an integral part of my game plan.

The last 2 days before the test will be complete rest days.

I know it is going to be a challenge and i also know that i am up for it. I will be posting my daily progress on this thread. Please send me your best wishes and suggestions if any.

Bring it on GMAT!!!
This is a crazy plan !!!
The most effective way to learn the concepts is analysis of questions. There is no point of pracicing 1000 questions without learning from them. Practice fewer questions but analyze them well. Do not leave a question without learning a take away. You have to learn the pattern of questions.

I would say, take it easy and relax.
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by David@VeritasPrep » Thu Jun 30, 2011 6:22 am
This is a lot of questions, but you are starting from a decent position. Don't be too focused on moving through every question. If you can get through them all comfortably then that is fine, but as previous post indicates, be sure to get something from each question.

Remember, you will not see that exact question on the test, so think about it this way..."what can I learn from this question to take to similar questions?" What is your take-away. Don't just be able to barely solve this particular one with luck -- but know how to do similar questions as well.

As to taking the GMAT Prep tests FIVE times each, just be aware that you will get multiple repeating questions so starting with the third attempt at each test you will get scores that you cannot rely on. So if you get a 770 with about 25 questions repeated take into account that this is inflated. It can be good to see these GMATPrep questions as they are very good - and I do like the idea of seeing this questions in the test format and not on a sheet that someone has compiled.

If you need to get one more assessment of your QUANT score since you will not be able to rely on GMATPrep then you should look to the GMAT Focus - which does cost $25 for one section, but that has questions that are not available any where else so that will be accurate even if you have done everything else.

Sounds like an ambitious plan!

Keep us up to date as you go.
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by mundasingh123 » Fri Jul 01, 2011 5:09 am
i plan to take the GMAT Prep tests. I believe each test can be repeated innumerable times and hence i have decided to take each of the 2 tests five times, taking a test on every alternate day.
thats 40 hrs in gmat preps right there excludint the time spent on analysis . its a steep going for me . I dont feel like sitting beyond an hour
Last edited by mundasingh123 on Fri Jul 01, 2011 8:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
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by TargetKellogg » Fri Jul 01, 2011 8:20 am
Thank you all of you for your excellent advice. I will keep that in mind while doing my revision. I will concentrate on the takeaways from each question rather than concentrating only on speed.

Just encapsulating my progress thus far since my last post.

1. Gone through the quant topics from the GMAT Prep software and have prepared a formula sheet which i plan to refer to throughout my preparation. Will keep adding to it while i go on.

2. Problem Areas identified till now - Inequalities, Absolute Value, Coordinate Geometry (might need extra reinforcement on these topics)

3. Gone through the MGMAT SC Book and made notes. Did not practice the exercises just yet. Plan to do so in my next step. Also went through the Beat the Gmat SC Flashcards. They seem to be quite comprehensive.

4. Have been exercising for an hour everyday to keep the adrenalin pumping.

5. Not too happy with the concentration right now. Will have to improve on my stamina going forward.

Next Steps

1. Launch into the OG; 25 questions per section as planned; will start with the diagnostic test.

2. Have come across gmat hacks.com for solutions to the quantitative section in the OG 12. Will refer to that also for answer explanations.

3. Keep revising the math formula sheet that i prepared in order to memorize the formulae and any shortcuts that i come across.

4. Revise SC notes and BTG SC flashcards regularly to memorize the SC rules.

5. Work toward increasing my stamina. Need to be able to concentrate for a 4.5 hour period. Will happen with time.

It is a daunting task ahead of me, but it has been a more than positive start. I will need all the blessings i can get to continue toward my goal.

Keep the faith!
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by mundasingh123 » Fri Jul 01, 2011 8:25 am
Are You a Native English Speaker ?
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by TargetKellogg » Sat Jul 02, 2011 8:18 am
Hey mundasingh123, i am not a native english speaker.

July 02 2011

1. Went through my list of math formulae, also added to this list useful information contained in the BTG Flashcards. I finally have a comprehensive list to revise everyday.

2. After this i ventured into the quantitative section of the diagnostic test in the OG12. Did the entire 48 question set in a single sitting while timing myself. I was being a little over enthusiastic i think trying this out though. Will try and take a break after 25 questions henceforth.

PS Accuracy: 70% DS Accuracy: 70%

3. As expected Inequalities, Coordinate Geometry, Geometry and Time Speed and Work problems were a major problem area.

4. Went through the analysis of the questions from the OG along with the GMAT Hacks explanations. Found them quite insightful. Have planned to go through the problem questions first thing tomorrow before moving on to the next set of questions. Will also have to work on the timing in DS as i was constantly exceeding the 2 minute limit.

5. Reading Comprehension: Instead of 25 questions i have decided to do 4 RCs in a day from the OG, the number that i will get in the GMAT. Started this section from the last RC and moved backwards. Gave myself enough time to understand each passage before i ventured into the questions. That said accuracy was still only 70 percent and average time taken was 3 minute per question. Needs a lot of work.

6. Sentence correction: Went through my notes and the BTG Flashcards and did 25 questions starting from the end moving backwards. 80% accuracy; 2 minutes per question. Will have to work on the time. Mostly silly mistakes.

7. CR: Again started from the end and moved backwards. 80% accuracy; 2.5 minutes per question. The level of questions was hard, so i am very happy that i could get this kind of accuracy. Need to work on speed here as well.

8. Finally analyzed each Verbal question form the OG and have marked the incorrect ones together with the ones in which i had doubts for reviewing tomorrow.

Takeaways:

1. Packed in a lot in a day. Quite happy with myself.

2. Had not kept aside review time while making my plan. So might have to expand my timelines a little, which may eat into my test taking time. Will realign my strategy as i go forward.

3. Also might intersperse tests within the study time.

4. Couldn't go to the gym today which is bad. So going for a quick run.

Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish! - Steve Jobs
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by mundasingh123 » Sat Jul 02, 2011 10:35 am
u need to time your passage reading as well . 3 minutes for short rc , 4 mints for long after come the quests
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by maihuna » Sat Jul 02, 2011 11:18 am
David I am shocked to see such an un-authentic information from such an well-known faculty as you. Please be informed that most of the GMAT Focus questions are found in the SET-30(remember SCORETop cheating) floating on net, and hence after when GMAT has decided to push those questions in form of OG-12 and new GMATPrep, the one released around OG 12 timeframe.

I yet have access to gmatfocus review and if you are ready to take this challenge I will review and post how many repeats are there with OG-12 and gmatprep, provided it is legal in gmac world.

In fact I am planning to file a suit against GMAC for wrongly informing that current gmatprep and OG 12 are mutually exclusive, in their 0g 12 guides, while there are tons of repeat. I have compiled a set of questions, the OG-12 references and I am debating with myself whether to waste my energy on such an stupid anger against this sloppy gmac.

David@VeritasPrep wrote: If you need to get one more assessment of your QUANT score since you will not be able to rely on GMATPrep then you should look to the GMAT Focus - which does cost $25 for one section, but that has questions that are not available any where else so that will be accurate even if you have done everything else.

Sounds like an ambitious plan!

Keep us up to date as you go.
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by GMATMadeEasy » Tue Jul 05, 2011 4:48 am
maihuna wrote:David I am shocked to see such an un-authentic information from such an well-known faculty as you. Please be informed that most of the GMAT Focus questions are found in the SET-30(remember SCORETop cheating) floating on net, and hence after when GMAT has decided to push those questions in form of OG-12 and new GMATPrep, the one released around OG 12 timeframe.

I yet have access to gmatfocus review and if you are ready to take this challenge I will review and post how many repeats are there with OG-12 and gmatprep, provided it is legal in gmac world.

In fact I am planning to file a suit against GMAC for wrongly informing that current gmatprep and OG 12 are mutually exclusive, in their 0g 12 guides, while there are tons of repeat. I have compiled a set of questions, the OG-12 references and I am debating with myself whether to waste my energy on such an stupid anger against this sloppy gmac.
David@VeritasPrep wrote: If you need to get one more assessment of your QUANT score since you will not be able to rely on GMATPrep then you should look to the GMAT Focus - which does cost $25 for one section, but that has questions that are not available any where else so that will be accurate even if you have done everything else.
Sounds like an ambitious plan!
Keep us up to date as you go.
This is too strong language friend.. relax.

Set30 is a banned source as you have mentioned. I suspect how many people look at this. How do you know this by the way?

You also mentioned unauthentic, what do you mean by that? There was nothing to get shocked for the response even if it could have all sorts of problems.
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by Ian Stewart » Tue Jul 05, 2011 5:13 am
maihuna wrote:David I am shocked to see such an un-authentic information from such an well-known faculty as you. Please be informed that most of the GMAT Focus questions are found in the SET-30(remember SCORETop cheating) floating on net, and hence after when GMAT has decided to push those questions in form of OG-12 and new GMATPrep, the one released around OG 12 timeframe.

I yet have access to gmatfocus review and if you are ready to take this challenge I will review and post how many repeats are there with OG-12 and gmatprep, provided it is legal in gmac world.

In fact I am planning to file a suit against GMAC for wrongly informing that current gmatprep and OG 12 are mutually exclusive, in their 0g 12 guides, while there are tons of repeat. I have compiled a set of questions, the OG-12 references and I am debating with myself whether to waste my energy on such an stupid anger against this sloppy gmac.
A few points here:

* The fact that someone has plagiarized official questions and distributed an illegal document over the web containing those questions is hardly grounds for complaint against GMAC. Nor is it reason to object to anything David has said;

* I cannot find any claim from GMAC that GMATFocus is free of overlap with other published official materials;

* When GMATFocus was first released, it was free of any overlap with OG11, the latest Official Guide available at the time. Many GMATFocus questions now appear in OG12, however. I used to consider GMATFocus an invaluable study tool, but since it now overlaps significantly with OG12, it is not nearly as useful. I should add that it's been a few months since I've looked at GMATFocus, and if they have updated the question bank underlying GMATFocus, it may again be a worthwhile resource;

* I'm not sure you'll get very far with a 'suit against GMAC', though I'm not a lawyer. While it is true that GMAC incorrectly claims that GMATPrep and the Official Guides are free of overlap, GMATPrep is also provided free of charge, so even if they have misrepresented some details about GMATPrep features, I don't know what kind of remedy you could expect.
For online GMAT math tutoring, or to buy my higher-level Quant books and problem sets, contact me at ianstewartgmat at gmail.com

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by David@VeritasPrep » Tue Jul 05, 2011 10:41 am
Thanks Ian for the update on GMAT Focus. I was first acquainted with GMAT Prep before the OG-12.

I do not have many students use the GMAT Focus but I have had some find it to be useful. Perhaps these are students who have not done every question in the OG12...I also have not been to GMAT Focus in a few months so I cannot say that they have updated or not. A substantial overlap with the OG-12 is something that GMAC is guilty of at many times. It seems they have only every written a few hundred questions and we get these in many different formats.

Thanks Ian and "Easy."
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by maihuna » Tue Jul 05, 2011 10:49 am
is't illegal to know that? If so go and inform this stupid GMAC to take action against me. By the way I doubt how many doesn't know about SET-30?

It was schoking as I was all pissed off paying $65 or so for three tests to GMAC and was dis-illusioned to do so on *not this* but some similar suggestions. If people do not have authentic info they shoudn't give it, particularly when such info comes from authentic faculties.

Hope your senses are working now.
GMATMadeEasy wrote:
maihuna wrote:David I am shocked to see such an un-authentic information from such an well-known faculty as you. Please be informed that most of the GMAT Focus questions are found in the SET-30(remember SCORETop cheating) floating on net, and hence after when GMAT has decided to push those questions in form of OG-12 and new GMATPrep, the one released around OG 12 timeframe.

I yet have access to gmatfocus review and if you are ready to take this challenge I will review and post how many repeats are there with OG-12 and gmatprep, provided it is legal in gmac world.

In fact I am planning to file a suit against GMAC for wrongly informing that current gmatprep and OG 12 are mutually exclusive, in their 0g 12 guides, while there are tons of repeat. I have compiled a set of questions, the OG-12 references and I am debating with myself whether to waste my energy on such an stupid anger against this sloppy gmac.
David@VeritasPrep wrote: If you need to get one more assessment of your QUANT score since you will not be able to rely on GMATPrep then you should look to the GMAT Focus - which does cost $25 for one section, but that has questions that are not available any where else so that will be accurate even if you have done everything else.
Sounds like an ambitious plan!
Keep us up to date as you go.
This is too strong language friend.. relax.

Set30 is a banned source as you have mentioned. I suspect how many people look at this. How do you know this by the way?

You also mentioned unauthentic, what do you mean by that? There was nothing to get shocked for the response even if it could have all sorts of problems.
Last edited by maihuna on Tue Jul 05, 2011 10:59 am, edited 1 time in total.
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by maihuna » Tue Jul 05, 2011 10:57 am
Thanks a ton Ian for all these details. I do agree to your points.

Regarding 'suit against GMAC', I was just venting my anger against such idiotic declaration by this sloppy gmac. I fail to understand why the hell they make such declaration at first place.

Ian Stewart wrote:
maihuna wrote:David I am shocked to see such an un-authentic information from such an well-known faculty as you. Please be informed that most of the GMAT Focus questions are found in the SET-30(remember SCORETop cheating) floating on net, and hence after when GMAT has decided to push those questions in form of OG-12 and new GMATPrep, the one released around OG 12 timeframe.

I yet have access to gmatfocus review and if you are ready to take this challenge I will review and post how many repeats are there with OG-12 and gmatprep, provided it is legal in gmac world.

In fact I am planning to file a suit against GMAC for wrongly informing that current gmatprep and OG 12 are mutually exclusive, in their 0g 12 guides, while there are tons of repeat. I have compiled a set of questions, the OG-12 references and I am debating with myself whether to waste my energy on such an stupid anger against this sloppy gmac.
A few points here:

* The fact that someone has plagiarized official questions and distributed an illegal document over the web containing those questions is hardly grounds for complaint against GMAC. Nor is it reason to object to anything David has said;

* I cannot find any claim from GMAC that GMATFocus is free of overlap with other published official materials;

* When GMATFocus was first released, it was free of any overlap with OG11, the latest Official Guide available at the time. Many GMATFocus questions now appear in OG12, however. I used to consider GMATFocus an invaluable study tool, but since it now overlaps significantly with OG12, it is not nearly as useful. I should add that it's been a few months since I've looked at GMATFocus, and if they have updated the question bank underlying GMATFocus, it may again be a worthwhile resource;

* I'm not sure you'll get very far with a 'suit against GMAC', though I'm not a lawyer. While it is true that GMAC incorrectly claims that GMATPrep and the Official Guides are free of overlap, GMATPrep is also provided free of charge, so even if they have misrepresented some details about GMATPrep features, I don't know what kind of remedy you could expect.
Charged up again to beat the beast :)
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