Hi all
Scored a 700 yesterday . I know that 700 is not an over the top score and doesnt make me an expert by any means but here are my two cents about what i learnt during my preparation and probably would be of some help to someone in a similar situation.
I took my first Gmat attempt in the end of july and scored a 670, which was disappointing for me as i was consistently scoring above 700 in all prep mocks , gmat prep and manhattan (6 test series). I had used 60 day prep plan on the BTG also. I knew i deserved more but i had to figure out why I missed out in the first place.
My analysis was :
1) I solved all my Mocks in the mid of the day, but for some strange reason had booked the GMAT at 9o clock in the morning. It might seem a silly thing , but your body clock and mind conditioning do matter.
2) I had solved 8 tests in the last 10 days before my actual GMAT , which i read in articles is a pretty useless thing to do , as it burns you out.
3) 35 in VA meant that there was work to be done there.
4) I had ego issues with a few problems on the test. I felt I should answer them because they are my strong topics and spent way too much time on them and probably answered them wrong anyways, which is what the testmakers want
So , I picked myself up again and was determined to give it another shot because i had belief in myself. As an engineer I am "supposed" to be good at quant, but truly, there are a few topics that elude me. So take 2:
1) I realized that my aptitude cant change my a momentous amount in such a short period of time so what i had to do was formulate a strategy and make the most of what i have. I made it a point to include RETREAT in my strategy this time around. I tried to make sure that no matter how good i feel i am on a topic i will not waste time more than every question should be allotted.
2) For VA , i studied the SC grail and did the Powerscore bible for critical reasoning. Made notes and revised them often.
3) Probably the most important was that i went to the test with a very relaxed frame of mind. I knew that although it was very important, life would not end if i dint score what i wanted.
4) As for mocks , I gave only 3 in the period of 2 months. 1 before starting preparation , to gauge where i am going wrong and then the GMAT Prep mock for trying out the strategies in which i scored 740 and 730 respectively.
5) Fill every unforgiving minute with 60 seconds worth of distance run. i had this quote on my desk. Whenever i felt like rushing or giving up cuz i felt i was not doing good enough, i reminded myself to give the best that i can anyways.
Last important thing is you must believe you can do it. GMAT looks easy but it is a test of you as a warrior where skill,strategy,calmness of mind and so many other things will be tested.I still believe i am 20 points short but i guess it is time to move on.
Thank You BTG, Brent and all other experts and the inspiring stories on BTG which helped me Reach if not Breach the 700 mark !!
Scored a 700 yesterday . I know that 700 is not an over the top score and doesnt make me an expert by any means but here are my two cents about what i learnt during my preparation and probably would be of some help to someone in a similar situation.
I took my first Gmat attempt in the end of july and scored a 670, which was disappointing for me as i was consistently scoring above 700 in all prep mocks , gmat prep and manhattan (6 test series). I had used 60 day prep plan on the BTG also. I knew i deserved more but i had to figure out why I missed out in the first place.
My analysis was :
1) I solved all my Mocks in the mid of the day, but for some strange reason had booked the GMAT at 9o clock in the morning. It might seem a silly thing , but your body clock and mind conditioning do matter.
2) I had solved 8 tests in the last 10 days before my actual GMAT , which i read in articles is a pretty useless thing to do , as it burns you out.
3) 35 in VA meant that there was work to be done there.
4) I had ego issues with a few problems on the test. I felt I should answer them because they are my strong topics and spent way too much time on them and probably answered them wrong anyways, which is what the testmakers want
So , I picked myself up again and was determined to give it another shot because i had belief in myself. As an engineer I am "supposed" to be good at quant, but truly, there are a few topics that elude me. So take 2:
1) I realized that my aptitude cant change my a momentous amount in such a short period of time so what i had to do was formulate a strategy and make the most of what i have. I made it a point to include RETREAT in my strategy this time around. I tried to make sure that no matter how good i feel i am on a topic i will not waste time more than every question should be allotted.
2) For VA , i studied the SC grail and did the Powerscore bible for critical reasoning. Made notes and revised them often.
3) Probably the most important was that i went to the test with a very relaxed frame of mind. I knew that although it was very important, life would not end if i dint score what i wanted.
4) As for mocks , I gave only 3 in the period of 2 months. 1 before starting preparation , to gauge where i am going wrong and then the GMAT Prep mock for trying out the strategies in which i scored 740 and 730 respectively.
5) Fill every unforgiving minute with 60 seconds worth of distance run. i had this quote on my desk. Whenever i felt like rushing or giving up cuz i felt i was not doing good enough, i reminded myself to give the best that i can anyways.
Last important thing is you must believe you can do it. GMAT looks easy but it is a test of you as a warrior where skill,strategy,calmness of mind and so many other things will be tested.I still believe i am 20 points short but i guess it is time to move on.
Thank You BTG, Brent and all other experts and the inspiring stories on BTG which helped me Reach if not Breach the 700 mark !!
