I will spare you the details of the "why" but I should mention that my decision to pursue an MBA was the outcome of a very grim 2009 Christmas holiday. Till then I hadn't, in the slightest, thought about an MBA or any kind of further education,.
Everything I know of the process was learnt over the 45 day period starting 11th Jan. Since the whole process, all at once was too overwhelming I read and read and found the common denominator of all applications- the GMAT. It took me a good week to get my head around it. I then stumbled on to BeatThe Gmat which was a big step forward for me since I have no contact with anyone who has done anything like this. In my industry, doing an MBA is relatively unheard of, no one I know has gone downt hat route.
It was great to know there were many others out there and that I was not venturing on to unknown territory.
Did the og12 the first 15 days, bought McGraw Hill once the OG was done (MGH was the cheapest guide available- and I was fairly broke) I wasn't happy with it- too many mistakes etc- had to buy Kaplan, spent the last 30 days with Kaplan- well the details aren't that important- and I'm sure you will find a much better strategy on this forum- i almost didn't have a strategy- as my posts in here over the past 2 months will show �
Exam day- exam was at five, I went for a long run and swim to calm the nerves, checked this forum a million times...and then figured I would never be able to be at ease at home and went down to the test centre 3 hrs before my test. I registered and was told to come back in 3 hrs. within ½ hr while I was buying my 8th coffee for the day...I got a call from them saying they had a spot if I wanted to start early- I really was in a fix- if I had you guys on speed dial you phone would have been ringing like crazy!
Anyway I started my exam an hour before the appointment. Finished my essays and went for a short break. Red Bull and a Chocolate Muffin- had absolutely no appetite but figured it would take my mind off the exam.
Math-
got stuck on one question- queston 2..it was VERY simple but I had hit that wall..it was the second question and although I had read equal number of opinions on either side of the -first-five-questions theory..i was determined to get it right. I set my self 2 minutes more and then moved on. I don't think I got it right anyway
BTW centre was well equipped complete with noise cancelling head phones etc...now I work fine in noisy places, but they were VERY useful...especially when you have people typing out their essays furiously.
I looked at the time 45 mins and I 10 questions left...so I relaxed. Got this question-coordinate geometry- my strength and my favourite area..i had the answer within a minute- but it wasn't an answer choice...it was impossible I was dead sure of the answer (I STILL AM) I have the question vividly in my head but im sure there are rules about reproducing it on a forum (are there?) anyway..i worked and reworked on it...exactly the same answer! I rationalized, approximated and the answer choices didn't come close...painfully but thankfully I let it go after FIFTEEEN whole minutes...though, I fell way behind on the final questions...glanced at the clock on the last question 3 minutes...more than enough...but the timer was flashing and couldn't get my eyes off it for continuing with the 37th question. I GUESSED my last answer- to make the ordeal stop. I will NEVER EVER forget that coord geom. question!!!!
Anyway finished verbal with 40 minutes to spare...I stopped at question 41, this was it...I was going to see my result I was shaking!!! I think I spent 10 minutes on the last qn screen ...almost wrote the whole (sc) question on my notepad..Decided it was ridiculous and that I had to get on with it...I was almost emotional that it was over.
Result 690, 88th Percentile
Math 46, 76th percentile
Verbal 39 , 87th percentile
Ok..i had planned to keep the post short, so will close it here-
it IS a marathon, the anticipation, the training, the patience with the training, the pacing, the exhilaration when it ends, and the almost a sudden vacuum when its over- well at least right before the rest of the application procedure begins!
Ironically enough I was reading a blog on the gmat , last week, and the person was looking at retaking the exam after a gmat score of 670 and I remember thinking to myself..."geez I would never think of retake with that score!"..and now every time I look at the score..it says to me..im a 690...good! But not quite the 700...
For now, I'll see it from my flatmate's point of view- 690, has more character
!
