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CHANDER1969
- Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
- Posts: 8
- Joined: Sat Jun 19, 2010 10:32 pm
- Thanked: 2 times
Hello all,
For about 7-8 months now I have been a keen follower of Beat the GMAT. In fact ever since I decided that I needed to consider a career change and started exploring the various options one of the communities I have been following has been the beat the GMAT community. I feel there is a lot that we can learn from each other and improve our score. I shall now cover certain aspects about my preparation for the GMAT and give some takeaways which maybe helpful for some.
First things first a Brief about my Background
I am a serving Army Officer with about 20 years of Commissioned Service. I am 42 years old and I appeared for the GMAT with self preparation (meaning no classes) and scored a 670 (V37 and Q47). I have been out of studies for almost 22 years and had to start my preparation from scratch.
The Beginning
Well to be frank the beginning was quiet frustrating. At the outset things seemed pretty simple especially the verbal part but when things got serious all the myths vanished. When I began my preparations I thought a 700 was a child's play. I only bought the official guides and started preparing. Only when I appeared for one of the prep tests and could only manage a 550 the first time did I realize that only the official guides are not adequate and then I started exploring for more material. That is when I stumbled upon the Manhattan GMAT prep material and found the same to be most helpful.
My preparation
Well to be frank I could barely dedicate 1-2 hours every 2-3 days and my preparation initially was not upto the mark. But I realised it quickly and started devoting more time for my preparation. My total preparation was for only about two months with 1-2 hours daily and about 3-4 hours on Sundays/holidays. But I went about the preparations quiet systematically.
Quant & Verbal Prepartions
I first identified the topics of quant as mentioned in the official guide. Next I picked up the 8,9 and 10th grade books and brushed through the same so as to clear my basics and also ensure that I do not faulter on the basics. Next I went through all the Manhattan GMAT Quant guides. I found the same to be most exhaustive and practical. I went through all the Manhattan guides and only then did I touch the official guide for the second time. When I started solving the problems in the official guide I used to time myself and used to always work against time. This gave me the speed I needed and the sense of time that is crucial for the GMAT. I solved the official guide twice and was more of less sure of solving any question in under a minute. Simultaneously I also started working on Verbal. I found the verbal prep to be more challenging as over the years we get used to a certain form of english be it the slangs or some other form and it is quiet difficult to unlearn what one has been used to for so long. guess that is why at higher levels even a one point change in your verbal score greatly enhances your overall score. Only when I was confident with both verbal and quant part did I attempt the prep tests and the Manhattan online tests. I felt the prep tests to be too easy and consistently scored over 700 (720 and 710) but found the Manhattan GMAT tests to be the true reflection of the actual test. I used to take a test on Sunday and thereafter analyse my performance and rework on the topics of the questions that I got wrong till the last test when I scored 720.
Books and tests
Official Guides - A must and go through the same at least twice.
Manhattan GMAT prep books- Excellent and cover all the relevant aspects.
GMAT test prep - Good but may make you overconfident as in my case.
MGMAT tests - A total of 5 tests. Excellent and a must for those aiming higher scores.
On the Test Day
I reached the centre well in time and was relaxed as I was confident as I was well prepared. One thing to ensure that the clothing you wear is comfortable so that you are able to fully concentrate on the test and nothing is nagging you.
I flew through the AWA. I had over the period developed a good typing speed and completed both my essays in 20 mins and then after the second essay relaxed for 10 mins and prepared for the quant section.
As expected the first question was of medium difficulty and I cracked it in under 30 secs. Thereafter the difficulty level started increasing and I realised the same by the quality of questions. Anyways I was doing well and started getting questions on permutations and combinations. That is the time I realised that I had to slow down as any mistake now would be more harmful. Anyways I completed the quant section with 5 mins to spare. Overall I was happy with my performance in the quant and was now eager for the verbal.
The verbal section also stated as expected with a SC question of med difficulty. Initially I was very careful in the verbal section and after about 8 questions realised when I got my first RC passage that the difficulty level was high. I realised that I was going well. But at the same time realised that I was going slow and and had to speedup. This is the place I feel I got 3-4 questions incorrect together and the reason my score dropped to 35.
Lesson learnt always work against time even for verbal. At higher levels a difference of 2 points in verbal can make a difference of 30-40 points.
Anyways one major takeaway is that systematic preparation is a must for GMAT. Identify your goal and define the path and work towards it. Be confident and trust yourself and you shall achieve your goal.
Lastly I would like to that all the great members of BTG club for the inspirational debriefs and the continuous encouragement. All the best to all of you and remember
NEVER NEVER NEVER GIVE UP
For about 7-8 months now I have been a keen follower of Beat the GMAT. In fact ever since I decided that I needed to consider a career change and started exploring the various options one of the communities I have been following has been the beat the GMAT community. I feel there is a lot that we can learn from each other and improve our score. I shall now cover certain aspects about my preparation for the GMAT and give some takeaways which maybe helpful for some.
First things first a Brief about my Background
I am a serving Army Officer with about 20 years of Commissioned Service. I am 42 years old and I appeared for the GMAT with self preparation (meaning no classes) and scored a 670 (V37 and Q47). I have been out of studies for almost 22 years and had to start my preparation from scratch.
The Beginning
Well to be frank the beginning was quiet frustrating. At the outset things seemed pretty simple especially the verbal part but when things got serious all the myths vanished. When I began my preparations I thought a 700 was a child's play. I only bought the official guides and started preparing. Only when I appeared for one of the prep tests and could only manage a 550 the first time did I realize that only the official guides are not adequate and then I started exploring for more material. That is when I stumbled upon the Manhattan GMAT prep material and found the same to be most helpful.
My preparation
Well to be frank I could barely dedicate 1-2 hours every 2-3 days and my preparation initially was not upto the mark. But I realised it quickly and started devoting more time for my preparation. My total preparation was for only about two months with 1-2 hours daily and about 3-4 hours on Sundays/holidays. But I went about the preparations quiet systematically.
Quant & Verbal Prepartions
I first identified the topics of quant as mentioned in the official guide. Next I picked up the 8,9 and 10th grade books and brushed through the same so as to clear my basics and also ensure that I do not faulter on the basics. Next I went through all the Manhattan GMAT Quant guides. I found the same to be most exhaustive and practical. I went through all the Manhattan guides and only then did I touch the official guide for the second time. When I started solving the problems in the official guide I used to time myself and used to always work against time. This gave me the speed I needed and the sense of time that is crucial for the GMAT. I solved the official guide twice and was more of less sure of solving any question in under a minute. Simultaneously I also started working on Verbal. I found the verbal prep to be more challenging as over the years we get used to a certain form of english be it the slangs or some other form and it is quiet difficult to unlearn what one has been used to for so long. guess that is why at higher levels even a one point change in your verbal score greatly enhances your overall score. Only when I was confident with both verbal and quant part did I attempt the prep tests and the Manhattan online tests. I felt the prep tests to be too easy and consistently scored over 700 (720 and 710) but found the Manhattan GMAT tests to be the true reflection of the actual test. I used to take a test on Sunday and thereafter analyse my performance and rework on the topics of the questions that I got wrong till the last test when I scored 720.
Books and tests
Official Guides - A must and go through the same at least twice.
Manhattan GMAT prep books- Excellent and cover all the relevant aspects.
GMAT test prep - Good but may make you overconfident as in my case.
MGMAT tests - A total of 5 tests. Excellent and a must for those aiming higher scores.
On the Test Day
I reached the centre well in time and was relaxed as I was confident as I was well prepared. One thing to ensure that the clothing you wear is comfortable so that you are able to fully concentrate on the test and nothing is nagging you.
I flew through the AWA. I had over the period developed a good typing speed and completed both my essays in 20 mins and then after the second essay relaxed for 10 mins and prepared for the quant section.
As expected the first question was of medium difficulty and I cracked it in under 30 secs. Thereafter the difficulty level started increasing and I realised the same by the quality of questions. Anyways I was doing well and started getting questions on permutations and combinations. That is the time I realised that I had to slow down as any mistake now would be more harmful. Anyways I completed the quant section with 5 mins to spare. Overall I was happy with my performance in the quant and was now eager for the verbal.
The verbal section also stated as expected with a SC question of med difficulty. Initially I was very careful in the verbal section and after about 8 questions realised when I got my first RC passage that the difficulty level was high. I realised that I was going well. But at the same time realised that I was going slow and and had to speedup. This is the place I feel I got 3-4 questions incorrect together and the reason my score dropped to 35.
Lesson learnt always work against time even for verbal. At higher levels a difference of 2 points in verbal can make a difference of 30-40 points.
Anyways one major takeaway is that systematic preparation is a must for GMAT. Identify your goal and define the path and work towards it. Be confident and trust yourself and you shall achieve your goal.
Lastly I would like to that all the great members of BTG club for the inspirational debriefs and the continuous encouragement. All the best to all of you and remember
NEVER NEVER NEVER GIVE UP
)
