Friends, I have 33 days left to GMAT, so I plan to blog my progress and the lessons that I learn during these 33 days.
My preparation started 3 months back; the biggest problem during my preparation is the no. of breaks due to travel and work. I think continuity is very important, every time after a break I had to spend 2 to 3 days to get back to the GMAT state(?) I was in before the break.
Please provide any input that you think can help me.
My current status:
-> Solved all math in KAPLAN800
-> Solved 80% of Math and 90% Verbal in OG10
-> Solved 100% of OG9
CAT Scores so far:
Mar 10: GMAT PowerPrep1 - 680 (over 2 days)
-> This was my first CAT and I simply couldn't sit for 150 mins. I ended up taking math and verbal on separate days.
Mar 16: Kaplan Test1 - 610 - M 40 V 33
-> Managed to take both sections in one sitting this time
Apr 6: PR Test1 - 690 - M 48 V 38
-> This was my score on a retake. PR software is buggy, it concluded after the math section without taking me to the verbal section. So I had to take two sessions separately before taking them together.
Apr 10: PR Test2 - 640 - M 51 V 27
-> This is where things started to shake me a little bit, my verbal score was below par.
Apr 14: PR Test4 - 650 - M 51 V 30
-> Bad verbal score continued. I committed unacceptable no. of errors in RC. Penalized for wrong answers in the initial questions.
Apr 18: PR Test2 - Verbal only - V 29
-> It is getting from bad to worse, my verbal score is dipping.
Analysis:
-> As my scores reflect, I seem to feel at home with Math and struggle with verbal. Reviews tell me that I am getting my basics wrong in verbal.
-> I would like to say a thing or two about PR Tests, I read somewhere that the penalty for getting initial questions wrong is heavy; and it turned out to be true in my case.
Details:
Timing: I am finding it hard to keep up with the pace. I am ending up guessing the answers in the last few mins.
RC:
Error: Wrong answer selection for Inference questions. Did not go back to passage to verify the inference
Lesson: Go back to passage and find support for the inference
CR: Basics wrong.
Error: I am not making the premise and conclusion clear to myself. As a result, I am opting for choices which support premise when asked for conclusion and vice-versa.
Lesson: Clearly understand what the premise is and what the conclusion of the argument is.
Error: Weak in question types - "What is the purpose of bolded phrase in the argument above". Most answer choices appear correct to me.
Lesson: Practice more questions of this type and prepare flash cards with the strategy
Error: Unknowingly making additional assumptions
Lesson: Do not make any additional assumptions other than the ones implied in the argument
Error: Sometimes all answer choices appear to be incorrect to me and I seem to get lost in such situations
Lesson: When all answer choices appear incorrect, go back to choices and read them again to make sure that you understand them clearly
SC:
Error: Verb-tenses wrong. I learnt during my preparation to avoid "-ing" forms as much as possible. I am completely avoiding "-ing" forms in the answer choices, which seems to be an overkill.
Lesson: Not all "-ing" forms are wrong. Choose an answer choice even if the answer has "ing" form as long as it is parallel and merits over other answer choices
-> I am going back to the books to revisit my basics and not to repeat the mistakes again. I will update my progress soon, meanwhile any suggestions are most welcome. Thanks!
My preparation started 3 months back; the biggest problem during my preparation is the no. of breaks due to travel and work. I think continuity is very important, every time after a break I had to spend 2 to 3 days to get back to the GMAT state(?) I was in before the break.
Please provide any input that you think can help me.
My current status:
-> Solved all math in KAPLAN800
-> Solved 80% of Math and 90% Verbal in OG10
-> Solved 100% of OG9
CAT Scores so far:
Mar 10: GMAT PowerPrep1 - 680 (over 2 days)
-> This was my first CAT and I simply couldn't sit for 150 mins. I ended up taking math and verbal on separate days.
Mar 16: Kaplan Test1 - 610 - M 40 V 33
-> Managed to take both sections in one sitting this time
Apr 6: PR Test1 - 690 - M 48 V 38
-> This was my score on a retake. PR software is buggy, it concluded after the math section without taking me to the verbal section. So I had to take two sessions separately before taking them together.
Apr 10: PR Test2 - 640 - M 51 V 27
-> This is where things started to shake me a little bit, my verbal score was below par.
Apr 14: PR Test4 - 650 - M 51 V 30
-> Bad verbal score continued. I committed unacceptable no. of errors in RC. Penalized for wrong answers in the initial questions.
Apr 18: PR Test2 - Verbal only - V 29
-> It is getting from bad to worse, my verbal score is dipping.
Analysis:
-> As my scores reflect, I seem to feel at home with Math and struggle with verbal. Reviews tell me that I am getting my basics wrong in verbal.
-> I would like to say a thing or two about PR Tests, I read somewhere that the penalty for getting initial questions wrong is heavy; and it turned out to be true in my case.
Details:
Timing: I am finding it hard to keep up with the pace. I am ending up guessing the answers in the last few mins.
RC:
Error: Wrong answer selection for Inference questions. Did not go back to passage to verify the inference
Lesson: Go back to passage and find support for the inference
CR: Basics wrong.
Error: I am not making the premise and conclusion clear to myself. As a result, I am opting for choices which support premise when asked for conclusion and vice-versa.
Lesson: Clearly understand what the premise is and what the conclusion of the argument is.
Error: Weak in question types - "What is the purpose of bolded phrase in the argument above". Most answer choices appear correct to me.
Lesson: Practice more questions of this type and prepare flash cards with the strategy
Error: Unknowingly making additional assumptions
Lesson: Do not make any additional assumptions other than the ones implied in the argument
Error: Sometimes all answer choices appear to be incorrect to me and I seem to get lost in such situations
Lesson: When all answer choices appear incorrect, go back to choices and read them again to make sure that you understand them clearly
SC:
Error: Verb-tenses wrong. I learnt during my preparation to avoid "-ing" forms as much as possible. I am completely avoiding "-ing" forms in the answer choices, which seems to be an overkill.
Lesson: Not all "-ing" forms are wrong. Choose an answer choice even if the answer has "ing" form as long as it is parallel and merits over other answer choices
-> I am going back to the books to revisit my basics and not to repeat the mistakes again. I will update my progress soon, meanwhile any suggestions are most welcome. Thanks!
. Great point about endurance though. It's not to e overlooked
