I used to read GMAT success stories when I was preparing.I bookmarked few of them ,and I used to read them every week to correlate to my study plan.
So I thought that I should also write my experience,may be someone like me will get some benefit.
this was my 1st attempt and I got 730 (Q50,V38).
I was never good in Maths and English during my school days.I opted for GMAT as I was sure I could never get >90%ile in CAT(indian mba exam).
last year I started studying for GMAT but frequent breaks never let me take off.
I joined a coaching institute(TPR).on their diagnostic test I got 510 (q45,v19).that was an eye opener.I kept studying with fewer number of breaks and on 16 may got 730.
below are the points I felt are crucial for anyone preparing for GMAT.
1.
Never take study breaks.I studied for feb and march got 650 in
MGMAT.then I took 1 week break in march end after that I got 570 in
mgmat.after that I never took and break.there were times when I got frustrated but that day also i studied for atleast 2 hrs.
2.
Give equal time to both quant and verbal.being an engineer and having scored 45 in TPR diagnostic test,I thought quant would be a cake walk.but even after 3-4 tests my quant score remained stuck on 45-46.the day you stop studying any field your score will also start dropping.
3
.Make a plan and stick to it.I fixed the GMAT date(16 may) in april with 1 month spare.during my last month 1 took 9 tests 5MGMAT,1KAPlan,2 gmatprep,1veritas prep.I made a plan and stuck to it.gmat will try to beat in stamina and psychology.in this scenario practice is only hope.during my real GMAT i was not tired and actually I completed both verbal and quant section with 5 minutes to spare.
4.
Make a strategy for the test and apply that during GMAT.
such as.number of questions you must solve at half time,type of questions you have to leave,how to work on RC.
QUANT:-
1. study material:-any CAT book+
MGMAT books+P&C/probability book.
2. I had R.S agrawal quant and all
MGMAT books and 4gmat (P&C)
3.
MGMAT quant books are must..most of the questions come from number properties,inequality.
4.
OG.make sure you complete it before gmat.
5.pay special attention to DS (yes/no)questions where answer is NO.i used to make lots of error in that.
6.never leave any particular topic.
7.never feel being an engineer you can easily do quant.
VERBAL:-
1.RC:-no book is required.though I bought manhattan book.all are wastage of money.I used to read a lot.particularly online.
daily used to read 3 articles from FORBES.COM,2 from THE HINDU.2 from TOI.+ 2 RC passages daily.I never made notes.I had found that when I make notes I was unable to complete my test on time so I stopped making notes.and i finished verbal 5 minutes before.
2.SC:-manhattan SC is more than enough.I had no other book.I used to cram 20 idioms daily and there are 13 chapters so I used to start with 1st ,read all 13 in 20 days and again would start with 1st.I used to forget the rules very quickly.also SC was my strength.if you know the rule you save time.pay particular attention to //ism and as/so idioms.
3.CR:-powerscore bible is the best.though it is slightly boring but techniques are good.
4.solve all
OG problems.
5.just make sure you are able to finish your test ontime .during practice I had to leave 1 RC passage to complete rest of the SC/CR questions.only solution is read fast and comprehend.speed in RC can only make or break you score.
6.make sure you are done with 22-23 question with 2 RC passages.when clock says 37minutes left.else you are falling back.if you are ahead then dont take rest.there were times when I used to be ahead of times but halfway down I used to become causal.in the end had to leave 1-2 questions.
7. during preparation if you could not understand thelogic behind right answer.just search the question on google or gmat club.there are plenty of explanations.
1 DAY BEFORE:-
1. I studied for 1 hr(SC).then 1 watched 2 movies and selected 5 university and colleges.I took 8 hrs of sleep.
ON TEST DAY:-
Dont open books.just think of your life in US/UK ,dont talk much,take a taxi to test center,smoke ciggerette 1hr before if you are a smoker.drink some fruity on any high sugar beverage.take 1 chocolate with you and eat it before Verbal section.there just keep silent and keep thinking of your strategy you will apply.
dont panic even if you know you are not doing good.even I know I got 6-7 question wrong in quant.just apply your test strategy and be ahead of time always.
make sure your name and other details are exactly same on passport and on MBA profile.
make sure you cram your 5 b.schools.I forgot them and ended up filling 2 incorrect.
never demoralize yourself.my score got stuck on 650-670.even on 2 days before gmat i got 650 on
mgmat.My friends and relatives,who know nothing about gmat,started making points that I will get 600 only.
In
MGMAT quant questions are nearly equal to real gmat questions. but score in
mgmat is less.
I beleive main thing in GMAT is:-
practice tests:- I gave more than 16.
continuity:-never have study breaks.
strategy:-always make a plan before every practice tests.