Wow, quite a unique background you have Chantal. I'm sure you will stand out but Linda can certainly answer that question. In terms of being ready for the GMAT or not, how long did you practice and what was your study method, pattern(hours/day or hours/week)? Were those practice scores from Kaplan or PR or a combination of both? Just want to make sure and the breakdown would also help you assess your strength and weaknesses. Moreover, a good indication would be your % correct from OG as to RC/CR/SC. I am not asking for the math part here because it is not representative of the 47+Q on the actual GMAT. Be sure though to cover Perm&Comb for the exam. It will be asked if you are aiming for a high Quant score. Ideally, to get 700+, you should aim at 48+Q and 38+V; do your practice score approach that? Compare it to your practice breakdown and assess the areas you will have to work on.

In CR, knowing about ad hominem, post hoc fallacy(cause-effect reversal), unwarranted assumptions and strengthen/weaken arguments should be the basis of tearing apart those arguments. As for SC, knowing about first order errors such as parallellism, misplaced modifier, tense/pronoun agreement and idioms will help. However, 2nd order issues such as phrases(participial, appositive, absolute, prepositional) vs clauses, ellipsis, parenthetical elements, restrictive vs non-restrictive clauses or run-on setences will definitely help you in spotting the errors in particularly long and convoluted SC which are ETS' favorite as of late.

I don't mean here to scare you but if you really want to score 700+, make sure that on test day, you know your fundamentals and that you practiced at least on a few CATs, which you did, in order to figure out your timing. Of course, nothing compares to the real thing because it will always be more stress than you can think, you know it . Just make sure that you DO NOT touch anything the day before and completely rest your mind. Sleeping well is also crucial(easier said than done) but as I many times repeated it, at least 25% of your score will be determined by your mental condition on G-day.

Whether to postpone or not the exam depends on your own confidence and attitude. If you feel like you can do it and have the proper energy to do it, do not delay it. Remember that you can always take it again and that at least, you will have some experience for the next time. Not many people get 700+ on their first attempt including myself. Just believe in yourself.

Good luck
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Best Regards,

Paul

[quote="Chantal"]Hi,
I've posted questions on a few different boards here and I apologize for spreading myself around like a disease. But I find Linda/Accepted.com (or just general posters who know lots about MBA programs) on this board give really great advice, and I really need advice now.

I am taking the gmat in about 10 days but I'm wondering if I should postpone the exam. If I should, I must contact them ASAP. I need an honest assessment of my current situation.

Here are all the kaplan CATs and Practice Tests I've done recently, can you give me an estimation of what I might get? I find it really hard to tell where I stand right now looking at my record. I did another CAT yesterday and it was quite disappointing and that’s when I started wondering if I should postpone the exam:

Jan 03, 2005: CAT 2: 580 (70%) (Q37 V33)
Jan 05, 2005: PT C: 700 (93%) (Q50 V 37)
Jan 09, 2005: CAT 3: 560 (64%) (Q35 V33)
Jan 11, 2005: PT D: 700 (93%) (Q52 V36)
Jan 12, 2005: CAT 4: 550 (60%) (Q34 V30)

And here's my profile: BA in Eng Lit and Theatre (double major), graduated last year with First Class standing, a top university in Canada. I'm unsure about how my target B schools calculate GPA. My 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year averages are: 50, 78.7, 85.8, 86.3. Dean’s Honour List (top 5%) in my junior/senior years. Extra Curr Activities: stage acting, internship at newscast station,..etc

I am 23 right now. I am interested and have involved myself in four arenas: creative writing, theatre, international development, and business. I've done volunteer work with NGOs in South America and the South Pacific, mainly community development projects (involving leadership skills).

I am currently working on a couple of writing projects with socio-political themes (mainly in relation to globalization, int’l organizations such as WB or IMF, and transnational corporations). I already have a publisher (I started writing columns at 16) and I will publish my first book in either late 2005 or early 06, following it with a string of lectures in Taiwan, then likely China and Singapore. According to my publisher, which is one of the biggest in Asia, I’m a “very marketable productâ€
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Linda Abraham
Accepted.com
labraham@accepted.com
310-815-9553

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