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Updated on: 06 Oct 2009, 02:01
Originally posted by snipertrader on 29 Sep 2009, 08:31.
Last edited by snipertrader on 06 Oct 2009, 02:01, edited 1 time in total.
Last edited by snipertrader on 06 Oct 2009, 02:01, edited 1 time in total.
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I thought i'd share my experience in the forum as this forum has given me so much and i'd like to contribute back.
Irrelevant Details
Non-native English speaker and poor in quants (double whammy!)
Strengths - CR and RC
Can sit for long hrs with good amount of concentration as i have taken many professional exams in my life!
OG Diagnostics Result
Avg in SC/PS/DS
Above Avg in CR/RC
Materials used -
OG12
Manhattan books
1000 SC
Power score CR Bible
Tons of books not worth mentioning
Ron's explanations to all Quant/Verbal questions posted on the MGMAT's forum (must do)
And lurking around in the forums.
I really worked hard on SC and i feel i have improved a lot on it. For anyone struggling with it, i would suggest do the OG in and out and make your notes.
Also, the Gmat prep document floating around in the forum is very good. I actually made my own notes to it linking all the answers with explanations (found on various sites). I will be happy to share the same if anyone wants it.
What i did wrong -
Did not time the quant questions while doing OG
Hardly gave any practice tests
Did too many things and went over tons of books (quantity over quality)
Lacked a concentrated effort (Due to personal reasons but i dont want to use it as an excuse)
D'day.
Had my GMAT scheduled for 2.30 in the afternoon. Reached there around 12.30 only to be told that i cant give the test untill 2.30. So, i had to go back home and took a power nap. This actually helped calm my nerves.
Actual Test
AWA - I never prepared for it. Just read the template for this forum and that was sufficient. If one is good in CR and reads a bit, the time can be spent wisely on other areas. I expect a 5+.
Quant -
Quant was very OG like. Just one probability question and a few geometry questions. Most of the questions were on number properties, inequalities, Set theory and simple word problems. Not a single rate problem. Prolly, i never got to the hard bin questions.
Had to guess on the final two or three questions. The number of DS questions were around 40-45%.
Verbal -
I think what put me off was the RC's. Not 1,2 but 3 Science para's. I hate them the most. SC were tricky but surely doable. CR was simple i felt. Had one logic question (like LSAT)
Again i had to guess last 3 questions - 2 CR's and 1 SC. Had i got the time to do them, i am sure i would have got some more points on V. Again, everything was OG like (except RC's). I think GMAT wanted to give me a PHD in one of the science streams!
I went in with a realistic target of Q44 and V 32-36 as i knew that is where my level was but i was really bombed by verbal.
I will get back to the drawing board and hopefully next time, i will nail a 80% in both sections. I am going to give myself around 45 days.
Any and all tips welcome. (Espc for quant) . I really need to get it above 44+. I know i have it within me but i just lack direction.
Cheers!
EDIT - AWA - 5.5
Irrelevant Details
Non-native English speaker and poor in quants (double whammy!)
Strengths - CR and RC
Can sit for long hrs with good amount of concentration as i have taken many professional exams in my life!
OG Diagnostics Result
Avg in SC/PS/DS
Above Avg in CR/RC
Materials used -
OG12
Manhattan books
1000 SC
Power score CR Bible
Tons of books not worth mentioning
Ron's explanations to all Quant/Verbal questions posted on the MGMAT's forum (must do)
And lurking around in the forums.
I really worked hard on SC and i feel i have improved a lot on it. For anyone struggling with it, i would suggest do the OG in and out and make your notes.
Also, the Gmat prep document floating around in the forum is very good. I actually made my own notes to it linking all the answers with explanations (found on various sites). I will be happy to share the same if anyone wants it.
What i did wrong -
Did not time the quant questions while doing OG
Hardly gave any practice tests
Did too many things and went over tons of books (quantity over quality)
Lacked a concentrated effort (Due to personal reasons but i dont want to use it as an excuse)
D'day.
Had my GMAT scheduled for 2.30 in the afternoon. Reached there around 12.30 only to be told that i cant give the test untill 2.30. So, i had to go back home and took a power nap. This actually helped calm my nerves.
Actual Test
AWA - I never prepared for it. Just read the template for this forum and that was sufficient. If one is good in CR and reads a bit, the time can be spent wisely on other areas. I expect a 5+.
Quant -
Quant was very OG like. Just one probability question and a few geometry questions. Most of the questions were on number properties, inequalities, Set theory and simple word problems. Not a single rate problem. Prolly, i never got to the hard bin questions.
Had to guess on the final two or three questions. The number of DS questions were around 40-45%.
Verbal -
I think what put me off was the RC's. Not 1,2 but 3 Science para's. I hate them the most. SC were tricky but surely doable. CR was simple i felt. Had one logic question (like LSAT)
Again i had to guess last 3 questions - 2 CR's and 1 SC. Had i got the time to do them, i am sure i would have got some more points on V. Again, everything was OG like (except RC's). I think GMAT wanted to give me a PHD in one of the science streams!
I went in with a realistic target of Q44 and V 32-36 as i knew that is where my level was but i was really bombed by verbal.
I will get back to the drawing board and hopefully next time, i will nail a 80% in both sections. I am going to give myself around 45 days.
Any and all tips welcome. (Espc for quant) . I really need to get it above 44+. I know i have it within me but i just lack direction.
Cheers!
EDIT - AWA - 5.5
29 Sep 2009, 09:15
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Bookmarks
Thank you very much for the insightful report!
Sorry to hear about the Verbal being so nasty. GMAT is not only about preparation but also about luck. I hope the next time you get the RC passages and verbal section overall you're comfortable with.
It looks like you're sure about what you did wrong and what you have to change before you give it another try. I'll give you my 2 cents. I'd recommend taking a break for a couple of days and giving your mind a "reload". When you feel it's about time to go on with the prep, concentrate on the Verbal more. You have plenty of time to analyze your weak areas and work on improving them. I assume you have some kind of an error log. This is the time when you can give a closer look at the questions you got wrong in both sections.
You mentioned that you didn't take many GMAT simulation tests. It's a good idea to take at least the official GMAT Prep Test. Many people take it more than once. GMAT Prep is believed to be the most accurate GMAT predictor of all the Prep Tests out there. You can see the GMAT Prep discussion for more info:
gmatprep-gmat-prep-powerprep-power-prep-free-tests-77548.html
Different people give different advice regarding the best time for taking GMAT Prep, but you definitely have to take it. There are different practice tests out there and you should have access to some of them as you've got a lot of prep books. Here's a list of different practice tests that you can get:
all-gmat-cat-practice-tests-links-prices-reviews-77460.html
Make sure you analyze your weak areas and work on them before you start cracking the practice tests though.
BTW, bb started a very good thread on retaking. You should check it out if you haven't yet:
should-i-retake-gmat-thread-retaking-gmat-strategies-83339.html
Here's another thread on the GMAT Timing that might be helpful too:
all-gmat-cat-practice-tests-links-prices-reviews-77460.html
Good luck with the further prep and keep us updated on the progress!
Sorry to hear about the Verbal being so nasty. GMAT is not only about preparation but also about luck. I hope the next time you get the RC passages and verbal section overall you're comfortable with.
It looks like you're sure about what you did wrong and what you have to change before you give it another try. I'll give you my 2 cents. I'd recommend taking a break for a couple of days and giving your mind a "reload". When you feel it's about time to go on with the prep, concentrate on the Verbal more. You have plenty of time to analyze your weak areas and work on improving them. I assume you have some kind of an error log. This is the time when you can give a closer look at the questions you got wrong in both sections.
You mentioned that you didn't take many GMAT simulation tests. It's a good idea to take at least the official GMAT Prep Test. Many people take it more than once. GMAT Prep is believed to be the most accurate GMAT predictor of all the Prep Tests out there. You can see the GMAT Prep discussion for more info:
gmatprep-gmat-prep-powerprep-power-prep-free-tests-77548.html
Different people give different advice regarding the best time for taking GMAT Prep, but you definitely have to take it. There are different practice tests out there and you should have access to some of them as you've got a lot of prep books. Here's a list of different practice tests that you can get:
all-gmat-cat-practice-tests-links-prices-reviews-77460.html
Make sure you analyze your weak areas and work on them before you start cracking the practice tests though.
BTW, bb started a very good thread on retaking. You should check it out if you haven't yet:
should-i-retake-gmat-thread-retaking-gmat-strategies-83339.html
Here's another thread on the GMAT Timing that might be helpful too:
all-gmat-cat-practice-tests-links-prices-reviews-77460.html
Good luck with the further prep and keep us updated on the progress!
29 Sep 2009, 09:18
Kudos
Bookmarks
Ahhh, sniper! I'm glad you're not too bummed about your score. I know that you probably plan to retake and I think you definitely should.
After my GMAT attempt in August I went back to the drawing board and focused on the weak areas. Come up with a plan and follow that plan as if your life depends on it.
For example, I have a plan that I follow on a daily basis:
Verbal
I do 10 CR's a day (I usually don't miss any so I may reduce this)
I do 10 SC's a day (I just practice to keep fresh. I miss maybe 1 in 25, usually idiom)
I haven't started on RC because that is a strength for me.
Quant (weak area)
I identified number properties, mixture problems, probability, and age word problems as definite weaknesses. So I do a couple of those a day.
I do 10 PS a day but now that I have the GMATclub tests I'm doing more.
Ditto for DS.
You need to make sure you know this stuff and that there is no doubt in your mind about it. Focus on fundamentals. You can do it snipe! Work efficiently and make your sessions count. I spend one hour at a time. Any more than this for me and the session is not as effective.
PM if you wanna chat about it. Hang in there ... you can do it. I know you can!
-Franklin
After my GMAT attempt in August I went back to the drawing board and focused on the weak areas. Come up with a plan and follow that plan as if your life depends on it.
For example, I have a plan that I follow on a daily basis:
Verbal
I do 10 CR's a day (I usually don't miss any so I may reduce this)
I do 10 SC's a day (I just practice to keep fresh. I miss maybe 1 in 25, usually idiom)
I haven't started on RC because that is a strength for me.
Quant (weak area)
I identified number properties, mixture problems, probability, and age word problems as definite weaknesses. So I do a couple of those a day.
I do 10 PS a day but now that I have the GMATclub tests I'm doing more.
Ditto for DS.
You need to make sure you know this stuff and that there is no doubt in your mind about it. Focus on fundamentals. You can do it snipe! Work efficiently and make your sessions count. I spend one hour at a time. Any more than this for me and the session is not as effective.
PM if you wanna chat about it. Hang in there ... you can do it. I know you can!
-Franklin
. I will just buckle down and improve my speed and get exposed to a lot good number properties/inequalities problems.
