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There are few (if any) commercial audio aids preparing you for the GMAT out there.
In this post, I will try to outline what I do to create my own audio study aids and how I do it:
Creating my own audio versions of notes, large chunks of text I needed to know, even sample questions, helped me a lot when I was studying for both my financial designations, despite the quantitative nature of much of the topics. This is what makes me optimistic about using the same approach with the GMAT.
As part of your daily routine, you undoubtedly have many pockets of time (hidden/neglected assets) you may use to prepare for the GMAT listening to audio lessons – when you are jogging, working out, etc.
Here is what I do:
The moment I hear the alarm in the morning, I jump out of bed and the first thing I do is put on my earphones and do not take them off until I sit on my desk at work (except in the shower of course) – I make coffee, eat breakfast, iron my shirt etc stuff I do in the morning, already listening to the audio lesson; needless to say, the morning commute is a large chink of time that I utilize this way (If you can actively and productively read/study form paper/kindle sources – do it, but it is not always an option). And, believe me, audio engages you and wakes you up much more effectively than reading (and rereading, and rereading… because you re still sleeping) text in the morning.
The moment I get up from my desk, I put on the earphones, commute, shop in the supermarket, get home, peel and slice carrots, peel and slice potatoes, make meatballs, etc – with my earphones plugged in my ears. I almost feel guilty for not using my Kindle and neglecting it for the audio, but I have become so used on it, I cannot imagine attacking a major exam/subject area without relying on the multi-front attack, one of the fronts being firing unlikely and unsuspecting synapses by listening to audio lessons.
Now, the problem is – more often than not – there is no suitable, ready made solution that you can simply put on your audio player.
And even if there is – these are often some fringe points or “strategies” or soft stuff, that the providers thought were the only things presentable in audio form and nothing really hardcore =) How often have you heard formulas in audio form =) (Yup, I translate them to words and when I am listening to the synthesized voice – I visualize these as if I am writing them on a paper)
So I have always had to do these myself. And I suggest – so should you.
If you only want to memorize a limited amount of stuff, you may afford the luxury of recording your own speech (never happened to me), but this is hardly feasible in most of the cases, so here is what you could do:
You will need a Text To Speech (TTS) software and a speech synthesizers (the actual voices);
In short: Anything that you believe will help you, being careful not to violate anyone’s rights.
I guess this includes:
- Fortunately, on the GMAT, you do not have to learn many formulas; the ones you do – rewrite (manually) to words.
- Have a place (folder, file) to clip text to that you will be synthesizing (or even reading out loud if you have the time to waste and the material is short); start small - when you make your first 15 audio files by 4 minutes, put them on your player. You may want to make 500 audio files initially, but be modest, start small =)
- If you edit multiple pages – for example “An Amateur’s Notes…” PDF – after pasting it into a txt file, you may want to Search & Replace (usually Ctrl+H) headers, footers, number pages, edit misplaced footnotes and manually make headlines repeat so that it is clear to you, when you listen to the audio, when a new topic starts.
- if you voice-synthesize sample problems, make sure that the solution follows the question immediately – there would be no use otherwise.
Well, you know one of my greatest secrets now =)
It may not turn out to be one of the longest and most intriguing books you have ever read, may not make your commute pleasant (especially if you listen to the same stuff tens of times), but will surely etch some concepts permanently in your mind.
On a side note - If you are not keen on doing the above, and do not have the time to read GMAT Fiction (in an effort to improve your verbal score and enjoy a qood read), you may go over to project Gutenberg and get some free classics, read by volunteers (or again - synthesized...)
And finally, a suggestion for people, who intend to share their notes in the future: (First of all, thank you for your time, effort and generosity!) If you have the time, please create yourself an audio version of the notes you intend to share, and share this version too – this ill be a one-time effort, and will save hours of time of future test takers, each trying to create his own version – editing, splitting, converting, renaming, etc. (Once again: Thank you!)
In this post, I will try to outline what I do to create my own audio study aids and how I do it:
* Voice Synthesis Software;
* Source material;
* Editing.
Creating my own audio versions of notes, large chunks of text I needed to know, even sample questions, helped me a lot when I was studying for both my financial designations, despite the quantitative nature of much of the topics. This is what makes me optimistic about using the same approach with the GMAT.
As part of your daily routine, you undoubtedly have many pockets of time (hidden/neglected assets) you may use to prepare for the GMAT listening to audio lessons – when you are jogging, working out, etc.
Here is what I do:
The moment I hear the alarm in the morning, I jump out of bed and the first thing I do is put on my earphones and do not take them off until I sit on my desk at work (except in the shower of course) – I make coffee, eat breakfast, iron my shirt etc stuff I do in the morning, already listening to the audio lesson; needless to say, the morning commute is a large chink of time that I utilize this way (If you can actively and productively read/study form paper/kindle sources – do it, but it is not always an option). And, believe me, audio engages you and wakes you up much more effectively than reading (and rereading, and rereading… because you re still sleeping) text in the morning.
The moment I get up from my desk, I put on the earphones, commute, shop in the supermarket, get home, peel and slice carrots, peel and slice potatoes, make meatballs, etc – with my earphones plugged in my ears. I almost feel guilty for not using my Kindle and neglecting it for the audio, but I have become so used on it, I cannot imagine attacking a major exam/subject area without relying on the multi-front attack, one of the fronts being firing unlikely and unsuspecting synapses by listening to audio lessons.
Now, the problem is – more often than not – there is no suitable, ready made solution that you can simply put on your audio player.
And even if there is – these are often some fringe points or “strategies” or soft stuff, that the providers thought were the only things presentable in audio form and nothing really hardcore =) How often have you heard formulas in audio form =) (Yup, I translate them to words and when I am listening to the synthesized voice – I visualize these as if I am writing them on a paper)
So I have always had to do these myself. And I suggest – so should you.
If you only want to memorize a limited amount of stuff, you may afford the luxury of recording your own speech (never happened to me), but this is hardly feasible in most of the cases, so here is what you could do:
1) How to do it. (How to convert large chunks of text into usable audio)
You will need a Text To Speech (TTS) software and a speech synthesizers (the actual voices);
1a) The Text To Speech (TTS) software I have come to love is Balabolka
(official site and screenshots here , CNet review and 5 star rating here ) – it is free and has the features that I really need, believe are simple, but have hard time finding in other software – It allows me to import a big text file and by selecting various settings – create a series of small mp3 files (I choose to do so), of roughly the same size/length files, with a certain bitrate and format – ex 64kbps, 44100 Hz, Mono (may be ogg, etc), split at the end of the sentences, not at a random place, etc. I usually set it to automatically split the file into 3KB plain txt chunks from which to automatically create the audio – the result are 3 to 3.5 min files – an optimal length.1b) The speech synthesizers. (The actual voices);
If you are not averse to Microsoft Sam - you have it for free in Windows XP (in newer Windows versions there probably are even better ones); If you want a better voice and are willing to pay - you may purchase the Neospeech Paul voice; There are many nice voices out there – If you decide to spend the money, you may do you research on YouTube, choose the one you like and go for it, knowing that you may be listening to this voice for hundreds or even thousands of hours =)2) What to make into audio?
In short: Anything that you believe will help you, being careful not to violate anyone’s rights.
I guess this includes:
2a Your own notes
(a large bucket or a non existent one – depends on the learner).2b questions you got wrong, prominent on your error log, illustrating a class of concepts or approaches
(an audio version of your complete error log may be a great idea – you have already had a clash with the problem on paper now you merely need to keep the memory fresh!)2c The notes of veterans, shared here, on GMATClub
– there are gems of wisdom, and “Lessons Earned” (with an E) I dare say – you may gain a learning from other Clubbers.2c Any useful material/clippings from the forums you frequent
– questions, answers, strategies, etc. – if you are not sure whether you are violating any rights by creating audio files for your own purpose – ask/inquire.3) Editing it, before synthesizing.
- Fortunately, on the GMAT, you do not have to learn many formulas; the ones you do – rewrite (manually) to words.
- Have a place (folder, file) to clip text to that you will be synthesizing (or even reading out loud if you have the time to waste and the material is short); start small - when you make your first 15 audio files by 4 minutes, put them on your player. You may want to make 500 audio files initially, but be modest, start small =)
- If you edit multiple pages – for example “An Amateur’s Notes…” PDF – after pasting it into a txt file, you may want to Search & Replace (usually Ctrl+H) headers, footers, number pages, edit misplaced footnotes and manually make headlines repeat so that it is clear to you, when you listen to the audio, when a new topic starts.
- if you voice-synthesize sample problems, make sure that the solution follows the question immediately – there would be no use otherwise.
Well, you know one of my greatest secrets now =)
It may not turn out to be one of the longest and most intriguing books you have ever read, may not make your commute pleasant (especially if you listen to the same stuff tens of times), but will surely etch some concepts permanently in your mind.
On a side note - If you are not keen on doing the above, and do not have the time to read GMAT Fiction (in an effort to improve your verbal score and enjoy a qood read), you may go over to project Gutenberg and get some free classics, read by volunteers (or again - synthesized...)
And finally, a suggestion for people, who intend to share their notes in the future: (First of all, thank you for your time, effort and generosity!) If you have the time, please create yourself an audio version of the notes you intend to share, and share this version too – this ill be a one-time effort, and will save hours of time of future test takers, each trying to create his own version – editing, splitting, converting, renaming, etc. (Once again: Thank you!)
05 Apr 2011, 06:31
Kudos
Bookmarks
That's quite a nice guide, thank you.
Learning through listening works better for some than for others. I have tried to listen to some prep videos while working and I can barely remember anything they said, especially because I can't see the questions they are talking about.
Learning through listening works better for some than for others. I have tried to listen to some prep videos while working and I can barely remember anything they said, especially because I can't see the questions they are talking about.
05 Apr 2011, 06:37
Kudos
Bookmarks
"listen to some prep videos while working"
Yes, there are at least two reasons for this:
1) You are Working =) I.e. you are "distracted" from learning by your actual responsibilities (for this chunk of the day) =)
2) Listening to the audio from an instructional video will not work as the speakers assume you have the text before you, they make marks on the text itself, etc. In short - key information is understandably omitted. This will not be the case with audio, generated from text, which was edited specifically for converting it to audio - for example i sometimes copy 2 or 3 times a 1-sentence important concept, add notes to self with my name at the beginning of the note, put markers as "Important", "Careful" and sometimes a reference to a page number to be able to refer to a hard copy if I need it.
Yes, there are at least two reasons for this:
1) You are Working =) I.e. you are "distracted" from learning by your actual responsibilities (for this chunk of the day) =)
2) Listening to the audio from an instructional video will not work as the speakers assume you have the text before you, they make marks on the text itself, etc. In short - key information is understandably omitted. This will not be the case with audio, generated from text, which was edited specifically for converting it to audio - for example i sometimes copy 2 or 3 times a 1-sentence important concept, add notes to self with my name at the beginning of the note, put markers as "Important", "Careful" and sometimes a reference to a page number to be able to refer to a hard copy if I need it.
