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04 Oct 2015, 00:10
Kudos
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Hi All,
I took the GMAT on 3rd October 2015. Here's my unofficial score:
IR: 3.
Quant: 43
Verbal: 31
Total: 620
I apologize in advance for the long debrief. I thought of writing one when I cross the Tropic of Seven Hundred - but I have to live with whatever I got for now.
This is not a stellar score by any means. Heck, I'd be lucky if I can get through to any B-school with that score! However, I provide below what I went through, some rants and maybe some advice. You are free to decide if you want to read further
Why I decided to take the GMAT
Does it matter? I'll spare you the horror of reading through my rants. The short version is: Every time I thought about getting out of my mundane, average IT guy schedule, the grave voice inside my head (let's call it Hugo - he'll have a huge role to play later on) questioned me back: 'WTF are you doing about it?'. Archaic appraisal rules (for e.g., not to expect a top rating when one is at onsite) was the last straw. I realized that sitting around waiting for opportunities wasn't doing me any good.
The most logical step, therefore, was to prove that I had the ability to take on greater roles and responsibilities. Additional pay wouldn't hurt. But how? I tried professional certifications, signed up for online courses related to my profession but no matter what I did, there was hardly any increase in visibility. I started to look for options and the only answer I kept getting repeatedly was an MBA.
Over a period of time, I really understood what it meant to earn an MBA. I talked to a couple of people who followed this path. I read stuff on GMAT Club. I read quite a lot of posts. I read about all the hardships and sacrifices people went through. More importantly, I read about the failures and tried to learn from them.
Why GMAT and not CAT?
Short answer: Competition.
Long answer: I had to choose the battles I intended to fight. The competition is way more fierce for the limited seats at top schools in India. By taking the CAT, I'd compete with IITians, NITians and the innumerable smart folks who are almost 10 years younger and can do mental math like the wizards they are. Even if I miraculously scored high, I'm pretty sure I'd end up nowhere due to my average-ish undergrads. Also, the opportunity cost of a full-time degree is too high for me at this stage of life. Lastly, the cost of an Executive degree from any of the IIMs is quite substantial. Clearly, if am to spend the equivalent a 3BHK apartment, I better get the most bang for my buck.
On the other hand, preparing for the GMAT is a costly endeavor. But I liked the idea that I didn't have to remember an insane amount of formulae just to be able to appear for the exam. I might have a genuine chance. If only I could manage to get into a marginally known US university ( you know, the ones that at least show up in the first page of Google results), I'd be much better off. After listening to great reviews about faculty, teaching methodologies and actual experiences of some of these universities from a few colleagues of mine, I was completely sold on the idea of pursuing an MBA from a US university. The ROI seemed much greater. Also, having spent some time in the US, my perception about US universities had already changed a lot. I have literally experienced that the more diverse the class (w.r.t region, culture, academics, and profession) the better the learning experience. This fact alone attracted me towards US universities. They are known to consider not only academics but also all possible traits that make an applicant unique. These were some of the factors that affected my decision.
Setting a target score - And why setting low targets can be a major source of embarassment
When I was gathering all sorts of info before starting my prep I realized that it's important to have a target score. This can be done AFTER you look at the B-schools you want to get accepted to, browse through their websites, find about the average GMAT score they accept and you can derive an average score you must get in order to apply.
Conversations between myself and Hugo during this period of time went somewhat like the following:
14 days before I started preparing:
[Hugo - the grave voice inside my head]: Everyone says 700+ is good. Many people actually get it. Just look at the success stories man. Test prep companies rave about their materials. If some random dude on the Internet can do it, so can you. Show some dedication bud - and you should be able to cross the Tropic of Seven Hundred in no time!
Me: How about 760+?
[Hugo]: Are you kidding me? Let's not get ahead of ourselves, ok? When was the last time you passed a standardized test with a 95+ percentile? Heck, when was the last time you even took an exam? Target a more achievable 720.
Me
: You do have a point. Ok. 720 it is.
4 days later and after a hard day's work: [Hugo]: Do you realize you haven't seen an algebraic formula in over 5 years? You can hardly remember the difference between mean, median, and mode.
Me: Chill. It's Class X Math. How hard can it be? I will revise the basics for a couple of days before taking the Diagnostic. Say in 10 days. Fine?
[Hugo]: Ok. You are the boss. Mark the date.
Me: Done.
[Hugo]: Start revising.
Me: There's always tomorrow, Hugo. Just let me sleep dammit!
2 more days pass.
[Hugo] Dude, what's up with the GMAT prep?
Me: Err - Yeah. Just starting to get rolling you know. Let me check a few questions just to get a feel.
Question: What's the unit digit of this ...... obnoxious looking expression? WHAT ! WTH is Cyclicity?? Damn, this is no kid stuff. Is this something they asked in Class X? No way !!
[Hugo]: That 720 now looks more like a 690, doesn't it?
Me: Sure does!
2 more days pass:
Me: I am now frantically downloading all sorts of guides, notes and what nots randomly from the Internet. My mind is literally blowing up into pieces trying to make sense of this whole mess of Quant, Verbal, AWA, IR.
[Hugo]: Yo - ready for the Diagnostic? You should really take the Diagnostic to even know your weaknesses, you know?
Me: Yeah yeah - smart ass. I know. But how can I take the Diagnostic just by knowing the format of the questions? I don't even know how to tackle the questions!
[Hugo]: If you already *knew* how to tackle the questions, you'd be taking the REAL GMAT dumbo. Just take the damn Diagnostic !!
Me: Ok. Ok. I'll take it. Let me just go through the bare minimum, ok? I mean, wouldn't it be disastrous if I couldn't even solve the most basic of questions?
[Hugo]: Sure. Take your time.
Me: Arrgh!! Ok. Revised target: 670+. Happy?
[Hugo]: Whatever...
1 Day prior to Diagnostic Test Day:
Me: This was a very bad idea. I have no freaking clue how to go about this beast of an exam. Who in their right mind even thought of such an exam? Do I really have to take the Diagnostic? Can't I spend some more time to learn the basics?
[Hugo]: You will only waste time. Forget about being at the right *moment* to take the Diagnostic. Understand this - take the Diagnostic. Overcome the fear and just do it. The score WILL tell you how much you need to improve.
Me: You make sense. But....
[Hugo]: STFU and take the damn Diagnostic !!
And finally on May 1, 2015, I took the plunge. Spent the entire morning taking the GMAT in a room in complete isolation. (The Diagnostic exam from the Official Guide is untimed). By the time I finished the exam and computed a raw score, Hugo was laughing uncontrollably. A mere 560 stared at me and I looked at it as if I'd seen a ghost. This experience humbled me a lot ( actually it brought me to my knees ) and Hugo decided he'd be happy with anything above 650 for the first attempt ( Yeah - I already knew one attempt will not be enough. Some foresight, huh? ).
I mentioned that this was a blunder 'cos thinking in this way, I set myself up for failure. You have to realize that you need to stay extremely positive throughout the whole journey. You CANNOT, CANNOT have negative thoughts. And you must keep motivating yourself no matter what. I am sure Hugo would have helped me if he'd known better.
Anyway, in a matter of 14 days, I had my target. With some extremely judicious and disciplined training, I might be able to pull this off. But I needed help. I couldn't do it alone for sure.
I needed someone to tell me what to study and set me on a schedule. And the deluge of opinions on popular GMAT forums didn't help either.
The hunt for a test prep company
Me: Ok, Hugo ( much like Ok, Google - you get the idea) - What is the best GMAT test prep company?
[Hugo]: Manhattan Prep
Me: C'mon man, did you forget I was earning in INR? Do you even know the current exchange rate?
[Hugo]: Hey! Good news - you are lucky - they are offering a $100 discount!
Me: Really?
[Hugo]: Starts at $499 ...
Me: Enough, Hugo. Get serious.
[Hugo]: Try Magoosh.
Me: What? What kind of a name is that?
[Hugo]: They've got good reviews for Quant and Verbal. Remember Tuesdays with Kevin?
Me: Hmm. Will pass for now. What else you got?
[Hugo]: Kaplan?
Me: Stop. Don't you get it? For the 16 thousandth time - I earn in freaking INR man!
[Hugo]: I'll make you an offer you can't refuse.
Me: You sound serious.
[Hugo]: The hell I am. Try e-GMAT. Rave reviews. B-E-S-T for non-natives like you. Currently discounted price at $199. Option to pay in INR. What more do you want?
You can check out the free lessons before you decide. Go on. Try 'em.
Me: I adore you Hugo. What would I do without you!
That's how I landed up registering for e-GMAT. I kid you not. e-GMAT actually started to make sense once I started learning from it. The lessons are extremely well laid out. And I was doing quite well. Heck, Hugo and I even started enjoying the lessons! The lessons are accessible for 6 months. So here's what I thought I'd do. Prepare for 3 months. 1st Month: Verbal, 2nd Month Quant, 3rd Month: Everything put together and take a real GMAT. Since I had already hoped to retake, I'd use the remaining 3 months of access to rinse and repeat.
That's what I thought I'd do. But life had its own plans. There was a major WTF moment when I was asked to fill in for a short term onsite assignment. I had to travel within a week. This derailed my GMAT train much worse than anything else could have ever done. By the time I could recover from this setback, I had already lost 2 months of prep time. I emailed e-GMAT folks to grant me an extension and they agreed to do so only if I provided them proof of confirming an actual GMAT date. This, my friends, was the decisive moment. I read and re-read the response from Payal. In essence, the email was asking me to decide whether I was really serious about the GMAT. I convinced myself that I had to agree to this. It was now or never. With my hands shivering and my heart thumping loud enough to force someone call 911 ( and Hugo trying to stop me in slow motion and crying out NOOOOOOO!!), I hit the 'Buy' (or whatever button you need to press) on the GMAC website. I could literally see $250 down the drain (and Hugo refused to talk to me for 2 days). But I had a confirmed official GMAT date for the 3rd of October, 2015. I promptly sent the confirmation to Payal and she extended the course access as promised. THANK YOU PAYAL!
It was already mid-August when I started again from square one. My ability of NOT remembering things wasn't helping at all. With the short period of time I had, I decided to have my own CTC (Cut the CR**) strategy. This meant only 1 episode of NCIS (yes Hugo, you warned me about this) to take my mind off the office stuff etc., limited socializing, limited outdoor play - you get the idea. For studying, I set aside about 2 hrs every day. Hugo would repeatedly warn me that with 2hrs on weekdays and 4-6 hours on weekends, I wouldn't meet the goal of finishing all the sections comfortably. Well, I reminded Hugo that studying for more than 2 hours wasn't effective for me AT ALL. It was better that I studied for a short duration and RETAINED what I studied instead of having a false sense of accomplishment by studying more. On some days, when I couldn't study even for an hour - I spent some time doing some questions from the Official GMAT prep software. I concentrated on Verbal for the 1st Month and finished the remaining Quant sections of the e-GMAT course as best as I could.
So, in short - my GMAT arsenal consisted of:
a. e-GMAT (GMAT Online only ) course.
b. Official Guide 2015.
c. Official GMAT Test Prep. (Default pack used 4 times)
d. Official GMAT Study Pack. (Not utilized fully - kept some for the second attempt)
e. Official GMAT Extra Full-Length test (pack of 2 tests) (Unused - will use for the second attempt)
f. 800Score (access provided along with e-GMAT, used 2 of the 4 set of available tests. Kept 2 for the second attempt).
h. GMAT Club Tests (access provided for 6 months along with e-GMAT course - access expired in September).
i. Magoosh GMAT Idiom flashcards ( used during lunch break at the office ).
On the 800Score Essay prompts, I had the Chineseburned AWA template open in another window for reference. This helped me just to get the feel of writing an essay in 30 minutes. However, the 800Score Quant and Verbal scores are inflated. Easily shave off 30-40 points from the score you might get to arrive at an indicative score. I followed Bunuel on GMATClub and looked at explanations whenever time permitted. Official GMATPrep Software and the Study Pack are most realistic. Magoosh GMAT Idiom flashcards are quite helpful for last minute revisions.
GMAT Prep exams and dates are given below:
Sep 07, 2015: Exam 2: 500 ( IR: 3, Q:28, V: 31)
Sep 19, 2015: Exam 1: 560 ( IR:1, Q:37, V:29 )
Sep 26, 2015: Exam 2: 600 ( IR: 4, Q: 42, V: 31)
I took the exams just like I'd take the actual exam. AWA and all. Took the designated breaks. Tried to emulate the exact conditions. I later realized that these were nothing but futile attempts and Hugo would finally get the chance to say : I told you so.
Sept 26th is when I stopped. I didn't take any more exams. I took a day off. I had to build momentum and give the best I could on test day. I studied lightly (as if 2 hours wasn't light already), and I practiced some questions from the GMAT Prep Study pack. I kept checking my pace.
Finally, the G-Day had arrived.
2nd October 2015 & The eve of G-Day
Took leave from office. Didn't look at emails. Didn't open Facebook - no scrap that, I did look at Facebook for a little while. Just made one call to the test center to confirm the ID requirements and promptly went back to sleep. You can't suffer from anxiety if you are asleep, can you? Woke up, had lunch, revised Verbal notes. In the evening, went out to local Walmart and got some dried nuts, a pack of Red Bulls and some Snickers. Kept everything ready in a back-pack along with my Passport. Charted out the route to the test center. Planned every single step for the next morning. Practiced a few quant questions. Thoroughly read Chineseburned's AWA template a couple of times. Had light dinner and tried to sleep. Well, I just couldn't sleep anymore. Anxiety had finally found its way into my mind and kept me awake till 12.00 AM. I set 3 consecutive alarms to go off in intervals of 15mins starting at 5.15 A.M and somehow managed to doze off. I was wide awake at 5 AM and removed all the alarms one by one.
G-Day- 3rd October 2015
Congratulate yourself if you have read every single line of this post so far. You can definitely do well in GMAT RC passages !
Woke up at 5.00AM. It was pretty cold outside. I made myself a cup of tea. Had the tea. Prepared the stuff to wear. Rechecked stuff to take along with me to the test center. Rechecked the route. (Yeah - am paranoid like that). Showered and got ready. Had some light breakfast and was ready to leave by 6.30 AM. I reached the center in 25 minutes. I was waiting for the doors to open. That would be at 7.30 AM. As I was waiting in the car, my mind went completely blank.
[Hugo]: This is it, man! Today's the day, bro. You can do it! All the best!
Me: Huh! Easy for you to say.
[Hugo]: Just watch this and remember: It ain't over until you've won! https://youtu.be/g-jwWYX7Jlo.
Me: I watched the video. Strangely, it helped.
The doors opened at 7.30 sharp - there were 3 people ahead of me. Not everybody was there for the GMAT. Each of us was asked to state our last names, take a purple colored paper disc ( sort of token with a number on it) and was handed our respective instructions. The kind of formal instructions that said 'Hell waiteth for those who cheateth'. We were asked to wait in the waiting area. When everyone had received their tokens and instructions, the front desk lady called out one number after the other starting at 1. When my turn came, I was first asked to hand over the token and instructions. Then she asked for my ID. She looked at my passport and verified it was indeed me. I was asked to sign on some weird device. The device had no feedback to show my sign. It wasn't the kind of device I was accustomed to. I was assigned the 4th locker corresponding to the token I had received. I had to empty out my pockets and was instructed to carry only the locker key and the ID at all times during the exam. Anyway, convinced that it was indeed me, the lady then took a photo for the record. Then I was asked for a palm scan for the right hand. Once more for the right palm. Then for the left palm. Once again for the left palm. Again for the right palm. Last time for the right palm. She finally wished me luck and I was asked to show myself to the proctor. This enclosed room was less than 5 meters away. The proctor had me repeat the 'show ID - scan palm' saga once more. The proctor was able to view every single exam taker and could monitor them individually. She explained to me that my session would be audio and video recorded and handed me the scratch pad and two pens. She also advised me not to waste time by trying to erase the scratch pad if it became full. I could simply raise my hand and she'd replace the scratch pad. Sweet ! She asked me if I preferred to take ear buds I could take them instead of using the noise cancelation headphones once in front of the terminal. I preferred noise cancelation headphones. I asked if I could use the restroom and she said 'Yes'. After I returned, she signed me in and wished me luck.
So, there I was. Sitting in front of this huge monitor. It made even the simplest of instructions look larger than life. After the customary instructions, I was asked to select 5 B-schools I could choose to report my scores (provided I did not cancel my scores). I chose 4 in the US and 1 in India (heck, I am an Indian after all). With my heart beat growing louder, I finally arrived on the undeniably real AWA screen.
The REAL AWA - the shortest 30 minutes of my life
I typed in whatever I could remember from the Chineseburned template ( mixed with some modifications of my own ) on the screen. I had the structure ready. The clock had started ticking and I had just 23 minutes remaining when I started to fill in the actual stuff. I was already late by 3 minutes. I decided to stick to 1 Intro, followed by 2 paragraphs and a paragraph to conclude. For a minute or two, I froze. Unable to gather my thoughts and unable to type in anything. I looked away from the screen and wrote a few lines on the scratch pad. That got me going and I didn't stop till I had typed of everything I planned to type in. I finished typing with 3 minutes to spare. Proof-read the thing, fixed a couple of typos and finished it off with 15 seconds to spare.
Boom - 30 minutes gone - just like that! Hugo was nowhere to be found.
The REAL IR
I almost fell off my chair when I saw the first IR question. I mean, seriously? Text, chart and table combo. I stared at the question for a minute - and the question stared back at me. The question finally won the competition. Somehow, my brain refused to make any sense of what was on the screen. I clicked at random and moved on. The second question ( questions 4 -6 I guess) was worse. How is someone expected to read through such confusing sh*t, understand the stuff within the specified time and answer them correctly? I salute the folks who get an 8+ in IR. Make it a 12 Gun Salute. The GMAT Gods must have had a change of heart after this and some of the questions that followed started making sense. Or maybe I got used to the monstrosity of IR. Whatever be it, I wasn't too worried as I knew IR was going to be pathetic anyway. I finished with a minute to spare and with the hope that I got at least a couple of them right.
I took the 8-minute break. Raised my arm and the proctor escorted me out of the exam hall. Every time you go out of the exam hall and re-enter, the 'show ID - scan palm' saga is done all over again. Every freaking time! You walk out with the proctor, She asks for your ID (WTH? You saw my ID when I went inside, You were watching ME while I was inside the exam room, you walked ME out of the room. Why do you need to see my ID again? ), She asks for a palm scan (WTH etc....am too tired to even type this ridiculous procedure), You go out, take the break ( I had the nuts and Red Bull ), return, walk up to her , she asks for your ID (WTH etc.), she asks for palm scan (WTFFFF!!!) and walks you up to your terminal and signs you in.
The REAL Quant
I returned from the first break with 40 seconds to spare and the Quant section started as soon as I had sat down. I got a couple of easy ones. Hugo thinks it was the IR section that gave my dumbness away. Whatever. I knew better and I didn't think of what happened in IR anymore. I concentrated on the questions at hand. On the screen to be precise. Lots of DS and PS questions. A few geometry and probability questions. Some related to statistics. Overall, a good mix of easy and medium ones. I did realize, however, that none of them were of 700 level. And by the time I was done, with about a minute to spare, I knew very well that I didn't perform too well.
I took the 8-minute break again. Same process as the previous break. So make sure you keep about 30 seconds for the procedure of checking ID and palm scan to complete and DO NOT overrun your break time or you will be penalized by reducing the equivalent time from the following section.
The REAL Verbal
This time, I returned with 20 seconds to spare and the Verbal began with a bang. Started getting SCs and CRs. At about 8 or 10 questions in, I got a pretty long passage. Hugo reminded me the importance of getting the first few questions correct. Makes sense. Always made sense. I calmed down and instead of rushing through the passage, glanced at the question ( it was a main point of the passage question ) and re-read the passage. However, this time I made some notes. Finally, I was able to make the correct choice and once I got through the first one I believe I got the rest of the related questions right. After a couple of fully underlined questions and bold face questions, I was faced with a really long passage with an equally boring subject (Aren't they always?). Oh well, I got through the ordeal and just when I thought I was done, a final one paragraph passage came up. My mind gave up at this moment. I was also short of time and I rushed through the last 2 questions to finish the section with 5 seconds to spare.
I was done. It was over. After asking me a series of mundane questions, I was asked if I'd like to report the scores. This is the final ridiculous part of the exam. Without seeing the score, how can I decide? Initially, I had thought of canceling the score no matter what. But Hugo interrupted. I reluctantly agreed to report the scores and pressed 'Next' and the scores came up.
IR 3, Q 43, V 31 , Total : 620. Well, better than seeing a 480, Hugo said.
I raised my hand and the proctor escorted me out. She did ask to see my ID and scan my palm one final time. And before I could ask, she said the unofficial report was at the front desk. Swell. I walked out to the front desk, the piece of paper with my score was already present, I took it, took my stuff out of the locker, drank the remaining Red Bull, put everything in my backpack, wished the front-desk lady good day and walked away with what seemed like a huge load off my shoulders.
I will retake for sure, but that could go sideways 'cause there's no guarantee that more preparation will enhance my scores. I had finally taken the GMAT. Yay ! Hugo high-fived me. I returned home, posted on Facebook if anyone wanted to hear about this experience (thinking that people were interested only in the high scorers - like the stratospheric 760+ ones) but I was wrong. I was wrong about so many things. But I realized it's not impossible to score high in the GMAT. And I now agree that it ain't over until I win !
All the best to the brave souls attempting the GMAT. Stay true to yourself, prepare well and God bless!
Thanks for your patience!
Regards,
Trishul
I took the GMAT on 3rd October 2015. Here's my unofficial score:
IR: 3.
Quant: 43
Verbal: 31
Total: 620
I apologize in advance for the long debrief. I thought of writing one when I cross the Tropic of Seven Hundred - but I have to live with whatever I got for now.
This is not a stellar score by any means. Heck, I'd be lucky if I can get through to any B-school with that score! However, I provide below what I went through, some rants and maybe some advice. You are free to decide if you want to read further
Why I decided to take the GMAT
Does it matter? I'll spare you the horror of reading through my rants. The short version is: Every time I thought about getting out of my mundane, average IT guy schedule, the grave voice inside my head (let's call it Hugo - he'll have a huge role to play later on) questioned me back: 'WTF are you doing about it?'. Archaic appraisal rules (for e.g., not to expect a top rating when one is at onsite) was the last straw. I realized that sitting around waiting for opportunities wasn't doing me any good.
The most logical step, therefore, was to prove that I had the ability to take on greater roles and responsibilities. Additional pay wouldn't hurt. But how? I tried professional certifications, signed up for online courses related to my profession but no matter what I did, there was hardly any increase in visibility. I started to look for options and the only answer I kept getting repeatedly was an MBA.
Over a period of time, I really understood what it meant to earn an MBA. I talked to a couple of people who followed this path. I read stuff on GMAT Club. I read quite a lot of posts. I read about all the hardships and sacrifices people went through. More importantly, I read about the failures and tried to learn from them.
Why GMAT and not CAT?
Short answer: Competition.
Long answer: I had to choose the battles I intended to fight. The competition is way more fierce for the limited seats at top schools in India. By taking the CAT, I'd compete with IITians, NITians and the innumerable smart folks who are almost 10 years younger and can do mental math like the wizards they are. Even if I miraculously scored high, I'm pretty sure I'd end up nowhere due to my average-ish undergrads. Also, the opportunity cost of a full-time degree is too high for me at this stage of life. Lastly, the cost of an Executive degree from any of the IIMs is quite substantial. Clearly, if am to spend the equivalent a 3BHK apartment, I better get the most bang for my buck.
On the other hand, preparing for the GMAT is a costly endeavor. But I liked the idea that I didn't have to remember an insane amount of formulae just to be able to appear for the exam. I might have a genuine chance. If only I could manage to get into a marginally known US university ( you know, the ones that at least show up in the first page of Google results), I'd be much better off. After listening to great reviews about faculty, teaching methodologies and actual experiences of some of these universities from a few colleagues of mine, I was completely sold on the idea of pursuing an MBA from a US university. The ROI seemed much greater. Also, having spent some time in the US, my perception about US universities had already changed a lot. I have literally experienced that the more diverse the class (w.r.t region, culture, academics, and profession) the better the learning experience. This fact alone attracted me towards US universities. They are known to consider not only academics but also all possible traits that make an applicant unique. These were some of the factors that affected my decision.
Setting a target score - And why setting low targets can be a major source of embarassment
When I was gathering all sorts of info before starting my prep I realized that it's important to have a target score. This can be done AFTER you look at the B-schools you want to get accepted to, browse through their websites, find about the average GMAT score they accept and you can derive an average score you must get in order to apply.
Conversations between myself and Hugo during this period of time went somewhat like the following:
14 days before I started preparing:
[Hugo - the grave voice inside my head]: Everyone says 700+ is good. Many people actually get it. Just look at the success stories man. Test prep companies rave about their materials. If some random dude on the Internet can do it, so can you. Show some dedication bud - and you should be able to cross the Tropic of Seven Hundred in no time!
Me: How about 760+?
[Hugo]: Are you kidding me? Let's not get ahead of ourselves, ok? When was the last time you passed a standardized test with a 95+ percentile? Heck, when was the last time you even took an exam? Target a more achievable 720.
Me
: You do have a point. Ok. 720 it is.4 days later and after a hard day's work: [Hugo]: Do you realize you haven't seen an algebraic formula in over 5 years? You can hardly remember the difference between mean, median, and mode.
Me: Chill. It's Class X Math. How hard can it be? I will revise the basics for a couple of days before taking the Diagnostic. Say in 10 days. Fine?
[Hugo]: Ok. You are the boss. Mark the date.
Me: Done.
[Hugo]: Start revising.
Me: There's always tomorrow, Hugo. Just let me sleep dammit!
2 more days pass.
[Hugo] Dude, what's up with the GMAT prep?
Me: Err - Yeah. Just starting to get rolling you know. Let me check a few questions just to get a feel.
Question: What's the unit digit of this ...... obnoxious looking expression? WHAT ! WTH is Cyclicity?? Damn, this is no kid stuff. Is this something they asked in Class X? No way !!
[Hugo]: That 720 now looks more like a 690, doesn't it?
Me: Sure does!
2 more days pass:
Me: I am now frantically downloading all sorts of guides, notes and what nots randomly from the Internet. My mind is literally blowing up into pieces trying to make sense of this whole mess of Quant, Verbal, AWA, IR.
[Hugo]: Yo - ready for the Diagnostic? You should really take the Diagnostic to even know your weaknesses, you know?
Me: Yeah yeah - smart ass. I know. But how can I take the Diagnostic just by knowing the format of the questions? I don't even know how to tackle the questions!
[Hugo]: If you already *knew* how to tackle the questions, you'd be taking the REAL GMAT dumbo. Just take the damn Diagnostic !!
Me: Ok. Ok. I'll take it. Let me just go through the bare minimum, ok? I mean, wouldn't it be disastrous if I couldn't even solve the most basic of questions?
[Hugo]: Sure. Take your time.
Me: Arrgh!! Ok. Revised target: 670+. Happy?
[Hugo]: Whatever...
1 Day prior to Diagnostic Test Day:
Me: This was a very bad idea. I have no freaking clue how to go about this beast of an exam. Who in their right mind even thought of such an exam? Do I really have to take the Diagnostic? Can't I spend some more time to learn the basics?
[Hugo]: You will only waste time. Forget about being at the right *moment* to take the Diagnostic. Understand this - take the Diagnostic. Overcome the fear and just do it. The score WILL tell you how much you need to improve.
Me: You make sense. But....
[Hugo]: STFU and take the damn Diagnostic !!
And finally on May 1, 2015, I took the plunge. Spent the entire morning taking the GMAT in a room in complete isolation. (The Diagnostic exam from the Official Guide is untimed). By the time I finished the exam and computed a raw score, Hugo was laughing uncontrollably. A mere 560 stared at me and I looked at it as if I'd seen a ghost. This experience humbled me a lot ( actually it brought me to my knees ) and Hugo decided he'd be happy with anything above 650 for the first attempt ( Yeah - I already knew one attempt will not be enough. Some foresight, huh? ).
I mentioned that this was a blunder 'cos thinking in this way, I set myself up for failure. You have to realize that you need to stay extremely positive throughout the whole journey. You CANNOT, CANNOT have negative thoughts. And you must keep motivating yourself no matter what. I am sure Hugo would have helped me if he'd known better.
Anyway, in a matter of 14 days, I had my target. With some extremely judicious and disciplined training, I might be able to pull this off. But I needed help. I couldn't do it alone for sure.
I needed someone to tell me what to study and set me on a schedule. And the deluge of opinions on popular GMAT forums didn't help either.
The hunt for a test prep company
Me: Ok, Hugo ( much like Ok, Google - you get the idea) - What is the best GMAT test prep company?
[Hugo]: Manhattan Prep
Me: C'mon man, did you forget I was earning in INR? Do you even know the current exchange rate?
[Hugo]: Hey! Good news - you are lucky - they are offering a $100 discount!
Me: Really?
[Hugo]: Starts at $499 ...
Me: Enough, Hugo. Get serious.
[Hugo]: Try Magoosh.
Me: What? What kind of a name is that?
[Hugo]: They've got good reviews for Quant and Verbal. Remember Tuesdays with Kevin?
Me: Hmm. Will pass for now. What else you got?
[Hugo]: Kaplan?
Me: Stop. Don't you get it? For the 16 thousandth time - I earn in freaking INR man!
[Hugo]: I'll make you an offer you can't refuse.
Me: You sound serious.
[Hugo]: The hell I am. Try e-GMAT. Rave reviews. B-E-S-T for non-natives like you. Currently discounted price at $199. Option to pay in INR. What more do you want?
You can check out the free lessons before you decide. Go on. Try 'em.
Me: I adore you Hugo. What would I do without you!
That's how I landed up registering for e-GMAT. I kid you not. e-GMAT actually started to make sense once I started learning from it. The lessons are extremely well laid out. And I was doing quite well. Heck, Hugo and I even started enjoying the lessons! The lessons are accessible for 6 months. So here's what I thought I'd do. Prepare for 3 months. 1st Month: Verbal, 2nd Month Quant, 3rd Month: Everything put together and take a real GMAT. Since I had already hoped to retake, I'd use the remaining 3 months of access to rinse and repeat.
That's what I thought I'd do. But life had its own plans. There was a major WTF moment when I was asked to fill in for a short term onsite assignment. I had to travel within a week. This derailed my GMAT train much worse than anything else could have ever done. By the time I could recover from this setback, I had already lost 2 months of prep time. I emailed e-GMAT folks to grant me an extension and they agreed to do so only if I provided them proof of confirming an actual GMAT date. This, my friends, was the decisive moment. I read and re-read the response from Payal. In essence, the email was asking me to decide whether I was really serious about the GMAT. I convinced myself that I had to agree to this. It was now or never. With my hands shivering and my heart thumping loud enough to force someone call 911 ( and Hugo trying to stop me in slow motion and crying out NOOOOOOO!!), I hit the 'Buy' (or whatever button you need to press) on the GMAC website. I could literally see $250 down the drain (and Hugo refused to talk to me for 2 days). But I had a confirmed official GMAT date for the 3rd of October, 2015. I promptly sent the confirmation to Payal and she extended the course access as promised. THANK YOU PAYAL!
It was already mid-August when I started again from square one. My ability of NOT remembering things wasn't helping at all. With the short period of time I had, I decided to have my own CTC (Cut the CR**) strategy. This meant only 1 episode of NCIS (yes Hugo, you warned me about this) to take my mind off the office stuff etc., limited socializing, limited outdoor play - you get the idea. For studying, I set aside about 2 hrs every day. Hugo would repeatedly warn me that with 2hrs on weekdays and 4-6 hours on weekends, I wouldn't meet the goal of finishing all the sections comfortably. Well, I reminded Hugo that studying for more than 2 hours wasn't effective for me AT ALL. It was better that I studied for a short duration and RETAINED what I studied instead of having a false sense of accomplishment by studying more. On some days, when I couldn't study even for an hour - I spent some time doing some questions from the Official GMAT prep software. I concentrated on Verbal for the 1st Month and finished the remaining Quant sections of the e-GMAT course as best as I could.
So, in short - my GMAT arsenal consisted of:
a. e-GMAT (GMAT Online only ) course.
b. Official Guide 2015.
c. Official GMAT Test Prep. (Default pack used 4 times)
d. Official GMAT Study Pack. (Not utilized fully - kept some for the second attempt)
e. Official GMAT Extra Full-Length test (pack of 2 tests) (Unused - will use for the second attempt)
f. 800Score (access provided along with e-GMAT, used 2 of the 4 set of available tests. Kept 2 for the second attempt).
h. GMAT Club Tests (access provided for 6 months along with e-GMAT course - access expired in September).
i. Magoosh GMAT Idiom flashcards ( used during lunch break at the office ).
On the 800Score Essay prompts, I had the Chineseburned AWA template open in another window for reference. This helped me just to get the feel of writing an essay in 30 minutes. However, the 800Score Quant and Verbal scores are inflated. Easily shave off 30-40 points from the score you might get to arrive at an indicative score. I followed Bunuel on GMATClub and looked at explanations whenever time permitted. Official GMATPrep Software and the Study Pack are most realistic. Magoosh GMAT Idiom flashcards are quite helpful for last minute revisions.
GMAT Prep exams and dates are given below:
Sep 07, 2015: Exam 2: 500 ( IR: 3, Q:28, V: 31)
Sep 19, 2015: Exam 1: 560 ( IR:1, Q:37, V:29 )
Sep 26, 2015: Exam 2: 600 ( IR: 4, Q: 42, V: 31)
I took the exams just like I'd take the actual exam. AWA and all. Took the designated breaks. Tried to emulate the exact conditions. I later realized that these were nothing but futile attempts and Hugo would finally get the chance to say : I told you so.
Sept 26th is when I stopped. I didn't take any more exams. I took a day off. I had to build momentum and give the best I could on test day. I studied lightly (as if 2 hours wasn't light already), and I practiced some questions from the GMAT Prep Study pack. I kept checking my pace.
Finally, the G-Day had arrived.
2nd October 2015 & The eve of G-Day
Took leave from office. Didn't look at emails. Didn't open Facebook - no scrap that, I did look at Facebook for a little while. Just made one call to the test center to confirm the ID requirements and promptly went back to sleep. You can't suffer from anxiety if you are asleep, can you? Woke up, had lunch, revised Verbal notes. In the evening, went out to local Walmart and got some dried nuts, a pack of Red Bulls and some Snickers. Kept everything ready in a back-pack along with my Passport. Charted out the route to the test center. Planned every single step for the next morning. Practiced a few quant questions. Thoroughly read Chineseburned's AWA template a couple of times. Had light dinner and tried to sleep. Well, I just couldn't sleep anymore. Anxiety had finally found its way into my mind and kept me awake till 12.00 AM. I set 3 consecutive alarms to go off in intervals of 15mins starting at 5.15 A.M and somehow managed to doze off. I was wide awake at 5 AM and removed all the alarms one by one.
G-Day- 3rd October 2015
Congratulate yourself if you have read every single line of this post so far. You can definitely do well in GMAT RC passages !
Woke up at 5.00AM. It was pretty cold outside. I made myself a cup of tea. Had the tea. Prepared the stuff to wear. Rechecked stuff to take along with me to the test center. Rechecked the route. (Yeah - am paranoid like that). Showered and got ready. Had some light breakfast and was ready to leave by 6.30 AM. I reached the center in 25 minutes. I was waiting for the doors to open. That would be at 7.30 AM. As I was waiting in the car, my mind went completely blank.
[Hugo]: This is it, man! Today's the day, bro. You can do it! All the best!
Me: Huh! Easy for you to say.
[Hugo]: Just watch this and remember: It ain't over until you've won! https://youtu.be/g-jwWYX7Jlo.
Me: I watched the video. Strangely, it helped.
The doors opened at 7.30 sharp - there were 3 people ahead of me. Not everybody was there for the GMAT. Each of us was asked to state our last names, take a purple colored paper disc ( sort of token with a number on it) and was handed our respective instructions. The kind of formal instructions that said 'Hell waiteth for those who cheateth'. We were asked to wait in the waiting area. When everyone had received their tokens and instructions, the front desk lady called out one number after the other starting at 1. When my turn came, I was first asked to hand over the token and instructions. Then she asked for my ID. She looked at my passport and verified it was indeed me. I was asked to sign on some weird device. The device had no feedback to show my sign. It wasn't the kind of device I was accustomed to. I was assigned the 4th locker corresponding to the token I had received. I had to empty out my pockets and was instructed to carry only the locker key and the ID at all times during the exam. Anyway, convinced that it was indeed me, the lady then took a photo for the record. Then I was asked for a palm scan for the right hand. Once more for the right palm. Then for the left palm. Once again for the left palm. Again for the right palm. Last time for the right palm. She finally wished me luck and I was asked to show myself to the proctor. This enclosed room was less than 5 meters away. The proctor had me repeat the 'show ID - scan palm' saga once more. The proctor was able to view every single exam taker and could monitor them individually. She explained to me that my session would be audio and video recorded and handed me the scratch pad and two pens. She also advised me not to waste time by trying to erase the scratch pad if it became full. I could simply raise my hand and she'd replace the scratch pad. Sweet ! She asked me if I preferred to take ear buds I could take them instead of using the noise cancelation headphones once in front of the terminal. I preferred noise cancelation headphones. I asked if I could use the restroom and she said 'Yes'. After I returned, she signed me in and wished me luck.
So, there I was. Sitting in front of this huge monitor. It made even the simplest of instructions look larger than life. After the customary instructions, I was asked to select 5 B-schools I could choose to report my scores (provided I did not cancel my scores). I chose 4 in the US and 1 in India (heck, I am an Indian after all). With my heart beat growing louder, I finally arrived on the undeniably real AWA screen.
The REAL AWA - the shortest 30 minutes of my life
I typed in whatever I could remember from the Chineseburned template ( mixed with some modifications of my own ) on the screen. I had the structure ready. The clock had started ticking and I had just 23 minutes remaining when I started to fill in the actual stuff. I was already late by 3 minutes. I decided to stick to 1 Intro, followed by 2 paragraphs and a paragraph to conclude. For a minute or two, I froze. Unable to gather my thoughts and unable to type in anything. I looked away from the screen and wrote a few lines on the scratch pad. That got me going and I didn't stop till I had typed of everything I planned to type in. I finished typing with 3 minutes to spare. Proof-read the thing, fixed a couple of typos and finished it off with 15 seconds to spare.
Boom - 30 minutes gone - just like that! Hugo was nowhere to be found.
The REAL IR
I almost fell off my chair when I saw the first IR question. I mean, seriously? Text, chart and table combo. I stared at the question for a minute - and the question stared back at me. The question finally won the competition. Somehow, my brain refused to make any sense of what was on the screen. I clicked at random and moved on. The second question ( questions 4 -6 I guess) was worse. How is someone expected to read through such confusing sh*t, understand the stuff within the specified time and answer them correctly? I salute the folks who get an 8+ in IR. Make it a 12 Gun Salute. The GMAT Gods must have had a change of heart after this and some of the questions that followed started making sense. Or maybe I got used to the monstrosity of IR. Whatever be it, I wasn't too worried as I knew IR was going to be pathetic anyway. I finished with a minute to spare and with the hope that I got at least a couple of them right.
I took the 8-minute break. Raised my arm and the proctor escorted me out of the exam hall. Every time you go out of the exam hall and re-enter, the 'show ID - scan palm' saga is done all over again. Every freaking time! You walk out with the proctor, She asks for your ID (WTH? You saw my ID when I went inside, You were watching ME while I was inside the exam room, you walked ME out of the room. Why do you need to see my ID again? ), She asks for a palm scan (WTH etc....am too tired to even type this ridiculous procedure), You go out, take the break ( I had the nuts and Red Bull ), return, walk up to her , she asks for your ID (WTH etc.), she asks for palm scan (WTFFFF!!!) and walks you up to your terminal and signs you in.
The REAL Quant
I returned from the first break with 40 seconds to spare and the Quant section started as soon as I had sat down. I got a couple of easy ones. Hugo thinks it was the IR section that gave my dumbness away. Whatever. I knew better and I didn't think of what happened in IR anymore. I concentrated on the questions at hand. On the screen to be precise. Lots of DS and PS questions. A few geometry and probability questions. Some related to statistics. Overall, a good mix of easy and medium ones. I did realize, however, that none of them were of 700 level. And by the time I was done, with about a minute to spare, I knew very well that I didn't perform too well.
I took the 8-minute break again. Same process as the previous break. So make sure you keep about 30 seconds for the procedure of checking ID and palm scan to complete and DO NOT overrun your break time or you will be penalized by reducing the equivalent time from the following section.
The REAL Verbal
This time, I returned with 20 seconds to spare and the Verbal began with a bang. Started getting SCs and CRs. At about 8 or 10 questions in, I got a pretty long passage. Hugo reminded me the importance of getting the first few questions correct. Makes sense. Always made sense. I calmed down and instead of rushing through the passage, glanced at the question ( it was a main point of the passage question ) and re-read the passage. However, this time I made some notes. Finally, I was able to make the correct choice and once I got through the first one I believe I got the rest of the related questions right. After a couple of fully underlined questions and bold face questions, I was faced with a really long passage with an equally boring subject (Aren't they always?). Oh well, I got through the ordeal and just when I thought I was done, a final one paragraph passage came up. My mind gave up at this moment. I was also short of time and I rushed through the last 2 questions to finish the section with 5 seconds to spare.
I was done. It was over. After asking me a series of mundane questions, I was asked if I'd like to report the scores. This is the final ridiculous part of the exam. Without seeing the score, how can I decide? Initially, I had thought of canceling the score no matter what. But Hugo interrupted. I reluctantly agreed to report the scores and pressed 'Next' and the scores came up.
IR 3, Q 43, V 31 , Total : 620. Well, better than seeing a 480, Hugo said.
I raised my hand and the proctor escorted me out. She did ask to see my ID and scan my palm one final time. And before I could ask, she said the unofficial report was at the front desk. Swell. I walked out to the front desk, the piece of paper with my score was already present, I took it, took my stuff out of the locker, drank the remaining Red Bull, put everything in my backpack, wished the front-desk lady good day and walked away with what seemed like a huge load off my shoulders.
I will retake for sure, but that could go sideways 'cause there's no guarantee that more preparation will enhance my scores. I had finally taken the GMAT. Yay ! Hugo high-fived me. I returned home, posted on Facebook if anyone wanted to hear about this experience (thinking that people were interested only in the high scorers - like the stratospheric 760+ ones) but I was wrong. I was wrong about so many things. But I realized it's not impossible to score high in the GMAT. And I now agree that it ain't over until I win !
All the best to the brave souls attempting the GMAT. Stay true to yourself, prepare well and God bless!
Thanks for your patience!
Regards,
Trishul
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