Update: From GMAT loser to fighter in six weeks...

As Pelihu's saying goes "Some times when you lose you really win." Life is complex and we cannot comprehend its ways so easily. May be you can understand why this upset happened only after many years. Right night all that is left to us is "to step ahead and break that barrier"

Welcome back AMIGO..

Please show us how it's done.

Cheers!!!

Thank you for your honest post. I had the same problem with Verbal and I believe it is all about confidence. This time around I am trying to build up by confidence and focus more on my psychological anxieties around the test.

Best of luck with studying and getting back on the horse. God willing you will conquer the GMAT beast and have an awesome score.

Matt,

here are some suggestions:

1) Don`t overact:

A low GMAT score is not the end of the world and it doesn`t represent your abilities but only indicates your abilities. The GMAT score reflects only part of them ( i.e. problem solving under intense time pressure). I assume that you already exhibit all the skills to master the GMAT. So the "only", and most important, issue you need to master is time pressure. Mastering time pressure requires a good portion of stamina. In my case, my stamina was my stumbling block. How did I overcome it ?

2) Peace of mind:

GMAT is only ONE indicator. It indicates ! Another indicator may "measure" my abilities differently. Hence, I did not accept the GMAT as a "true" representation of my proficiencies. But, as it is an important tool for business schools, I must accept it as a very general tool, or indicator, for business schools to select their students. So the GMAT is a general tool. Nothing more, nothing less. It levels many valuable traits of test takers. These traits make you unique. So what`s the point ? The GMAT makes me flat because it does not consider my personality. The point ??? The GMAT will not undermine my abilitities and proficiencies. I am unique and a standardized test is not able to test this. And now ?

3) Be smart:

Preconditions for smartness during the GMAT: 1) and 2).

Anything else ?

In your case, NO !

Matt, you already exhibit the skills to master it. So its all about your PEACE OF MIND.

Good luck, my friend !!!

My friend welcome back.....


I truly wish you the very best

hey, look who's back...this time, you goin' in wid dem howidzers, an yeh gonne blow da frikken test outta da watah!!!

i'm ready for the war dance when you are

Count in one more

What more can I say?... KILL IT! MASH ITS BRAINS INTO THE DUST! I've seen people being consistently unlucky and then walking away with the jackpot.

Dug out one of the Calvin & Hobbes toons for ya, and hope that you are able to see the humor in the situation and get on with it.

Soldier on! There's an empty space on the wall of fame. Its for you. Go get it, tiger!

hey... MATT is back!!! Great news!!! I will join you in a couple of weeks !!! DON'T GIVE UP!!!

God bless every one of you who has given me the strength to yet rise again from ashes of destruction and attempt to slay this PVue dragon!

Rhyme, Pelihu, Vivek, Dahiya, Yurik, Haas, Futuristic, Paddyboy and all you guys who have successfully overcome this hurdle while concurrently balancing a hectic work schedule, your suggestions for attempt #4 are most definately welcomed. What would you do in the same situation, given you had exactly 10 weeks to prepare for one final attempt this year (or maybe forever)?

First off, let me clarify that I am no different than many members on this site who may have similiar concerns, so such advice may be appreciated by others in a similiar situation.

The clock is ticking, R2 deadlines are in mid-January. I plan to retake, with better concentration and improved Q skills. Heck, I'll even wear a catherter if it makes the difference in not exceeding the break time.

But, there is a caveat. I have a demanding full time career (~60 hrs/wk), go to the gym a few days a week, and do the regular domestic errands/chores on the weekends. This makes sitting for long periods impossible, and therefore limits GMAT concentration to less than a cumulative 1.5~2 hours a day, except on Sundays.

For reference, here's a snapshot of a typical week:

Monday-Friday:

Wake up at 5:45am, study 30Q problems for about 60 minutes, check the wrong answers on the 20 minute train ride to work (usually standing).

8:30 to 9am: Open the office, check phone/email messages, read the headlines in the morning paper.

9am to 1pm: Bam, the rat race is on!! Meet several morning clients (back to back) and translate multiple projects.

1pm to 1:30pm: 30 min lunch break. Eat a sandwich or boxed lunch while studying 10~15 CRs.

2pm to 3:30pm: Power nap at a local net cafe (20 min) and then do some weight training/kickboxing/meditation for stress relief (60min).

4pm to 9:15pm: Back to the rat race! Meet afternoon/evening clients (again back to back) and translate multiple documents.

9:30pm: Lock up and close the office. Walk back to the train station.

9:40 to 10pm: 1~2 RCs on the 20 minute train ride back home (hopefully sitting).

10:15pm to 11:30pm: Cook dinner, wash dishes, iron slacks/shirt, prep client agendas for the following day. Set alarm and shower.

11:30pm to 12am: Study about 10~15 SCs on GMATClub.

12am to 5:45am: Sleep

Saturday:

Half day at work from 9am to 4pm (10 minute lunch break). Sauna after work to wind down from the week, followed by a couple hours of mixed Q/V study before collapsing from six days of slavery.

Sunday: (The only real study day)

Wake up at 10am (recharge sleep) and run the usual errands; food shopping for the week, pick up the dry cleaning, do laundry, clean the apartment, etc.

1pm to 5pm: Take a full length practice CAT.

5pm to 8pm: Analyze -more like conduct a post mortem- on the CAT results, update error logs, and make some posts at GMAT club. Cook dinner.

9pm to 10pm: Watch either "Lost" or "Prison Break" on TV. This is the only hour of TV I get to see each week.

10pm to 11pm: Shower and prepare the upcoming week's agenda.

11pm: Back to sleep and repeat the same routine from Monday morning.

Disclaimers:

* I can't cutback on my working hours at all. Cutting back in my industry means losing precious clients. This option is out. Also, now that summer is over, I can't telecommute and do projects from the comfort of my home anymore. Fall is the toughest season because many translation projects that are due at the end of the year require face-to-face interaction with the clients.

* I simply can't get up at 4am. Four hours of sleep is not enough to stay alert during the 16 hour day outside. Even as it is, with less than six hours of sleep, I feel like a zombie by Friday of each week. Push comes to shove, I will wake up at 5am.

* I must work out three hours a week. Otherwise I get this "fat slob" complex and have very low self-esteem.

* No vacation time allowed until mid December.

* Calling in sick would require extra overtime on the weekend.

** My coworkers keep leaving anonymous post-its on my desk with inscriptions like "give it up already!" or "what the hell are you trying to prove?" The most recent one read "It doesn't take an MBA to figure out how to manage your own business. Put your effort into something more productive..."

Call me obstinate, but the fact is I simply will not stop until this quest is over. Just can't wait until the day comes when I can clean out my office and bid them all farewell because I have been accepted to XYZ MBA school on a partial scholarship. My current highest score is a 590, so essentially all I need is another 40-50 points to make a dream become a reality. But those 50 points won't come easy. Something inside has to change drastically.

Pelihu just shared some of his materials with me, so I look forward to getting into those documents soon.

Any and all comments or suggestions on how to better maximize or improve study time to close that 50 point gap given the schedule above would be most truly appreciated.

In the meantime, I'll be sharpening the sword and preparing for the next duel.

Hard weeks of work u have ! ...

It's nice that u are back and with a killer's spirit ! :D... If u feel on a down mood sometimes, turn on this one :
https://www.blogmusik.net/track,136610,rocky-soundtrack-eye-of-the-tiger.html

Never give up ! :D

Hey Fig..i know this song ( survivors - eyes of the tiger)....i listent to it when i feel i wanna give up.......it really helps.

GMATT73 i believe now that you are originally japanese.

So you cant give up..........man u r the ansistor of the Samouray.

i was sure u ll be back .

wellcome back my mate........i am waiting for you and most propably will have my test during late Jan 2007.

Take care

Srgh what a tough work week! Very admirable that you work so hard and study at the same time. How awful of you colleagues to post such demoralizing things. All I can say is try to ignore them and think of their comments and fuel o your fire to slaughter the g-monster.

Welcome back Matt! The key for you is to look back at your strenghts, build on them, and face your weaknesses and take them by their horns! good luck

That's a tough work week. I used to work like that when I was with a law firm. I hated it.

You have no choice but to succeed so you can show those small-minded people that you work with what it means to dream big and make it.

It's definitely going to be challenging with the demands of your job, but you can do it.

Hi man,

i saw many of your posts (on verbal forum)-

In my view YOU ARE READY- think you can achieve at least 680!

Agree that your schedule is complicated - maybe YOU need to compromise something (say ,take a 1week holliday sick- the world will not end it, the clients and the company will not crash- because as you know,i think-none of us is not-replaceble.
Think you have to do some sort of prioritization (in fact- you know this)

ON the other hand i believe that You dont need advice- YOU simply know , you have the knoledge- You already get the feelings and experiences from all the top scorers on this forum- You have the expertise-

Go there- and take it.

I think YOU will be THE MOST surprised person when YOU will see the final score-

good luck
george


ps- above are only thoughts from someone which didnt take his test( and pushing with verbal)- so i am not a sort of authorized person -

hope it will help in some ways .cheers

I also got 590. I took it almost 1 year ago too. I've dragged myself back (to quote Any Given Sunday .. "inch by inch"). I'm taking it tomorrow.

To spend over a year, not being able to enjoy or relax, but always having the GMAT at the back of my mind. Forcing oneself to study.

Don't let other people get you down. You're a fighter, a survivor. Battle your way to the top, against the odds .

I'll see what tomorrow holds for me...

We fight on ...

Good Luck wlee76 ! :D.... This time, your mission is clear: kill it !! :D... Hope u the best