Best time to take the GMAT

Many guys ask me, "What's the best time to take the GMAT"? I always suggest them a time somewhere around July-August. Keeping atleast 2 months in hand, one should start in May. Which is now!

If you are still thinking about the same old question, better stop thinking and start doing! This is THE right time for you....

To strengthen my argument I would like to add that the most number of visitors to my blog are at this time. Most number of GMAT related stuff is purchased during this time!!

So start today! Read my other posts, go to my website and start rocking!!

All the best!

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The Official Guide for GMAT® Review, 12th Edition

The newest GMAT study guide with real GMAT questions—and their answers— by the creators of the test.




This is the description as per the MBA.com

The new 12th Edition debuts 300 new questions (and answer explanations) not seen in any of our other study materials. We’ve also updated answer explanations for many questions to make them easier to follow and understand.

Other features of the Guide include:

* A total of 907 questions and thorough answer explanations for each
* 100-question diagnostic test
* 807 practice questions in order of difficulty
* 270 essay topics, sample responses, and scoring information
* Comprehensive math and grammar reviews
* The truth about the Top 10 GMAT myths
* Tips to prepare for the GMAT exam

Get your study materials straight from the source—the experts on the GMAT exam.

There is no overlap between questions found in The Official Guide for GMAT Review, 12th Edition, The Official Guide for GMAT Quantitative Review, The Official Guide for GMAT Verbal Review, and GMATPrep®. The 300 new practice questions in the 12th Edition replace 300 practice questions from the 11th Edition. The remaining questions overlap.

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Brand New Website

Brand new shining website launched!!! www.gmating.com
I know it's not fully developed yet and it has lotsa things missing may be. But it's there and trust me it's gonna give some prep sites, a serious run for their money.
It's not an extension to this blog. The website is aimed at being a encyclopaedia for GMAT. I will include feedback forms, forums, Schedulers, videos and so many other cool stuff. But I am working on this all alone! It's a herculean task and I want the quality to be awesome!

So keep checking it out and you can comment here for the mean time!! I hope all you guys who have been an avid reader of this blog will help me help you by improving my website....PLZZZZZZZZZZZZZ comment!

Cheers!

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Updates for My Readers

Hi everyone!

I am really happy that you guys find my blog to be useful. In return for the overwhelming support and appreciation from you guys, I promise that it will be my constant endeavour to keep the blog updated and useful.

Few things I would share:

1. My download links ARE working now! E-mail me for anything else! I give you my word that I will revert.

2. I will start working on my website as soon as I am done with my CFA exams in December. You will have a host of new stuff there.

3. I am planning to make lecture videos. Hoping to give the coaching classes a run for their money. It will be free as usual and comprehensive. I need some time tho.

4. I will start playing with new features and widgets to enhance the usability of my proposed website. I need help from you guys who are good in php, web designing and things like that.

5. I feel that most of the GMAT related stuff is already there on this blog, but the prominent exclusion is post-GMAT related help. I will include MBA application section soon. I have helped my friends to get to their dream schools. One of my friend has made it to Tepper, CMU and I am proud to say that, I took care of everything right from GMAT(740)-TOEFL(109/120)-School Selection-Essays-Recos-Submissions-Visa Interviews-Flight Tickets. One of my friends who scored a 570 last yr came to me and again we had quite a success in that he scored a 670 this yr and got an ADMIT from ISB which is the only school he applied to. All the success/failure stories will go up here.

6. To update you about whats happening on my end : Prepping for the upcoming CFA L1. Starting Jan I will start prepping for my 2010 Fall Applications. Will require extensive reading, organization, school selection and eventually writing/re-writing essays and interview preparation (if i get the interview calls!)

7. Everything will go on the blog/website.

8. Why I write this blog? Because I believe in the fundamental values of education which says that it grows by sharing. I do just that.

Thanks for reading and all the mails/comments. All the best you guys!

And yes! Recession is good for the good and bad for the bad. So lets better ourselves!

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The non-Gmat side of Zaphod!!

After a long time wanted to write a post...was looking for some gaps in my blog site which I could fill. Naaah!! It's almost there...may be a lot more will come when I start applying next year. So thought why not talk about me. All you guys know about me is that I am a frustrated soul, who took the GMAT outta frustration and just killing time by blogging...hardly!!

I will apply to some really good schools next year, such as Stan, Kellogs, GSB chic, HBS (stop laughing....will you? ) Meanwhile I will just work at my current company which makes short painted tales using its own proprietary software...which is some kick-ass piece of coding. You can check out my company's site here : AURYN
Hopefully in a month we'll roll out yet another short painted tale for kids (which will have my name in the credits too :D )

I love my gadgets!! And I love talking about them too! :D If i didn't have a love for them...prolly I wouldn't be working as hard. After a long tiring day or week I totally rely on them to relax me. Playing with them keeps my mind sharp and adds zing to my life.

My most beautiful possession is my Camera...I just love it. Its a Canon EOS digital rebel XTI aka EOS 440D. I have a modest assortment of lenses as well to go with it which I have collected over time. I got a 18-55mm kit lens with it...which I have never used.
I also got a 17-85 mm IS lens with it...which is an invaluable lens. Image stabilization is kick ass and the range is very useful especially when I am traveling and clicking random pics and don't bother to change lenses. Its a value for money, and is a must. The picture quality is not stunning, but you can click some really nice photos. Its not really fair to compare it to a prime lens or a L-series lens. It works very well at f8 if you are into landscape photography. Good thing is it can couple as a macro lens too...Its not a true macro lens (meaning 1:1) but its nonetheless good.

Recently I got a 100mm Macro lens and 70-200mm L f4 non-IS lens. They simply ROCK!!! 100mm is just impressive....the macro pics are STUNNING!!! And its said that its the sharpest lens canon makes. All reviews, everywhere tell you the same story. The other good thing about this lens is that you can do normal portraits and landscapes too. Not really meant for it...but nevertheless if you feel your subject is treated well at this focal range (which becomes 160mm in my camera) it would turn out to be sharp and impressive.

70-200 f4 is an L series lens....shall I say more...and its not like the other tele lenses...which become soft at extremes...it is sharp, meaning SHARP, at all focal lengths. The color quality is awesome...it has the typical canon L lens feel to it, obviously. Its not heavy or big. But you lose out on IS. But mostly I do my photography in good light conditions and 200mm (which become 320mm) is not too tough for me to handle, I get good shots even hand held (blur due to shake is a probabilistic phenomenon...so take 2-3 shots and you will end up with a gud sharp pic)

My camera kit is not extravagant (compared to some really rich enthusiasts)...but its balanced and I am happy and will be happy for a quite a while.

The camera + kit lens (700$)
17-85mm 550$
100mm 450$
70-200mm f4 550$

Check out my album if you really want to verify if it's really worth the money :-D

The next best thing I have is my car...suzuki ALTO...not much in terms of specs...actually it comes at the low end of things...but but but...it s really really comfortable. Long drives are fun, you can hear the engine noise...i don't keep the A/C most of the times and it's the breeze which I want on my face. Very cheap to maintain, good mileage. Not good for rear passengers...but who cares!! I am single! I put my camera and tripod in my car, fill it up and zoom. One of the crazy things i have done in my car is I made a trip to Ajanta Ellora in a day, 710 kms, 14 hrs of continuous driving :D

Ok so next in line is my bicycle...as a kid I cudn't have asked for more than a hero bicycle...so this time I got a bike of my choice. I have a firefox viper which rocks! for 17000 I get Shimano tourney gears, 21 speed, Disc brakes for front and rear and lotsa other jazz. I make my office run on the bike which comes to around 16 kms!! And since you can't leave it in the parking lot (its damn too costly for a bike!!) I carry it 5 floors to my balcony :D I love it!! It helps me stay fit and when I want to I can go offroading with my camera.

Then come my laptop, which is a Dell Precision M6300. The specs are really good. 4GB RAM, Ge Force Quadro FX and HD display (Infact more 1920 X 1200) Since I work wth Maya and Adobe products, needed a good display and great performance. This machne rocks. The performance is awesome and the display is just stunning! It was heavy on my pocket (2500$ +) The bad things...hideous by design and painfully heavy (especially when I have to carry it on my back and bike to the office :( )

Then comes ICE (In Car Entertainment). I am a music lover and I don't mean noise. I have to have my music pure. I have a set of JBL GTO97 in the rear and Illusion electra component speakers for the front. It gives me a good range right from the lower to higher frequencies. And the clarity is awesome. The HUD is Pioneer (wid USB support) so I can connect my antique Ipod to it as well...the total damn thing cost me 17000 bucks which is more than I initially planned...but who cares!

Other random stuff which help me keep myself busy are my LEGO robotics set and my RC Lambo :D

What would life be without these toys! As its rightly said...when boys become men, they don't stop playing...the toys get faster, bigger and expensive :D

Share your hobbies and passions too!! Btw photography helped me a lot durng my GMAT prep...it helped me take my mind off things and just chill...

Ciao! I enjoyed writing this post...and btw thanks to all you guys who buy stuff from here...I use the amazon referral to buy my gadgets from Amazon...how ironic!!

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GMAT Preparation Guide ... A Detailed Schedule for Two Months....PART II

So here we meet again!!! So you have completed one month of prepping and now you are ready for the next step!!!
This is gonna be super awesome...you know why?? Simply because this month we will go to the next level of serious prepping (not that you can afford not to be serious in the first month :-D ). This month we will target Kaplan 800, redo the OG and take as many tests as possible. And then you can happily go and crack the GMAT !

A small summary will help at this point of time. Last two weeks...test marathon (including sectional tests). First two weeks will be devoted to finish the kaplan 800, redo the Tough+Medium OG questions and revise your notes.

============== WEEK FIVE ================

Day 29 :
Arrange all the new books on your table. Pick up Kaplan 800. Start RC section. And finish it from start to end. Make notes, grids and all the jazz I have mentioned earlier. Make Flashcards for RC tricks and tips and stick it!

Day 30 :
Ditto for PS.

Day 31 :
Ditto for SC.

Day 32 :
Ditto for CR. But but but...also take out the AWA document I have provided. And go through it.

Day 33 :
Today also we will do CR and AWA. MAke notes from the AWA document and learn them by heart. Write two sets of AWA essays, i.e. 4 essays (2 argument and 2 issue)

Day 34 :
Start DS. And finish it from start to end. Make notes, grids and all the jazz I have mentioned earlier. Make Flashcards for DS and tips and stick it!

Day 35 :
Revise everything. Do the questions again which you missed the first time. Or if you have any confusion, just get it clarified.

SUMMARY :

So this week you finished the toughest book in stores for GMAT. Feel good and satisfied. Go through all the new things you learnt and revise your notes. Analyse whats going good/bad with your prep. How much more you need to put in. Things like that. ATB.


============== WEEK SIX ================

Day 36 :
Take out your OG grid and OG. Make a list (or get out the print out) of all the questions you did wrong on the first go (Last month when you did the OG) for all the sections.

Then take the SC section and side-by-side open the SC section of the Kaplan 800 for reference. Then solve the questions from that list. And hey here I am assuming you will at max get 100 questions wrong and so you should be able to do it in one day. If your work pressure is too much, then do something about it. No one can help you with that except yourself!

Day 37 : Do the same thing for the CR section.

Day 38 : Do the same thing for the RC section.

Day 39 : Do the same thing for the PS section.

Day 40 : Do the same thing for the DS section.

Day 41 : Write 3 sets of essays for AWA section. Take help from the AWA doc.

Day 42 :Do whatever you want to. Take a chill pill. Sit down on a chair facing the window and in your mind go through all the SC rules in your mind. Think about the fallacies. Revise the formulae in your mind. Basically make a mental map of all the stuff you have gone through.

SUMMARY :

So this week you revised and learnt from all your mistakes and gotten ready for the ultimate two weeks before the actual GMAT.

============== WEEK SEVEN ================

Day 43 : Get your laptop/machine...preferably with a mouse. Collect your test materials...CDs and sit down with all your concentration. Its going to be long and better be prepared for it. And simply start. One test a day!

Day 44 : --do--

Day 45 : --do--

Day 46 : --do--

Day 47 : --do--

Day 48 : --do--

Day 49 :--do--

SUMMARY :
So basically you take a test each day and analyze it properly. Track your mistakes...not repeat them. Revise your formulae sheet.


============== WEEK EIGHT ================

Same as last week. After 14 tests just chill and go take the test....
I would recommend you to take the tests in the proper order. See my post on test strategies.

ATB

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What is GMAT® ?

Hitchhiker's Guide to GMAT!
Answers to Life, the Universe and Everything (including GMAT) !!

People often stop me in the streets to ask "Hey Zaphod, what's this GMAT thingy all about"? Sometimes I can't even walk outside my house without somebody standing there with a giant neon sign that blinks "What is GMAT"? Instead of answering every individual separately and so you can save your money on those neon signs. I decided to write a post that would answer that simple yet complex question. My special thanks to Sir Douglas Adams, IIMs, my Girlfriend and well...Destiny.

What is the GMAT?

The Graduate Management Admission Test® (GMAT®) is a standardized assessment—delivered in English—that helps business schools assess the qualifications of applicants for advanced study in business and management. Schools use the test as one predictor of academic performance in an MBA program or in other graduate management programs. To add to this, most MBA schools require a GMAT.

How does GMAT look like?

The GMAT® exam consists of three main parts, the Analytical Writing Assessment, the Quantitative section, and the Verbal section.
Analytical Writing Assessment
The GMAT® exam begins with the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA). The AWA consists of two separate writing tasks—Analysis of an Issue and Analysis of an Argument. You are allowed 30 minutes to complete each one.

Optional Break (5 mins)

Quantitative Section
Following an optional ten-minute break, you begin the Quantitative Section of the GMAT® exam. This section contains 37 multiple-choice questions of two question types—Data Sufficiency and Problem Solving. You are allowed a maximum of 75 minutes to complete the entire section.

Optional Break (5 mins)

Verbal Section
After a second optional ten-minute break, you begin the Verbal Section of the GMAT® exam. This section contains 41 multiple choice questions of three question types—Reading Comprehension, Critical Reasoning, and Sentence Correction. You are allowed a maximum of 75 minutes to complete the entire section.

Hey! What is CAT? I hear a lot about it (mostly myths).

Its not witchcraft!! It means that its a Computer Adaptive Test. Quantitative and Verbal sections consist of multiple-choice questions delivered in a computer-adaptive format. Questions in these sections are dynamically selected as you take the test; the multiple-choice questions will adjust to your ability level, and your test will be unique.

For each multiple-choice section of the GMAT® exam, there is a large pool of potential questions ranging from a low to high level of difficulty. Each section of the test starts with a question of moderate difficulty. If you answer the first question correctly, the computer will usually give you a harder question. If you answer the first question incorrectly, your next question will be easier. This process will continue until you complete the section, at which point the computer will have an accurate assessment of your ability level in that subject area.
In a computer-adaptive test, only one question at a time is presented. Because the computer scores each question before selecting the next one, you may not skip, return to, or change your responses to previous questions.

TIPS:

Make educated guesses, when you have to.
Its always better to finish off the section by making logical guesses than to leave the section unfinished.

Your score is determined by:

• the number of questions you answer,
• whether you answer the questions correctly or incorrectly, and
• the level of difficulty and other statistical characteristics of each question.

Some questions are not rated, but that doesn't mean you know which ones! So answer all questions properly.

Practise a lot with the GMAT Prep software. Its an exact replica of the actual test.
(Look Wise only!!)

What does it cost to take the GMAT?

The current fee to register for the GMAT is $250 (USD). If a test appointment is cancelled at least seven calendar days prior to the scheduled appointment, a partial refund of $80 (USD) is issued. The test fee of $250 includes the release of your score report to up to five business schools. Additional score reports can be requested for an additional cost of $25 per school.

How to report scores to the schools?

Five score reports are free. The names of these schools are supposed to be filled in before the test. You just need to know which schools you wan to apply to. The procedure is simple. You can search the schools and use the drop downs to populate the names. You DON'T have to memorize the codes!! And yes, it needs to be filled in before you take the test. So you should apply to 2 dream schools. 2 feasible schools and 1 safe school, so that you don't waste that freebie.

When should I take the GMAT?

Okay! So obviously there's an ideal scenario and there's a not so ideal scenario. Strive to take the GMAT about a year prior to your expected entrance into Business School. You will have plenty of time to work on your application process, which is 20 imes tougher than taking the GMAT.

Also let's say you screwed up the first time, you cannot reschedule it within one calender month. So keep that buffer period as well. Also your score comes only after 20 days...so that's also a consideration.

At a minimum, you want to take the GMAT a month before the application deadline. It will take anywhere from two to four weeks to get your official score, although you will get an unofficial score immediately after you take the test. You can arrange for your test score to be sent directly to you and up to 5 schools in which you are applying. If you take the test close to an application deadline, you may want to include the unofficial score report with your application.

Last but not the least take the GMAT only when you have prepared and are confident that you'll rock.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Suggested links : GMAC OFFICIAL SITE

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GMAT Reading Comprehension : Tips, Tricks and Strategies to Score Higher

Many of my readers/students find RC the toughest in Verbal Section on GMAT. I've only one thing to say to them : you may actually never solve a SC question or involve yourself in Critically Reason out an argument, but you would certainly read something everyday!! Reading comprehension requires lots of practice and very good understanding of the examiner's psyche.

This is what makers of the GMAT have to say about READING COMPREHENSION :

Reading Comprehension Questions

Reading Comprehension passages are up to 350 words long. Topics contain material from the social sciences, physical or biological sciences, and business-related areas (marketing, economics, human resource management, etc.).

Because the Reading Comprehension section of the GMAT® exam includes passages from several different content areas, you may be generally familiar with some of the material; however, no specific knowledge of the material is required. All questions are to be answered on the basis of what is stated or implied in the reading material.

Reading Comprehension passages are accompanied by interpretive, applied, and inferential questions.

What Is Measured

Reading Comprehension questions measure your ability to understand, analyze, and apply information and concepts presented in written form.

This section evaluates the following abilities:

• Understanding words and statements in reading passages: Questions of this type test your understanding of and ability to comprehend terms used in the passage and your understanding of the English language.
• Understanding the logical relationships between significant points and concepts in the reading passages: Questions of this type ask you to determine the strong and weak points of an argument or to evaluate the importance of arguments and ideas in a passage.
• Drawing inferences from facts and statements in the reading passages: Questions of this type ask you to consider factual statements or information and, on the basis of that information, reach a general conclusion.
• Understanding and following the development of quantitative concepts as they are presented in verbal material: Questions of this type involve the interpretation of numerical data or the use of simple arithmetic to reach conclusions about material in a passage.

I have a post discussing each of these types :

How to Tackle Reading Comprehension Questions on the GMAT

Here are some links you may find useful :
http://www.west.net/~stewart/gmat/qmread.htm
http://www.admissionsconsultants.com/gmat/exam.asp
http://www.educationindex.net/educationarticles/graduateschoolstips/preparegradschool/gmatbusinessexams/gmatsverbalsection.html
http://www.testprepreview.com/modules/readingtest2.htm


Here is the list of all Tricks /Pointers I could think of :

1. Read between the Paragraphs.
2. Read for Author's Main Idea and Primary Purpose.
3. Create a thought flowchart by writing down the Main Idea and Primary purpose after each paragraph.
4. The Main Idea of the passage is the repeated idea in each of the Main ideas (of the paragraphs)
5. The primary purpose is mostly the Primary purpose of the concluding paragraph.
6. Classify the passages as
1. Explanatory (Mostly Science passages, explain one theory/phenomenon in detail)
   
2. Comparative (two or more point of views on a theory/topic. Doesn't go in much detail)
   
3. Argumentative (Subjective, opinionated. Mostly social science/business topics. Pros and cons of a topic with author's views on them)
   
7. Paraphrase the text to simplify.
8. Don't over read. Skip examples, dates, lengthy names, any details which can be referred in case something is asked explicitly.
9. Don't go for choices which hold true only for one part of the author's argument.
10. Don't go for choices which exaggerate the author's conclusion.
11. Don't fill in the blanks yourself. Use only as much is there in the passage.
12. At the end of reading, ask yourself questions like : What was the passage about? What was author's motive in writing all this?
13. Read quickly through soporific passages.
14. Read the first question before the Passage.
15. Use your Critical Reasoning techniques for reasoning/inference/strengthen/weaken questions.
    

Suggested Books : Kaplan 800, Kaplan Verbal Workbook, Official Guide, Manahttan Reading Comprehension

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Dreaded Bold Faced CR Terms!!

List of Bold Faced Critical Reasoning Terms & Definitions


I often see people starting off their CR preparation without actually knowing what are the terms used in the question. That is BAD!! Why would you bother listening to a cricket commentary when you don't know what is "power play" or what's a "free hit". So the idea of this post was to enlighten you guys, so that you have a better understanding of what's being asked. Here is a compilation collected from the web. Cheers!

• Premise: This is usually a required statement to arrive at a conclusion. Evidence and facts want to prove something to you whereas premises are there to logically lead you to a conclusion. The best example of premises is the ones included in syllogisms. For instance, you can say that(premise1) when it rains, you go outside. Then, it rains(premise2). You have to be outside(conclusion).Assumption: Unstated information which will link the argument to a logical conclusion. Without this, the argument falls apart.

• Conclusion: An opinion/assertion/contention that the author wants to prove, using premises and assumptions. The strength of the conclusion/assertion depends on the validity of the premise.
  

• Inference: Something that might not be explicitly stated or proved. For instance, you may say that 95% of GMAT test-takers have over 340. We can reasonably infer that Anthony will get more than 340 on his GMAT based on the fact given. I think the main difference b/w an inference and a conclusion is that the former might not be the final line of an argument. For instance, there could be facts/evidence given, an inference in b/w, and then the conclusion. An inference can be an intermediate step before the conclusion which will sum up the whole passage. Also, a conclusion seems to be stronger because it is based on stronger facts/evidence. As in my previous example, we can reasonably infer that Anthony got 340+ on his GMAT but we cannot conclude that he got 340+. See the nuance?

• Principle: Something fundamental that we do not question. This would be somewhat stronger than a fact because it is not specific to a limited number of cases but instead, apply to a broader range of scenarios(and often deeper in meaning). For instance, you will not talk about the principle that crime is increasing in large cities. Instead, it is a fact which applies to large cities. However, you will talk about the principles of Physics or the fundamental principles of Human Rights. I believe principles convey a stronger connotation than mere facts.

• Fact: Something taken as true at face value (stats, historical events)

• Evidence: What is used to support a conclusion (examples, stats, historical events). Although these may include facts, it is usually stronger than facts because they are direct elements needed for the conclusion to stand whereas facts are not necessary for the latter to stand

• Pre-evidence: This is a bit of a stretch. It will not often be on the test but it seems very similar to "background" information as described below.

• Background: Elements needed to put the evidence into context but which, as stand alone pieces of information, might not constitute what is called an evidence necessary to arrive at a conclusion. For instance, blood tests performed on one thousand persons may reveal that 35% of those persons were HIV infected. However, the background information could be that the test was performed in more underinformed regions of the world where AIDS knowledge is at a minimum. As you can see, the fact that the test was performed in more underinformed regions is not in and of itself an evidence because it does not allow us to come to a conclusion. Instead, the 35% stats, as a stand-alone piece of info, is what will lead us to the conclusion we want. However, the background info is also crucial and cannot be omitted; it is required background info.

• Consideration: Something which was taken into account or given some thought before arriving to the conclusion.

Suggested Books : Kaplan 800, Kaplan Verbal Workbook, Official Guide


This is hardly a post. But still I feel that it would certainly help you while doing CR questions. In the next post fr CR, I would like to discuss the common fallacies and how to tackle them. For the past few months I was teaching for GMAT and that's how I gained a better perspective towards what is most difficult for students to understand and in what manner it can be made simple for them to understand. Because of this newly gained insight I have been posting quite regularly. I am thinking of putting everything here and keep this blog as a reference for all your GMAT "needs".

Cheers!

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How to Tackle Reading Comprehension Questions on the GMAT

All about RC Questions on the GMAT

The first post on RC doesn't really tell you much about what to expect on the GMAT. This post will give detail you about all question types typically asked on the GMAT. I'll also talk about the various strategies to handle those questions.

All answers that present "extreme" viewpoints are, in all probability, incorrect unless they are comprehensively supported by information in the passage. GMAT will usually not have such passages. May be you will encounter a very few, if any, such questions in social science passages.

There are mainly five categories of questions that follow:

1. Summary Questions
2. Inference questions
3. Logical structure questions
4. Parallel reasoning
5. Direct details questions

Summary questions:

IF the questions ask you the Primary Purpose of the passage, then try to see "WHY" the author has written that passage, and not what or how he has written the passage. Primary purpose is exactly what it means...primary purpose. The answers will start with "To..." most of the times. And try identifying what kind of passage it is: explanatory, comparative or argumentative to know whether the author's primary purpose is to "outline", "evaluate", "compare", etc.

If the questions ask you the Main Idea of the passage, then eliminate all options which are relevant only to one paragraph in the passage. That can't be the "MAIN" idea. The main idea is the one which covers all the ideas and aspects in the passage. So the trick here is: this option will probably be longer than the others (a superset of 2-3 options) because it should cover all aspects. So don't tick the option which is true as per the passage, because it may just cover one aspect of the passage.

For Style and Tone questions you will have to focus on the “HOW?”.
Style is How the author put forth his ideas : descriptive, analytical, critical, ambiguous, etc.
Tone is How the author expresses his opinion. I am giving you a small list I have compiled which gives you Tone words. I would recommend learning the meaning of all these words.

satiric whimsical dramatic learned informative somber urgent confident mock-heroic objective diffident ironic didactic petty factual restrained elegiac disdainful lugubrious

pedantic indignant bantering flippant condescending patronizing facetious clinical mock-serious inflammatory benevolent burlesque fanciful detached cynical incisive allusive effusive scornful

colloquial compassionate impartial insipid pretentious vibrtant irreverent sentimental' moralistic complimentary sympathetic taunting concerned angry turgid sardonic contentious insolent candid

Inference Questions :

These questions ask you to identify indirect references, implications and suggestions in the passage. The ideas may not be explicitly laid out in the passage, but may be implied by the author. That is where your CR skills come into play.

• Do not go outside the scope of the passage. Don't use your general knowledge and don't try to read the author's mind. Any answer will follow logically from the information given in the passage.

• Avoid marking any option which is very extreme in language or ideas.

Logical Structure Questions :

These questions will test your understanding of How the passage has been constructed. So you should pay attention to the Ideas which the author includes/excludes and the order in which he put forth the ideas.

Prepare the flowchart for the passage by putting down the Primary ypurpose and Main Idea of each paragraph. This will clearly demonstrate the sequence and nature of the ideas presented in the passage.

Parallel Reasoning Questions :

These questions will ask you to identify the line of reasoning used in the specified part/paragraph of the passage and draw the analogy to other scenarios.

The strategy to solve these questions is to simplify the scenario in the passage and rephrase in your own words. And then eliminate any answer option which deviate from the underlying logic.

Direct Detail Questions :

There's only one strategy, which is hardly a strategy, read CAREFULLY.

Suggested Books : Kaplan 800, Kaplan Verbal Workbook, Official Guide

Hope you enjoyed the post. Do comment!!

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GMAT Preparation Guide ... A Detailed Schedule for Two Months....PART I

Hey there!! Nice to be blogging after so long! Thanks a lot for all the nice words through comments/emails/scraps. Makes me happy!

So the reason I am writing yet another post is that many of you guys thought that a step-by-step preparation chart would be of great help! So here is my humble attempt at it.

There are certain things I would like to assume here:

1. You have atleast 2 months before actually taking the GMAT. (I don't have to say that more is better)
2. You are willing to spend atleast 2.5 hrs daily.
3. On weekends you have 6 hrs to devote.
4. You have all the resources. (books and tests)
5. You have a good study table, good lighting and peaceful place.
6. You want to crack it big time!

Books you'll need :

1. OG 11/10
   
2. Kaplan Basic guide/Princeton Basic guide
   
3. Kaplan Verbal Workbook
   
4. Manhattan SC
   
5. Maths Workbook : Kaplan/Manhattan/Princeton/OG
   
6. Kaplan 800
   
7. Additionally you can have Verbal by OG/Princeton
   
8. Test CDs from GMAT, Kaplan, Princeton (and any other you can lay your hands on)
   

OK!! So lets start!

============== WEEK ONE ================

Day 1 (Preferably on a weekend):
1. Arrange all the books on your table. Get a bundle of blank sheets for all the rough work. Get one diary/journal to keep a daily log of your scores. And use your notebook (thin) for taking down all the notes while you are learning. Get a pen (not a pencil), preferably black ink, and a sketch pen to make charts. Also get a tiny bundle of post-its and a white and a black chart paper.

2. Read all you can about the GMAT exam on the official website and the introduction part of any of the GMAT guide (Kaplan or Princeton). Educate yourself about the CAT methodology of the test. Look at the different types of questions that come on the GMAT. See how each section looks like. Familiarise yourself!!

3. Finally take a diagnostic and feel good even if you didn't do well. Take a break and think how was it! Go over the analysis section and see what was the toughest/easiest section.

Day 2 :
Take up the Kaplan Basic guide and finish off the CR section. (Theory, examples and exercise + analysis). Do the rough work on the blank sheets and write down the answers in the diary/journal with a proper date, heading, book's name + Section name. Finally write down the score and the accuracy percentage.

Analyse each answer with utmost care and keep jotting down any stuff which you have learnt (there has to plenty of them). Make a habit of taking down notes. On the post-its write down all the silly mistakes you did and stick them on the black chart paper which you should stick to the wall infront of you.

Day 3 :
Follow the same thing for SC.

Day 4 :
Ditto for Problem solving.

Day 5 :
Ditto for DS.

Day 6 :
RC...same routine.

Day 7 :
Finish off the AWA section and take the paper based test at the end of the book. Analyze all the answers. Go through the explanations. Make notes. Write down the silly mistakes on the post-its. Also write down your experiences after you took your first test. Look back at your week. Feel good that you finished one book completely and one test.

SUMMARY:

So this week was a glimpse of what your weeks should look like...productive! Many people would feel that its a bit tough to follow this kind of schedule. But hey! Who said it was going to be easy. I don't believe in insincerity, laziness and doing things without passion. I believe that GMAT is the first step in your enedeavour. Its better to crack it on the first go rather than crying later after you have screwed it up. If you can't find time, do one thing: write down all the things you do in a day, for a week. Spot items which you can sacifice, like going to a movie, chatting, watching TV or going out just like that. I am sure you can take out 2-3 hrs daily for this. If you feel you still don't have time, you can schedule it for three months and stretch the schedule by 1.5 times. But be honest to yourself. Good luck!

============== WEEK TWO ================

From now onwards, your every session should be timed. This week we'll attack SC and PS. I would suggest you to have Kaplan Verbal Workout, Manhattan SC and OG.

Daily log keeping is mandatory. All the rough work on the sheets. Take notes after each exercise while analysing or reading the theory section. Make post-its for the annoyances.

Day 8 :
Go through chapters on 3 C's, Subject Verb Agreement, Tense, Mood & Voice (1, 2 and 3) from Manhattan. Do the exercise.

Day 9 :
Go through chapters on Pronouns and Modifiers from Manhattan (4 & 5).
Finish chapter 2 (SC) from Verbal workout. Do the practice questions.

Day 10 :
Finish Parallelism from Manhattan (6).
Do practice set 1 & 2 of SC from Verbal Workout.

Day 11 :
Open the Maths section from the Workbook you have. Finish the theory part and go through the formulae. Do the practice exercise.
Finish the chapter on Comparisons and Idioms from Manhattan.
Do the practice set 3 from verbal workout.

Day 12 :
Do the practice sets for PS from whichever book you are following.
Finish off Manhattan. Revise all the theory. Go thorough your notes.
Go through any other SC material you have.

Day 13 :
Take out your white chart. Make a section for SC on it. Count the number of sums in your OG for SC. Divide it by 50 and make as many blocks besides SC. I followed OG 10 (which I recommend). There would be 6-7 blocks. Paste it on your wall.

Take out the OG. Do the first 50 questions at a stretch. (1:30 hrs)
Against each answer option you write, you should write the keyword for it. And you should check how many are you able to spot correctly. Analyze the answers, go through explanations, make a note of errors/mistakes you did...basically try to minimise wrongs for your next session. If you have any doubt in any of the explanation, go back to Manhattan to clarify it as much as possible.

Day 14 :
Do the next 50 questions SC from OG. (1:30 hrs)
Do 50 questions from PS from OG as well. (1:30 hrs)
Analyze. Learn formulae, theory...and revise everything (3 hrs)

SUMMARY :

So you have finished Mahattan SC. Great! You have also crossed out two blocks for SC on the white sheet. And one block for PS.

============== WEEK THREE ================


This week we'll target CR and finish off the remaining questions for PS from OG and Workbook.

You will have 6 blocks for CR OG. 35 questions each. So we'll target finshing these six blocks, each a day. And I recommend doing 500 questions for PS and DS each. So this week we'll finish 5 blocks (=250 questions) for PS. Excited!! Lets start!

Day 15:
Take out Verbal Workbook and go through the theory and practice exercise. Thats it for today. Rest of the stuff (analysis, log keeping) will not be told again and again. That should become a habit. Every session has to be well documented.

Day 16:
Finish the practice set 1. Then 1 block from OG for CR.

Day 17:
Finish 1 block from OG CR and PS.

Day 18:
1 block from CR OG and practice set 2 from Verbal workbook.

Day 19 :
1 block CR OG and PS.

Day 20 :
1 block CR OG and practice set 3. 1 block of PS.

Day 21 :
1 block of CR OG and 2 block PS

SUMMARY :

You should be quite comfortable with CR, SC and PS by now. If you are able to match up with this schedule, you are doing great. Three good weeks. We'll target RC and DS in the next week. So one month would be over. And you would have finished Manhattan, Verbal Workbook, Maths Workbook and OG.!! Next month it'll be redoing the OG the smarter way, Kaplan 800 (the next step), making notes, and taking lots tests!!


============== WEEK FOUR ================


This week we'll target RC (from OG and Workbook) and DS (from OG and Workbook).

You will have 6 blocks for RC OG. 35 questions each. So we'll target finshing these six blocks, each a day.

Day 22:
Take out Verbal Workbook and go through the theory and practice exercise for Reading Comprehension. Thats it for today. Rest of the stuff (analysis, log keeping). Document your session.

Day 23:
Finish the practice set 1. Then 1 block from OG for RC.

Day 24:
Finish 1 block from OG CR and

Day 25:
1 block from CR OG and practice set 2 from Verbal workbook.

Day 26 :
1 block RC OG and DS.

Day 27 :
1 block RC OG and practice set 3. 1 block of DS.

Day 28 :
1 block of RC OG and 2 block DS

SUMMARY :

Let's look Back at the last month :-) We have finished OG completely. Your Verbal Accuracy at this stage is expected to be above 80% assuming you have done all the analysis and log keeping religiously. The next month is going to be rigorous. This month we'll target doing Kaplan 800, Redoing the OG and taking as many tests as possible. So get ready!! It's going to be fun.

And one more thing...I am sure some of you will be able to achieve the targets set in this schedule and the rest of the junta can just sit back and complain that it is a tough schedule and come up with excuses as to why it didn't work out for them.

All the best...keep checking out the site for updates on this post. You can subscribe.

PART II is out!!

Leave your comments...this will help me fine tune it. And others can draw inspiration from folks who are benefiting from this schedule.

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Guide to buy Best GMAT Books and Preparation Software

Okay!! I know this is gonna be awesome! Books!! The best part of the entire exercise is the part where I get my new books. The smell is itself is so inspiring...forget about the content!! But yeah...there's a lot to be done before you get the books. Books and the prep material which you have can make or break your GMAT. So one needs to make a wise choice before buying the books. Also these books aren't very cheap so as to say. So when you get them, you better suck up every comma, full stop in that book.

Before you buy...think what you aim for, where do you stand right now, how much time do you have....things like that.

Many guys have been asking these questions again and again to me. So I was thinking of writing a post which tells you all about buying your books. And hey!! I am not endorsing any particular publications or any prep classrooms. Whatever I suggest to you is entirely based on my own experiences and my observations. So I can assure you that this is going to be the most unbiased and trustworthy suggestion you can get. And I am equally sure of the good results and benefits you all can reap. :)

Okay so enough of the disclaimer...now the gyan:D

You want to start your GMAT prep??
Get these books :

1. The Official Guide for GMAT Review, 11th Edition
2. Kaplan GMAT, 2007 Edition: Premier Program (Kaplan Gmat (Book & CD-Rom))
3. Sentence Correction GMAT Preparation Guide (Manhattan Gmat Prep)

These books are a must. The OG is a must. I have told this several times that doing and redoing the OG is the key. The Kaplan Gmat book will help you know the question type better. It has good theory and will give you a solid background in all the sections. The Sc part is not very good in this book. So you will need a special SC book. No book does it better than the Manhattan SC. My acuracy in SC improved drastically. I cannot imagine my gmat prep without these books. For more info and reviews on these books, you can click on the thumbnails to your left.

You feel you need to work on the verbal/quant section??

Okay! So this is where the supplemental books come into the picture. You can get these books:

1. The Official Guide for GMAT Quantitative Review
2. The Official Guide for GMAT Verbal Review
3. Kaplan GMAT Verbal Workbook
4. Kaplan GMAT Math Workbook

You can get either the Official guide reviews or Kaplan Workbooks. Both are not recommended. I would personally go for Kaplan. Why because the language in this book is very inspiring and I feel motivated while doing the problems.

The Verbal review really helped me a lot. I didn't get the Math workbook for myself, but one of my students did. And I am happy to say that it helped him. So if you are really weak in maths, you should get one right away. Its not recommended for people who are above average level in maths.

I think I am in the 750+ league!!

Is that so?? Great!! If this is the thing then there's one book I know which is great and a must must buy for people aiming for somewhere around 750...anyone aiming above than 700 should do this book. And I am very sure that this book will improve your score by 20-30 points if you follow this book well. No surprises here!!

Kaplan GMAT 800 2008-2009


Shortcomings in these books: none of the books is good enough for tough maths. Actual GMAT has tougher question than any of the problems in these books when you reach the 50 level. These books do not give you the "gyan". But that you can always get it from here :D Any one book is not sufficient in itself. They all demand rigorous practice.

For the test materials:

GMAT prep...free to download
Kaplan cd...comes with the book
Apart from that paper tests...both power prep ones and kaplan ones.
And if you get timeyou can always help yourself with some tests there on the web.
But I really dont think you need to spend extra bucks for taking practice tests.

For more info and reviews on these books, you can click on the thumbnails to your left.

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Sentence Correction Tips for GMAT

1. Look out for : none, each,....pronoun number errors.
2. Verb agreement with subject w.r.t. number, tense, etc.
3. Modifiers...recognise them.
4. Possessive case --it's not the subject!!
5. Dangling Modifiers -- modifiers which have no subject --- wrong!!
6. Almost always Modifiers come immediately after the word they modify!
   
7. IF Vs WHETHER -- If -- hypothetical... whether -- when you have to choose among options
8. Maintain PARALLELISM -- rather than, instead of, to X is to Y, etc.
9. Look out for sentences starting with "to"...maintain parallelism
10. BOTH -- only two things!! and parallel too!!
11. Look out for COMPARISONS --> LIKE, UNLIKE, SIMILAR TO...compare same types (number, type, etc.)
12. Look for countable and non-countable nouns. (amount, sum,etc.)
13. THAT Vs WHICH ...that is restrictive...which is non-restrictive.
14. LIKE Vs AS ... like expresses similarity ... As compare clauses
15. SUCH AS --> to give examples .. such X as x1, x2, x3.
16. JUST AS --> again to compare actions, not nouns.
17. BECAUSE Vs IN THAT ... because shows cause and effect ... in that is mostly correct on the gmat.
18. USUAL Vs IS USUAL ... usual... compared to itself... is usual...when compared to a sub-group it belongs to.
19. NATIVE OF Vs NATIVE TO ... Native of is used for a person...native to is correctfor person/thing..everything else.
20. CAN Vs COULD -- can = ability, opportunity, possibilty. could = assumption, condition, polite request, suggestion
21. WOULD --> a condition in the past, anticipation in the past
22. BECAUSE Vs ON ACCOUNT OF --> former is preferred over the latter. both are correct.
23. ECONOMIC Vs ECONOMICAL --> Economic is economy related... economical is money-saving
24. 'Declining revenues' -- > is plural !!

These pointers only tell you what should get the bells ringing. When you see any of these, you should know that okay I got to look for errors here. For the rest, see the sentence correction post.


Suggested Books : Wren & Martin, Manhattan SC, Kaplan 800, Kaplan Verbal Workbook, Official Guide

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My GMAT Story

Yeah I know its totally confusing as to why I am posting this after so long. Funny thing is that I don't have an answer. But I always wanted to post my story here. You can find this post on couple of forums...so why not on my own blog.

I as a person believe that what makes one an achiever is passion. If you love what you are doing, you will do it. While the prepping period, if I was not studying for GMAT then whatever I was doing was a non-gmat thing. That meant frustration for me. That itch...you know...that constant thing going inside you, which said, "hey! You gotta go back...you're not studying". So when I ever get frustrated or depressed, I just told to myself that things will be just fine if I could go back to studies. Enough of gyan...now the actual story.

I have done my engg. from IIT Delhi '05 class. I took CAT two times and failed miserably. Both the times I screwed up the DI section. It's just not my cup of tea. I scored well in maths and english sections.

I was devastated...seeing all my batch mates go to IIMs and some to big companies like McKinsey, BCG, ML was doing me no good. I felt like a loser. It was not that my prep for CAT was not gud enough...but some things are just meant to happen in a certain way...

I can't express in words how miserable I felt when I had to leave IIT with a mediocre IT job. I did some introspection and got some advice from my sister who's in US...she told me something which now I totally believe..."everything happens for a reason". May be I didn't clear CAT because I have something better. She told me to prepare for GMAT and meanwhile get the feel of the industry. That's what i did. I didn't look for switching my job. I came to Pune and since then I am here...

I didn't expect my prep to start right away...so I waited and it was only in June when I started thinking about GMAT. I took out my Kaplan 2004 guide..which I bought in IIT but never read. Initially the prep didn/t get kick started. The reason was that I didn't have a test date.

Lesson learned till now:

Forget about past failures.
Look forward...try options and always have a positive attitude.
Have a dream and be passionate about it.
Lastly get a test date...keep yourself on the toes and focused!!

I took a test date...on 30 Oct..I can never forget that date...I also took a date for TOEFL on 1 Oct.

My actual preparation started in Aug when I took a date. I started looking for resources on the net. I started looking at the posts in PG, beat the GMAT, score top...I downloaded some stuff from eSnips.

Strategising was not a problem for me...I know how to study to make the most out of it...the trick is simple...I don't think/do anything when I study...and the other thing I do is kinda strange but works for me....I make a commitment to myself and all the time I think about how bad I would feel if i didn't keep that. So I thought I would score a 720 in my GMAT. That was an honest goal for me.

In a month I knew what all I lack...what are the areas where I need to push myself more...I was lacking the accuracy..I was making silly mistakes...and If I could cut down my silly mistakes and brush up some old CAT concepts, a 750 is not impossible for me.

I took GMAT prep for the first time and scored 710...I was happy to see the 700 figure...and happiness is good..especially if you've been depressed all the time!!

It gave confidence and I made a master plan for me. The plan was for Sep and Oct...two months....I made a big chart....its basically a calendar with big blocks for each day....
I collected all the Materials....1000 SC, 1000 CR, OG, Kaplan guide, Kaplan 800, Kaplan verbal, Manhattan, all the tests...Kaplan, GMAT Prep, and IMS Cds.

I made a schedule...and fitted all of it in those two months. Each day I would come after office and without having food, start my study sessions...at the end I would cross out the date...like an executioner....The crosses gave me confidence and a sense of satisfaction. It felt gud to see that the days were not just passing by but I was progressing and getting nearer to my goal.

I stuck post-its all over my place with quotes and motivational stuff...each day when I woke up I would know that I would finish this thing today...I knew that GMAT was the only way to redeem myself...I took TOEFL...which helped me get a feel of the computer test...also I learnt a lesson that always reach your centers early.

I was inline with my schedule...and some days I would not keep up with the schedule...which I would make up on weekends...I had scheduled my sessions taking the possibility of over times...

Two weeks before the test I started my practice test Marathon. I had 12 IMS tests. 4 Kaplan tests, 1 GMAT test. I finished all of them in those two weeks. My sequence was...12 IMS tests. were not so good. CR was no way GMAT type...maths was good. helped me with time management in maths but totally screwed up in English...because CRs were very short....unlike actual GMAT where it takes time just to read the CR.

Anyways I moved to Kaplan...I was aware of the notorious reputation of Kaplan tests...so I knew that if I managed a 650 average on all 4 tests....I was good...and i did...

I had kept the GMAT prep for the last...because I knew its the fairest approximation...so i took it two days before...i got a 740. I was sure i would get 740-750 on GMAT....

last two days I prepared for AWA. and revised my SC tips, CR pointers and did some reading...random stuff...

Lesson learnt:

keep the GMAT prep test 2 for last day....and yess memorise the format...its exactly the same....even the colors...that is blue...everything is ditto...except the questions

On the final day:

I went to Mumbai a day before....went to my fellow IITian friend's place (thanks Somu!)...had light chit chat....talked bout good old days when all we had to do was play quake and gossip at nescafe....

woke up early...reached the center early...the guard didn't allow me in before time...finally the hour arrived...went in...did some formalities...and entered the test room.....

I know why..but I was totally relaxed...I thought to myself, "Mukul this is your chance buddy...U had taken so many tests and scored well...no reason why you would screw up today...U r going to make it big" and then I thought of my parents and how happy they would be...and started off...

paced through the usual yada lada...and arrived at the AWA section...was good...ten there was the optional break after one hr of AWA...which I didn't take!! should have taken tho...but I was too excited...

I started getting tough problems after 5-6 question..meant i was doing good...got stuck in a question....my IITian ego was not letting me go off the question...but after some time i had to guess and move forward..

Lesson learnt...let go off the question after an intelligent guess..

Overall i felt my Quants section was good...more than 50 I thought...

then took a break....verbal....bold face CR in the 6th quesn...was happy...okkk i am doing good...now time to concentrate and get this one rite at any cost...I guess i did it correctly....after that I don't know why...but I thought questions were easy...i got sad...but didn't let myself be bothered...I finished the verbal well before time....

and thennnnnnnnnnnnnnn..................i was so excited...i just paced through the screens...atleast 10 screens....then it said...show scores???

Hell yesssssss!! I expected a 740 to be honest....

it said 770 !! I raised my hands and literally jumped up....I came out of the room...and the invigilator looked at my score sheet and gave a big smile...

I was ecstatic....guys I am so much more relieved and confident now...
I learnt a lot from my preparations....and I thought I wud write all of it to help you guys....

Hope it helps....

ATB...if I can do it...so can you...

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English Grammar

As I promised, I am posting my notes here. They are pointers and I do not intend to give very descriptive rules as it would not coax you to look into a book and learn them properly with any exceptions which the rules may have. This is meant to help you know what to look for and which rules are important. I am sure it will help a lot.

Verb-Subject Agreement

• Error of Proximity
• Two subjects joined by ‘and’ – plural
• If both point to the same thing (one thing) – singular
• Parenthetical words joined to a singular subject – singular (e.g. ‘with’, ‘as well as’)
• Two or more singular subjects connected by ‘or’, ‘nor’ – singular
• When one of them is plural – plural (and nearer to it)
• When subjects of different person joined by ‘or’. ‘nor’ – verb is of person nearer to it
• Either, neither, each, everyone, many a – singular
• Each X and every Y – singular
• Pains, means – singular or plural (depends)
• Nouns which are plural in meaning – plural (e.g. ‘dozen’ – needs a plural verb)
• None – plural, but singular also in some cases
• Collective noun – singular (but if individuals are thought of – plural; e.g. – the team is united. The jury are divided in their decision…because it no more is collective in a sense…)
• Plural noun is a proper name – singular (e.g. Arabian Nights)
• Plural noun denote some specific quantity or amount as a whole – singular (e.g. fifteen minutes is..)
• When ‘each’ or ‘every’ follows a subject, it has no bearing on the verb form.

Adverbs

• Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives or adverbs.
• Thence = from there; Whence = from where (use of ‘from’ with these is wrong; from thence is wrong usage)
• Only Adverb of Manner, Degree & Time admit of comparison
• Order of Adverbs – Manner, place, time
• Manner, place are placed after the verb (or object)
• Frequency, Degree are normally placed between the subject & the verb (if the verb has more than one word, then placed after the first)
• If the verb is :
  am/are/is/was --> after
  Before <-- be (do) Before <-- have to, used to
• If adjective (adverb) -- then before the adjective (adverb)
• But ‘enough’ is always placed after
• ‘Only’ is placed immediately after the word it modifies
• ‘Ever’, ‘never’, ‘scarcely’ are often misplaced (e.g. scarcely anyone believes…right; no one scarcely believes…wrong)
• Seldom or never…right
• Seldom if ever…right
• Seldom or ever…wrong
• ‘Never’ for ‘not’ is wrong. (E.g. He was never born in India…wrong; He was not born in India…right)
• too = more than enough
• too != very/much
• Of course != certainly, undoubtedly
• Of course = natural or inevitable consequence

Nouns & Pronouns

• Uncountable nouns do not have plurals. Cannot be used with a/an. (e.g. advice, news, information, luggage, work, business, weather, traffic, scenery, paper, soap, bread, etc.)
• Possessive Case –
  Living beings, personified objects, space or time (denoting an amount)
  Apposition – ‘s is added to the latter
  Two subjects – when different possession is implied, then both of them has ‘s
  When joint possession is implied, only the latter has ‘s
• Pronoun after than/as – nominative form (e.g. taller than I) But if verb is missing then objective form can be used. (Taller than me…is also correct)
• Anybody, everybody, everyone, anyone, each – singular. Gender is as per context
• ‘One’ should be used throughout
• ‘None’ – singular/plural – as per context
• ‘Anyone’ – used only when there are more than two persons
• Each, either, neither – singular
• For relative pronouns – verb must agree with antecedent of the relative pronoun
  (e.g. – He is one of the cleverest boys that have passed this year. This is only one of the poems that is worth reading.)
• Possessive case pronoun cannot be used as antecedent
• Third person pronoun should not be used as antecedent to who/that
  (e.g. Mucool’s room is so messy that his mother calls him a pig. Him is wrong. Needs an antecedent and there is none. Mucool’s is possessive case. Him should e replaced by mucool)

Comparisons

LIKE Vs AS
Like -- to comapre people, things (nouns)
As -- to compare clauses (any phrase that involves a verb)

SUCH AS = For Example
such as != like ...'such as' cannot be substituted for 'like'

Comparisons must be logically and structurally parallel.

Two things -- comparative degree
More things -- superlative degree

Different from -- is correct
Different than -- incorrect

Verb Tense, Mood & Voice

Infinitives -- to + the verb
Split Infinitives are wrong
e.g. to + ___ + Verb ...is wrong...nothing should come in between to and the verb.

PRESENT PERFECT -- have/has + past participle
past------(continuing)----->present

PAST PERFECT -- Had + past participle
"To have" = "had"
These are correct forms:
has had
had had
Refer Manhattan

IF...THEN...
If she wins...will give... (present)
If she won...would give...(past)
If she had won...would have given...(future)

COULD/WOULD never appear in the IF clause.

IF vs WHETHER --> Use whether not if, when you have to make a choice.

Subjunctive Mood

If I were...(contrary to reality)

Uncertainity --> Hopes, desires, proposals, requests

Formed using "That"...then plural form to be used for singular subjects.
e.g. It is urgent that she sign...not signs!!
that he be...infinitive form without "to".

Suggested Books : Wren & Martin, Manhattan SC, Kaplan 800, Kaplan Verbal Workbook, Official Guide

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Wharton Reject

My first blow along the MBA journey, well international MBA journey. Though honestly I was kinda expecting it. Work ex sucks big time. Wharton isn't just about a great GMAT score. It weighs you heavily on the basis of your work-ex. So there it is!

Not loosing heart. I am gonna head on with Ross interview like a raging bull. Nonetheless I learned a lot through application processes and still learning. There are so many things right now. Switching my professional line is one big thing. I have to study a lot. Then work at the office is not doing any good either. And then I have to give the KT to the new guy. How am I supposed to prepare for the interviews. But life is like that...you have to fight and fight hard. I like it like that!

Cheers to me!!

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Michigan Ross Interview

First gud news after the grueling R2 application marathon!! Got an interview call from Michigan Ross. Checked the ranking...says 5th :D I am very happy...but very scared too!! I fear interviews like anything and most of the time I screw 'em big time!! But this is the final step and I just can't afford to miss out on this one!!

I gotta prepare hard now...gotta look at the essays and my resume. Bad news is I gotta cancel my trekking trip to Lonar crater...the world's largest hyper-velocity meteorite impact crater in basaltic rock...damn it sounds exciting :(

But that can wait I guess! Will keep ya guyz updated.
Cheers!!

Update:

Hoooof!! I am still sweating!!
I expected something like...someone will pick up and connect me to the interviewer...but god no!! I called up and he said...hi Mukul...and by the time I was catching up the accent...he had already introduced himself!!

I had to ask his name again...and it was something which I couldn't get!! So i had to say sir!!

He asked these questions...(order may vary)

Tell me bout IBM work ex
What roles?
What was the team strength i supervised
One greatest professional achievement
Why MBA
Goals
Why Ross
How would u contribute to Ross...extra curricular
A question for me to ask....asked bout Ross experience...in general..

Dunno how I did not gud I wud say...think he caught the low work ex thing..

Lets see...hope for the best!

Update: Reject...same letter as always...my failure euphemistically put down.

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Reading Comprehension

It's Incomprehensble!!

com·pre·hen·sion (kmpr-hnshn)

n.

1.

a. The act or fact of grasping the meaning, nature, or importance of; understanding.

b. The knowledge that is acquired in this way.

2. Capacity to include.

3. Logic The sum of meanings and corresponding implications inherent in a term.

Okay...forget all that!! The GMAT guys are well aware that we cannot be astronomers, doctors, environmentalists, engineers, drama critics all at the same time...right?? So it's pretty lame to expect that we would understand every minor details out there in the passages they give us to read. So what does comprehension really mean here? It means how much you have "understood" what the author is trying to convey. Don't expect questions which will ask details beyond the scope of the passage. For that matter you should infact keep your general knowledge in a box! So if you know that pluto is now not a planet anymore....please don't use this bit of information if it's not stated i nthe passage.

There are three phases in your RC section....

1. When you are preparing for RC...like now.
2. When you are actually reading the passage...which you will.
3. And finally when you are solving the questions...which you will have to!!

So for preparing and I assume that you have plenty of time to do so...you should get into the habit of reading...random stuff...from good sources. A good reading speed and a good vocabulary, especially with lotsa jargon awareness is worth possessing.

But obviously you don't have much time and you are panicking already, becuase your accuracy leveles are not good. So try this:

1. Don't get bogged down by the details, especially examples cited....skip it!! Skim the passage.
2. While reading look for author's main idea.
3. Try to figure out the purpose of the passage...all GMAT passages have one.
4. Use the scratch paper to quickly write a very very very small summary of each passage. This can work wonders especially in specific details questions and help you locate the portion which can answer the particular question. But this needs practice.
5. Also Kaplan gives you a good technique. Roadmap....works like magic...basically you chart out the structure of the passage. Helps you spot the relevant info quickly and gives you command on the passage...you have bird's view of the passage this way.
6. Don't re'read until and unless you have to..,atleast don't re-read the pasage because you feel you haven't understood it!! NO!! Don't do it!!

That's pretty much what I can tell you...really there's nothing more I can do here!! Practice, practice and practice. If you could, time permitting, try to take the LSAT stuff...it really prepares you for the toughest questions.

Read all the explanations. You can re-read the explanations/passages any number of times you want to during the analysis session, and not while doing the passages!!

ATB

Suggested Books : Kaplan 800, Kaplan Verbal Workbook, Official Guide

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Data Sufficiency

Am I Thinking Sufficiently!!

No approach - Low accuracy.
Right approach - 100% accuracy!!

Pointers:

1. DS is not PS. (Most of the times you won't need to get a numerical answer)
   


2. Get rid of your biases/assumptions. (What's given is what's given and what's not given is not given!!)
3. Memorise the answer options...it's going to be the same on the actual GMAT.


4. When you can't get a definite answer...make an intelligent guess with the help of this:

If 1 is sufficient...answer can be A or D.
If 2 is sufficient, then answer can be B or D
If none is sufficient (alone) then answer can be C or E.


5. Focus on the question stem : Don't loose track of what is being asked.
   


6. Look at each statement separately. I would suggest you to look at statement 2 first and then statement 1. The reason is that the sequence of the two statements tricks the reader into assuming the info given in 1 and applying it while reading 2. That's wrong!! Most careless errors on DS come when you subconsciously carry over some info from statement 1 to statement 2 (i.e. you're not actually looking at statement 2 on its own).


7. Look at both statements in combination.


8. Use lots of scratch paper. Do it neatly. It'll help.

Given that you follow all the pointers given above...you will start getting most of the DS right now. But I think the most important thing to keep in mind is that tough DS questions will have traps. And you have to be wary if them. Look out for some of these :

1. For example, most people know that if you can set up two linear equations with two unknowns, you can solve for both variables. So the natural instinct when each of the statements can be translated into an equation is to assume that the answer must be C. However, sometimes the two equations may not be independent of each other (e.g. x + 2y = 3 and 2x + 4y = 6, which are just two versions of the same equation).
   


2. At other times, the question stem may actually ask for a sum (e.g. a+b), and even though there are two variables, a single equation (e.g. 4a + 4b = 20) may be sufficient, since you're only asked to find the sum, not the individual values of a and b.
   


3. Finally, another common DS trap occurs with Yes/No questions, for example "Is x divisible by 2?". The trick here is that in DS, you are supposed to determine whether the question can be definitively answered based on the given info. So if statement 1 says "X is odd", we can in fact answer the question (in this case, the answer is "no"). So in a Yes/No question, it doesn't matter whether the answer turns out to be Yes or No - all that matters is whether the given info is sufficient to allow you to find the answer.

In addition you would like to pay more attention to the following concepts. These are the toughest concepts, asked on the GMAT.

1. Inequalities...
   watch out for points where equality doesnt holds... x > 3 doesnt means x can be 3...
   watch out for fractions....higher denominator means lower values....but in negaticve fractions...higher denominator means higher values...


2. Powers...
   squaring a fraction devaluates it...cubing..even more..
   but a negative fraction on squaring gets bigger....but on cubing lowers....things like that


3. Modulus...
   Learn how mod values are dealt with..
   How negative cross multiplications are done with inequalities.


4. Logarithms...
   Learn properties of bases...fractional bases, negative values of logs.
   I do it with help of graphs.


5. Composite and Prime nos...
   clubbed with even and odd concepts..
   e.g. 2 is the only no. prime and even, etc.
   

Cheers!!
P.S. I will put up a flowchart too!!

Suggested Books : Kaplan 800, Kaplan Math Workbook, Official Guide, Manhattan Math

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Critical Reasoning

Let's have an Argument!!

Hurraah!! Another post :-)

Before starting off...lock your prejudices and biases in a box and open it up only when you've reached the apping stage. CR has no room for prejudices. It's all about what's written in the argument. (Okay now...before starting the CR...make yourself comfy with the jargon...go through the doc which has definitions for bold face CR's). If you are not comfy with the jargon and you confuse between inference and conclusion, you shouldn't be reading this post. I am not going to tell you that!!

Okay so you've done your homework then!! Let's start with the pointers:

1. Familiarize yourself with the concepts tested. Make yourself aware of all the question stems.
2. One very good way to learn about the logical patterns is to go through the AWA guide. Download it and go through the list of fallacies. It's very very helpful. It opened my eyes to new fallacies which earlier went past by unnoticed.
3. Keep your eye out for assumptions, evidences on which the author relies for his conclusion. Don't just buy his words...ask him...hey mister!! How could you say that??
4. Substitue long confusing proper nouns for good old X's and Y's. It's better to counter the quesn this way.
5. Always always make sure you have understood the explanation and content with the logic behind. Kaplan has good CR.

There are many categories in CR. Those are given in Kaplan...I am not going to tell you that. I would like to use this space to tell you something important!! If there's any concept which will help you crack most of the questions, then that has to be SCOPE SHIFTS. You can easily eliminate most of the choices becoz they are outside the "scope". If I say: there are no buyers for these yellow pencils. And you counter me by saying : That's bizarre!! Everyone's buying pencils these days...there are hardly any pencils left in the stores!!

Then you've gone beyond the scope!! Why?? It's easy to miss "yellow" there!! You've shifted the scope. You broadened the scope...shifted it...that's a logical error. The yellow pencils might still be not selling.

Also most of the times the choices sound correct and convincing and are mostly the popular choices as in they wud have something like an universal truth...like Shakespeare was good in prose and poetry both....but this may not be concluded from the argument...don't be tempted...see whether it follows from the argument.

Then there's this causation thingy. Which is basically when you muddle up the cause and effect. Master this!!

Finally I used something which might sound rude but it helped...picking out the logical errors in your friends' arguments....you'll be surprised how many we commit.

Suggested Books : Kaplan 800, Kaplan Verbal Workbook, Official Guide

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Sentence Correction

Correction Center

One thing common to all high scorers is that they all do the SC's with almost 100% accuracy. I feel that Sentence Correction is very very tricky and can make or break your 750+ dream. But even while I'm writing this post, I'm not so sure how to make the best of it. I am confused as to whether I discuss the grammar rules here, or make it a discussion forum for SC questions. So, just now I've decided not to do any of those and tell you how you can master SC. You must have heard that thing about giving a hungry man a fish to eat, or teaching him to fish and help him feed himself for the rest of his life. So I think I'll help you learn fishing. Let's fish!!

Your fishing gear:

1. Official Guide
2. Mahattan SC
3. Kaplan Verbal Workbook
4. A good eyesight!!

In addition to all this, i would recommend you to keep a good grammar book handy for reference. I have my good old Wren & Martin. My mantra is to keep your basics straight. Right after you finish reading this post, go and wipe off the dust off the book and start with the following topics:

1. Nouns -- collective nouns, singular/plural rules
2. Verbs -- subject-verb agreement
3. Pronouns -- antecedents
4. Adverbs
5. Tenses, sequence of tenses

This is pretty much which you can cover from your grammar book. Once you enter the GMAT land, you will see many new terms -- dangling modifiers, split infinitives, things like that...scary stuff. But don't be scared. Just make sure you have covered the basic topics listed above thoroughly. When I say thoroughly, I presume that you've made notes and listed out the rules on a small notebook that you can keep handy with you. I stress on making notes, simply because it helps....a lot!!

Okay so now you have covered the basic stuff...time to move on to a higher level...start with the Manhattan SC. It has around 15 chapters I guess. I finished it off in a week. One important thing here...make sure that before you do the exercises...you've covered the stuff thoroughly.

I know doing the problems over and over again helps...but there's a catch...if you do the same problem over and over again...your performance is bound to go up, although your actual performance may not be going up at all simply cuz you've memorized the answers. So whenever you take up the exercise for the first time...make sure you are properly prepared and don't cheat yourself.

Don't be smug about finishing off the book, you've to do it again after you realise you're doing some mistakes over and over again. So now it's time to start the OG. Follow the same 50 questions a day schedule and finish off the OG SC in not more than 15 days. Remember you have to take all the sections together and still manage to finsh them off simultaneously. The key is to schedule your sessions in a planned manner and execute the plan accordingly within strict time limits.

Finishing off the OG means that you've a list of all the mistakes, question type-wise analysis chart, accuracy meter readings and everything as told in my earlier posts. This is pretty much what you will do in with your CR, or RC or for that matter any section. Mistakes, mistakes, mistakes...they are your enemy. Spot them, destroy them!!

I'll come back with some really cool tips for SC and then you'll see how your accuracy rises up!! Till then happy prepping...lemme know about your preparations and problems you are facing.

Sentence Correction Tips & Tricks :

Okay I'm back!! Let's start right away....

1. Try to spot the mistake before looking at the answer choices.
2. Go over the list of common SC errors in your mind. There are around 8 common errors. (Kaplan gives you the 8 most common errors...subject-verb, pronouns,.....pick out the first letter from all these and form a word and go through it whenever faced with an SC.)
3. Scan the answer choices vertically...this is very very useful!!
4. Most of the answer choices have a 2-3 formation....that is 2 of one type and rest 3 of other type...so try to narrow down on choices.
5. Elimination....very helpful!!
6. Last but not the least...don't right away discard choice A...trust me I think 5 out of 15 questions on my my final exam were A!!! (atleast I think they were A...and I got 45 on verbal :-D)

Here I would like to add that 2,3 & 5 did it for me...simple!!

Guys...these are only tips...but until and unless you focus on your weak areas in SC...nothing is gonna help. My weak areas were Parallelism and Pronouns. But I worked on them...wrote down every type of error I found and eventually got better on those types of SC.

Don't forget the idioms. It will take sometime to familiarise yourself with idioms. And everyone knows idioms are VERY important if you want to reach that 95% accuracy level. I have a list of idioms....go thru it...I stuck it before my study table and now I have memorised most of them without an extra effort.

To be continued...


Suggested Books : Wren & Martin, Manhattan SC, Kaplan 800, Kaplan Verbal Workbook, Official Guide

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Comments Please :-(

Is it worth the effort?? This is the question I was asking myself...I'm new to this blog business...so may be I'm missing something here...
Guys I put in effort here which I hope you would find useful...it's my humble request to the visitor to leave a line or two to lemme know how did ya find the stuff here...and may be a suggestion or two to improve upon it...and what more would be of interest.
I see my visitor count increasing, but I've not got many critical comments. Please help me help you and all the future GMAT takers. I feel good after I post and look forward eagerly for suggestions. Your contribution will be appreciated. :-)
Enjoy!!

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Test Strategies

I Know I haven't completed the section wise discussions as yet, but I thought may be I put in the test preparation section to help out guys who are already half way through their prepping. And honestly I couldn't resist myself from writing this section....simply cuz this is going to be the best post ever and I guarantee you guys that this is going to push your scores by at least 20-30 points if you really practice what I preach here.

So let's just start...I promise it's going to be exciting...

What all you need?

1. Kaplan cds (4 tests which you get with the Kaplan GMAT Edition)
2. GMAT powerprep (2 tests which is free to download from MBA.com)
3. Any other test CDs (at least 4 tests)

In sum you should have 10 tests.

In addition to Kaplan and power prep, I had IMS test cds (having 12 tests!!) I must add here that these tests were not up to the GMAT mark, at least the verbal section. The CR was nothing like what you see in the actual GMAT. But this doesn't mean they didn't help me. Practicing those tests helped me build up my stamina to perform under test conditions....and that's very very important. In the actual test I hardly had any problem. I didn't even take the optional break after the essay section and just moved on to the Quant section. (You must have seen the invigilator's face :-D )

Summary:

Kaplan and power prep will be the actual indicator and must be given seriously. They are like industry standards against which you can benchmark your performance.

Other tests should also be taken seriously, but keeping in mind that they may not be very consistent, one should not benchmark one's performance against that. I would recommend them for stamina building and spotting silly mistakes which you wouldn't want to make in the actual tests, or for that matter even in the Kaplan and power prep tests.

Rules for the Game:

1. You are not allowed to take breaks which are not a part of the actual exam.
2. You have to be totally aware of the actual examination rules and instructions.
3. You can only use 6 scratch papers for rough work.
4. Try to simulate actual exam conditions as much as possible. So you would want to avoid keeping a water bottle with you :-)
   

Read my post describing the actual exam (I will put up that soon)

How to schedule your tests?

I presume you have already taken the diagnostic test by now. There's no such thing as an ideal schedule. It's up to the individual's pace and stamina. But I feel the following is a great way to schedule tests:

Kaplan Diagnostic
---Break---
GMAT power prep 1
---Break---
Test 1
Test 2
---Break---
Kaplan Test 1
---Break---
Test 3
Test 4
---Break---
Kaplan Test 2
---Break---
Kaplan Test 3
---Break---
Kaplan Test 4
---Break---
GMAT power Prep 2
---Chill!!---
THE GMAT

Break?? Yes Breaks!!

After the first Diagnostic, take a week going through all the concepts in Quant. Learn the Grammar rules. Familiarize yourself with the concepts, question stems, etc. (Read Chapter I)

Take the GMAT Power prep after 10 days. Prepare yourself for the test. Feel the importance of it and try to do your best.
My score was 710. I feel you can easily add 50 points to this to get an idea of your actual score. Obviously this applies only if you are taking this test at an early point of time. Learn from mistakes. See which type of questions you screwed up. Learn from your mistakes and try not to repeat them. If you are able to do so, there's no stopping you.

Test 1 and Test 2...Learn from your mistakes...keep updating your grid...analyze your performance in every section. Remember you have to do all the practicing and solving problems from the study material side-by-side. Tests tell you which areas you screw up in the Exam.

TIP -- Always have a rough idea about the timings. As in after 10 mins you should be on the 5th question. After 30 mins you should be on 15th question....something like that. You would want to spend an extra effort and time on the first 10 questions...which will push you towards the high score region.

TIP -- I have observed that the first 9-10 questions are always SC or CR...not RC's. SO make sure you avoid silly mistakes in SC/CR.

Schedule all the tests in a manner that you get at least a one day break for each break mentioned there and you're still left with three days before the exam to take the 2nd Power prep Exam.

The 2nd Power prep will be the fairest approximation. I believe you will get 10-20 more on the actual exam. I got a 740 in that.

Summary:

1. Learn from your mistakes.
2. Keep updating your analysis chart.
3. Spot your weaknesses.
4. Ascertain your test strategy after experimenting in 3-4 tests.

My Score chart looked something like this:

Kaplan Diag 680
Kaplan 1 630
Kaplan 1 680
Kaplan 1 650
Kaplan 1 630
Power prep 1 710
Power Prep 2 740
IMS Diag 1 680 (630)
IMS Diag 2 690 (650)
IMS 1 630 (610)
IMS 2 760 (710)
IMS 3 730 (680)
IMS 4 620 (600)
IMS 5 700 (650)
IMS 6 730 (680)
IMS 7 720 (670)
IMS 8 690 (640)

The figures in brackets are Kaplan(2004) conversion of the same score. Basically Kaplan calculates your score based on number of wrongs and rights. I prefer it that way. Even though Kaplan’s scores are highly skewed they are consistent. So if you are somewhere around the 650 mark you are doing well. I had the 2004 version, but I believe it’s not much different from the latest ones.

In addition to all this, what you must do is consider every exercise to be a mini test. Solve the exercises under a similar environment and with the same sincerity and vigour. ATB.

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Great News!!

I'm becoming a blogger too!! As you see now this blog has a ClustrMap and a visitor counter too!! But nothing is more exciting than this news :

All you gmatters, now you can download files too!! Box.net has done the trick...I was looking for some place where I can upload files for you all...so that you don't have to clear through the jungles to get to the right material. Now you can just go to the download link I have stuck on the links section. Click here to get the feel :-) GOOOOO

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Problem Solving

Let's Warm up with Numbers!!

Ideally anyone preparing for the GMAT should schedule the study sessions in such a manner as to include atleast three topics a day (i.e. PS+SC+CR or RC+DS+CR or....). This helps you in the tests, simply because you will be better able to switch between question types and also this kind of scheduling helps your 'prepping' not going askew. Obviously while prepping you can't mix question types, but you surely can take up three sessions of 50 questions in three different sections each day...easily. 50 is not a magical figure here...but I feel 50 questions per hour will attune you to the right speed. The actual speed is lower, no doubt...but remember its an adaptive test, which means you will have to get the earlier questions correctly so as to improve your chances to get a good score. And that means you will have to spend more time on the, let's say, first 10 questions. That will leave you with the later tougher questions with lesser time.

Let's start!!

Pick up the OG. Start your stopwatch and start...
......1 hr passes by.....
Go through your mistakes. Analyze your GRID for mistakes...you will get to know your weak areas. You will know where you made mistakes...was it algebra or was it mensuration. The mistakes I made were mostly the silly ones...here goes the list (may be not the entire list...but look out for them!!)

1. units...feet/inches, miles/kms...I screwed up mostly because I forgot to convert them for my final answer.
2. I didn't read the entire information and wasted my time doing the question over and over again until realizing that hey, it's an equilateral triangle...or this angle is given to be 90...or something else.
3. I solved the problem correctly, but I found something that was not asked. Let's say I found out the number of chocolates Jack initially had, only to realize that I was supposed to find the number of chocolates he is left with. The best way to handle such questions is : take 'x' to be the quantity you have to find, i.e., take 'x' to be the number of remaining chocolates. (Silly sounding tips?? That's cuz they're for silly mistakes)
   

I think the OG has around 400 problems. It will take you around 9-10 sessions to solve them completely and also go through the explanation. (I have uploaded OG 10. It's in parts and also the OG grid). By the time you're through with the OG PS, you will have a grid, wherein you will have a detailed analysis highlighting your weak areas. Make a note of all the mistakes you did and swear that you won't make the same mistakes again.

Guys I've put up a Formulae sheet. This is very important. You won't find many of these formulae in either OG or Kaplan. I hope you'll find this very useful.

The next step in PS is to start solving Kaplan 800. It's a great book...read it carefully for all the tips it has for the 800 test taker. While doing Kaplan 800 you can include fewer questions per session. That's because you need to give more attention to these problems. And your primary goal here is to learn concepts rather than simply solving questions in time bound conditions.

Once you're done with OG and Kaplan 800, start OG and Kaplan 800. :-D Yes!! do it again. But this time you may want to solve only those problems which you screwed up in your first attempt. That you can easily filter out from the grid (that's also there on my google base).

Finally, you would like to solve the "tough quant problems". Download the file and start doing it. It's fun. You will learn many new things in Permutation/Combination, Probabilty, etc.

Suggested Books : Kaplan 800, Maths Workbook : Kaplan/Manhattan/Princeton/OG

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Gear up!!

There are certain things which you will realise in the actual course of your preparation. But by that time you might have already lost some of your precious time. And that's the precise reason I thought of writing this, so as to keep you guyz from making the same mistakes as I did.

Performance Chart

It can do wonders for your preparation...trust me. It's a simple grid which can have columns for the question number, your answer, right/wrong, a brief description of the concept used (e.g. idioms, modifier, parallelism...for CR it can be Strategy...likewise). I would suggest you to make an excel and get like 50 print-outs with 100 questions per page. You can group them according to section/book. I would prefer a section-wise categorization. Generally you would do 50 questions per session. So at the end of 50 questions you can have an accuracy meter or something. I am sure all of you are creative enough to make such a chart which you can refer back to assess your difficulty areas.

This chart will help you filter out the tougher problems. So in the next round of solving the same problems (Yes!! next round...you have to solve the same questions again till your accuracy level goes up!! Atleast you would like to make sure that you are totally confident in the question types you have in your material).

Click here to download!!

Take a test date

Yes!! Take it. Without a test date you will never actually start respecting the entire thing. It will keep you focussed and up on your toes. Register yourself on the site. Get a date. I made a big calender for myself and stuck it before my study table. And obviously I highlighted the test date with a horrible colour :-D Also I put up stick-ons all around my place (mirrors, refrigirator, with dates on them) It's not getting psyched about it...but it really helps!!

Books!!

This is very important guys. I mean surely you wouldn't want your preparation to be going on a wrong line. Some books aren't just complete in their content. Some don't give you those "tips" which anyone aiming at a good score would want to have. So it finally boils down to having a set of materials rather than having just one book or one study material. But the question remains...which ones??

1. Official Guide is a must have. GO FOR IT!!
You will realise it isn't enough to satiate your thirst for the "750" figure. That's true, atleast for most of us.

2. Kaplan Guide.
CR & RC stuff, which you will not find anywhere else. Very very good book...I dare say, indispensable.

Trust me guys, these two are the only things on which you will have to spend money. Rest all is out here on the web.

But hey!! You still might ask...what about crossing the 750 mark?? So here's the trick. Get yourself KAPLAN 800 and Manhattan Sentence Correction guide. These are great books. Simply great!! I am sure they will add an extra 30 to your score, and that's a lot!!

A detailed list of materials (with links) will follow in a section wise discussion.

JUMP TO NEXT SECTION

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The GMAT Experience!!

Okay, so you're frustrated with your job...you often think about your college days...and how everyone else has landed up in nice univs or high paying jobs...while you're still browsing Monster.com!! And you think that this Java coffee is a bit too bitter for your taste and you need to move ahead...

You then decide to take GMAT. Considering your below average work-ex, you reckon that only a gooooood performance can bail you out. I decided to dedicate this post to all the future Gmatters. I'm sure anyone reading this would not want to move ahead without knowing my performance. :-)

I took it on 30th Oct '06 and got a 770!! Quant-50, VA-45, AWA-5.

Okay so you might be asking, "Why even bother to read this post? There's so much on the web already!!" You are quite right. I, myself had to prepare taking help mostly from the forums and blogs, and I encourage you to do so. But what I would like to add here is that the worst enemy for you is the "confusion" which surrounds the GMAT preparation. And this confusion can only get worse by looking at so much information lying out there. So my mantra is to keep it simple :-)

Let's start...why this confusion. The reason being many, the ones I can think of are :

1. How to start??
2. Which books to follow :-?
3. Too much material (yes!! that's not a good thing sometimes)
4. What to expect on the D-day?

Guyz I feel that the best way to start something is to make a quick plan...a layout which has weekly targets. I would try and make a rough plan which will enable you to make your own. But before that a little introduction of mine would help you understand and relate to this post much better.

I am currently working in IBM India (Pune to be exact). I did my B.Tech from IIT Delhi...rest of the story is more or less told in the first few lines. To sum it up...before starting my prep I had a good level in Quant, as is expected from an IITian. In my verbal portion I was quite comfortable with the RC(Reading Comprehension) portion. But CR(Critical Reasoning) and SC(Sentence Correction) were a total mess at first. Keeping these points I think we are ready to move ahead.

Know the GMAT!!

First things first...What is it? Its a Computer Adaptive Test (CAT), i.e., to say that it adapts itself to your performance. You can get plenty of info on this. I would recommend you to visit the official GMAT site. In short as you keep on getting the questions right, it will throw tougher questions at you, till the time you won't be able to solve the next tougher question, but are able to solve the next lower level.

Before I recommend you to take a diagnostic test, I would like you to spend not more than two days on researching the question types, reading about the test and familiarizing yourself with the GMAT.

Time for a check-up!!

When you are comfortable with the GMAT jargon : CAT, SC, CR, VA, DS, AWA, blah blah blah... its time to test yourself. Do not be afraid of taking a diagnostic. The biggest mistake you can make is not take a diagnostic and channel your efforts in the wrong direction.

There are many diagnostic tests available but I would suggest you to download the official GMAT prep Software and take the test. There are two reasons for taking the GMAT prep test :

1. It's standard...so you can compare your scores with other guys.
2. The other thing is that it's an exact copy of the actual GMAT test which you would see on the test day (obviously I am talking about the looks of the application and not the questions :-D)
3. Make sure you have read all the instructions carefully, as you would certainly not want to waste time on reading instructions that day!! Be prepared...that's the key to success in GMAT.

Shock Therapy??

Ohh!! So you didn't do well in the diagnostic?? You expected something better, didn't you?? You thought the questions were easy and you were gliding through but still ended up getting a not so good score!! That happens...let me tell you why!! GMAT is adaptive...remember?? You were not doing well, and that's why you were getting easier questions :-D

Never mind...you will do much much better in the actual test if you start it from today!! Okay so you want to know how much?? Let's say around 100 more than the actual score...assuming that you took it without preparation. Even if you preapred a bit before taking it, but it was your first test...you can easily hope to score 60 more. I took it after some preparation, but nevertheless it was my first test and I got a 710. After a month of preparation I took the second test on the same CD, and I got a 740. I finally got a 770 on the actual test. Let's not get into the score analysis thing right now. We'll come to that later, when I will give you the list of all my test scores to compare.

Medication Time :-)

It was an eye-opener...right?? It was for me!! Typically one would find that most of the mistakes in Quant section were silly mistakes. Especially the DS section. Most of the time one got mixed up with the two statements. Or the confusion between Yes/No type questions. Yeah it's tricky and that's why you need to work on your quant as much you need to work on the verbal section. Keep one thing in mind here...mistakes in quant cost you more...a score of 50 puts you in the 95%le slot. While even a score of 45 in the verbal section (as with me) puts you right in the 98%le slot. So one should ideally aim for an 100% accuracy in the quant section...and believe me thats doable.

As for the verbal section...SC is very tricky...and I dare say... the easiest. You need to know all the rules and you will see your accuracy climbing up to around 80% in no time. And remember...unlike CR & RC questions, SC questions takes up the least amount of time. We will take up each section one-by-one...but before that an important message!!

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