710 (Verbal 36 Quant 50) on 7th Jan

[danielday]

I have been snooping around. Thought when I cross the 700 barrier I would too write in my comments.

So here it goes....

Argument - Issue - perpare a tempelate and it should do u good.

Maths - not tougher but definately trickier than Official Guide. I got a second question which was from probability and a few other tricky questions to begin with. So I ended up spending 15 minutes for first 5 questions though in normal circumstances I would spend 5 mins (max) for the first 5. But at the end I finished the test 10 minutes before time. Read the questions carefully else the exam will lead u into a trap.

Verbal - This part I have always dreaded. The second question was an RC - which looked pretty confusing. The 1st set of RC questions was followed by a 2nd set. RCs have always been my bane so I knew I was doomed. After that I was mostly getting SC (pretty easy) and CR (easy but time consuming). Got one bold faced questions, so kinda knew I wouldnt screw up totally. All in all I got 4 RCs () ranging from 40 lines to 65 lines.

Few tips to keep in mind. Know your center before hand. I was visiting the city (test center) for the first time. And my test had to start at 9 in the morning. So quite understandibly I was very nervous and anxious the night before. The morning of the test was itself a struggle as I had to ask people the directions (many didnt understand what I was saying). So I reached the test center in about 1.30 hrs - which normally would have taken just 30 mins.

Anyways I am neither elated nor dissappointed with the score ( see I know the parallel structure). I know I could have done better in the verbal section but nevertheless the score should be quite competitive.

And for the preparation.

PP1 - without much study - 730
PP2 - after finishing Official Guide - 730 - didnt feel like taking the test as all questions seemed repetitive - so did the test well before time.

Kaplan - 610,600,630,570!!!
Got 630 in the third and was pretty disillusioned (I wasnt improving), so gave the 4th test right away.

My personal feeling is that the tests other than Official Guide are no good. The section tests in Kaplan though are quite helpful.

And finally, will the score be competitive to get me thru the 2nd tier of business schools in the US.(I have abt 3 yrs of work exp). Is it competitive for Manchester etc.

[manusmile144]

Hi Daniel,
Congrats for a great score. You've scored really well.

I have got some queries I would appreciate if someone can help me out.

( 1) I want to know is Kaplan book worth purchasing? I am preparing with Official Guide and Princeton Review, thus Should I get Kaplan as well? I need to improve on SC thus I want to know Which book should I go for inorder to gain confidence in SC?

( 2) Where can I find good difficult questions on Statistics, Probability, Permutation and Combination ?

Thanking you,

Regards
Manu

Originally posted by danielday

I have been snooping around. Thought when I cross the 700 barrier I would too write in my comments.

So here it goes....

Argument - Issue - perpare a tempelate and it should do u good.

Maths - not tougher but definately trickier than Official Guide. I got a second question which was from probability and a few other tricky questions to begin with. So I ended up spending 15 minutes for first 5 questions though in normal circumstances I would spend 5 mins (max) for the first 5. But at the end I finished the test 10 minutes before time. Read the questions carefully else the exam will lead u into a trap.

Verbal - This part I have always dreaded. The second question was an RC - which looked pretty confusing. The 1st set of RC questions was followed by a 2nd set. RCs have always been my bane so I knew I was doomed. After that I was mostly getting SC (pretty easy) and CR (easy but time consuming). Got one bold faced questions, so kinda knew I wouldnt screw up totally. All in all I got 4 RCs () ranging from 40 lines to 65 lines.

Few tips to keep in mind. Know your center before hand. I was visiting the city (test center) for the first time. And my test had to start at 9 in the morning. So quite understandibly I was very nervous and anxious the night before. The morning of the test was itself a struggle as I had to ask people the directions (many didnt understand what I was saying). So I reached the test center in about 1.30 hrs - which normally would have taken just 30 mins.

Anyways I am neither elated nor dissappointed with the score ( see I know the parallel structure). I know I could have done better in the verbal section but nevertheless the score should be quite competitive.

And for the preparation.

PP1 - without much study - 730
PP2 - after finishing Official Guide - 730 - didnt feel like taking the test as all questions seemed repetitive - so did the test well before time.

Kaplan - 610,600,630,570!!!
Got 630 in the third and was pretty disillusioned (I wasnt improving), so gave the 4th test right away.

My personal feeling is that the tests other than Official Guide are no good. The section tests in Kaplan though are quite helpful.

And finally, will the score be competitive to get me thru the 2nd tier of business schools in the US.(I have abt 3 yrs of work exp). Is it competitive for Manchester etc.

[danielday]

Hi Manu,

I believe that Official Guide is the best book and nothing compares to it. If u want to concentrate on SC then do Official Guide really well and read the answers. The explanation is extremely and keep a track if u r repeating the same mistakes. There are very questions in Kaplan. So its not of much help.

Questions in Stats and Probability are never going to very tough. They might be at best tricky. So if your basics are good it shouldnt be much of a problem. If u have studied Probablity and Stats in school - doing the same questions (multiple choice) again might be helpful.

Originally posted by manusmile144

Hi Daniel,
Congrats for a great score. You've scored really well.

I have got some queries I would appreciate if someone can help me out.

( 1) I want to know is Kaplan book worth purchasing? I am preparing with Official Guide and Princeton Review, thus Should I get Kaplan as well? I need to improve on SC thus I want to know Which book should I go for inorder to gain confidence in SC?

( 2) Where can I find good difficult questions on Statistics, Probability, Permutation and Combination ?

Thanking you,

Regards
Manu

[vreddy]

Congrats Daniel. BTW, Is Official Guide enough for CR?

[metal_rulz]

Congrats ...Daniel....I think with your score you can scale thru Manchester's admission process...( if u r acads r good).But why settle for Manchester when you stand a good chance of getting into a top notch US college or fot that matter our very own ISB....My suggestion is to give ISB,NSU and AIM a shot.

Could you share with us the insights you have got on how to tackle RC.
If you don't mind can you share your AWA template with us..and lastly if you have any of the ETS's paper test...can you please send it to dj_ind@yahoo.com.

Metal.

[danielday]

Hi Reddy,

Official Guide should be enough for CR. If u have time u could give the section tests of Kaplan. They too are very good. But it really depends as to how much time u have.

Anywaya all the best.

Originally posted by vreddy

Congrats Daniel. BTW, Is Official Guide enough for CR?

[danielday]

Hi dj,

I might be trying for Rotterdam too. Lets see ...

Regarding the template, I infact copied the one provided in Official Guide, modified it a tad bit. But all in all it should consist of

the argument is neither sound nor persuasive...
it could be more thourough and convincing if .....

so and so forth. The template given in Official Guide should do u good.

Originally posted by metal_rulz

Congrats ...Daniel....I think with your score you can scale thru Manchester's admission process...( if u r acads r good).But why settle for Manchester when you stand a good chance of getting into a top notch US college or fot that matter our very own ISB....My suggestion is to give ISB,NSU and AIM a shot.

Could you share with us the insights you have got on how to tackle RC.
If you don't mind can you share your AWA template with us..and lastly if you have any of the ETS's paper test...can you please send it to dj_ind@yahoo.com.

Metal.