neotheone

This was a problem with me too. Even after doing OG twice, i was not confident enough in verbal but i guess the time strategy i made paid me a lot.I prepared my milestones for verbal before the test so that i dont loose track of time which generally used to happen with me in practice tests(esp because of RC). something like this Question--Time Remaining 10--55 20--37 25--29 30--20 35--11 About the difficulty level, SCs and CRs are of same difficulty level as OG, the easier and harder both the replica of easier and harder questions of OG resp. To get an idea, try doing some ETS paper test questions. As far as RC is concerned, the passage has got a tougher language when you compare it with OG passages but the question are very much the same. In my case, the first 2 question were of SC and third was of CR and RC started coming from 8th Q onwards. I have always observed that whenever RCs come late in the test (7th or 8th q +) they would come back to back and thats wat exactly happened with me but as i was prepared for that i didnt exactly bother. HTH.

Hipppiee.....Yaabaaa daaabaaa doooo ( as they in The flintstones).Really delighted to have a score of 750 (99 Percentile). Quant - 51 (99 Percentile) Verbal - 39 (89 Percentile) My verbal was really pathetic when i started preparing for the exam.I used to score anything between 25 to 30 but started getting good scores a few days before the exam. Being an indian, Quant was never a problem. Consistently scored 50-51. Heres some demographic info 27, Typical indian IT guy. 5.5+ yrs of experience. Currently working with a top 20 fortune company. My preparation Altough I started preparing for the exam in Jan, the serious prep started only in April. More or less 8 weeks of preparation. I preplanned my leave in march and took 2 weeks off before the exam and it paid me as i was not really studying more than an hour daily. Following are the material i referred for each section Math PS: Kaplan 2003 Higher Score Lessons, PS tests in Kaplan CD, Hard Questions in OG DS: Kaplan 2003 Higher Score Lessons, DS tests in Kaplan CD, Hard Questions in OG English SC: Never ever heard or did anything like this before. Luckily i found this site thru google 3-4 months before the exam. Although i didnt participate much in the discussion, I did go through few questions and spidey gmat notes (quite useful, A BIG THANKS TO ROHIT AND ERIN). Material Read ( in the order written) 1. Princeton Verbal 2. Kaplan Workshop (It has got great foundation lessons especially for CR and RC) 3. Kaplan Higher Score 2003 4. Kaplan 800 5. OG (twice for SC) CR: Wasnt a problem except while doing kaplan workshop Qs. They are really tough qs. Material Read 1. Princeton Verbal 2. Kaplan Workshop 3. Kaplan Higher Score 2003 4. Kaplan 800 5. OG RC: I always had a tough time doing this section (even in the exam). For the first few days while practising, i couldnt concentrate on the passage at all. I tried reading real slow in order to comprehend better but then couldnt complete the passages within specified time limit. I also tried using the speed reading techniques but that was also of no use because as soon as i am not able to get it i start getting bored. After struggling with almost 30~40 passages and analysing the results, i came to know abt the strategy that really worked for me ie to read each para and stop raeding for 5 secs to gather whatever has been written in that para. Also i found somewhere written that the most important thing to gather from the passage is the tone of the author and i wholeheartedly agree with this opinion. I would recommend each and every person who is struggling with RC to ask just one question while reading the para ie "Why is the author telling me this and why did he include this paragraph ?". Material Read 1. Princeton Verbal 2. Kaplan Workshop 3. Kaplan Higher Score 2003 4. LSAT 20~30 passages 5. Kaplan 800 (toughest passages i came across) 6. OG ( Actual GMAT passages have got tougher language but the questions remain same) Pre-Test Experience: As my test was on monday, I stopped studying on Friday and gave myself 2 days to chillout and relax. In the last 2 days, i just looked at the notes,cheat sheet(which i got from somewhere on the net), AWA essays and review notes of the mistakes done till the time. Here i cannot stress more on the importance of recording your mistakes and reviewing them from time to time. ITS AN ABSOLUTE MUST otherwise you will make the same mistakes in the test. On sunday evening, went out to see a movie. Came back, reviewed the mistakes i made in OG. Tried to catch some sleep but couldnt do so till 1 am. Woke up at 5, went out for jogging (i found it making a lot of difference to my concentration). Had some museli in b'fast, picked up 2 bars of twix and a bottle of mixed juice. Reached the centre 15 mins early. Test Experience: Signed the NDA, went to washroom to get an idea of its location, washed my face, came back and checked in. The administrator told me to verify the name and address info displayed on the computer screen, took my photo from webcam and assigned me a seat. Started my test with quite easy argument and very easy issue. I followed the template i made and which i had in mind. Here i would say that although AWAs are not so important when compared to actual test, but they can easily make or break your mood. My confidence got boosted when i wrote the essays to my satisfaction. Took my 5 mins break,rushed to locker to get my eatables, took half bar ot twix and some juice. went to washroom, had a splash on my face and went back and signed in to the test room. Math section started with 2 pretty easy questions, the first being so easy that i checked my answer twice. Difficulty level started going high from 3rd question. 3rd,4th, 5th question were on mixture/ratios, permutation combination and rate/work not necessarily in that order. The toughest question i saw was a DS standard deviation question. It took me almost 6 mins to arrive at the answer and that too using POE. Luckily, i was not bothered at all by the myth which is very common among test takers about the importance of first 10 qs ( refer to dos and donts below for more info on this) so i tried catching up on time from 8th question onwards but even after checking my answer twice i could finish the quant section 20 mins before time. I thought of waiting on the last question for 15 mins but then got bored in 5 mins and clicked the proceed button. Took my 5 mins break, went to washroom again, splashed my face with water, came back, ate the remaining twix bar. The verbal section started with a simple SC question with questions getting tougher from 2nd question onwards. Got my first boldface question in the first 10 questions itself. Although i never really legged behind because of any question, i was not sure of my answers and could guess what was happening. The language of RCs were a way tougher that OG RCs. The passages were almost like kaplan passages but the question were very much similar to OG questions. Otherwise SC and CR were an exact replica of OG. The major problem that i faced in verbal was because of computer display.I couldnt concentrate on passages because the screen font size was 800X600 which i am never used to. I always practised my tests in 1600X1200 laptop screen and looking and concentrating at CRT screen was a major problem. I would suggest the future test-takers to practice all kaplan as well as princeton tests in 800X600 display. PP1 and PP2 are very much close to the real GMAT in terms of display but still the passages you get in PP are not 70 line passages. By the time i arrived on the last question i was pretty much sure that i have almost screwed the verbal. I was quite disappointed on seeing a 39 on verbal but the overall score made me forget the verbal disaster. Some advice: 1. Always record all the mistakes that you make and revisit them atleast twice or thrice before the test. Do this atleast for OG questions. Posting the TestGrid below which i got from testmagic. I have refined the sheet to include the difficulty level,question type and error %age. 2. Dont get bogged down by any of the practice test scores whether it be kaplan or princeton or any othe xyz test. As Erin has always pointed out, kaplan and princeton questions are not exactly the type of questions you get in real exam(esp SC). However it doesnt mean that they are a waste of money, the two guides are good in terms of learning basics and how to tackle specific type questions. 3. ETS paper exams are helpful in terms of their level of difficulty and similarity to actual GMAT questions and should be practiced a few days prior to gmat. 4. I got a cheat sheet, which i found very helpful for math . I am attaching it below. Thats it from my side. I will be on this site in the coming days for taking help on apps. Any Questions would be more than just welcome. GMAT-Practice-Grid.zip Bradford GMAT Notes.pdf

See ETS guys say on this. One interesting publication, the 11th edition of The Official Guide for GMAT Review (GMAC, $36.95.), comes out this summer. The GMAC has added a new section entirely devoted to debunking the myths that reportedly continue to cripple many test takers. And who better to hear it from than the people who developed the test? The best-known legend: that the first 10 items in each section are critical, says Lawrence Rudner, GMAC's executive director for research and development. This is a dangerous belief because too much focus on the first questions prevents many test takers from finishing a particular section, which results in a severe penalty, he says. Among other myths that Rudner and GMAC hope to expose: the necessity of studying vocabulary lists. "Assuming [you have] a tenth-grade reading level, studying vocabulary lists is totally irrelevant to the GMAT," says Rudner. "There are lists out there, and they're garbage." For the full article http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/content/jun2005/bs2005066_1067_bs001.htm?campaign_id=nws_mbaxp_jun8&link_position=link4

Although i also chose C, the OA is B. Not very sure about the source as i picked it from some other website.

OAs are 1. C (because of active voice. Although i couldnt understand what 'it' is refering to) 2. A (need someone to explain this) 3. E In A, "that" refers to the "testing" which "could then eventually propel aircraft..." This is illogical. E is correct. 4. D http://www.www.urch.com/forums/showthread.php?p=65223 5. E (need someone to explain this) Can sombody explain 2 and 5 ? Thanks

Attaching some notes which i had on my PC... See if they are of any use.CR Lessons.zip

OA is B but i dont seem to get it. IMO it shud be E. The author says "since none of the seven small companies can afford to convert their production lines" so its not about the cost but about how much can small companies afford. It is very much possible that cost of conversion for both of them is same but large companies can afford that cost and small companies cannot. However, in case of E if you go by the rule of negation, the argument clearly falls apart. Can somebody explain this ?

Guidebook writer: I have visited hotels throughout the country and have noticed that in those built before 1930 the quality of the original carpentry work is generally superior to that in hotels built afterward. Clearly carpenters working on hotels before 1930 typically worked with more skill, care, and effort than carpenters who have worked on hotels built subsequently. Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the guidebook writer’s argument? A. The quality of original carpentry in hotels is generally far superior to the quality of original carpentry in other structures, such as houses and stores. B. Hotels built since 1930 can generally accommodate more guests than those built before 1930. C. The materials available to carpenters working before 1930 were not significantly different in quality from the materials available to carpenters working after 1930. D. The better the quality of original carpentry in a building, the less likely that building is to fall into disuse and be demolished. E. The average length of apprenticeship for carpenters has declined significantly since 1930. SPOILER:

In general, jobs are harder to get in times of economic recession because many businesses cut back operations. However, any future recessions in Vargonia will probably not reduce the availability of teaching jobs at government-funded schools. This is because Vargonia has just introduced a legal requirement that education in government-funded schools be available, free of charge, to all Vargonian children regardless of the state of the economy, and that current student-teacher ratios not be exceeded. Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument? A. The current student-teacher ratio at Vargonia’s government-funded schools is higher than it was during the most recent period of economic recession. B. During recent periods when the Vargonian economy has been strong, almost 25 percent of Vargonian children have attended privately funded schools, many of which charge substantial fees. C. Nearly 20 percent more teachers are currently employed in Vargonia’s government-funded schools than had been employed in those schools in the period before the last economic recession. D. Teachers in Vargonia’s government-funded schools are well paid relative to teachers in most privately funded schools in Vargonia, many of which rely heavily on part-time teachers. E. During the last economic recession in Vargonia, the government permanently closed a number of the schools that it had funded.

Three large companies and seven small companies currently manufacture a product with potential military applications. If the government regulates the industry, it will institute a single set of manufacturing specifications to which all ten companies will have to adhere. In this case, therefore, since none of the seven small companies can afford to convert their production lines to a new set of manufacturing specifications, only the three large companies will be able to remain in business. Which of the following is an assumption on which the author’s argument relies? None of the three large companies will go out of business if the government does not regulate the manufacture of the product. It would cost more to convert the production lines of the small companies to a new set of manufacturing specifications than it would to convert the production lines of the large companies. Industry lobbyists will be unable to dissuade the government from regulating the industry. Assembly of the product produced according to government manufacturing specifications would be more complex than current assembly procedures. None of the seven small companies currently manufactures the product to a set of specifications that would match those the government would institute if the industry were to be regulated.

Heavy commitment by an executive to a course of action, especially if it has worked well in the past, makes it likely to miss signs of incipient trouble or misinterpret them when they do appear. Heavy commitment by an executive to a course of action, especially if it has worked well in the past, makes it likely to miss signs of incipient trouble or misinterpret them when they do appear. An executive who is heavily committed to a course of action, especially one that worked well in the past, makes missing signs of incipient trouble or misinterpreting ones likely when they do appear. An executive who is heavily committed to a course of action is likely to miss or misinterpret signs of incipient trouble when they do appear, especially if it has worked well in the past. Executives’ being heavily committed to a course of action, especially if it has worked well in the past, makes them likely to miss signs of incipient trouble or misinterpreting them when they do appear. Being heavily committed to a course of action, especially one that has worked well in the past, is likely to make an executive miss signs of incipient trouble or misinterpret them when they do appear. When working with overseas clients, an understanding of cultural norms is at least as important as grasping the pivotal business issues for the global manager. When working with overseas clients, an understanding of cultural norms is at least as important as grasping the pivotal business issues for the global manager. When they work with overseas clients, understanding cultural norms is at least of equal importance to the global manager as grasping the pivotal business issues. For global managers working with overseas clients, understanding cultural norms is at least as important as grasping the pivotal business issues. For global managers working with overseas clients, an understanding of cultural norms is at least as important to them as that they grasp the pivotal business issues. Global managers working with overseas clients find an understanding of cultural norms to be equally important as grasping the pivotal business issues. After more than four decades of research and development, a new type of jet engine is being tested that could eventually propel aircraft anywhere in the world within two hours or help boost cargoes into space at significantly lower costs than current methods permit. A. tested that could eventually propel aircraft anywhere in the world within two hours or help B. tested that could eventually have the capability of propelling aircraft anywhere in the world within two hours or to help C. tested, eventually able to propel aircraft anywhere in the world within two hours, or helping D. tested, and it eventually could propel aircraft anywhere in the world within two hours or helping E. tested, and it could eventually have the capability to propel aircraft anywhere in the world within two hours or help Retailers reported moderate gains in their November sales, as much because of their sales of a year earlier being so bad as that shoppers were getting a head start on buying their holiday gifts. of their sales of a year earlier being so bad as that of their sales a year earlier having been as bad as because of their sales a year earlier being as bad as because their sales a year earlier had been so bad as because their sales of a year earlier were as bad as that The market for recycled commodities like aluminum and other metals remain strong despite economic changes in the recycling industry. commodities like aluminum and other metals remain commodities like those of aluminum and other metals are remaining commodities such as aluminum and other metals remains commodities, such as aluminum and other metals, remain commodities, like the commodities of aluminum and other metals, remains

Sorry dileepsh, will take care of this in future. Does that mean "Like their male counterparts, women scientists are" is also wrong in the first part ?

Pls help me with this. Like their male counterparts, women scientists are above average in terms of intelligence and creativity, but unlike men of science, their female counterparts have had to work against the grain of occupational stereotyping to enter a "man's world." (A) their female counterparts have had to work (B) their problem is working © one thing they have had to do is work (D) the handicap women of science have had is to work (E) women of science have had to work The OA is E but i chose A. Why is A not correct ? Even the first part of the sentence is doing the same comparison.

1. Clearly C - A and E dont make any sense. If B or D were to be correct, the text should state explicitly that local school or library lend cassetes from the media shop. 2. I am torn between B and C - Although B makes more sense, C could have been right if rephrased as "Consumers are more attracted to high quality than they are to low cost. What are the OAs

Voldemort I guess less is used for non-countable things eg less pain, less hastle

Thanks for the explanation guys. The only thing bothering me is why is B better than A in the fourth one. Can somebody explain ?

The OAs are 1.C 2.B 3.E 4.B

1. Dr. Mary Leakey found teeth and jawbones in Tanzania dating to 3.75 million years ago, and they are the oldest reliably dated human fossils (A) Dr. Mary Leakey found teeth and jawbones in Tanzania dating to 3.75 millIon years ago, and they are the oldest reliably dated human fossils. (B) The oldest reliably dated human fossils were found by Dr. Mary Leakey in Tanzania, dating to 3.75 million years ago. © The teeth and jawbones found in Tanzania by Dr. Mary Leakey and dating to 3.75 millIon years ago are the oldest reliably dated human fossils. (D) In Tanzania, the teeth and jawbones found by Dr. Mary Leakey date to 3.75 millIon years ago and are the oldest reliably dated human fossils. (E) In Tanzania and dating to 3.75 million years ago are the oldest reliably dated human fossils, found by Dr. Mary Leakey. 2. The international report showed that American science students did as well, if not better than, their counterparts in other cultures. (A) as well, if not better than (B) as well as, if not better than © just as well, whether or not better than (D) just as well if not better as (E) as well, and perhaps better, as 3. The Creeks of Hesiod’s time often celebrated the joys of gardening, but they showed little interest in vegetables rather than onions and garlic. (A) in vegetables rather than (B) for vegetables rather than © in vegetables which were not (D) for vegetables other than (E) in vegetables other than 4. Caesarea was Herod’s city, founded as a Romanized counterweight to Hebraic Jerusalem, and being such it was regarded with loathing by the devout. (A) being such (B) as such © for this (D) so (E) so being Can somebody suggest the answers along with explanation ? Will post the OAs later.