sauce Posted May 25, 2005 Share Posted May 25, 2005 Friend, Congratulations !!! Thanks for putting it all together Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwinnSplitter Posted May 26, 2005 Author Share Posted May 26, 2005 A couple more points I remembered about AWA: 1) It's been said many times, but it's worth repeating: transition words that provide structure to your argument are very important. Words/phrases such as for example, in addition, furthermore, thus, however, therefore, consequently, and so on are all very helpful in showing that you know how to set up a logical argument. 2) Another thing that's been said several times: length is important. My essay was extremely long, and I think that as long as you have enough material to keep it interesting, your essay will be more impressive if it's long. 3) Don't let how you think you did on the essay affect your mentality for the actual test. When I first finished AWA I thought I did very poorly compared to how I normally write, but I reminded myself that AWA didn't matter and regained my composure, which I believe was crucial to scoring so well. See you all in the chat tonight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinhtt Posted May 28, 2005 Share Posted May 28, 2005 [w00t] [w00t] [w00t] [w00t] Needless to say, I am absolutely thrilled right now. I want to say thank you to Erin, SecurityGeek, Lego, Grey, Stormgal, Cute, Prep2Max, Armjen, and everyone on this forum!! Also, I want to say thank you to former members such as Shaq, Spiderman, Ursula, and TheBullFighter, who were very active when I first came across this amazing site and who got me started along the right path:tup:. I have A LOT to say, so stay tuned:). it's very amazing when i see your score/ it's incredible! congrutalation! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rajdeeps2002 Posted May 30, 2005 Share Posted May 30, 2005 Twin, Great Achievement.congratulations .would Be Great If U Good Share Ur Tips For The Preparation Of The Verbal Section Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amit2012 Posted May 30, 2005 Share Posted May 30, 2005 Cograts Twin,, This is indeed great :tup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sowmik Posted May 30, 2005 Share Posted May 30, 2005 Hi All , Been reading silently the success stories of couple of our friends who have donned >720, has been a great pleasure to be part of this group. Would also like to thank Spidy for his fab compilation of notes of SC , Minitests and Idioms. I think this philanthropy of his is helping and will help lots of other future aspirants of GMAT for which my whole hearted thanks to him. Now back to the test which I took on May 27th i.e 3 days back. The test overall went very good. I started with Argument and then with issue analysis which wasn't an effort and I din't prepare for it considering the fact that even though English is not my native but having been in Management Consulting for couple of years and having studied in some of the well known private schools in India my English is much better than the natives (Please pardon me if I am over riding the boat here). My quant was going excellent considering the fact the level of difficult questions kept going up upto first 20 questions.The way to understand if you are on right track of GMAT to score >700 is the level of difficult questions you come across in first 15-20 questions.These questions will typically range from topics of Probability , Permutation and Combination, Standard Deviation and few word problems.In my set of first 20 problems I got 4 questions on probability and 2 questions of Perm & Comb , and 3 Questions on Std Dev. in a mix of DS and PS.Somewhere after 15th question I also remember getting 2 questions on Ellipse and hyperbola. Being too overly careful in answering these first 20 questions was the biggest mistake I did cuz in doing so I lost out a lot of time and in the end had just 7 minutes left to answer 10 questions which was less than a minute per question.So overall even though I did extremely well in my initial part of Quant but due to wrong pacing had to guess on almost 10 questions at the last which led me to cancel my score at the end of the test. Once I was through with the terrible and shaky experience of Quant I took 5 mniutes break, gathered my thoughts and wits and was back with venegence to attempt the verbal section. For me the first 2 questions were from SC (pretty easy ones) and then a question on CR (thoughtful) and back to back RC (2 in total with 9 questions).The quality of the second RC was extremely tough on some shit about geneome, but since I have a good reading speed (800 words/Mins - Thanks to a workshop I attended when I was a kid) I could afford to read and re-read the RC in stipulated time and complete the questions. The hint that verbal getting tough is when you get really tough CR's and bold faced SC (Thanks to this forum , it din't came as a surprise to me) in first 15 questions.I got 3 of them.Then as expected and the GMAT truly living upto its asshole nature , when I had just 10 minutes left and 4 questions to answer got another RC at the end.Trust me this RC was picked up may be from some files lying in the dungeons of NASA.I had to give a blind guess to the last question but the other three I could answer correctly (hope so). So overall my GMAT went pretty well except for the last 10 questions of the Quant section where I had to guess all of them. Eventually I decided to cancel the score because the idea behind me taking the GMAT was to score >750 and 10 questions is far too high a number to guess if you are aiming for that kind of a score. To the best of my guess my score in this GMAT would have been between 680-710 considering the fact that my guesses were limited to the last 10 questions on quant wherein by that time your score based on your ability in the initial part of the tests had already been more or less guaged, though not very sure. I am not very sure here about the level of toughness of Verbal depending upon how you performed in Quant??? Any idea's?? The last time when I took GMAT was around 4 years back and had scored 690 in 1 week preparation. My study strategies and guides I am referring to currently are:- Ist week : 2-3 hrs on weekdays and 7-9 hours on weekends - Maths Brush up - Verbal brush up with Kaplan Verbal workbook and Spidey's Notes (Pretty good way to start Verbal actually) IInd week : 2-3 hrs on weekdays and 7-9 hours on weekends - Princeton - Complete (Both Paper Based and CD Tests) - Kaplan Verbal WB - Complete (This is paper based Test) - Spidey's Mini Tests - Kaplan Math Workbook (If time permits) IVth week : 4 hrs on weekdays and 10 hours on weekends ETS Official Guide 10th edition : Do the book in parts. In a typical sitting of 1 hour for verbal SC 15 questions in 20 minutes (target 1.2 mins/questions to build pace) RC 4 RC's irrespective of number of questions in 25 mins.(approx 16 ques) CR 18 questions in 25 minutes (target 1.2 mins/ques to build pace) I had gone into doing 3 verbal tests in chunks spacing between the day and ending my day with one full section test on verbal picked from Kaplan/Princeton/IMS. I completed the entire problem solving section for [tooltip=Official Guide]OG[/tooltip] starting Friday evening till Saturday Noon. I just did the problems at my pace and did not time it. I did the same for Data Sufficiency as well so in one weekend I completed the Maths section of [tooltip=Official Guide]OG[/tooltip] (Ofcourse untimed). The key here is to complete the [tooltip=Official Guide]OG[/tooltip] atleast once entirely and then start getting into the test mould.If one wants then [tooltip=Official Guide]OG[/tooltip] can be finished off in a week. Vth week & VIth week : These two weeks are the crucial make or break weeks for your final GMAT scores. Pace, Focus, Concentration and Practise are the key for this week. Revise [tooltip=Official Guide]OG[/tooltip] and any other notes you may be prepared and one full Computer based Test or the GMAT paper based Tests (can be bought from gmac.org) atleast one daily and/or max 2 daily should be attempted.After you have attempted the test take a 5- 10 mins break and then get into the analysis and post mortem of it.It should be done with utmost sincerity as it would really help in analysing your weakness and building on your strengths. Keep the last 3rd and 4th Day for Kaplan GMAT 800 and do not study on last 2 days. Trust me all it takes to nail GMAT is 45 days of solid preparation. Do not tend to do lot of things as in referring to loads and loads of materials as I din't find the need of doing so. Attempt the Powerprep Test and the Kaplan test 2 days before the actual exam and trust your instincts.I got a 790 on powerprep (it was all [tooltip=Official Guide]OG[/tooltip] so no credit taken) and 720 on Kaplan. I am writing my GMAT again in next 2-3 weeks so would let you know where I stood. Before leaving a piece of advice to everybody, take 20 mins off to read spidey's notes and the pages 290 onwards (I hope I am right) of Kaplan GMAT verbal WB daily. Trust me it is of great help. I wish all the best for the future GMAT aspirants and my personal suggestions about the reference material is strictly my own opinion which is not enforceable on anybody.It is subjected to individual study plans and methodology but one should know about KAPLAN is that even though it may build your pace and force you to think hard but its level of difficulty is not reflected in actual GMAT. In actual GMAT atleast the Verbal and to a great extent Problem solving section is a reflection of [tooltip=Official Guide]OG[/tooltip] i.e ETS Official Guide 10th edition. Wish you people all the best. Thanks & Regards Sowmik Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rchat Posted May 30, 2005 Share Posted May 30, 2005 Hi, Could any body guide me about improving my verbal score. rchat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwinnSplitter Posted May 30, 2005 Author Share Posted May 30, 2005 Twin, Great Achievement.congratulations .would Be Great If U Good Share Ur Tips For The Preparation Of The Verbal Section Hi, Could any body guide me about improving my verbal score. rchat Any particular aspect of my verbal prep that you would like to know about that I didn't cover in my test prep post? Let me know and I'd be glad to help:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jax510 Posted May 30, 2005 Share Posted May 30, 2005 Hey twin did you take the Kaplan practice tests not the CATs but the practice tests available on the CDs. If so what was your hit rate? I currently have a hit rate orf 95% on the PS tests and an 80% hit rate on the DS sets. I am little concerned about DS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malice.unlimited Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 Hi Twinsplitter, As a relatively newcomer in the forum, I can't thank you enough for sharing all the important tips and material you so carefully compiled. I found the combination and Permutation part especially helpful as thats the area I've struggled in for most part of my academic years. You sure are a great motivation to many of us here I'm sure. Keep the good work up. PS: Thanks to the rest of you as well. Do keep the useful tips coming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cute Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 Sowmik, Good debriefing. By the way what is your second score? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBACHICA Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 Twin: Thank you very much for the detailed prep strategy you posted. It is very helpful !! And congratulations on your great score. This Forum is great ! The GAMT for me is two weeks away !!! Getting a little nervous. :whistle: :whistle: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jauhara Posted June 1, 2005 Share Posted June 1, 2005 twin. this is an amazing note. i am already a 2 time gmat test taker and have had a horrible score in both. after reading tihs note i am convinced that its my strategy that was horrible. i had not come across this forum earlier. your detailed strategy has reinforced confidence that i can do it again thanks a lot for building my confidence again akash Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AULAKH Posted June 1, 2005 Share Posted June 1, 2005 [clap] WAY TO GO!!!!!!! :tup: TAKE A BOW:tup: Now that is what you call a GMAT Score, Don't know about others but you for sure have got me going to at least give GMAT a shot,:D , Here I was thinking that I am too young for this, now suddenly I feel like I am not that young now:D Any ways Loads of Luck for your apps, Do keep writing and motivating:tup: Regards Aulakh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sowmik Posted June 1, 2005 Share Posted June 1, 2005 Cute Sowmik, Good debriefing. By the way what is your second score? -------------------------- Haven't attempted yet but plan to do so by the end of this month. or may be in the first week of July. When are you planning to appear? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kantinemani Posted June 6, 2005 Share Posted June 6, 2005 IS CHATTING POSSIBLE THRU TEST MAGIC, PLS LET ME KNOW HOW DO WE CHAT, AS I FIND THAT IS MORE INTERACTIVE. pls advice me on preparation for GMAT. hey congrats!! I am sharda, working with in India. I have decided to get into ISB hyderabad, for which a cracking score like yours is required. I would give the GMAT test in Sept'05, request you to pls let me know how do i go about preparing for the same.(have to start from scratch) regards, Sharada Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natasha_t Posted June 6, 2005 Share Posted June 6, 2005 Hello twinsplitter..could you please advice me on this....i scored 710 and 730 in PP tests..after doing DS and PS (hard bin..as you suggested in ur prep strategy) and complete sc and cr. I have completed all the kaplan section tests and hv scored more than 80%. Today after giving the PP2 test and scoring 730 i scored 550 in pr test!! i do not understand this? Which test actually depicts my performance..PR or PP tests??? i am really desperate! I have just one week left.. any suggestion is highly welcome thanks Natasha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwinnSplitter Posted June 9, 2005 Author Share Posted June 9, 2005 Which test actually depicts my performance..PR or PP tests? Hi Natasha, sorry I took a while to reply, I've had finals. To answer your question, PR definitely does NOT represent actual GMAT performance. As far as whether PP is an accurate predictor, it depends on how you've used OG (i.e. memorizing the explanations). However, for the most part I'd say that PP is pretty predictive. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cocoray Posted June 11, 2005 Share Posted June 11, 2005 Twinn, Wanted to thank you for a couple of unusual tips - a. not to relax completely on the day before, and b. warm up on the test day with some easy Qs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slick045 Posted June 13, 2005 Share Posted June 13, 2005 I want to second what cocoray said. I took a practice test the day before (but not all in one sitting) and I also did some problems before heading over to the test center. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WellWisher Posted June 13, 2005 Share Posted June 13, 2005 Hey Sticky, It seems you stuck to your task pretty well. Congrats.:tup: now this smiley will soon turn into :grad: . Guys have just become a member of this forum. Have had a terrible time with Gmat before mostly because of my health....so will be looking for your guidance in future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WellWisher Posted June 13, 2005 Share Posted June 13, 2005 Guys am sorry got the id wrong.....sorry splitter.....:( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WellWisher Posted June 13, 2005 Share Posted June 13, 2005 Hi Natasha, Am a new member to this group. Have given Gmat twice before.....and have got a pathetic score of 510 and 500.....can blame it on my health problem that i had to face both the times....Frankly speaking i also faced the same problem that you have....and have decided that ,the 3 time i give it, i will make it good.May be i need to get my basics right and stick to PP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uche Posted June 13, 2005 Share Posted June 13, 2005 Hello everyone I am the newest rookie; I need a lot of help with the Gmat preparations. I hope I am in the right place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purplebex Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 hi twinsplitter, congrats. you're the man. i've just joined this site today, and have read through your prep discussion. i'm in new zealand at the moment, and will have to order all my prep books from amazon. so far on my list (thanks to you): - Kaplan GMAT 800 - Kaplan GRE + GMAT exams math workbook - Kaplan 2005 with CD - Official Guide - Manhattan's GMAT SC guide (can I order that on-line?) what are the key prep guides i should use for the verbal section? you have a link to "this book" under AWA, but the link no longer works. i'll need more help in the verbal section, and would really appreciate if you would recommend the best resources. hmmmm ... i think that's it for now. enjoy the summer. you deserve it :tup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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