Taking the GMAT

With regards to preparation, I would say the first step is taking an appointment. Without it, you can't study. Or at least people like me can't. For over 3 years I had been planning for GMAT preparation, purchased books, been there done that, but nothing worked. Then one day took appointment. Kept three months for preparation and that is when it all started.

I started with basic books. Thompson's GMAT preparation in 30 days and Kaplan's. Honestly speaking Thompson's is not respected highly, but it is a good book. Especially for math. It has formulas and everything in a neat format. And it ensures that you study at least something daily. Kaplan, as we all know, is the bible kind of for GMAT. But I differ and would come to this later. I also purchased one year subscription for 800GMAT score. It costs something around 25$ and is worth it. So my strategy at this stage was straight, I would read the day’s material from Thompson's and practice in 800GMATscore (http://www.800score.com).

Also I gave Kaplan's test in between, and was pretty disappointed with scores. I guess practicing with Kaplan test's here is a big advantage. You get low scores, and realize you have to work hard.

After completing these I moved on to the official guide. Again it has no parallel in terms of practice material. But I feel it lacks in terms of those TOUGH questions. I feel most of the questions here are mid range kind of. But it is important to be thorough with all of the questions here. And all the math formulae.

Having completed these and with 45 days approx remaining, I purchased GMAT official paper tests. I purchased two of those. Each has 3 tests. I gave them with all honesty, using timers and all. This helped in two ways, building stamina and pinpointing weak areas. And the biggest weak area was SENTENCE CORRECTION. I am writing this in a hurry, and I guess you guys can interpret, my natural writing...

At this point I must thanks Hagrid. He advised me for Manhattan book. And it was definitely worth it. The book is nothing short of brilliant. And they give you six practice tests free, which are quite good ones in terms of toughness, so it is worth it.

I also purchased the Kaplan 800 series and some mini tests from Manhattan guys, and kept on using them in between.

Before concluding the learning part there is one area I would like to stress. Essays. They are important for two reasons. They can be strange, if you don't practice. And more importantly they are the first questions. So if they are not correct, you go into the whole test with a negative mood. And that hurts.

Now coming on to the actual test experience.

My test was scheduled for 10; I reached at 9:15, completed formalities and had started the test at 9:30. So you can start early. Better than feeding the butterflies in stomach...The essay questions were cool. I had 5 minutes to spare after the second one. And used that for a BIG advantage in math. I drew the number line of math on the grid and plotted some fractions, positive numbers, negative, roots etc. on the copy. This really helped me with two DS questions in math..:-)

There was one strange thing that I saw in Math. After two or three super tough questions, one absolute easy was thrown. Now hearing to all this CAT stuff, I thought I had blundered on last questions. But the score says otherwise. So God knows what they were. But I think one should not fret too much about toughness of questions and all that mumbo jumbo. Basically each answer has to right, as per your interpretation. I did guess in some questions, because they were out of my reach...

Now coming to things that I did WRONG in test. First, I was over cautious with timings. I had around 19 minutes remaining when I was at quest 37 in quant. Then I did even worst in analytical. 22 minutes in hand. This time should have been utilized in answering questions on which I guessed. I mean GMAT does not score marks on speed like Manteca does. So be cautious.

Some general tips before concluding. Wear comfortable cloths. Try giving at least one test at home with earplugs. It is strange having them in ear. And that was some disturbance when I was at Math and guy next door was typing his essay. Also remember that 10 minutes break is actually 8 minutes. Because the moment you leave computer, you call instructor to lock the computer. Then you leave room, have finger printing. Then you return to room, again finger printing, again unlocking. So just keep that in mind while practicing.

Last advice (sorry if I am preaching), give loads of practice tests. I gave around 25(6 from GMAT paper tests, 6 Manhattan, 6 800 score, 4 Kaplan, two official and one somewhere). I guess this helped most. Because it helps you get in the mood to think on all shortcuts and all. But don't give unrecognized tests. Because you have no way to realize whether your score is good or not.