A long time status update has been due from my side and as the title of this post says, my life these days has just been essays :)
I sincerely started writing essays some 12 days back and since then i haven't had time to think of anything else..anytime i get free, i am thinking about my essays :)
I started with Ross essays and i am about the complete their last essay. I have already mailed some of those essays to my reviewers.
The most important career goals essay took much less time for me as compared to other essays. In fact i had everything in mind before i wrote this essay and just had to pen my thoughts. So that didn't take much time. Though i will know how well i wrote it when it comes to me after reviews :)
But lots of stuff is left to be done, other than the essays
- I still haven't made my resume
- I have sent my documents for getting my transcripts.
- I have talked to one of my recommenders and explained her in detail about the whole process. - I am yet to finalize my second recommender, though i have 2 people in mind
- I haven't started essays for any other school, though i have researched about my R1 schools in detail now.
I hope to progress more in coming week, in fact i have to start running now to meet those R1 deadlines....hope i am able to get things done on time..
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Saturday, September 08, 2007
Apps process started - Second step towards the goal
This week i started with the app process - the second step towards my goal after GMAT.......I hope i complete it in time and with full satisfaction...
But in just 1 week i have realized that this second step is gonna be harder than the first one :) ....
Okk i will start with the schools i have shortlisted:-
1) Chicago
2) Stern
3) Ross
4) Darden
5) Wharton
Also there are some more schools :) :-
1) Stanford
2) Duke
3) Haas
4) UCLA Anderson
5) Kellogg
6) Tuck
7) Emory
So that's make a total of 12 schools and you people can see all the confusions i am into right now :)
Also i cannot apply to more than 2-3 schools in the R-1 deadline because i am already very late for the whole process, the rest of the schools i will have to push to R-2, which will reduce my chance of me getting in due to my IT-male profile :)
I am yet to spend some serious time on putting in thoughts for my essays, but will probably start that tomorrow. I am really stuck on even how to start writing right now.....perhaps, starting to write the essays is the most difficult part of the apps. I hope i make a good start....
But in just 1 week i have realized that this second step is gonna be harder than the first one :) ....
Okk i will start with the schools i have shortlisted:-
1) Chicago
2) Stern
3) Ross
4) Darden
5) Wharton
Also there are some more schools :) :-
1) Stanford
2) Duke
3) Haas
4) UCLA Anderson
5) Kellogg
6) Tuck
7) Emory
So that's make a total of 12 schools and you people can see all the confusions i am into right now :)
Also i cannot apply to more than 2-3 schools in the R-1 deadline because i am already very late for the whole process, the rest of the schools i will have to push to R-2, which will reduce my chance of me getting in due to my IT-male profile :)
I am yet to spend some serious time on putting in thoughts for my essays, but will probably start that tomorrow. I am really stuck on even how to start writing right now.....perhaps, starting to write the essays is the most difficult part of the apps. I hope i make a good start....
D-Day - GMAT Experience
I took my GMAT appointment at 8 AM and i never gave a single test at that time. Many people said that give at least one test at 8 but i didn't listen. I believe, Its all in the mind I gave all my mock tests between 10-2PM. Actually i had to go to library to give the tests.Also before the exam i only slept for 5 hrs. Somehow didn't get sleep till late Anyways, i reached my centre at 715 AM and waited will 730 to enter the center. Those 15 minutes i used for self motivation Entered the exam room at 750AM after completing all the formalities.
Selected the schools and then started with AWA. I had the format to write the essays, wrote the essays in that format and was able to put in good ideas in them. All in all was very satisfied with my performance here, given that i had put only 2 days of prep for this section. Took a 10 minute break in which i had 1 Red bull. Again motivated myself for the real test now.
Then started with Quant. Initially Quant questions were easy and i was rechecking all the answers till Q10, but after Q10 difficulty level started increasing and questions were taking lot of time. I had to speed up after Q 17 and didn't recheck any of my answers after that. I got some 2-3 probability questions in between which i was able to answer. Overall the difficulty level was same as that of GMATPrep. For the last question i had 2 minutes and i started it leisurely. It involved some large calculations and finally when i came with answer, it didn't match any of the choices, and only 15 seconds were left. I had to guess this one. I knew that i will not be able to hit 51 in Quant. Anyways, my aim was only 50, not 51. I knew with 50 in Maths i can still do well. So i was satisfied.
Now took another 10 minutes break. I took another red bull . Looked into the mirror, said to me that here starts the most imp 75 minutes test. It all depends on these 75 minutes whether i will make it or not, so just motivated myself to have confidence and give my best shot.
Started verbal with 2 SC's, average difficulty level. Then came an easy CR.Got my first RC at Q3 which i marked comfortably and i was confident of my accuracy till now. Then came a series of SC's and CR's. SC's were getting difficult. At Q 10 gt my second RC of 4 questions. It was a large RC but i handled it well. After this there were 3-4 SC's in line, some of which were difficult and took time. Then at Q24 got my third RC which was small but a difficult one. At Q33, git my last 4th RC, average length and avg difficulty. After Q31 it was getting difficulty for me to concentrate because the feeling of result kept coming in my mind. Tried hard and was able to concentrate for some more moments, but i had increased by speed now to complete the test ASAP. Also after 15 th question my speed reduced due to difficulty, so i had to increase my speed after 28th question to bring it back to 2 minutes per question. This is imp because last questions are imp and you should have time for them. Finally i had 12 minutes for last 5 questions. took my time for these question. Also now i was worried since i didn't get any bold face CR till now. So again i felt difficult to concentrate. Finally Q40 was a bold faced huge CR which was very difficult and i took 3.5 minutes to mark it. Then for last question i had 2.5 minutes still left. Marked it in 1/2 minute and clicked on next with 2 minutes still to go.
Now, i could hear the beat of my heart and was feeling very tense. The bad thing is you have to fill an 8 page survey after the verbal section and i was getting very tense while filling it .Finally i got the screen to accept / reject scores. And clicked on report scores. The page hanged to calculate my score and for me the whole world hanged in those 5 seconds. I knew had done well but still i was very nervous. I knew i couldn't have scored below 740 and somehow thought that my score should be 760.
I Closed my eyes and prayed. When i opened my eyes, i saw 770 ( 50, 45) - was shocked for 2 minutes. I couldn't utter a word just kept looking at the screen. Months of hard work just splashed in front of my eyes. Thanked God, looked out of the window to check if everything is real and called the test admin. She asked me to click next. Didn't want to get past that screen but clicked on End test.Took print out of the score, switched on my phone and already my friends were calling me :)
Selected the schools and then started with AWA. I had the format to write the essays, wrote the essays in that format and was able to put in good ideas in them. All in all was very satisfied with my performance here, given that i had put only 2 days of prep for this section. Took a 10 minute break in which i had 1 Red bull. Again motivated myself for the real test now.
Then started with Quant. Initially Quant questions were easy and i was rechecking all the answers till Q10, but after Q10 difficulty level started increasing and questions were taking lot of time. I had to speed up after Q 17 and didn't recheck any of my answers after that. I got some 2-3 probability questions in between which i was able to answer. Overall the difficulty level was same as that of GMATPrep. For the last question i had 2 minutes and i started it leisurely. It involved some large calculations and finally when i came with answer, it didn't match any of the choices, and only 15 seconds were left. I had to guess this one. I knew that i will not be able to hit 51 in Quant. Anyways, my aim was only 50, not 51. I knew with 50 in Maths i can still do well. So i was satisfied.
Now took another 10 minutes break. I took another red bull . Looked into the mirror, said to me that here starts the most imp 75 minutes test. It all depends on these 75 minutes whether i will make it or not, so just motivated myself to have confidence and give my best shot.
Started verbal with 2 SC's, average difficulty level. Then came an easy CR.Got my first RC at Q3 which i marked comfortably and i was confident of my accuracy till now. Then came a series of SC's and CR's. SC's were getting difficult. At Q 10 gt my second RC of 4 questions. It was a large RC but i handled it well. After this there were 3-4 SC's in line, some of which were difficult and took time. Then at Q24 got my third RC which was small but a difficult one. At Q33, git my last 4th RC, average length and avg difficulty. After Q31 it was getting difficulty for me to concentrate because the feeling of result kept coming in my mind. Tried hard and was able to concentrate for some more moments, but i had increased by speed now to complete the test ASAP. Also after 15 th question my speed reduced due to difficulty, so i had to increase my speed after 28th question to bring it back to 2 minutes per question. This is imp because last questions are imp and you should have time for them. Finally i had 12 minutes for last 5 questions. took my time for these question. Also now i was worried since i didn't get any bold face CR till now. So again i felt difficult to concentrate. Finally Q40 was a bold faced huge CR which was very difficult and i took 3.5 minutes to mark it. Then for last question i had 2.5 minutes still left. Marked it in 1/2 minute and clicked on next with 2 minutes still to go.
Now, i could hear the beat of my heart and was feeling very tense. The bad thing is you have to fill an 8 page survey after the verbal section and i was getting very tense while filling it .Finally i got the screen to accept / reject scores. And clicked on report scores. The page hanged to calculate my score and for me the whole world hanged in those 5 seconds. I knew had done well but still i was very nervous. I knew i couldn't have scored below 740 and somehow thought that my score should be 760.
I Closed my eyes and prayed. When i opened my eyes, i saw 770 ( 50, 45) - was shocked for 2 minutes. I couldn't utter a word just kept looking at the screen. Months of hard work just splashed in front of my eyes. Thanked God, looked out of the window to check if everything is real and called the test admin. She asked me to click next. Didn't want to get past that screen but clicked on End test.Took print out of the score, switched on my phone and already my friends were calling me :)
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
GMAT Official score report arrives - they like my writing skills
Finally i got my Official Score Report yesterday and they seem to like my writing skills :)
I managed to score 5.5 in AWA. Though i know that it just translates to 83% but personally for me, its more than enough. I hardly prepared for this section in last 2-3 days only and only practiced 1-2 essays. Also i don't think that my writing skills are that great, so i felt good on seeing 5.5
Now at least, everything which could be done from GMAT side for my apps has been done, now starts the actual game of apps when i start writing the essays.
Will keep you all updated. Also coming soon, my prep schedule and my D-Day experience.
I managed to score 5.5 in AWA. Though i know that it just translates to 83% but personally for me, its more than enough. I hardly prepared for this section in last 2-3 days only and only practiced 1-2 essays. Also i don't think that my writing skills are that great, so i felt good on seeing 5.5
Now at least, everything which could be done from GMAT side for my apps has been done, now starts the actual game of apps when i start writing the essays.
Will keep you all updated. Also coming soon, my prep schedule and my D-Day experience.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
GMAT Rocked......it's my day....barrier broken :)
Finally, I am done with GMAT....
I scored 770 ( Q -50, V- 45)
This is exactly the score i scored in GMATPrep two days ago after re-installing it.
I was so happy when i saw the score that i didn't know how to react......months of hard work just splashed in front of my eyes.....i am so very happy that the hard work has finally paid off :):)
Believe me guys, the feeling has still not sunk in.....
I was a boy who used to read so many GMAT success stories and used to think if i will be able to get that kind of a score.......yup i did believe in myself all the time...
Just a month back, life seemed to be so dull, i felt like i was doing nothing and losing on my dreams.....but after this the whole world looks to be brighter...
Ive Leagues - here comes Achilles ;)
P.S. I really want to thank all of you fellow bloggers who were of so much support during my preps.
Also thanks to all my roommates Saurabh, Sachin and Sanket for supporting and helping me throughout my preps. You guys deserve a special mention here. Thanks
Righty - Thanks for all the support and thanks for always being there always.
I scored 770 ( Q -50, V- 45)
This is exactly the score i scored in GMATPrep two days ago after re-installing it.
I was so happy when i saw the score that i didn't know how to react......months of hard work just splashed in front of my eyes.....i am so very happy that the hard work has finally paid off :):)
Believe me guys, the feeling has still not sunk in.....
I was a boy who used to read so many GMAT success stories and used to think if i will be able to get that kind of a score.......yup i did believe in myself all the time...
Just a month back, life seemed to be so dull, i felt like i was doing nothing and losing on my dreams.....but after this the whole world looks to be brighter...
Ive Leagues - here comes Achilles ;)
P.S. I really want to thank all of you fellow bloggers who were of so much support during my preps.
Also thanks to all my roommates Saurabh, Sachin and Sanket for supporting and helping me throughout my preps. You guys deserve a special mention here. Thanks
Righty - Thanks for all the support and thanks for always being there always.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
4 days to go...
Now its just 4 days to go for my GMAT and i have started feeling bored with my preps. I have essentially slowed down this week and didn't study much.
Because of my bad SC performance in the last test i practiced SC from Kaplan 800. The reason i am getting low accuracy in SC is that i am trying to through them. I am marking SC questions very fast and many time i don't even go through all the choices, so that's one of the reasons that i am screwing up this section.
Didn't practice any other section much this week till now.
For the coming days, i will just revise my mistakes in various material i have done till now, give one full length test over the weekend, study AWA and go through Quant concepts. That's it.
Also one more imp thing i will start from tomorrow, waking up at 6 AM in the morning from tomorrow till the D-Day at least :) . I have my test appointment scheduled at 8:00 AM in the morning and haven't practiced a single test at that time. So for the coming days, i will at least try to wake up early and do some practice questions during the test time, just to get some confidence and practice. I usually sleep very late in the night and usually get up at 7:15 in the morning for office, but from today will try to sleep a little early and wake up at 6:00 AM in the morning. :)
I will be taking leave from office for Monday and Tuesday.
Just to reduce my anxiety levels and to relax i am also planning to go for a movie over the weekend.
Lets see, how i manage time during these 4 days.
Because of my bad SC performance in the last test i practiced SC from Kaplan 800. The reason i am getting low accuracy in SC is that i am trying to through them. I am marking SC questions very fast and many time i don't even go through all the choices, so that's one of the reasons that i am screwing up this section.
Didn't practice any other section much this week till now.
For the coming days, i will just revise my mistakes in various material i have done till now, give one full length test over the weekend, study AWA and go through Quant concepts. That's it.
Also one more imp thing i will start from tomorrow, waking up at 6 AM in the morning from tomorrow till the D-Day at least :) . I have my test appointment scheduled at 8:00 AM in the morning and haven't practiced a single test at that time. So for the coming days, i will at least try to wake up early and do some practice questions during the test time, just to get some confidence and practice. I usually sleep very late in the night and usually get up at 7:15 in the morning for office, but from today will try to sleep a little early and wake up at 6:00 AM in the morning. :)
I will be taking leave from office for Monday and Tuesday.
Just to reduce my anxiety levels and to relax i am also planning to go for a movie over the weekend.
Lets see, how i manage time during these 4 days.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
The Penultimate test...
So finally i gave my penultimate test -- GMATPrep2 ,and its still 1 week left for my GMAT....but believe me i really need this remaining time.
Though i scored ok on this test, but i scored my worst accuracy in SC--> 53% and i m really worried about it now. While giving the test i didn't expect my SC accuracy to be so down. I scored a 100% accuracy in CR but they were not of GMAT level, they seemed to be below that.
Though i scored 750(Q-50, V-41) in the test, i got 11 questions wrong in Verbal.
Questions wrong:- 7, 15, 16, 18, 22, 26, 29, 33, 37, 38, 39
SC wrong :- 8/17
So after all the preps i got my lowest accuracy in SC till now :( ....i have to put a strategy in place for next 1 week to improve in SC and also i need some more practice in CR.
Maths:- Though i scored 50 today but i made 7 mistakes, which was very disappointing. Though many of them were foolish but committing foolish mistakes at this stage is the last thing i want.
I am planning to revise Kaplan 800 in the coming week and also revise some of my concepts from Manhattan. Also i will analyze all my mistakes done in Verbal.
AWA: Though i have prepared the format of the essays but i haven't done much practice here, so need to practice more to gain some confidence in this section.
Coming week is really going to be very long for me......
Though i scored ok on this test, but i scored my worst accuracy in SC--> 53% and i m really worried about it now. While giving the test i didn't expect my SC accuracy to be so down. I scored a 100% accuracy in CR but they were not of GMAT level, they seemed to be below that.
Though i scored 750(Q-50, V-41) in the test, i got 11 questions wrong in Verbal.
Questions wrong:- 7, 15, 16, 18, 22, 26, 29, 33, 37, 38, 39
SC wrong :- 8/17
So after all the preps i got my lowest accuracy in SC till now :( ....i have to put a strategy in place for next 1 week to improve in SC and also i need some more practice in CR.
Maths:- Though i scored 50 today but i made 7 mistakes, which was very disappointing. Though many of them were foolish but committing foolish mistakes at this stage is the last thing i want.
I am planning to revise Kaplan 800 in the coming week and also revise some of my concepts from Manhattan. Also i will analyze all my mistakes done in Verbal.
AWA: Though i have prepared the format of the essays but i haven't done much practice here, so need to practice more to gain some confidence in this section.
Coming week is really going to be very long for me......
Saturday, August 11, 2007
GMATPrep 1 - And I've hit the barrier again
Today was the day when i had planned to give my GMATprep1 practice test and i have been waiting for this day throughout this week.
I woke up at 9 AM and reached library at 10, the time when it opens on Saturday morning. I looked for a quiet place and soon started the test. Started with AWA for the first time, just though about a few points and wrote down but didn't actually write it the way i should write on the D day.
Started with the Quant section and encountered 8th question as a probability question which was kind of tough. I wasted some time on this one and then marked(guessed) it to proceed to the next question. Overall Maths section was of good difficulty level, with some very good questions coming in between and some of the questions really took time. Also i had to attend an imp phone call in between this section and thus ended up wasting 2-3 minutes of test time, the importance of which i realised in the last minutes of this section.
Now when i reached question 28 there were only 12 minutes left. God...i took so much time for the first time in this section. Also initially i was rechecking my answers for each question which again wasted some of the time.....this is somewhat similar to what happens with people on the actual test day. But then i speeded up and completed this section just on time. I had to guess 2 questions due to lack of time which ultimately went wrong.
Now started verbal and it started with an easy CR. But the second question was a SC which as kind of tough. And soon started RC's and all. I came across 4 RC's but one thing different was that most of the passages were small, they were not very large...was i lucky in this test??
Finally finished this section with 2 minutes to spare. Clicked on results. Somehow, I didn't have good feeling and expected the score to be around 700 only, but.....
750 ( Q- 49, V- 42) --- Godd i am so happy for today!!
Questions wrong:-
Q- 3, 8, 24, 28, 33, 36 ----6 questions wrong. But the 3 rd question is wrong in the test strangely ....i made all my friends solve this question and they found the same answer as i marked but GMATprep shows a different answer which certainly is wrong. Has anybody encountered such a situation?
V- 2,4,14, 18, 22, 24, 32, 33, 34, 36
But now the bad part---
I screwed quant badly - fell short of time for last 10 questions and also scored 49 :(:( .....i cannot afford to go below 50 in Maths on the D-Day ....now this test has made me believe that at least there is no chance for me to score 51 in Q on the D- Day. I have to practice this section more to have any chance of scoring 51 on D- Day assuming that the difficult level on the real test is same as that of GMATprep. What say people??
Verbal though the score seems good but i made 10 mistakes and out of those 5 were SC's.
Breakup of mistakes:-
SC- 5/16 ---- just 68.75% accuracy :(
RC - 2/14
CR- 3/11
So my SC accuracy in this test was really pathetic :( . I have to revise all my concepts again and practice more in this area.
Also one other thing i am worried about is i was not at all confident when i was clicking on results that i will be able to hit this much, that means i was not confident of questions i marked which is also true.
Anyways, the only thing i can do right now is to keep the focus and practice more. Also still AWA is pending...... Now i am just 2 weeks away from D-Day. And believe me if i am able hit this score in real, i will be so very happy!!
Will be giving my GMATprep2 test next week and keep you all updated about my prep. Also may be will need help of you people, as i approach near the real test.
I woke up at 9 AM and reached library at 10, the time when it opens on Saturday morning. I looked for a quiet place and soon started the test. Started with AWA for the first time, just though about a few points and wrote down but didn't actually write it the way i should write on the D day.
Started with the Quant section and encountered 8th question as a probability question which was kind of tough. I wasted some time on this one and then marked(guessed) it to proceed to the next question. Overall Maths section was of good difficulty level, with some very good questions coming in between and some of the questions really took time. Also i had to attend an imp phone call in between this section and thus ended up wasting 2-3 minutes of test time, the importance of which i realised in the last minutes of this section.
Now when i reached question 28 there were only 12 minutes left. God...i took so much time for the first time in this section. Also initially i was rechecking my answers for each question which again wasted some of the time.....this is somewhat similar to what happens with people on the actual test day. But then i speeded up and completed this section just on time. I had to guess 2 questions due to lack of time which ultimately went wrong.
Now started verbal and it started with an easy CR. But the second question was a SC which as kind of tough. And soon started RC's and all. I came across 4 RC's but one thing different was that most of the passages were small, they were not very large...was i lucky in this test??
Finally finished this section with 2 minutes to spare. Clicked on results. Somehow, I didn't have good feeling and expected the score to be around 700 only, but.....
750 ( Q- 49, V- 42) --- Godd i am so happy for today!!
Questions wrong:-
Q- 3, 8, 24, 28, 33, 36 ----6 questions wrong. But the 3 rd question is wrong in the test strangely ....i made all my friends solve this question and they found the same answer as i marked but GMATprep shows a different answer which certainly is wrong. Has anybody encountered such a situation?
V- 2,4,14, 18, 22, 24, 32, 33, 34, 36
But now the bad part---
I screwed quant badly - fell short of time for last 10 questions and also scored 49 :(:( .....i cannot afford to go below 50 in Maths on the D-Day ....now this test has made me believe that at least there is no chance for me to score 51 in Q on the D- Day. I have to practice this section more to have any chance of scoring 51 on D- Day assuming that the difficult level on the real test is same as that of GMATprep. What say people??
Verbal though the score seems good but i made 10 mistakes and out of those 5 were SC's.
Breakup of mistakes:-
SC- 5/16 ---- just 68.75% accuracy :(
RC - 2/14
CR- 3/11
So my SC accuracy in this test was really pathetic :( . I have to revise all my concepts again and practice more in this area.
Also one other thing i am worried about is i was not at all confident when i was clicking on results that i will be able to hit this much, that means i was not confident of questions i marked which is also true.
Anyways, the only thing i can do right now is to keep the focus and practice more. Also still AWA is pending...... Now i am just 2 weeks away from D-Day. And believe me if i am able hit this score in real, i will be so very happy!!
Will be giving my GMATprep2 test next week and keep you all updated about my prep. Also may be will need help of you people, as i approach near the real test.
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Gmat < 3 weeks to go - Updates and Doubts
Due to the work pressure this week, i am unable to concentrate on my prep this week. I have been leaving for office at 7:30 in the morning this week and coming back late. So, when i sit to study in the late evening, i feel so sleepy that i am unable to concentrate :( :( . Its just 3 weeks left for my GMAT and this work pressure is killing me.
Anyways, i started with 1000 SC collection this week and complete dome 80 of them with just 80% accuracy. I have some serious doubts in some of the questions and some of the answers seems to be wrong. What's the opinion of other people who have tried their hands on 1000 SC collection? How can i can get their explanations or maybe the correct answers at least. If the authenticity of answers is not proven for these, i really don't want to waste my time on these questions.
Also the only other thing i have been doing this week is OG revision. Also completed reading AWA Analysis of Argument section from OG, but i haven't prepared the format of my response till now and i am yet to practice with any of the essays.
I know i am lagging behind in my preps and somehow i have to manage both my work( i have a project deadline on September 3) and my preps till August 28, though my personal life is already running out of my control. I have stopped responding to calls of so many people these days, i am sure they are going to kill me when they see me next time :(
I have to gather and focus all my energy on my preps and work for the coming weeks. Please God give me strength :)
Anyways, i started with 1000 SC collection this week and complete dome 80 of them with just 80% accuracy. I have some serious doubts in some of the questions and some of the answers seems to be wrong. What's the opinion of other people who have tried their hands on 1000 SC collection? How can i can get their explanations or maybe the correct answers at least. If the authenticity of answers is not proven for these, i really don't want to waste my time on these questions.
Also the only other thing i have been doing this week is OG revision. Also completed reading AWA Analysis of Argument section from OG, but i haven't prepared the format of my response till now and i am yet to practice with any of the essays.
I know i am lagging behind in my preps and somehow i have to manage both my work( i have a project deadline on September 3) and my preps till August 28, though my personal life is already running out of my control. I have stopped responding to calls of so many people these days, i am sure they are going to kill me when they see me next time :(
I have to gather and focus all my energy on my preps and work for the coming weeks. Please God give me strength :)
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Powerprep 2 - Broke the barrier :)
Today God really wanted me to give a bday gift and see he has given it :) , i just broke the barrier which i have been thinking to break for so long. Yup i have hit 750.
Scores in Powerprep2 :-
Overall - 750 ( Q-50, V-41)
It was a very nice feeling when i looked at the score.
Quant section:- ( 1 Question wrong) - completed with 10 minutes to spare
The section seemed very easy, i don't know why, though there were some tricky questions here and there. But overall the level was easy.
And i got just one question wrong here - Q27 :( and that too was a foolish mistake. Due to this i missed hitting 51 in Maths.
Verbal Section:- Completed with 14 minutes to spare.
It was of average difficulty level, but this time i saw some of the question which i had already seen somewhere :( . So that also questions the validity of these scores since i had already seen some of the questions. I think other people also experience the same with Powerprep.
Questions wrong :- ( 6 questions wrong - 1 less than the less time.)
2, 9, 12, 17, 21, 23
Breakup :-
1- SC :)
3- RC
2- CR
I am really happy that i decided top give the test today on my birthday :) and managed to hit a good score also. Though there were some seen questions but i am happy that atleast once i have broken the barrier.
The race has started and i have started running atleast :).
The next test is going to be GMAT Prep1
Scores in Powerprep2 :-
Overall - 750 ( Q-50, V-41)
It was a very nice feeling when i looked at the score.
Quant section:- ( 1 Question wrong) - completed with 10 minutes to spare
The section seemed very easy, i don't know why, though there were some tricky questions here and there. But overall the level was easy.
And i got just one question wrong here - Q27 :( and that too was a foolish mistake. Due to this i missed hitting 51 in Maths.
Verbal Section:- Completed with 14 minutes to spare.
It was of average difficulty level, but this time i saw some of the question which i had already seen somewhere :( . So that also questions the validity of these scores since i had already seen some of the questions. I think other people also experience the same with Powerprep.
Questions wrong :- ( 6 questions wrong - 1 less than the less time.)
2, 9, 12, 17, 21, 23
Breakup :-
1- SC :)
3- RC
2- CR
I am really happy that i decided top give the test today on my birthday :) and managed to hit a good score also. Though there were some seen questions but i am happy that atleast once i have broken the barrier.
The race has started and i have started running atleast :).
The next test is going to be GMAT Prep1
Happy Birthday to me!!
Today is my birthday and here i am giving the Powerprep2 GMAT :) . There is no time to party, i have very less time left for my GMAT and cannot waste a weekend, because its only on the weekends that i can give the mock tests....
Though i will party in the evening, if the test goes fine :)
Will post you guys after the test with scores.
Though i will party in the evening, if the test goes fine :)
Will post you guys after the test with scores.
Friday, August 03, 2007
Got the GMAT Scheduled
Finally, I have taken the plunge.
Today morning when i reached office, i checked mba.com and saw one slot available on August 28, the date which i had in the back of my mind. As soon as i saw the date , i took out my credit card and booked it. Well spent 250$ :).
The center is approx. 10 miles from my home, so its kind of near :). I will have to visit the center in advance to see for the parking arrangements, don't want to take any chances on the test day.
Now i am just praying that work pressure remains low for these 3 weeks somehow and i am able to complete all the things that i have planned before the test :).
Only major cause of worry right now is that i haven't started with the AWA section. From where are other bloggers preparing for this section?
So the clock has started ticking for me now. Its a race and i have to win it somehow.
Today morning when i reached office, i checked mba.com and saw one slot available on August 28, the date which i had in the back of my mind. As soon as i saw the date , i took out my credit card and booked it. Well spent 250$ :).
The center is approx. 10 miles from my home, so its kind of near :). I will have to visit the center in advance to see for the parking arrangements, don't want to take any chances on the test day.
Now i am just praying that work pressure remains low for these 3 weeks somehow and i am able to complete all the things that i have planned before the test :).
Only major cause of worry right now is that i haven't started with the AWA section. From where are other bloggers preparing for this section?
So the clock has started ticking for me now. Its a race and i have to win it somehow.
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
GMAT Prep continues....
This week is going on well at least for my preps. I was able to complete the OG Verbal Review book today.
And my accuracy levels have improved in CR and RC from what they were in when i was doing OG.
In SC, though initially i was performing very well but towards the end i somehow managed to screw it up and ended up with less than 80% accuracy(78%) :( :( . Though one reason for this is that i was very tired up in SC towards the end but since I wanted to complete it so I stretched myself a bit. But whatever maybe the reason i have to concentrate on my SC again now.
I have started with OG second round now. Started with SC :) , I did first 100 questions and i had a very decent accuracy (89%) till now. I will start with CR and RC revision also by this weekend.
Now the missing parts, i haven't practiced Quant section since last 20 days, except the tests which i have been giving over the weekends. So i will have to gear myself up for quant right now.
I have to ensure that i hit 50 in Quant in the actual test. Though i have not been worrying about Quant till now, because on all the Kaplan tests i have been hitting 50 easily, though in the Powerprep 1 test my score fell down to 49. But in actual test i cannot afford that. Also i have heard that these days Quant section has some very tough questions coming up so have to gear for that.
Planning to revise the basics first from OG and then complete OG Maths again, i think that should give me the required practice.
Second thing which is missing in my prep now is the AWA section which i haven't started. Now i will have to start with this section tomorrow for sure. It's high time now. I have to practice at least some arguments before my actual test.
Though i haven't been able to take the date yet due to unavailability, i have thought of taking the test in August last week, also i am studying and making my schedule with August 28 as date in my mind. Lets see if i am able to take some date. But as other bloggers have pointed out, i should be able to get it because of cancellations happening at the last moment. I hope i am able to get it.
And my accuracy levels have improved in CR and RC from what they were in when i was doing OG.
In SC, though initially i was performing very well but towards the end i somehow managed to screw it up and ended up with less than 80% accuracy(78%) :( :( . Though one reason for this is that i was very tired up in SC towards the end but since I wanted to complete it so I stretched myself a bit. But whatever maybe the reason i have to concentrate on my SC again now.
I have started with OG second round now. Started with SC :) , I did first 100 questions and i had a very decent accuracy (89%) till now. I will start with CR and RC revision also by this weekend.
Now the missing parts, i haven't practiced Quant section since last 20 days, except the tests which i have been giving over the weekends. So i will have to gear myself up for quant right now.
I have to ensure that i hit 50 in Quant in the actual test. Though i have not been worrying about Quant till now, because on all the Kaplan tests i have been hitting 50 easily, though in the Powerprep 1 test my score fell down to 49. But in actual test i cannot afford that. Also i have heard that these days Quant section has some very tough questions coming up so have to gear for that.
Planning to revise the basics first from OG and then complete OG Maths again, i think that should give me the required practice.
Second thing which is missing in my prep now is the AWA section which i haven't started. Now i will have to start with this section tomorrow for sure. It's high time now. I have to practice at least some arguments before my actual test.
Though i haven't been able to take the date yet due to unavailability, i have thought of taking the test in August last week, also i am studying and making my schedule with August 28 as date in my mind. Lets see if i am able to take some date. But as other bloggers have pointed out, i should be able to get it because of cancellations happening at the last moment. I hope i am able to get it.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
My GMATPrep -- confusions, prepration and status-help required :)
Since my last post i have been regularly looking at mba.com for getting a date in last week of August, but still there are no appointments. If that continues for another week, i will take a date in the first week of September.
Now my current status in prep:-
OG11 - Done except AWA, but its been a while since i completed this.
Kaplan Premier program- I started my prep with this book and completed it.
Kaplan 800- Verbal completed - but again its been more than a month now.
OG verbal Review - Presently doing. Completed SC and CR , RC is left.
Now my goal for the coming weeks is :-
1) Complete OG verbal review in 1-2 days now.
2) Revise OG11
3) Revise Kaplan 800
4) Go through the standard noted like Spidey's notes.
5) Revise some concepts from Manhattan SC.
Tests already taken:-
All kaplan tests - Avg. 0f 650
Powerprep 1 - 730
Tests left:-
GMATPreps , Powerprep2 and Manhattan tests
Confusions:-
One major thing i am worried about is that i haven't touched the AWA section till now. I am planning to go through this sectionjust 15 days before the test and also i don't have much tie to devote to this section. People i need your opinions here that how much time is needed for this section and what all should i do in this section?
Also should i revise OG11 and Kaplan 800 right now or should i revise them when i am more near to the test.
I think the time which i have kept between now and my planned GMAT date - 1 month is sufficient for completing what all is left over. Actually i have kept a month because i will get very less time during the weekdays to prepare because of the hectic work schedule.
Should i do some more material or is the material sufficient? If no, then what can i do for the next 1 month.
Hope to see some very serious suggestions from you people who have already been through this prep. Your suggestion can really help me.
Thanks
Now my current status in prep:-
OG11 - Done except AWA, but its been a while since i completed this.
Kaplan Premier program- I started my prep with this book and completed it.
Kaplan 800- Verbal completed - but again its been more than a month now.
OG verbal Review - Presently doing. Completed SC and CR , RC is left.
Now my goal for the coming weeks is :-
1) Complete OG verbal review in 1-2 days now.
2) Revise OG11
3) Revise Kaplan 800
4) Go through the standard noted like Spidey's notes.
5) Revise some concepts from Manhattan SC.
Tests already taken:-
All kaplan tests - Avg. 0f 650
Powerprep 1 - 730
Tests left:-
GMATPreps , Powerprep2 and Manhattan tests
Confusions:-
One major thing i am worried about is that i haven't touched the AWA section till now. I am planning to go through this sectionjust 15 days before the test and also i don't have much tie to devote to this section. People i need your opinions here that how much time is needed for this section and what all should i do in this section?
Also should i revise OG11 and Kaplan 800 right now or should i revise them when i am more near to the test.
I think the time which i have kept between now and my planned GMAT date - 1 month is sufficient for completing what all is left over. Actually i have kept a month because i will get very less time during the weekdays to prepare because of the hectic work schedule.
Should i do some more material or is the material sufficient? If no, then what can i do for the next 1 month.
Hope to see some very serious suggestions from you people who have already been through this prep. Your suggestion can really help me.
Thanks
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Kaplan GMAT CAT 4 - 660 ( Q- 50, V- 36)
Gave my last Kaplan test this Sunday afternoon. And that's the only thing i did related to GMAT this weekend. I couldn't study anything this weekend. :(
Anyways, coming to the test, this time i gave the test in the afternoon when i was feeling a bit sleepy to check my alertness levels.
The pattern of questions was pretty much similar to the previous Kaplan tests which i gave.
So coming to the results:-
660 ( Q- 50, V- 36)
Quant - 4 wrong ( 7, 12 , , )
Verbal - 10 wrong ( 3, 22, 23 , 29, 31, 33 , 36, 38, 40,41)
One thing which went good in this test was verbal. Though the verbal score is essentially same as the previous test's score but what drastically reduced is the number of mistakes in the first 20 questions. There was only 1 single mistake in the first 20 questions and that too was a CR question which i misread. So that was satisfying. Also the total number of mistakes in the verbal section has reduced from the last time. I screwed it up in the last 7 questions though. Actually i also fell short of time in the end. So that is one reason i screwed it up in the last, will have to improve on my speed in the next test.
Now the tests which i am left with are Powerprep2 and both GmatPreps. Although i also have access to Manhattan online tests, i am not sure how useful are they. Anybody has idea about Manhattan test's quality? Are they really worth doing?
Now i also have decide on the actual test date. I was looking for dates between 25th to 30th August but no slot is available at that time. Rechecking daily if some slot gets available. Also these days i am unable to study on the weekdays due to the work load which is really giving me tension now. I am only able to study over the weekend, thus the time devotes for the prep is reducing. I need to figure out some way.
Anyways, coming to the test, this time i gave the test in the afternoon when i was feeling a bit sleepy to check my alertness levels.
The pattern of questions was pretty much similar to the previous Kaplan tests which i gave.
So coming to the results:-
660 ( Q- 50, V- 36)
Quant - 4 wrong ( 7, 12 , , )
Verbal - 10 wrong ( 3, 22, 23 , 29, 31, 33 , 36, 38, 40,41)
One thing which went good in this test was verbal. Though the verbal score is essentially same as the previous test's score but what drastically reduced is the number of mistakes in the first 20 questions. There was only 1 single mistake in the first 20 questions and that too was a CR question which i misread. So that was satisfying. Also the total number of mistakes in the verbal section has reduced from the last time. I screwed it up in the last 7 questions though. Actually i also fell short of time in the end. So that is one reason i screwed it up in the last, will have to improve on my speed in the next test.
Now the tests which i am left with are Powerprep2 and both GmatPreps. Although i also have access to Manhattan online tests, i am not sure how useful are they. Anybody has idea about Manhattan test's quality? Are they really worth doing?
Now i also have decide on the actual test date. I was looking for dates between 25th to 30th August but no slot is available at that time. Rechecking daily if some slot gets available. Also these days i am unable to study on the weekdays due to the work load which is really giving me tension now. I am only able to study over the weekend, thus the time devotes for the prep is reducing. I need to figure out some way.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
GMAT PowerPrep 1 -- Missed the barrier again
As per my schedule i gave GMAT Powerprep 1 test on Sunday afternoon. So after doing a light breakfast i went to the library to give the test. I just took a coke can with me to drink it while taking the test.
As soon as i started the test, i found that the font of the test was not good and i was experiencing difficulty while reading things sometimes. I think the font size was bigger than usual and also the type of font didn't suit my eyes. I hope the actual GMAT doesn't have this kind of font.
Anyways, started with Quant and as usual it started with some DS questions initially. I was not confident while marking 1-2 questions in the first 10 but overall it seemed fine. I think took a good amount of time while doing the first 10 questions. Thus increased my speed after this. First 10 questions were coming increasing order of difficulty but after 11 there were some very easy questions, which made me wonder if i am doing the questions correctly. The difficulty level of questions again started increasing and i really encountered some good questions. Overall the maths section was of average difficulty level with some good questions. Due to my increased speed i finished the section 8 minutes earlier from the time limit.
While doing the maths section a couple came and sat beside me. They were constantly chatting even in the Quiet Area of the library which was very annoying. I decided to change seat when Quantitative section gets over but in the break i couldn't find any free seat with a slot to plug in my laptop. So just got back to my seat and started the Verbal section :(
Verbal started with first 4 questions of SC in which i was unsure about 1. Then came RS which was okay i think. And then on the 8th question cam bold faced CR, which gave me some confidence. After that at 11th question came my second RC which again was fine. Overall the section was good. I was struggling with speed in the middle but was able to catch up and finished the section with 2 minutes to spare.
As soon as i clicked on the results i was having a feeling that i have done good. And the result was:-
Overall --- 730 ( Quant - 49, V - 40)
Ohh god i screwed my Quant this time, how come, maybe i was very fast and i did some foolish mistakes, i cursed myself for this. Verbal score seemed to be fine.
But again i missed 750 barrier by miles. I have to figure outr how to break this barrier in coming few weeks. But my work schdule these days is so hectic that i only get time on weekends to study.
When i analyzed the test i found that it only showed only those questions which were counted for scoring, rest were ignored in the review which was kind of strange.
Quantitative- 28 questions
incorrect - 7, 19, 20, 25, 26 - Total 5 questions wrong
I think i messed up the score in the last questions , where my speed was high for without any reason. Also i don't think i did that many mistakes that the score should plummet to 49. Again messing up the last questions is the only thing i can think of right now.
Verbal - 30 questions only - 11 were ignored here it seems
incorrect - 4, 13, 16, 18, 20, 27 , 30 - Total 7 questions wrong.
It was again messy in the end. Also 4th question which a SC got wrong. I had a doubt in this one. During analysis i found out powerprep excluded one entire RC ( my third RC) from evaluation. Also one important analysis was that first 7 questions and last 8 questions were taking into account for scoring, so that means starting and ending questions are important.
Break up of mistakes in Verbal - SC- 2, CR - 3, RC - 1
Now i have to take the GMAT date. Planning to take it August end. I want some inputs from my fellow bloggers now, is 1 month enough now for my preparation. Will make a separate for this, analyzing my current levels of prep and things left to be done. Any suggestions are welcome...
As soon as i started the test, i found that the font of the test was not good and i was experiencing difficulty while reading things sometimes. I think the font size was bigger than usual and also the type of font didn't suit my eyes. I hope the actual GMAT doesn't have this kind of font.
Anyways, started with Quant and as usual it started with some DS questions initially. I was not confident while marking 1-2 questions in the first 10 but overall it seemed fine. I think took a good amount of time while doing the first 10 questions. Thus increased my speed after this. First 10 questions were coming increasing order of difficulty but after 11 there were some very easy questions, which made me wonder if i am doing the questions correctly. The difficulty level of questions again started increasing and i really encountered some good questions. Overall the maths section was of average difficulty level with some good questions. Due to my increased speed i finished the section 8 minutes earlier from the time limit.
While doing the maths section a couple came and sat beside me. They were constantly chatting even in the Quiet Area of the library which was very annoying. I decided to change seat when Quantitative section gets over but in the break i couldn't find any free seat with a slot to plug in my laptop. So just got back to my seat and started the Verbal section :(
Verbal started with first 4 questions of SC in which i was unsure about 1. Then came RS which was okay i think. And then on the 8th question cam bold faced CR, which gave me some confidence. After that at 11th question came my second RC which again was fine. Overall the section was good. I was struggling with speed in the middle but was able to catch up and finished the section with 2 minutes to spare.
As soon as i clicked on the results i was having a feeling that i have done good. And the result was:-
Overall --- 730 ( Quant - 49, V - 40)
Ohh god i screwed my Quant this time, how come, maybe i was very fast and i did some foolish mistakes, i cursed myself for this. Verbal score seemed to be fine.
But again i missed 750 barrier by miles. I have to figure outr how to break this barrier in coming few weeks. But my work schdule these days is so hectic that i only get time on weekends to study.
When i analyzed the test i found that it only showed only those questions which were counted for scoring, rest were ignored in the review which was kind of strange.
Quantitative- 28 questions
incorrect - 7, 19, 20, 25, 26 - Total 5 questions wrong
I think i messed up the score in the last questions , where my speed was high for without any reason. Also i don't think i did that many mistakes that the score should plummet to 49. Again messing up the last questions is the only thing i can think of right now.
Verbal - 30 questions only - 11 were ignored here it seems
incorrect - 4, 13, 16, 18, 20, 27 , 30 - Total 7 questions wrong.
It was again messy in the end. Also 4th question which a SC got wrong. I had a doubt in this one. During analysis i found out powerprep excluded one entire RC ( my third RC) from evaluation. Also one important analysis was that first 7 questions and last 8 questions were taking into account for scoring, so that means starting and ending questions are important.
Break up of mistakes in Verbal - SC- 2, CR - 3, RC - 1
Now i have to take the GMAT date. Planning to take it August end. I want some inputs from my fellow bloggers now, is 1 month enough now for my preparation. Will make a separate for this, analyzing my current levels of prep and things left to be done. Any suggestions are welcome...
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Kaplan GMAT Test 3 - , Am i still away from my dream?
I am posting after a very long time now.....Anyways, will put a separate post for what all has been going on in my life, this post is just for the test i wrote today - Kaplan GMAT test 3.
After a long time i wrote a full length GMAT test and chose to write Kaplan CD test. I wrote the test 3 since i have already written first two tests.
Since it was very difficult to give test at home ( can't maintain concentration at home for 3 hours) so i went to library to give the test. It was very quiet. In fact, in the beginning i was feeling very sleepy.
Quant started with an easy question, but after that next 11 questions i got were from DS....and after every question there was an increase in the difficulty level. Anyways Quant went fine overall. I believed i had done well and i just thought that i will only get a few DS questions wrong. I finished the Quantitative section with 8 minutes remaining.
Verbal started with a boom, the first question was a SC and it was very very tough. Somehow answered that after 2 minutes, but i was highly unsure. Second question was a CR and again it was dicey and i lost another 3 minutes here. But after that a few questions seemed fine, which made me believe that i have answered first 2 questions wrong.
I decided not to think about what has happened and instead to concentrate in the present question. Overall the verbal question was difficult., and i was feeling short of time in the end. When i was on 30th question only 16 minutes were remaining. I decided to increase my speed but was stuck with a RC on 34. This time i just read the questions first and took a quick scan of the passage and marked the 3 questions very fast. Now i was on Q37 and time remaining was 4 minutes. But now i was going at good speed and finished Verbal with 1.5 minutes remaining.
So i think my speed was satisfactory.
Results:-
660 ( Q- 50, V- 36)
Quant :
Wrong - 3 (Q 24, 31, 35)
The first question i maked wrong was Q-24 . So that was good performance i think:)
Also i marked only 1 DS question wrong (Q 35), rest 2 were of PS. So overall this section went good
Verbal:
Right - 29
Wrong - 12 ( Q - 1,2, 14,15,16, 22, 29, 31, 33, 36, 38, 40)
As expected i marked first 2 questions wrong :(:(. This proved to be my nemesis.
But thank god i marked next 12 question right else my score would been very scary.
But again 14,15,16 - 3 consecutive questiions wrong - this again was very bad since consecutive mistakes plummets the score faster. And there were some regular alternat mistakes after Q- 29.
Overall i will say if first 2 questions would not have been wrong, i would have done much much better in this test.
Anyways, right now i know i have to practice a lot in order to achieve my dream score and i need to be regular. Also i plan to give 1 more test and then take the GMAT date. Since there are 3 centres where i can give the test ( SFo, San Jose, Oakland) i think i will be able to get the dates for August easily.
Any comments and suggestions from the fellow bloggers who have already taken the GMAT will really help me and are really welcome.
Ok friends till the next one, cya....
Verbal
After a long time i wrote a full length GMAT test and chose to write Kaplan CD test. I wrote the test 3 since i have already written first two tests.
Since it was very difficult to give test at home ( can't maintain concentration at home for 3 hours) so i went to library to give the test. It was very quiet. In fact, in the beginning i was feeling very sleepy.
Quant started with an easy question, but after that next 11 questions i got were from DS....and after every question there was an increase in the difficulty level. Anyways Quant went fine overall. I believed i had done well and i just thought that i will only get a few DS questions wrong. I finished the Quantitative section with 8 minutes remaining.
Verbal started with a boom, the first question was a SC and it was very very tough. Somehow answered that after 2 minutes, but i was highly unsure. Second question was a CR and again it was dicey and i lost another 3 minutes here. But after that a few questions seemed fine, which made me believe that i have answered first 2 questions wrong.
I decided not to think about what has happened and instead to concentrate in the present question. Overall the verbal question was difficult., and i was feeling short of time in the end. When i was on 30th question only 16 minutes were remaining. I decided to increase my speed but was stuck with a RC on 34. This time i just read the questions first and took a quick scan of the passage and marked the 3 questions very fast. Now i was on Q37 and time remaining was 4 minutes. But now i was going at good speed and finished Verbal with 1.5 minutes remaining.
So i think my speed was satisfactory.
Results:-
660 ( Q- 50, V- 36)
Quant :
Wrong - 3 (Q 24, 31, 35)
The first question i maked wrong was Q-24 . So that was good performance i think:)
Also i marked only 1 DS question wrong (Q 35), rest 2 were of PS. So overall this section went good
Verbal:
Right - 29
Wrong - 12 ( Q - 1,2, 14,15,16, 22, 29, 31, 33, 36, 38, 40)
As expected i marked first 2 questions wrong :(:(. This proved to be my nemesis.
But thank god i marked next 12 question right else my score would been very scary.
But again 14,15,16 - 3 consecutive questiions wrong - this again was very bad since consecutive mistakes plummets the score faster. And there were some regular alternat mistakes after Q- 29.
Overall i will say if first 2 questions would not have been wrong, i would have done much much better in this test.
Anyways, right now i know i have to practice a lot in order to achieve my dream score and i need to be regular. Also i plan to give 1 more test and then take the GMAT date. Since there are 3 centres where i can give the test ( SFo, San Jose, Oakland) i think i will be able to get the dates for August easily.
Any comments and suggestions from the fellow bloggers who have already taken the GMAT will really help me and are really welcome.
Ok friends till the next one, cya....
Verbal
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Life in San Francisco
hey people,
I have moved to SFo now, my company has again changed my location. Its been 2 weeks now in SFo. And Bay Area is really cool :) ....there in Minneapolis i hardly used to see people outside after work but here its lot more crowded. But even in this crowd i am alone :) ...yeah i don't know many people here, so i get extremely bored up in the evenings. Though if you have a group of friends here, this place is certainly the best, one can really enjoy a lot. It is really a very happening place...
Also, i have a travel a lot here for office, almost 1 hour 15 minutes each way :( ..... I have to first take a Caltrain and then a bus to reach office, so its kind of hectic...but i am planning to somehow utilize this time now.
I just took my apartment here in Sunnyvale 2 days back and i think it will take a while before i get settled down here.....today i found that there are Salsa classes every Friday evening in my apartment complex and they are really cool, planning to attend them regularly from now on....
On my GMAT i have been unable to make any progress since a long time now due to all this shifting and hectic work pressures. But i have realized this now that all these are just excuses, one can do the prep no matter what the condition is, you just need to have the determination....Earlier i used to think that let me first settle down then i will prepare for the GMAT but that way i think i will only be postponing it forever. Now i have realized that one just needs to set his eyes on the goal and rest all things will work out automatically.
So today i found out a large book shop here - "Borders". So went there and picked up Kaplan and started reading it and i really enjoyed it after touching on GMAT prep after so long. Planning to go to this shop regularly now and keep the focus. No more setting of goals for right now until i keep the enthusiasm and momentum going...
Any of fellow bloggers here in Bay Area who are also preparing for the GMAT or have their eyes set on applying for MBA for 08'....
OK Friends, till the next one.....Cheers!!
I have moved to SFo now, my company has again changed my location. Its been 2 weeks now in SFo. And Bay Area is really cool :) ....there in Minneapolis i hardly used to see people outside after work but here its lot more crowded. But even in this crowd i am alone :) ...yeah i don't know many people here, so i get extremely bored up in the evenings. Though if you have a group of friends here, this place is certainly the best, one can really enjoy a lot. It is really a very happening place...
Also, i have a travel a lot here for office, almost 1 hour 15 minutes each way :( ..... I have to first take a Caltrain and then a bus to reach office, so its kind of hectic...but i am planning to somehow utilize this time now.
I just took my apartment here in Sunnyvale 2 days back and i think it will take a while before i get settled down here.....today i found that there are Salsa classes every Friday evening in my apartment complex and they are really cool, planning to attend them regularly from now on....
On my GMAT i have been unable to make any progress since a long time now due to all this shifting and hectic work pressures. But i have realized this now that all these are just excuses, one can do the prep no matter what the condition is, you just need to have the determination....Earlier i used to think that let me first settle down then i will prepare for the GMAT but that way i think i will only be postponing it forever. Now i have realized that one just needs to set his eyes on the goal and rest all things will work out automatically.
So today i found out a large book shop here - "Borders". So went there and picked up Kaplan and started reading it and i really enjoyed it after touching on GMAT prep after so long. Planning to go to this shop regularly now and keep the focus. No more setting of goals for right now until i keep the enthusiasm and momentum going...
Any of fellow bloggers here in Bay Area who are also preparing for the GMAT or have their eyes set on applying for MBA for 08'....
OK Friends, till the next one.....Cheers!!
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Updates on my MBA journey and life
Hey people,
Its been more than 4 weeks since i came here in US and now i am feeling settled. I have taken a nice apartment at rent and have set my routine here now. The weather here is still cold but certainly better than when i came here. But i am loving this place now, and the feeling of home sickness has also almost vanished :).
I have not been able to find time to look for any community service organizations in Minneapolis, as i want to continue on this. I have been part of teaching in poor children's school back in Hyderabad(India) and want to do something of this sort here too. It really gives a sense of satisfaction and gives me a feeling that at least i am doing something in life. Though i started this just 6 months back, but i really enjoy doing it.
Now on my MBA thing, last week i have again started working towards my GMAT ( not much though) and also i have started seriously on my search on B schools thought i have done it loosely sometimes previously. But now i am doing it thoroughly, one school at a time. After reading through the blogs of Iday, Inblue, juggler and many other people, my search at this point of time is pretty much organized. Thanks to these guys. As i search more on these B Schools there are many questions popping in my mind and i need to clarify them from someone who has been through all this process. Will need help from my fellow bloggers on this.
I will definitely start my GMAT prep in full swing this week and will give a computer based test in 2 weeks time to gauge my present level of prep. This will help me decide what more i need to do and how i need to spend my prep time on various sections. So in next 2 weeks i will practice each section a bit and give one Kaplan test. (I don't have any other test right now, powerprep and GMATprep i don't want to use them, right now, i have saved them for the last 15 days of my prep).
As mentioned in my previous posts, i have already completed OG 11th Edition and Kaplan premier program book. Now after some amount of practice from online material and 1000 collections i need to start with my Kaplan 800.
Lets see how it goes. I just need to keep that motivation and enthu going and keep up my confidence.
Any suggestions are always welcome.
Its been more than 4 weeks since i came here in US and now i am feeling settled. I have taken a nice apartment at rent and have set my routine here now. The weather here is still cold but certainly better than when i came here. But i am loving this place now, and the feeling of home sickness has also almost vanished :).
I have not been able to find time to look for any community service organizations in Minneapolis, as i want to continue on this. I have been part of teaching in poor children's school back in Hyderabad(India) and want to do something of this sort here too. It really gives a sense of satisfaction and gives me a feeling that at least i am doing something in life. Though i started this just 6 months back, but i really enjoy doing it.
Now on my MBA thing, last week i have again started working towards my GMAT ( not much though) and also i have started seriously on my search on B schools thought i have done it loosely sometimes previously. But now i am doing it thoroughly, one school at a time. After reading through the blogs of Iday, Inblue, juggler and many other people, my search at this point of time is pretty much organized. Thanks to these guys. As i search more on these B Schools there are many questions popping in my mind and i need to clarify them from someone who has been through all this process. Will need help from my fellow bloggers on this.
I will definitely start my GMAT prep in full swing this week and will give a computer based test in 2 weeks time to gauge my present level of prep. This will help me decide what more i need to do and how i need to spend my prep time on various sections. So in next 2 weeks i will practice each section a bit and give one Kaplan test. (I don't have any other test right now, powerprep and GMATprep i don't want to use them, right now, i have saved them for the last 15 days of my prep).
As mentioned in my previous posts, i have already completed OG 11th Edition and Kaplan premier program book. Now after some amount of practice from online material and 1000 collections i need to start with my Kaplan 800.
Lets see how it goes. I just need to keep that motivation and enthu going and keep up my confidence.
Any suggestions are always welcome.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Moved India --> Minneapolis (USA)
hi everybody,
Its been long time since i last posted on my blog and believe me my life has undergone a lot of changes since then, good or bad that depends on one's perspective.
On February 16, my company decided to move me to US and i was informed about it. On Feb 19, just 4 days after that i had packed everything. In this one day, i completed all the formalities and also booked my tickets. on very next day i took an early morning flight to my home place and then on Feb 24 took my US flight from Delhi.
Well, it was a nice journey and nice experience. I came via Amsterdam and Chicago. At Chicago airport my uncle had come to meet me. I had lunch with him and then finally took a flight to Minneapolis. Since then i had been very very busy in my new project here.
So many things have changed i think, moving to a different country is altogether a different thing from moving to a dfifferent city in a same country. For the first few days , i was completely confused and completely depended on few of my freinds here( yeah, i knew some people here who were working in my company). I didnt know what to eat for lunch, they only guided me. If i happen to move out of office building i even got confused locating it back , believe me friends i never had trouble in locating things in India. But here due to the sky ways and all i got confused because we move from one building to another without even knowing how far we have come from the office :).
But yeah now i seem to have settled, i have taken a new apartment on rent here and trying to getting settle in here. I still have to buy some of the things before i feel completely settled here, though its been 2 weeksnow.
Now the bad news, I have been away from my GMAT prepration for over 3 weeks now and is completely out of touch. I was going very well with the prep but due to this sudden transfer i couldn't do anything. I have to soon start with my prep again. I dont know how my=uch thing thing has affected my prep but i thing th ehard work which i had done will not get wasted atleast and i will not need much time to complete my prep. Will post a detailed post on this once i start my prep again which i plan to start within a week.
Hey, anyone of you in and around Minneapolis who is preparing for GMAT?? Now i have to do my prep at this place itself so it would be nice if know some of the people who are into their preps or who will be doing their apps.
Cya people
Its been long time since i last posted on my blog and believe me my life has undergone a lot of changes since then, good or bad that depends on one's perspective.
On February 16, my company decided to move me to US and i was informed about it. On Feb 19, just 4 days after that i had packed everything. In this one day, i completed all the formalities and also booked my tickets. on very next day i took an early morning flight to my home place and then on Feb 24 took my US flight from Delhi.
Well, it was a nice journey and nice experience. I came via Amsterdam and Chicago. At Chicago airport my uncle had come to meet me. I had lunch with him and then finally took a flight to Minneapolis. Since then i had been very very busy in my new project here.
So many things have changed i think, moving to a different country is altogether a different thing from moving to a dfifferent city in a same country. For the first few days , i was completely confused and completely depended on few of my freinds here( yeah, i knew some people here who were working in my company). I didnt know what to eat for lunch, they only guided me. If i happen to move out of office building i even got confused locating it back , believe me friends i never had trouble in locating things in India. But here due to the sky ways and all i got confused because we move from one building to another without even knowing how far we have come from the office :).
But yeah now i seem to have settled, i have taken a new apartment on rent here and trying to getting settle in here. I still have to buy some of the things before i feel completely settled here, though its been 2 weeksnow.
Now the bad news, I have been away from my GMAT prepration for over 3 weeks now and is completely out of touch. I was going very well with the prep but due to this sudden transfer i couldn't do anything. I have to soon start with my prep again. I dont know how my=uch thing thing has affected my prep but i thing th ehard work which i had done will not get wasted atleast and i will not need much time to complete my prep. Will post a detailed post on this once i start my prep again which i plan to start within a week.
Hey, anyone of you in and around Minneapolis who is preparing for GMAT?? Now i have to do my prep at this place itself so it would be nice if know some of the people who are into their preps or who will be doing their apps.
Cya people
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