GMAT preparation - 4 things to do before you start your prep

 

Here are 4 must to do activities, if you are starting your GMAT preparation today.

Activity 1: Take a free GMAT starter test

Here is the link

https://www.mba.com/exam-prep/gmat-official-starter-kit-practice-exams-1-and-2-free

Analyze the scores. Don’t look at the answers, as you will need to do this same test again. 

Observe the number correct vs number wrong.

If you need in-depth analysis, send me the scores... 

Book a web-meeting here: Fill this form . mention your scores.

Activity 2: Self-introspect- Do I self-study or Do I go for coaching?

Tricky question.

Keep these pointers in mind while taking a call.

Time 

If you are starting cold, you will spend significant time to get into the GMAT thinking mode. 

Under a mentor: 

The time to get into prep mode will be faster, as there will be knowledge transfer from the tutor. 

 

Material

If you search for GMAT material, you will get plenty of options. Book/videos/tests/etc…. Which material is sufficient? Which material is apt for you?

Under a mentor:

The tutor will assess you and give you the right resources based on your strengths and weakness. Focus your energy on preparation instead of resource collection....

 

Study plan

 How many hours do I study, what do I study first…. What do I study next…

Under a mentor: 

The tutor will design a comprehensive custom study plan. The plan will bring a structure to your preparation.

 

Doubt clarification

There are lots of forums where you can post your doubts and get them clarified. However, a mentor will help you if

• Your mock test scores have plateaued
• You are not able to understand the solution given in the resources material
• You need a different approach for the problem, if you are not able to understand the given..

Under a mentor: 

A tutor will clarify your doubts and help you cross the chasm..

 

 Accountability

You will get results, only if you are accountable. If there is no accountability, then you will be preparing with no targets. No end dates.

 Under a mentor: 

A tutor will set realistic milestones. When you cross the milestone, you will be motivated to work towards the next milestone….

Activity 3: Make  a time-table

Keep roughly 20+hrs per week for preparation.  

• 1/3rd  the time - understanding concepts. 
• 1/3rd the time -  doing area wise tests. 
• 1/3rd the time - analyzing your performance and using alternate approaches to solve questions. 

Activity 4:Work on additional skills

 While preparing for a competitive exam like GMAT, you need to focus on additional skills such as

1. Time management
2. Decision making
3. Lateral thinking
4. Critical reading
5. Stress management

And more…

Solving only math and verbal questions  will not help you ace the exam. Your test taking skills also matters.

If you need help in GMAT preparation, Feel free to ping me..

My contact link is here:

LinkedIn profile : https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgeanand/

Facebook learning group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/semanticsGMAT/

Happy learning

 

8 ways to score poorly in the GMAT

Here are the top 8 ways to score poorly in the GMAT.

1. I know math,

 so no need to go through the same old arithmetic, algebra, geometry stuff. 

It is possible to get Q51 in the math section, provided you are thorough with the math concepts and you have the essential problem solving skills, which can help you crack a question in less than 30 seconds. 

2. I have tones of free downloads 

..what is relevant, what is not, even God may not know..

The cost of finding,collating and structuring free content is high.  What works for you? what doesn't work for you? Do you want to do a trial and error approach to see which plan works? 

3 . Just official guide (OG), 

what else, nothing official about it…

First build concepts, then apply the concepts on OG questions. You need to use OG at the last stage of your preparation.

4. I will join for the costliest, longest duration course in town…

let them get me the score, no need to  study at  home..

There is a popular saying : "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink." 

You need to work with the GMAT tutor in tandem. Then you can maximize your score in the shortest possible time

5. I won't do the essays while practicing,

Only math and verbal mock exams will do....

Work on all the sections of the exam. The skills in the various sections ( Integrated reasoning,math,verbal. and essays) are inter-related.

6. I speak and write good English, 

so verbal is going to be a cake walk, no less

I hear this often. Only when you go deep into verbal section. You will understand the nuances. Fortunately you can get 100% accuracy in the verbal section.

7.  I need just one month for preparation,

......... after all I had high grades in college.

High grades in college doesn't guarantee you a 700+ in the GMAT. Follow the customized study plan given by the tutor. Only when you achieve the learning objective at the concepts stage, take mock tests. Only when you reach your target score in the 3 or more tests.. book for the exam.

8. Do as many tests as possible,

 in fact 90 percent of my preparation time should be spent on tests. concepts? What concepts?

Fundamentals first... ..always

Also  some notable mentions

9. My friend said GMAT was easy for him, no tough questions 

hey, what was your friend’s score?

Each test aspirant is different,  What works for your friend, may not work for you.. Get a customized study plan

10. The luck factor

Out of five tests you did, one test you scored above 650. So you will give the test as planned.  you believe in luck!

I wish life was as simple as that....

A little bit about me.

I am George, a GMAT tutor, since 2008. I coach students online as well as offline at my center. You can

• Check my linkedin profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgeanand
• Join my facebook online learning community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/semanticsGMAT
• Visit my website to know about my classes:  http://www.semanticslearning.com/
• Read my thoughts on GMAT prep via my blog: https://letsgmat.blogspot.com/

Get serious about GMAT (Here are 6 pointers)

Get serious about GMAT (Here are 6 pointers)

1.  Avoid booking a test date and then starting  your preparation. A common practice. Let’s not underestimate the exam. There is lots to learn. In all likelihood the prep time that you earmarked would turn out to be much less than required.

2.  Before you start working out math, grammar etc, make a list of all that is totally new to you. Refer to official publication, search online or meet a good instructor to assist you in this task.

3. Do a skill check: Knowing the concept is good, but your ability to apply the concept to answer a question is a different ball game altogether. At every stage of concept, learning do multiple choice questions and check your test skills.

4. Learn from mistakes, not yours but others’. What are other test aspirants saying? You can’t take everything to be true. But a good  observation can help you avoid the common blunders.

5. Ensure that you master every single rule, concept and logic. You are not taking a semester exam to choose ’important’ chapters.

6.Your practice test scores should be real, not inflated. You ought to consistently score at levels that match your target score, say, in  5 full exams, including essay and IR)

Happy prep

For more articles visit www.semanticslearning.com

GMAT prep 15 core concepts-

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GMAT prep notes for sentence correction

the more the merrier

1. Relative clauses: clauses beginning with who, whose, whom, that, which, whosoever, whomever, whichever, nevertheless – check their use in the question.
Antecedents (the nouns substituted by the pronouns) which, who, he, they, it etc should be clearly matched with their pronouns.
Scientists have observed large quantities of fossil fuel in the Cauvery basin, which are consistent with the growth of mining activities in the area. (which is ambiguously placed)
Scientists have observed large quantities of fossil fuel in the Cauvery basin, an observation consistent with the growth of mining activities in the area.

Wordy: Everybody likes apple pie, which for years has been a favorite American dessert.

Concise: Everybody likes apple pie, for years a favorite American dessert.
In most instances, a relative pronoun is unwanted.

Verb Tense
Incorrect: In the last ten years, dropout rate among minority primary school students fell drastically, while the number of minority students more than doubled.
Correct: In the last ten years, dropout rate among minority primary school students has fallen drastically, while the number of minority students has more than doubled.

Logical Equivalents
1. The study noted that, up to the present, interferon has been more impressive in preventing viral infections as to treat it.
2. The study noted that, up to the present, interferon has been more impressive in preventing viral infections than in treating them.


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5 crucial points to be kept in mind while solving a probability based problem in GMAT

1.    Calculate the numerator {Number of favourable terms} and the denominator {Total number of terms}     separately using the concepts of arrangement, permutation and combination.

2.    Be part of the problem : Imagine you are arranging / selecting the items. The action of taking     the object and placing it in the relevant position is the key.

If you have to arrange 10 rings in 4 fingers, you have to imagine yourself picking a ring and placing it on a finger instead of computing the number of rings each finger has.

3.    When two or more items are picked it is easier to compute the probability of picking one     element at a time than computing the probability of picking many items at a time.

4.    When A and B are selected relate the respective probabilities with multiplication. When either     A or B is selected relate the respective probabilities with addition.

5.    When there are multiple outcomes possible the probability of at-least one of them happening is     computed by calculating the reverse probability
 = 1 – probability of event not happening.


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Take charge of your GMAT prep

1. Study hard, no substitute for it. Study all areas of the GMAT.
2. Take notes: the areas such as math, sentence correction and critical reasoning are concept intensive and logic driven. There is a lot for you to learn from the reference sources of these areas.  Make a note of all your trouble spots: Act on them within a week. if you cant help yourself, seek a professional trainer’s help to overcome the trouble areas.
3. Always read the logic of every question that you attempt, even if the question was easy (you may find a different way of solving the question)
4. If you tend to procrastinate, first thing is to book your test date. This will help you become serious for the rest of the prep period.
5. Go through OG questions ( official guide) only after you are thorough with the concepts. Go through OG more than once. The logic of the questions, types of questions in the OG have a lot of transfer value.
6. Write practice essays at least 10 each of issue and argument under timed conditions.
7. Take at least 6 full GMAT exams( inclusive of the essays) to build stamina for a nearly 4 hr test.
8. For the first timers at least 3 months of prep time ( with the right prep no room for repeat)
9. Spend an average of 2-3 hrs per day; some of this time can be used for general reading( support for RC and essay)
10. You are good at math is not necessarily synonymous with you are good at quantitative thinking.
11. Brainstorm on as many essay topics as possible; consult experts for more ideas pertaining to abstract topics.
12. Knowledge of idioms is a must for  significant improvement in sentence correction questions.
13. Say no to hearsay: if some one says GMAT math is easy, double check, because he may have performed in the medium level test and scored not more than 580.Even the official guide doesn’t present questions of the highest difficulty possible.
14. Vocabulary is not altogether unimportant; you must know, say, the meaning of ‘condescension or laudatory’ as the author’s tone and the difference  between ‘preface’ and ‘foreword’ as the source of the passage; the emphasis is on functional diction.
15. For success in critical reasoning there is lot to learn- types of logic, nature and components of arguments; strategy for categories of questions; you get them all at the click of a mouse.
    

Access  them; make success.