GMAT Success Stories

8/13/2019 GMAT Success Stories

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'ractice *est $cores (in order)CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC'o%er'rep + ?50-00$core + ?/0y scores %ere as e o%


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'' : 7/0'' (A"ter "inishing ): 7?0A* 2ha enge : D7 percenti e!ere s my >A* e=perience in a nutshe .I got an easy argument ut a s ight y cryptic issue . Any%ay %rote good essays so %ent into theQuant on an e#en note.

I %as not e=pecting too many hiccups in Quant ecause I ha#e a strong quant ackground. *hequestions %ere de"inite y not simp e and the @$ got quite tricky at times.ne sma piece o" ad#ice + concentrate on @$ questions %ith inequa ity. *hose %ere rea y tough. Ia so got 'ro questions %hich %ere rather simp e and anyone %ith regu ar practice on this "orumshou d not ha#e any pro em %hatsoe#er.Apart "rom that I got questions on co+ordinate geometry, one o" %hich %as ased on circ es andnot so easy. A in a , I %as under some time pressure in Quant (norma y I "inished the practicesessions in uner an hour). *he Quant standard %as de"inite y a notch or t%o a o#e .


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center. *hat a %ays does the trick "or me J + ) I do sometimes %onder i" I am sti 4 years o d.*he *est'anicked in the A&A section as I had prepared a temp ate and cou d remem er nothing at a "romthat temp ate. @ecided to "orget trying to remem er the temp ate and ust did my o%n thing in theend. Hot too happy %ith my essays , ut %e %i kno% soon. I am e=pecting 4.5E>ade use o" a the / reaks ut its a %onder ho% those 5 minutes are thequickest you %i e#er see in your i"e. 9y the time you raise your hand , sign out , drink a g ass o"

%ater , sign in and sit do%n ack , its more than 5 mins.Quant %as de"inite y much tougher than . 9ut doing a and edian >eanquestions , and or / 'ro a i ity 'ermutation 2om ination questions. I ro%sed the archi#es o" this group and the tutoria s to get a "ee o" these sections. It might a so ha#e he ped that I had'ro a i ity and ' 2 as a minor in ;ni#ersity J + ) &ou d ike to gi#e one it o" ad#ice, i" I may + I" you come to any pro em %hich you think %i take more than /+4 minutes or %hich you ha#e noc ue a out, take an inte igent guess and mo#e on instead o" trying to so #e it ad in"initum + It mighte that they are the e=perimenta questions and it %i ust %aste your time , make you "ee"rustrated and increase your panic.@ont guess in the "irst 0+ 5 questions , though. In the end, Ihad to do ? questions in the ast 0 minutes and guessed %hich I %as sure %ud take more timethan I had.

Ver a %as coo though %hen y the time I had reached Question Hum er 5 and sti hadn t gotany 21 question + %hich %as my strong area, there %as a mini+panic . &as I doing something%rongK !a#e they changed the "ormat K @o they hate me cos I had a @ou e@ecker and theydidn t K 9ut then I recei#ed / or 4 in a ro% and I %as ack to my happy state. 4 12s + and %as Ig ad none o" them had to do %ith astronomy. 9ut the test designers did kno% that I hated9io ogy(9otany,to e speci"ic) in schoo and so they ga#e me a #ery oring one on that. $2s %ere o" standard and i" you kno% a the ru es "rom anhattan >A* $tudy uides ++ *hese are a series o" se#en study guides that co#er most o" thetopics on the >A*. A though the set is rather e=pensi#e (L 50), I "ound it quite use"u . I %orkedthrough a "i#e o" the quantitati#e guides and the sentence correction guide.*he @e ta 2ourse ++ 3or 0L, this on ine course gi#es you a the too s you need to tack e anycom inatorics and pro a i ity questions on the >A*. ++ As others on this "orum ha#e stated, this is a rich source o" practice questions. !o%e#er, it is

crucia that you read the e=p anations "or a questions you miss to ensure that you tru y understandthe concepts.rammar $mart M A concise ook that i#es up to its tit e.-00$core A&A uide ++ *his is a guide to the essay portion o" the e=am, and it contains goodtemp ates (attached).Practice TestsI did the "o o%ing practice test:*est Quant Ver a *ota'' 4? 4 7 0'aper 55 4/ 4 700'aper 5 45 4 700'' 4- /D 7 0'aper 5 44 45 7 0'aper 4 45 /D ?D0'aper /7 45 4 7 0'1 N 4? 4/ 7 0


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'1 N/ 44 4? 7 0'1 N4 44 45 7 0I a so did the math portion o" the A*, utgood practice. *he #er a is crap.I "ound the 'rinceton tests and '' to e the most he p"u . !o%e#er, the 'rinceton tests repeat thesame 12 questions through a the tests, ut 12 %as ne#er a pro em "or me, so I didn t need muchpractice on these.

*he 8*$ paper test are a good starting p ace, ut the e#e o" di""icu ty o" these questions is e o%the actua >A*. Oou a so ha#e to do the pro ems "aster, so it can thro% o"" your timing "or therea >A*.AdviceIn the days eading up to the test, I took "u practice tests (inc uding essays) at the same time I%ou d e taking the rea >A*. *his made it a sort o" ritua to take the >A* e#ery morning at0A>. *oday %hen I took the test, i t a most "e t routine. It de"inite y he ped %ith ner#es, and it a sohe ped ui d the stamina to sit "or a "our+hour e=am.Exam Experience*he questions in the quant section %ere s ight y harder than '' and 'rinceton 1e#ie%, a thoughmuch easier than A* "or dummies and >A* -00. I "ound the9A program %ith the idea o" gainingsome cross cu tura e=perience as %e as de#e oping another anguage.>y 'A %as a out /.0 or ess(my schoo ga#e marks in percentages). I %as in the top 5+ 5 o" my c ass so I think the 'A con#ersion is a itt e ske%ed. Any ody e se see the same thingK *here%as no moti#ation to do etter in my c ass as this %i e the "irst thing %here my uni#ersity marksha#e counted "or anything esides passing.2hrono ogy o" 'reparation:I egan studying a out a month e"ore the e=am. I purchased the A* "or dummies out o" the i rary.&eek I did a "e% o" the po%erprep practice questions as %e as reading through the


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1ea iFing I had to study, I egan going through the study guides and making a summary o" eachre e#ant chapter. I inc uded the question strategies and the in"ormation I needed to earn in eachsummary. I a so egan doing more practice questions. 2omp eting / 4 o" the 'o%erprep practicesessions and the practice tests in the study guides. I a so egan using the !igher $core 2@ "romy iggest%eakness is the #er a section, I guess I cou d use e a non nati#e 8ng ish speaker as an e=cuse "ormy poor per"ormance on the #er a section ut again >A* doesnRt measure ho% %e youunderstand 8ng ish, it measures ho% %e you understand the 8*$ 8ng ish. I did re ati#e y etter onmy Q section, ut I understand "or me i" I need to get 700 or etter I need to get 4D or etter.*he second time I ga#e myse " 4 months to prepare the >A*, at the time I %as a unior in;ni#ersity taking 5 c asses. $o on top o" my schoo %ork I set aside hours e#eryday to study>A*. >y p an %as #ery straight "or%ard, practice, practice, practice, and more practice. I used t%oooks as my study guide, the %hich e#eryone has and the


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ood uck, e#eryone.'osted / D 04k, no% that the >A* is o#er, a I ha#e to do is sa#e the %or d a "e% times, %in an ympic go dmeda , "eed a the inha itants o" $oma ia, and I ha#e a 75 shot at !ar#ard.>y >A* story is a it un ike that o" many on this oard. 3or one, it %as my "irst try. 3or another, Idid not imp ement a craFy 4 hour a day schedu e. I guess I %as aFy in that aspect. @on t get me%rong, my study schedu e spanned itt e o#er a month, so I did do a ot o" practice.

A out the test, %e "or one thing, I thought it %as going quite horri y. I got a pro a i ity question(easy one though) "or my 4th question. I a so got some easy stat and one easy com inationpro em. I think these / areas take a it o" practice initia y ut once you get the concepts do%n,they are >;2! easier than other questions that require computation. Any%ay, so my >ath %entdecent ut I %as scared o" the "act that I had made an error in one o" the "e% @$ questions.8#ident y not*he #er a %as #ery #ery %eird and not much in ine %ith the e=perience o" others on this oard. Igot a out 4 12 s. st one 40 ines, second ?5 ines, third 45 ines (at this point I thought I %asscre%ing up, this %as %aaayy to short ) ut then I got a "ourth 12 "or questions /4 through /7 that%as 05 ines ong I %as serious y thinking o" ust marking 2 "or a o" them since I had 0minutes e"t at this point. !o%e#er, I kept ca m, steered a%ay "rom my usua method o" takingnotes as this %ou d take too ong, and ans%ered a the questions. *he "act %as that %hi e the 12%as ong it %as easy to understand and the questions %ere quite easy. 6esson earned: Adapt*here is no "i=ed %ay 8#en though you practice a certain method at home, you ne#er kno% %hat sgoing to happen and you need to e con"ident enough to take shortcuts that your not used to

taking. *his can on y happen %hen you are e=treme y com"orta e %ith the materia tested on the>A*. *he $2 s %ere hard initia y and then got easy, hence again I though I scre%ed up. 21 s %ereas di""icu t as the .I actua y thought the >ath %as not harder than the and I kno% many %i disagree. *o sum itup, I s%ear y the 'o%er 'rep. *hat and the are the >A* i e. @o it ti you die. I on ymanaged to do -50 questions "rom the ut I took oth '' s.'' : 7 0 (50Q, /?V)'' : 700 (4DQ, /7V)!o% c ose is thatKKKKK"course, this oard is %onder"u . I actua y did not use it to it s "u potentia and i" I did my scoresmight ha#e re" ected it. 9ut I think there are some a%esome questions here %ith some a%esomepeop e %ho are e#er ready to ans%er your queries. $o use it, its a po%er"u too .I %ou d a so recommend practicing tests %ithout omitting the 8ssays. I on y did such test, and it%as a


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I thought that I did etter on the #er a ut ended up getting on y /-. I used to score 40+4 on the'' and '1. In the ast coup e o" %eeks I spent a ot o" time to impro#e my #er a . I m disappointed%ith my per"ormance here..I started preparing "or the >A* ast month. $pent S hours e#ery day and 4+5 hours on%eekends. $cored ? 0 on


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po%er %ent out ("or a out 4000 peop e in the ock %here the test %asschedu ed that too o" a the p aces in the ;$ Ho% "igure outthe pro a i ity o" that happening (*hats a proprietary con"identiaqs .. and you cannot re#ea this qs to any sou in this uni#erse )I %as done %ith A&A, Q and /0 mins o" V y the time *he test center +prometric + didnt ha#e ackup po%er $o e#ery ody %aited ti around /hrs ti a out 5:/0. *hen the manager said that e#eryone %ou d ha#e to

reschedu e the test I had, in the meantime, tried ca ing the testcenter and 8*$ and e#ery ody to try and get these test center guys tostay onger, a though unsuccess"u y $o the manager ea#es y a out ?(to attend to his pregnant %i"e apparant y ) %hi e I %as %aiting,and the po%er comes ack at ?: 0 ut as the manager has a readyocked and e"t, the test center super#isors cannot do anything( s ). &e .. I %as rea y upset .. ut didnt ha#e any energy to"ight anymore And surprising y a other candidates took it %ithoutan ado&hen I thought things cou dnt get any %orse, I %as hammered %ith moread ne%s. Ho% I had to reschedu e the test %ithin the ne=t "e% days toget in e"ore my app dead ines I had thought 'rometric %as ad .. ut8*$ is %orse I ca ed them 4 days in a ro% at 4 am 'aci"ic time (8*$is on east coast .. / hrs ahead) and a unch o" times during the day,to get my test reschedu ed .. *he representati#es are rea y ad ..

they dont ha#e a c ue as to %hat is happening .. and are e=perts atpointing "ingers %ithout gi#ing any #a id use"u in"ormation. neperson had the ner#e to ask me as to %hy I took the test so ate, onthe 7th, considering my dead ines .. %e thats none o" her usinessher usiness is to et me take the test as I paid 5 ucks "or it8*$ >A* has a dept ca ed candidate re ationships (a comp etemisnomer as they are tota y iso ated in a nuc ear she ter and no ody,not the candidate nor the testing center, can contact them), %hich hasto #eri"y the c aims y ca ing up the test center .. they take 7+ 0days to do this per one o" the csr. ne csr a so to d me that a "a= Ihad sent them %i take 7+ 0 days to reach them &o% %ou d I o#e to%ork there 3ina y someho% on monday I %as a e to procure the#oucher "rom 8*$ and reschedu e my test "or *uesday 4th "e .&e .. a s %e that ends %e .. ut am trying to e=p ore %hat Ican do to get my comp aints a out 8*$ prometricine""eciency ureaucracy monopo y heard.I %ork "u time .. ha#e ? years o" 3 * e=perience .. engineer .. %orking in hitech. $o my preparation%as imited to around /+4 hrs dai y ..I had started %ith ight preparation %ith the 'rinceton 1e#ie% eginning o" ate @ecem er. Initia y Ihad thought I %ou d e ready to take >A* y mid Ban. 'rinceton 1e#ie% ga#e me con"idence .. utit a so ed me to e ie#e that >A* %as easy *hat is %hen I ooked at the Arco /0 days and A*. 6ooking at the content, I %ou d de"inite y recommend this site tomy "riends though.3rom these "orums I "ound out a out and


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though, ooking at the score, I %as p easant y surprised to get a decent #er a score. $oconcentrate on the initia questions .. they are rea y important'osted 0 043irst o" a , I d ike to point out that %hat you are a out to read %i not e a " u""y happy go+ uckyaccount o" ho% a co ege s acker o#er+achie#ed on the >A*. *his is a true, ut not he p"u . *hestory that may e he p"u is ho% I %ent "rom a ourna ism and economics dou e+ma or %ith on yremedia math c asses to a so id score. I decided ast summer that I %anted to take the >A* and

that t%o months %ou d e enough time to study "or the test. >y "irst 'rinceton test score %as a? 0, and my highest a ?70. I earned a out the >A* s "ormat %hi e I studied and scored a 700(45, 4 ). I considered the 700 to e a thresho d score "or me at the time and took a reak.*hen I rea iFed that %ith decent grades (/.5 %ith easy courses), and no %ork e=perience I %asgoing to need a etter per"ormance on the >A*. *his is %here the story changes "rom ackgroundin"o to study techniques. I ought a ne% #ersion o" on AmaFon and decided to study itdi igent y. *he math questions in are #ariations o" %hat you %i see on the test. n the test,some questions %i remind you o" particu ar pro ems you studied, others appear to e near car oncopies (this time any%ay), and some can e ans%ered ecause the ana ytica ski s de#e opedstudying can enhance a non+math ma ors quant a i ity ("or others the ana ytica ski might e inp ace). 3or the math, I didn t "ind anything near y as use"u as the . At the 4D e#e , perm andcom pro ems are going to e easy enough to ans%er %ith on y the "ormu as and some intuition.*he #er a section I didn t impro#e my score at a . In "act, it %ent do%n a point, %hich surprisedme. I %as scoring in the 4/ and 44 range on the po%erpreps. I ha#e no ad#ice on #er a ecausemy "ina score %as the same as the score I recei#ed on oth my "irst 'rinceton and "irst '' tests.

I think that the est ad#ice I cou d gi#e %ou d regard pacing. I rea iFe that this is a contro#ersiaissue (since no ody kno%s %hat pace is est) so I urge you to on y consider my suggestion. &hen Itook the test the "irst time, particu ar y on the math, I %orried a out getting the "irst ten questionsright. *he "irst ten or so are supposed to e greater determinants o" "ina score. I agree 00percent. !o%e#er, some might o#erstate this. &hen I took the test I checked the "irst ten t%ice(e#en %hen I %as DD per. sure I %as right). I %asted a tota o" appr. 0 minutes on the "irst tenecause I changed none o" my ans%ers. *his e=tra time is crucia to scoring %e ater in the test.!a#ing greater se " assurance is not re" ected in the score. *he score does not ca cu ate ho%con"ident you are. I impro#ed my math score 4 points y mo#ing on %hen I %as con"ident %ith myans%er. I imagine there are other peop e %ho need to earn to mo#e on.I rea iFe that this post is ong, ut I am not se "+a sor ed. thers at this site ha#e scored etter,and some %orse, ut %e a ha#e credi i ity in saying %hat is est "or us persona y. I d ike ots o" questions, ecause I %ou d ike to try to ans%er them (in detai 6 6) and he p i" I can. I d a so iketo thank Akamai 9rah "or his passion, $too "i "or his inspirationa scores, and e#eryone %ho hasposted a score they re not happy %ith "or their character.As "ar as impro#ing reading comprehension, I %ou d ike to respect"u y disqua i"y my ad#ice. Hotecause I m un%i ing to o""er it ut ecause my score decreased in that category. Any consciouse""ort I made to impro#e the score %as c ear y to my detriment. 9asica y, I d ike to spare innocentystanders.!o%e#er there %as something iFarre a out this months #er a . I o #ious y ha#e a con" ict o" interest in saying this, ut it seemed a%"u y easy and yet I scored as o% as I e#er ha#e on anypractice test. $omeone e se mentioned that they "e t great a out #er a , had a#eraged 7 0 s onpo%erpreps and scored a D on #er a . I #e ne#er een so con"ident a out my ans%ers, and eenso "ar o"" in predicting my o%n score.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT'au'osted 04>y score on >onday %as 740 (DDth percenti e o#era J D-+V, - +Q). >y story might e he p"u "oranyone %ho is strong in #er a ut %eak in math, as I had not studied math "or near y a decade.>y ast score in cto er %as ?40 (D?+V, 4-+Q). A 4-th percenti e in math %ou d certain y ha#eki ed my app ications to top schoo s. ;n"ortunate y, there are no shortcutsJ I studied #ery, #eryhard "or a out t%o months, and "rank y, I #e come to rather en oy %ord pro ems 9e o% is myad#ice. I %i summariFe my study p an in the end, "or those %ho donRt %ant to other reading it a .*here are t%o distinct e ements to success: ( )


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and "requent y appear on the >A*. *he math in a pre+ca cu us ook %i in "act e harder than that%hich appears on the >A*, ut approach %i he p you master the ski s and concepts rather than"ormu as and shortcuts." course, I did a o" the >A* prep ooks any%ay. I" you are starting "rom scratch, A12 Rs 18 >A*math re#ie% is a comprehensi#e, asic re#ie%, ut the math on the >A* is much, muchharder. *hen, there are t%o essentia ooks: A* math %ork ook, and A* 004 genera edition, %hich contains a out three chapters o" math re#ie% pro ems.

Additiona y, I "ound the study guides "rom crack gmat to e he p"u . *hese math pro ems are moredi""icu t than those on the >A*, so i" you can master them, you are on the right track I re#ie%edeach chapter o" crack+ >A* at east t%o times.3ina y, do a o" the pro ems in the ""icia uide. enera y, these pro ems are isted "rom easyto hard. I" you ha#e imited time, start %ith ast "e% pro ems, and %ork ack%ards. Ho%, itRs not

ust enough to do these pro ems. 2are"u y keep track o" %hich pro ems you get %rong. *ake at%o+%eek reak, keep studying the concepts, and then return to these pro ems. I" you sti aregetting any sing e pro em %rong, re#ie% and re#ie% and re#ie% *here are on y a out three or "ourpro ems tota in the >A* ""icia uide that I sti donRt understandU inc uding pro em N4/4 onpage /4.3ina y, there are some good sources o" additiona pro ems on the inks section o" this %e siteUIn genera , you ha#e to master the ski W o" math. It is more than memoriFing "ormu as. It is ana i ity to see a pro em, understand its anguage, trans ate it into a "ormu a, and approach it in#arious %ays. 1ea y, itRs a matter o" o#ercoming your intimidation. I am not a math person, andasica y dropped out o" ca cu us in high schoo . He#erthe ess, a though %e might not a ha#e an

innate mathematica ta ent, I e ie#e than any human mind is equipped to understand and app yquantitati#e "undamenta sJ it might (initia y) require more e""ort "or some o" us M ike me X ut itis possi e( ) Ho%, equa y important to earning the concepts are the practice tests. A %ays takecomputeriFed tests %ith the 2A*W "ormatJ donRt %aste your time on paper tests. ne reason Iom ed the "irst test %as a ack o" su""icient test preparation. I spent %ay too much time on the"irst ten pro ems, and then asica y panicked %hen I sa% the c ockU I pro a y got most o" theremaining 7 pro ems %rong. ranted, it is essentia to correct y ans%er the "irst 5+7 questions,ut make sure you practice taking tests to earn the timing Oou ha#e to earn ho% to pace yourse "JI think this %i e di""erent "or e#eryone. Oou %i earn to recogniFe pro ems that you pro a ycannot ans%erJ "or these, it pays to ust guess and mo#e on I did this once on my >A*,some%here et%een questions 5 /0. $kipping a pro em (near the end) uys you an e=tra t%ominutes, %hich is a out %hat each pro em shou d take.*he 'rinceton 1e#ie% tests are much easier than the rea >A*, ut this can e a good startingpoint as a %arm+upWJ the 'rinceton 1e#ie% >A* 004 comes %ith a 2@ %ith "our tests.*he


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5. 2rack+ mat math re#ie% (%%%.crack+gmat.com), %hich has t%enty+si= chapters %ith practicepro ems.?. ""icia uide 0th 8dition: A pro em so #ing and data su""iciency questions. >ake sure tore#ie% thorough y the oneRs you get %rongU( ) 'ractice *ests. 'rinceton 1e#ie% >A* 004: 3our practice testsX as a %arm+up on y. 'etersonRs >A* 2A* $uccess: 3our practice tests.

/. A* 004: 3our practice tests.4. 2rack+ mat: 3i#e practice tests5. ""icia uide: *%o practice testsI "ocused on the practice tests the "ina t%o three %eeks o" study, a"ter I had a ready mastered theconcepts. I did one quantitati#e practice test each day, taking at east a day or t%o o"" so I did notget urned out.I had ten "u %eeks et%een the "irst and second test. *he truth is, the "irst "e% %eeks I studieddai y and di igent y, ut not near y as much as I had %anted. &hen I rea iFed I on y had "our "i#e%eeks e"t, I got pretty ner#ous, ended my socia i"e, and studied "or many hours e#ery sing e nightand %eekend (a though once e#ery "i#e or si= days I %ou d crash and take the day o"").I m pretty much app ying to the same top schoo s as most, %ith $tan"ord and *uck at the top o" myist. 1ea y, I had no choice ut to get a high score, since I ha#e a %eak academic ackground %ithno math courses. $ti , I kno% the top schoo s are #ery competiti#e and ook at many other "actors,so e#en %ith a 740, my success is "ar "rom certain.(1) *he A12 is a good ook, ut #ery, #ery asic. *he math on the >A* is signi"icant yharder. $kip it i" you are a ready "ami iar %ith the concepts.( ) *he A* %ork ook pro#ides a #ery so id "oundation "or most pro ems,a though it does not su""icient y co#er pro a i ity or permutations. >any peop e seem toencounter any%here "rom one to three pro a i ity permutation pro ems. >ake sure youpick up a high schoo te=t ook, or some other source, to earn these ski s.(/) 1egarding oth the and A*, Ipanicked and ran out o" time. *he >A* is not on y a out kno%ing the concepts and doingthe pro ems, ut doing them in ess than t%o minutes each, on a#erage.

(7) ne "ina note: A* that I cou d not do the math, ut using these tricks, I %as a e to arri#e at theans%er. I pre"er tricks as a ast resortJ idea y, you shou d kno% the math and under yingconcept. !o%e#er, you shou d a so e "ami iar %ith the tricks. As you do the practicepro ems, try using "orma math "irst. *hen, see i" you cou d ha#e app ied one o" the tricksa so to so #e the pro em.I hope these misce aneous its o" in"ormation he p. *he >A* is not that hard to eat. I%as not a e to aceW it, ut through ots o" study, my math score is p aces me in the top"i"th, and my o#era is the top . It took a great dea o" e""ort to earn the anguage o" math, and to de#e op the con"idence to tack e the math pro ems. 9ut itRs rea y ust a


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matter o" reso #e and practice.&e , my ackground is in humanities and %riting.... so the #er a %as sort o" natura J my ad#ice ismost y "or those %ith no math ackground. He#erthe ess, I did study a it o" #er a . I did e#erysing e #er a question (12,$2, and the ogicKK) in the ""icia uide. It is important to especia ypractice the $2. I3 you practice, you earn to recogniFe the common mistakes. 3or instance, a #erycommon error in $2 inc udes improper modi"iersJ ook out "or this. A so, there are three tricks%hich I app ied to e#ery 12 and $2: ( ) $kim the passage, then read, then skim again. ( r, %ith $2

and ogic, read it care"u y t%ice.) ( ) *here are usua y three o #ious y %rong ans%ers, and t%oans%ers %hich seem correctJ identi"y these t%o, and then narro% do%n the choice. (/) *he "inaans%er must match 00 I" the ans%er you choose does not sound right, it pro a y is not. nceyou identi"y the correct ans%er, it is #ery o #ious y and unam iguous y correct. As a "ina %ord o" ad#ice, the est %ay to prepare "or #er a is, assuming that you ha#e a "e% months, to read 1eadstu"" that you norma y %ou d not, and earn to read acti#e y, not ust passi#e y "or en oyment. *hat%ay, you hone your genera #er a ski and inguistic sensi i ity, rather than try to memoriFe ru es,idioms, etc.'osted 5 0/!i guys,Oesterday I took the e=am and got 7 0. &hen I sa% the score on the screen, I cou dn t e ie#e myeyes. I had the "ee ing that the e=am %asn t going %e during the e=am and thought a outcance ing my score se#era times. 9ut "ina y I decided to take my chance and hurraaaa !ere are my o ser#ations a out the e=am : *he quantitati#e part %as rea y though. *here %as pro a i ity question %hich %asn t di""icu t and 4 questions a out medians, ranges and standart

de#iations. >y percenti e ranking came at D0 percent ut I had ne#er gone e o% D/ percenti e atquantitati#e at my test e=ams %ith A* on 3riday and scored a 7 0 (Q47 V40). I prepared as thorough y as Icou d #e. I did a most a o" the , /


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diagnostic as %e as an untimed e=am. A ans%ers are e=p ained thorough y. I hope this he ps.I took the >A* on @ec and got a 7?0 + Q47 and V473irst o" a , many thanks to e#eryone on the >A* oard, especia y Akamai and $to yar + yourad#ice %as a so ute y in#a ua e in preparing "or the rea thingI prepared "or a out 0 days e"ore the e=am, primari y ure, 8conomist (paper as %e as on+ ine edition) and #arious artic es in internet.$o much "or the #er a section.$o much "or the >A* (may e I take it again + to cross onged+"or 750 (to cross V 40 at the end),ut I am not o sessed %ith >A* anymore)


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I am targeting at ! $ & E 2hicago and 2o um ia, I hope that 7 0 %i do "or those schoo s(A though, I understand that my score is not "antastic)I d ike to e=press my %arm gratitude to sto yar, #aka, #icky, chihao, aydi- and many many those%ho participated in my #er a posts.!ope, that I %i contri ute to this site in the "uture ( ut not so e=tensi#e y), since I #e not "orsakedidea to hit 750 ("or the possi i ity o" o taing stipend in 2hicago)ne ast idea, AHO H8 2AH 98A* >A*

I #e progressed "rom 4 in the #er a (4 year ago) to 77 . 1ea y, I #e spent 5 month (reastudying time) to cross 700 order. I am IH.I cou d manage it +Z AHO H8 %ith enough perse#erance can manage it

@ 6;2< ;O$'osted D ? 0/*his ast %eak has een pretty craFy. I asica y con#inced myse " that I %as going to cance myscore ast %eek. &hy, you askK I did not "ee that I %as ready ased on e#erything that I %asreading on this message oard. Ho% don t get me %rong . . . I de"inite y think this site is ri iant(*hanks 99) ut I do think you shou d take things that you read here "or %hat they are: opinions.; timate y you must trust yourse ".$ources used (in order): 'etersons, ath ooks). I %i make an especia y s%eet dea to anyone %ho %ants totake the %ho e oad + on y "or serious mattersood uck to e#eryone.Ho% on to the apps. *rying to decide %here I might ha#e a chance %ith 740, /.5 "rom top 0 ;.$.,and t%o "u years at a outique economics consu ting "irm. + perhaps i need more %ork e=perience .. thoughtsK1egards,!to%n'osted ? 0/!i uys,took the test today and got a 7/0, and i am #ery happy %ith the score. i" i get a decent A&A i dont%ant to take the gmat e#er again i %ou d ike to thank the mem ers o" this "orum.!ad a #ery distur ed s eep ast night(inspite o" s eeping pi ). %ent to the center in a kind o" daFe.thought that i %as going to cance the score.no% a out the test.got a some%hat easy argument topic in A&A. that kind o" ga#e me a oost. the issue topic %as a so


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okay. %rote 5 paras "or each.quant. quite a "e% perm+com and pro a i ity questions. i %ou d ike to think that i got most o" them right. 3or this i %ou d ike to thank sto yar "or his e=p anations. the quant got #ery easy a"tera out 7+ - questions and i thought that i had scre%ed up as e=pected. ne#erthe ess i kept going.e#en %ent to the rest room in the midd e o" the quant section. And "inished minutes ear y."ound the #er a okay ut i kept per"orming ' 8('rocess o" e imination) on e#ery question. got

12 passages, 40 ines ong. no 8['82* questions "or 21 so i thought i had scre%ed up again.

ut decided to accept the score keeping my "ingers crossed.i think i might ha#e een ucky that the questions i got %rong %ere e=perimenta or this day %asrea y ucky "or me.i %i %rite another post tomorro% a out my preparation.once again i %ou d ike to thank 99, $to yar, Akamai9rah, >ikhai , %onderTgmat, "or their ogicae=p anations and e=ce ent questions.a out my preparation:ike it has een said "or an in"inite num er o" times is the est preparation materia . i "inishednear y -0 o" the questions in the "or e#ery section.A so the Quantitati#e pro ems(particu ar y perm+com and pro a . questions) posted on this "orumare e=ce ent. I "ound them a ig he p in my preparation.I "ound kap an good "or $2 and Quantitati#e.my po%erprep(taken e"ore the ) scores %ere ?70 and 750.kap an tests are good in the sense that they keep you grounded :) . my scores in them ranged "rom5?0 to ?/0.

regards ayI spent - %eeks preparing "or the >A*. >y study p an %as as "o o%s:&eek +/ + &orked through


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+ I" you ha#e een reading this "orum you %i hear the same message o#er and o#er. The OGis the E!T preparati"n #"r the GMAT . 8*$ does not a o% anyone e se to use rea >A*questions in their prep materia . As a consequence, "o ks ike A* ook "rom the i rary and read throughtheir strategies, practicing them on some o" the '1 ook pro ems.I ought >A*E and A* ' us questions a e ed G"romne%est 00 + 00 testsG. I think more came in my e ay pack, ut I think I misp aced them. I a sore+did the questions I missed the "irst time in the +++ and, yes, I missed some o" these thesecond time around I redid these questions this morning and then re#ie%ed asic pro a i ity andcom ination pro ems, I %ent o#er some A&A stu"" a coup e o" hours e"ore the e=am. I stopped astudying .5 hours e"ore the test.The TestI took an a"ternoon test. *he most stress"u part %as "inding the test center. I signed up "or a'rometric site, ut didn t rea iFe that it s inside o" $y #an 6earning 2enter. Any%ay, I "ina y "oundthe p ace in the ack corner o" a ma .A&A %as a reeFe. " course, I m not sure %hat I got, ut there rea y aren t any surprises here. Asong as you can do it in '', you re "ine.I "ound the quantitati#e to e pretty easy. I took a ot o" time on the "irst "e% questions (%hich %erepretty easy) to make sure I did them correct y. *here %ere some easy pro a i ity questions as %e


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as easy com ination permutation questions (a out 4 tota ). $ome o" the questions seemed prettyeasy (e#en to%ards the end), ut I decided not to think too much a out the di""icu ty corre ating tomy score. I "inished %ith a out 7 minutes e"t.I thought the #er a %as more di""icu t. *here %ere "our 12 passages, t%o o" %hich %ere a out -0ines ong. I had some di""icu ty %ith $2... I cou d narro% it do%n to t%o choices, ut "ound it hardto make the "ina cut *here %asn t anything too unusua a out 21... ut there %ere some harderpro ems there. *%o %ere o d"aced. I "inished %ith a out 5 minutes e"t.

I guess that s it *he test center %as not quiet (there %ere a out ten other peop e at computerstaking #arious tests), ut, a"ter reading posts on this "orum, I %asn t e=pecting it to e. I ateoatmea "or reak"ast and yogurt "or unch. I rought an app e to the site, ut didn t ha#e time toeat it. I got a itt e hungry during the test, ut I think I m a itt e more a ert that %ay I tend to gets eepy a"ter eating...As I said e"ore, I m rea y re ie#ed to e done. I ha#en t gone out #ery much "or the ast "e% %eeks(it s een %ork, e=ercise, gmat, and s eep), ut no% I can re a= and ha#e "un "or a %hi e A"ter I getsome partying out o" my system, I concentrate on researching schoo s and programs that I minterested in. $orry this %as soooo ong (kudos to those o" you %ho read this "ar ), ut I %anted togi#e a comp ete summary o" my >A* e=perience... reading the stories o" other peop e on this"orum rea y he ped me, and I %anted to gi#e ack*ota cost o" >A*:( >A* ' us and 8CL D0 E *I>8

'osted / 0/k my turn to post my e=perience.$tudied casua y "or a out .5 %eeks a out a year ago. y pre#ious "e% postings ha#eeen under ssk)*he 8=am:oing in I kne% Quant %as going to e a tough section and a so that Quant %as my %eak area. Andit sure turned out that %ay. *he e#e o" di""icu ty umped a"ter the "irst questions and it %as ne#ereasy "rom there on. I spent 4+5 minutes on the third and "ina y guessed. A"ter e#ery +/ questionsthat I %as a e to crack, the ne=t one %ou d e out o" my reach. I "ound this pattern throught thetest and it scre%ed me on the timing. I cou d "inish on y / questions and guessed on the rest.$o, going into #er a I kne% that I etter do e=ceptiona y %e to get a decent score. And uck %ason my side. $2, 21 and 12 %ere a a piece o" cake, e=act y ike the ones in . A so they ne#erseem to sca e up as rapid y as Quant. *hey a seemed to e o" the same e#e KK>ake sure that you read the e=p anations o" the ans%ers in the . *his he ped me to think ike8*$ and %as a e to quick y impro#e my #er a ski s. >y game p an %as to get D0+D5 correct in21 and 12 and around -0 in $2. I think I managed that in the e=am.I %as p easent y surprised to see my score considering my harro%ing e=perience in the >A* Quantsection.ther test scores %ere as "o o%s:'': 7/0, 740'rinceton: 7 0, 7 0,?70, 7/0( day e"ore e=am. he ped me a ot in getting the "ina touches done)


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;sed main y to do #er a . A* tests, and do%n oaded >A*E "rom this site. !ere aremy scores in #arious e=amsaths %erereeFe. Ho% came the Ver a section. *his time I %anted to make sure that I at east don t o% thetiming and I m g ad that I didn t. 9ut ne#er in the e=am I got the "ee ing that I m doing %e .'ro a y the reason is that >A* a %ays keeps you at the edges o" your capa i ities. I "inished#er a in time, and e ie#e me %as ready to see any score popping up on the screen. &e , it cameout to e on the etter side, so I m g ad and spent %ho e ast night drinking$ome tips, %hich some o" you might "ind use"u+ practice practice Y practice %ith the he p o" 2A*s+ Among ooks, "or #er a , I think


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+ &hi e %riting the e=am, keep yourse " coo and ca m, donn panic+ @on t get discouraged %ith the scores in A*.*hat s it guys. I read the e=periences o" many o" you %ho scre%ed up on >A* on the "irst attemptand aced it on the second, and that ga#e me a ot o" con"idence that I a so cou d do etter. I hopemy post %i he p to oost the con"idence o" some o" you.A the est,$ach.'osted 0 7 0/*hough I appeared "or >A* in >ay, I "e t ike sharing my e=perience and my preparation "or >A*I mastered , especia y the $2.21 I mastered "rom 6$A*+'rinceton. 9e ie#e me, it is rea y good "or di""icu t questions.Quant I did not prepare much as I %as consistent y getting 50 in my practice testsI took practice tests "rom A*. I am #ery sensiti#e. *he %ho e night I cou d not s eep proper ythinking ho% cut throat peop e can e. *he morning a so I tried to s eep, ut ecause o" stress, Icou d not. I e"t myse " in the hands o" my destiny.The TE!TInspite o" eing e=tra care"u %ith Quant, I %as a e to "inish 5 minutes in ad#ance&ith #er a , I %ou d ad#ise something contrary to popu ar perception. I think my ast "i"teenminutes decided my score, %hen I %as under pressure to do around 0 questions. I simp yconcentrated hard, the %ay I ha#e ne#er done e"ore and I %as a e to "inish the test ust in time.Actua y, %e tend to ose score in the ast 5 minutes %hen %e are tired and under pressure to domore questions in ess time. I" %e are not care"u then, %hate#er score %e ha#e achie#edtemporari y %ou d simp y p unge.3or A&A, princeton is enoughA#ter the testI %as so happy to ha#e done %e despite the ad#ersity. In"act, "or the "irst "e% hours, I %as "ee ingat top o" the %or d. A"ter the hango#er %as o#er, I %ent to usiness as usua . ne ad#ice to a .' ease s eep "or at east - hours e"ore the test and drink ots o" %ater e"ore and during the test.*hat %i increase your endurance.I think I stated the o #ious.'osted 0 / 0/!i e#eryone. I d ike to share my thoughts on the >A* I took today. I scored a 700 (44Q 4 V).&hi e the quant %as %orse than I hoped "or, the #er a %as etter. I am pretty sure my quant isdue to question N %hich I %ish I cou d post here. Hothing I had e#er come across e"ore.Quant + #era , I %ou d say that the quant %as simi ar, may e s ight y harder than %hat is in . Ihad on y one permutation pro a i ity question. Oou %i %ant to kno% your square roots, decima sand "ractions %e e"ore testing. ther than that, its %hat your practicing in .Ver a + I thought the #er a %as much easier on the test then in . $entence correction %eremuch more straight "or%ard than in many o" the questions.


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other sections. Oou need to stay "resh in those as %e .1e a= a coup e days e"ore your test, you %i need your strength. I spent most o" $aturdayrehydrating a"ter 3riday night s e=cursions, and most o" $unday %atching my 8ag es o""ensi#e inep ay ike a unch o" highschoo kids. o o#er some idioms and equations, may e do a "e% pro ems,ut don t o#er%ork yourse ".>ateria I used in order:'etersons >A* 2A* + comp ete %aste o" time. I urnt this ook a"ter I "ound this %e site and sa%

simi ar remarks on ho% terri e it %as. It %ou dn t e %orth gi#ing to charity to scre% some otherperson o#er.


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'osted D 4 0/V+ 44 ]D7 percenti e^Q+ 50 ]D? percenti e^3irst , I %ou d ike to repeat 99 s %ords : It is not impossi e.A*I did not take any 2A* + ut mind you I do some #ery ana ytica %ork and am used to sitting "or 4+5 hrs at a strech + i" you are not used to sitting at a p ace and %orking then you are Gmust G take asmany cats as you can.I cou d "inish #er a in ?0 min + $2 %as ke% , 21 %as much easier than 6$A* + 12 passages %eresurprising y c ose to the passages i sa% on A* '6;$ "or maths + I did not ha#e time "or themI passed the >A* on monday and got a 750 Q50(D?) V4 (D/).!ere are some o" the o ser#ations (I" they are this ong, ho% many


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12 passage -0 ines ong on question /. )I "ound the 2A* to e on y 2 and *. *he A part is may e a nicedicussion theme, and a asis "or taking L 5, ut in my hum e opinionneither are the questions tougher to%ards the end harder (it is quitethe opposite), nor are they o" higher #a ue %hen it comes to scoring.As a "ina point, I %ou d ike to say %hat I "ind the most importantthing a out >A*: (this is the reason %hy I m posting this in the "irst

p ace) *he most important issue is that o" (O)(E)T*AT+O) and mentapreparation. @on t make themistake o" going too deep y into issues such aspro a i ity statistics tough+21+questions+that+e#en+their+authors+can t+so #eand "orsaking your menta preparation. &hen you "ee you re ready,

ust go there, do your est and mo#e on. ood concentration andsuccess"u a e#iation o" ner#ousness can make more di""erence than months o" preparation, especia y i" you are aiming high (or is it aiming A*height )>9A app ication is so painstaking that >A*, as tough as it may e,is ust one piece o" the puFF e.I hope this he ps someone as much as your posts ha#e he ped memoti#ate myse ",>i ost%: I "orgot my 'rinceton on ine test resu ts, ut you a ready

guessed them: 7 0, 7 0, 7 0, 7 0, 7 0.....I started preparing a out / months ago + ut %as not #ery regu ar. I used to spend 4 to 5 hourso#er the %eekends and a out / hours o#er the %eek. I put in / days o" rigorous preparation e"orethe test and that he ped a ot. I took oth the po%erprep tests in the eginning''+I + ?D0''+II + 7?06ooking ack, the '' tests seem to resem e the rea one more c ose y than the others.I did take the ay e I %as tired too. I %as #ery s o% to start %ith + I stihad 4 questions %ith on y /0 minutes to spare. I rea iFed that I %as again checking my ans%ers%ay too many times and started to pick up speed. nce I "e t an ans%er %as right, I picked thatans%er and mo#ed a ong. I don t think that s the right thing to do though. I ended up "inishing %itha out minutes to spare. I think is the est source to practice "or this section. *he questionsare a most o" the same di""icu ty e#e as those in the .*he di""icu ty e#e o" the quant section %as simi ar to that o" the ast "e% questions in . nce youha#e the "undamenta s right, the questions are de"inite y so #a e. I did run into a #ery asicperm com type question. *he questions discussed in this "orum are quite good and shou d su""ice.&atch out "or the #arious tricks regarding E#e +#e num ers and other num er properties + "actors,e=ponents, qoutient remainder etc. *he geometry pro ems %ere pretty simp e + ut you need tokno% the "ormu a "or area o" di""erent quadi atera s, circ e etc.*he Ver a %as #ery simi ar to . I think i" you use "or #er a , that is good enough.;n"ortunate y, I didn t ha#e time to go through the #er a more than once. @o the $2 questionsin t%ice and that shou d he p a ot. *he di""icu ty e#e o" 12 passages %ere #ery simi ar to thato" . *he 21 choices %ere a itt e more #ague than the , ut not #ery di""erent though. #era ,I think i" you are com"orta e %ith the materia in , that shou d e good enough "or #er a .#era , I am happy that its o#er and happy %ith my score. I %ou d ike some ad#ice on the


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app ication process etc. + I ha#e a out - yrs o" e=perience in the net%orking industry and ha#e an>$ in 2$ (gpa 4.0).I p an to do my >9A in 9erk ey. Is there a good "orum that discusses such thingsKI don t think the ost o" the time, one ans%er %i standout as the right one. I" you are #ery short on time, simp y trust your instinct and pick the one thatyou "ee is right and mo#e a ong. It is etter to do that than to end up random y guessing onse#era questions. Again, this is ust my cents. Hot e#eryone may agree %ith this strategy.*hanks and hope this he ps.+1I took my >A* se#era days ago, and %anted to thank e#eryone on this site. I am not %i ing toget into the detai s o" the test, as I ha#e signed %ai#ers and 99 must keep the integrity o" this site.

!o%e#er, I %i share t%o things that rea y he ped me out ( engthy).*he "irst dea s %ith ski s. y est method o" impro#ement %as tostart a note ook di#ided into three sections '$, @$ and $2. I" I got AHO pro em %rong, I %ou d putit in there + the %ho e pro em. 9e"ore I studied e#ery night, I %ou d re#ie% this note ook. A"ter a ,these are the things that I %ou d ha#e gotten %rong i" I had taken the >A* %ithout studying.*!8$8 A18 &!A* I H88@8@ !86' H. And y seeing these e#ery night, e ie#e me, %hen I sa% asimi ar pro em, I didn t get it %rong again. *hat is %hat impro#ement is a a out. &hat good isstudying i" you get the same thing %rong t%ice or three timesK Hone. $o get a note ook and recordyour errors, so that you ecome so "ami iar ith these that you &AH* to see them on the rea thing.&hen you see it on the rea >A*, you chuck e ecause its the same pro em that you sa% e#erynight %hen you spent 5 mins ooking at that note ook o" mistakes + and its 2A


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GA %i "inds a %ay.G+ rison $%ett >ardenAugust 5, 00/G Oou ha#e to kno% you can %in. Oou ha#e to think you can %in. Oou ha#e to "ee you can %in.G$ugar 1ay 6eonard+++++++++++++++++++++++++++I" you think that kind o" thing is stupid, then ignore it. I" it he ps one person get 0 more points,

then it s %orth it. 2on"idence is sometimes %orth a mi ion ucks.*he thing is, I am not a genius. I %ou d say that I am a o#e a#erage, ut this is a goa that I%orked #ery hard "or, and this score or higher is attaina e y anyone %i a strong desire to train"or this test' ease "ee "ree to ask me any questions (that are not particu ar to actua questions) and I %i eg ad to he p anyone out there.,inall% and m"st imp"rtantl% than.s s" m$ch t" #"r devel"pin& this site /hich ishelpin& man% man% pe"ple reali e their pr"#essi"nal dreams1Ho% on to app ications, I ha#e a "e% questions to anyone %ith app ication e=perience. It is apersona dream o" mine to attend a top 5 usiness schoo . &ith a 7?0, good 'A, good recc s, can Ireasona y shoot "or thisK I e ie#e that my iggest %eakness is my %ork e=perience, %hich is years, ho%e#er I "ee that I ha#e my goa s set and that I am mature enough to enter 9+schoo .!o%e#er, I must con#ince the 9+schoo o" the same. I kno% that there is nothing 00 , and essaysare e=treme y impt., ut has anyone gone through the sameK I %ou d o#e to #isit each o" the "i#eschoo s I am app ying to and speak %ith admissions, ust to sho% my "ace and discuss these

concerns. *he "act is that e#en i" I %as "orced to %ait a year or t%o to ump up my e=perience, I%ou d %ait. Any thoughts, e#en i" you ha#en t gone through the same yet, are appreciated.'osted: 3ri $ep 05, 00/ :/ am 'ost su ect: 7 0I %rote a "e% days ago and scored a 7 0. I" you score ?-0 and a o#e @ H * 18&1I*8. *here isno di""erence et%een a ?-0 and a 750. Z?-0 means that you can hand e the %ork oad andintensity o" an >9A program.>y cents %orth :I started prepping "or the >A* a out - months ago. A "e% Qs here and there. @id a out hr a%eek "or the "irst month. *ook the ne=t "e% months o"".@on t %aste your time %ith y "ee ing a out the >A* : Oou ha#e to %rite it, so do so 9;* it is an a so ute %aste o" time andutter y use ess. I earnt nothing "rom it %hatsoe#er + apart that it %as a pain in the rear and that Iost #a ua e time %ith 3ami y. I m g ad it s o#er. &hat a oad o" crap.ood uck to e#eryone e se.I took >A* on D / 00/, and scored 740 +D- %ith (Q+5 , V+/-).ItRs een a rocky summer: I started thinking a out >A* and decided to take it n ? 00/, thedate %hen I "inished an important research paper and %ondered %hat to do in summer. I purchaseda the ooks: ""icia uide, A*,


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decided not to take the e=am and instead to re y on other aspects o" my credentia to ui d up my>9A app ication. I didnRt touch any >A* "or the past three days and indu ge myse " in readingsome 2hinese %e sites. Oesterday, I urned a the >A* ooks and said to myse " h, good ord,this ourney is o#er, I %i go %ith %hate#er you gi#e meW.I had the "irst good s eep ast night. I %oke up this morning "ee ing so re a=ed that I a most had se=%ith *hanks to 6ord, I took a ook at the c ock hanging on the my %i"eXno kidding %a , andnoticed that it %as sti ?:/7A>. I rushed to the testing center and per"ormed %e .

In mid Bune, I enro ed a >A* test prep c ass (http: %%%.gori atestprep.com ). It is note=pensi#e and I did that so e y to "ind a study partner. In the "irst c ass, the instructor ta ked a outpicking num ers as an essentia strategy "or math. !e ta ked a out it again in the second c ass, Iecame impatient and he to d me that I ust had to try and see ho% magica it is. I conceded. !eta ked a out that again in the third c ass. *hat is %hen I decided to quit it and he kind y ga#e me apartia re"und. 3or peop e %ho ha#e simi ar ackground to mine (graduate degree in science, andstrong math ski s ut not #ery good at #er a ), IRd suggest them not to take those prep c assesecause prep c asses genera y target American students %ho are usua y not good at math.>ateria s I ha#e %orked on:A* o""icia guide M one pass, then re#ie%ed the sentence correction part %hich is my %eak area. IdidnRt "inish the entire math portion though ecause I donRt ha#e enough time.A* takers is: i" you miss one point, you "ai J i" you miss t%o, you are a oser.In retrospect, I %as correct %hen I decided that grammar is my %eak area and I %orked on ite=tensi#e y. At the eginning o" this summer, I thought I %ou d use this test prep process as achance to impro#e my o#era 8ng ish a i ity. 6ucki y, I "ound a suggestion "rom this "orum that$chaumRs ut ines "or 8ng ish rammar is a good ook.I ought it and studied it care"u y e"ore de #ing into the preparation ourney. It is a #ery goodook %hich pro#ides so id "oundations on grammar "or non+8ng ish speakers.3or the question on ho% to impro#e math ski s, IRd suggest you get a pre+co ege e#e mathte=t ook and spend perhaps a months to so #e a the pro ems. I am not eing cynica here.!onest y, I e ie#e that is the est %ay to prepare "or it. I did the same thing "or my grammar: graa ook and so #e the pro ems. In retrospect, I am g ad that I did it ecause I ha#e earnedsomething eyond >A* itse ". I" you prepare "or >A* so e y %ith >A* pro ems, then you %onRtrea y impro#e your "undamenta ski s %hich may e carried on in your i"e eyond >A*.*he Indian "riendRs point is %e made. Oes, I think genera y Indian and 2hinese schoo ing systemsput more emphasis on math training. ne e=amp e is that in 2hinese pre+co ege schoo s,ca cu ators are not a o%ed ecause it discourages students "rom %orking things out y punchingnum ers direct y. I" you ook at each yearRs ympic >ath competition, a most e#ery time 2hineserepresentati#es %i %in at east "i#e go d meda s. I am not saying 2hinese educationa system issuperior to that o" the ;$. n the contrary, I ike ;$ system etter ecause it encouragescreati#ity.) !o% c ose %as the #er a to the KAns: Very c ose. 9ut take note that my #er a score is on y /-, so it may on y re" ect that e#e o" di""icu ty.) !o% ong %ere the reading passagesK *here %ere "our o" themK &hich topicsKAns: *hree ong ones, around 70 ines each, p us a short one 40 ines. *opics are interesting thoughI am not supposed to disc ose them here./) Is it true that on the rea test a most none o" Gstrengthen and %eakeningG questions in criticareasoning sectionKAns: Ho. *here are quite a "e% %eakening questions and strengthen question, though they takedi""erent "orm, such as ho% to etter e#a uate these c aims, etcW.4) &hat %as the most di""icu t pro em in mathK &hat %as the di""icu ty o" math compared to KAns: It is c ose to those in . A "e% pro ems are di""icu t ecause they are o" ne% types,i.e., they ha#enRt appeared in e"ore, so it takes more minutes to "u y understand them. nceyou did, none is di""icu t.5) &hat %ere the topics "or A&AKAns: 8asy topics. I ha#e a %ays thought that is #ery stupid "or 8*$ to ist those topics in ad#ance.


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uess %hat %i most "oreign students doK *hey %rite them in ad#ance and memoriFe them. *hat is%hy some 9+schoo s ha#e students %ho ha#e A&A ?.0 ut canRt %rite a simp e term paper. It is ustp ain stupid. I didnRt other to %rite them in ad#ance ecause I am reasona y con"ident in mya i ity to %rite as I ha#e i#ed in ;$ "or se#en years and ha#e pu ished many technica papers.I ust took the test t%o days ago, on y si= days e"ore my ast year o" co ege starts. *he e=perience%as tremendous y ner#e %racking ecause I had no c ue ho% I d per"orm under test conditions. Iscored a 4D 4 on my "irst '' and a 50 4 on my second one. I don t kno% %hat the o#era scores

%ere ecause I took on y one section at a time (meaning I %ou d tank the other section to "ind out%hat my indi#idua scores %ere). *his %as main y ecause I didn t ha#e enough time e"ore %ork to"inish each section. *he quant section %as not more di""icu t than the '' sections. !o%e#er, a out40 minutes into the math section I had to urinate (yeah I kno% pretty "unny) and ust cou dn t ho dit any onger. I got up, signed out, peed, signed ack in and ost / and ha " minutes. As a resu t Imade uneducated guesses on a num er o" questions ecause I %as running out o" time. I cou dha#e cance ed my scores, or ust e"t at that point (I %as so upset I %anted to) ut decided to "inishany%ay. I m not sure i" I take the test again or i" I m e#en going to app y to usiness schoo ( ongstory), ut I m g ad I stuck %ith it.Any%ay not ong ago I decided to de#ote %hat turned out to e - %eeks preparing "or this e=am. Itook a 'rinceton 1e#ie% course and reaped a so ute y no ene"it "rom it. Hone. I m not e#en sure I%ant to %aste space ta king a out it, ut I %i summariFe my #ie% y urging anyone reading this to"orego the %aste o" money and time. 9y resisting this program you can a#oid the grimy "ee ingassociated %ith eing ripped o"" and #io ated. (*ransitionK)I ene"itted the most "rom studying A* ( ight y) a out three months ago. 9e"ore doing anything e se, Itook a %ritten practice test (one o" the o d ones that 8*$ se s) andscored a 5-0. I ought the and roke do%n the di""erent sections to resem e a %ritten test "ormat (a out ?+ 0 questions persection ( 0+ 5 minutes each), and dou e the amount "or pro em so #ing.) I practiced y usingans%er grids to get used to trans"erring the in"ormation "rom the screen. I made sure I "inishede#ery pro em and kept track o" ho% ong I took to "inish each section. I marked the ans%ers I got%rong, and made sure to understand each one e"ore mo#ing to the ne=t section. In mid Bu y Idecided to schedu e the test in ear y August, so that it %ou d "orce me to study harder. &ith a outthree %eeks to go, I %as running out o" time. I "inished a out ha " o" the and took a '' practicetest. I scored a ?50. *his is %hen I rea iFed that I needed to "ocus on my %eaknesses to sa#e timeand add #a ue. I "orgot a out critica reasoning and reading comp and rea y concentrated on theother sections. ne %eek e"t...I %as running out o" time and decided to go ack to a the questionsI got %rong on the and the practice tests. I %orked each one out and made sure I stiunderstood it. I took a


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any e#ent, a"ter rushing through %hat seemed ike an eternity o" reading comp I %as p easent ysurprised y my score. 7 0....44 math, 4 #er a .>y o#era opinion:$tudy the and some pro a i ity and com ination permutation re"reshers and you %i e "ine.A so, the day e"ore the test, make sure you re+study the asic num er properties concepts. $topstudying at east 4 hours e"ore the test. 8at some tuna ( rain"ood) and kno% that you can take itagain i" you do not do %e .

9est o" uck to e#ery ody.1egards,i uminadoPosted by kpadma:"Could you give some advice on what kind of probability & comboquestion did you get on the exams!id you get any interesting question that took more time to solve " >y rep y:I don t kno% i" it %as uck, ut I didn t "ee that any pro em %as comp ete y unapproacha e(something I did "ee on some o" the practice tests.) A so, time %as not an issue, surprising y, sinceon the practice tests I a %ays ran out o" time on the math sections thanks to a coup e o" painstaking y ong pro ems. Hone o" that here..../+4 steps at most.I don t rea y remem er much in detai (one o" my strategies %as to comp ete y "orget a outpre#ious questions so that I cou d approach the ne=t question %ith a c ear mind. @ H * @&866 onpre#ious pro ems or they %i haunt you throughout the rest o" the section. 6et go and start ne%

"or e#ery pro em. I tru y don t kno% ho% peop e are a e to retain %hat they sa%...I cou d notrep icate these pro ems it i" my i"e depended on it. I cannot stress this enough...do not "a in o#e%ith a question.'ro a i ity %as a pretty straight "or%ard Gat eastG pro ( +un"a#ora e outcomes) and thecom ination %as ust a #ery simp e Gdou e com inationG. >y ad#ice is to not "ocus on easy prepackagedapproaches "or speci"ic #ersions o" these ad#anced pro ems (com o permutation patternrecognition 'ro etc...), ut to tru y spend at east a coup e o" days earning the asics o" thesetopics so that you kno% ho% to approach them %ith the possi i ity o" s ight t%ists. In my opinion,the asics are a you need o" these ad#anced topics un ess you are scoring in 4?E on math. I" yousee something craFy, ha#ing to do %ith remainders, etc...chances are that it is ust a patternrecognition type pro em. Oou cannot possi y e=pect to retain a the itt e tricks you #e read" oating around "or these. i#e e#ery question a try... as you %ork them out, these types o" pro ems %i c ick into p ace. 1emem er...there are on y so many concepts that are co#ered. Asong as you kno% enough to ui d on "or most o" these concepts, you do not need to earn a theGeasy+so #eG c i"" notes.

Posted by andoval:"#ere the questions alot easier than the ones on kaplan or did they $ust require less computationwhat type of questions did you see%%%%rate mixture work num% properties probability etc% " >y rep y:I "ee that


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'o%erprep : *:7?0, Q:4D, V:4 + a"ter question remo#a , ? - right on quant + / E 5 %rong,5 /0 right on #er a .As you can see, I scored right in et%een the t%o, and ust a out identica in the indi#iduareakdo%ns.3or re"erence, my other practice scores:


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#er a and math) to stay "resh, doing pro a y 4+5 hours per %eek and 4+5 hours on the %eekend. Itapered o"" y the end o" Bune, and in Bu y I on y re#ie%ed past pro ems.I ought A* ook, '1 s main >A* ook, A* -00, and (in >ay) . I%ou d recommend a o" them e=cept the '1.!ere are the main earnings I had:. *epititi"n is .e% . I cannot underestimate this. *here %ere no math pro ems I did not kno%ho% to start. I had a strategy "or e#ery one o" them, %hich %as made possi e ecause I asica y

sa% nothing ne%.. Practice tests are critical . >y "irst e#er practice test %as a '1 ?50. I are y got either sectiondone on time. >y ast test %as an , and I got a 7?0 (I recogniFed 5+? o" the pro ems, though,so my score %as not representati#e). n this test I "inished the math %ith 4 minutes e"t and the#er a %ith 4 minutes e"t. n the rea test, I "inished the math %ith 7 minutes and the #er a %ith? minutes. 'racticing got my timing do%n and made me com"orta e doing many di""erent kinds o" thinking in a short time span./. *elax . A "ami y emergency arose ast %eek on the e#e o" my origina test date. As a resu t, I hadto cance my test and reschedu e. *his stressed me out, ut y the midd e o" the %eek I %asconcentrating on my practice resu ts and I kne% I %ou d on y hurt myse " y eing %orried. *his isso important. I %ent in there e ie#ing in myse ", so %hen I kne% I didn t get a question right (i.e.,spent /+4 minutes and sti didn t ha#e it), I kne% it %as ok ecause I to d myse " Gget the ne=t one,you make up "or it.GOou ha#e to rea iFe that 4 (-+D) o" the questions are e=perimenta . &hen you consider thatpro a y none o" the "irst ?+- questions are e=perimenta , ecause they are instrumenta in

determining your score, you see that - or D o" /0 questions ++ a most o" e#ery / ++ ise=perimenta . *here"ore, %hen you "ee ad a out a pro em, there s essentia y a / chance that itdidn t matter.$peaking o" chance, I sa% / pro a ity questions and counting question. @espite the decent Qscore, I don t "ee that any o" the questions on the math %ere o" the #ery, #ery di""icu t #ariety.*here %ere de"inite y no very hard @$ questions. A.amai2s recent @$ questions %ere tougher thananything I sa% on @$. A so, most o" !t"l%ar2s questions are more di""icu t than the '$ I sa%, andI d say his @$ are right in ine. #ious y I missed a "air num er o" questions, ut ecause thepro a i ity questions kept coming up I kne% I %as ok. 3or me, errors are usua y a resu t o" %orkingtoo quick y. *hat s pro a y %hat happened to me on #er a .*he materia s that est he ped me prepare %ere the


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*he second ook I recommend is the A* >ath &ork ook. It %i take you the ne=tstep, assuming that you kno% the asic math and getting more into ho% to manipu ate certain"igures and math concepts to get the ans%er you need. *est taking strategy is a so addressed in thisook, %hich it is not in the A12 . *here are "ar more practice pro ems in the A2 s currentedition o" pre#ious tests. 'racticing in this ook %ou d pro a y ha#e increased my con"idence a itmore going into the test++I must admit that I did not "u y trust A* in rudimentary

"orm. I didn t need to kno% permutations or com inations either time I took the test, ut that s notto say that you %i not++I ust don t kno%. I did need to kno% asic pro a i ity ca cu ation, andthat s not in any o" the ooks a o#e. $o, spend an hour at the i rary and nai that do%n++it s notdi""icu tIt is my p easure to te a out my >A* e=periences. 3irst o" a , I %ou d ike to saythat I took preparing "or the >A* quite serious y and ooked through a most e#eryguide a#ai a e. >ost o" my preparation %as concentrated in the month e"ore thetest, %hich I took in $eptem er o" this year.>y score %as 740 (D-th percenti e o#era ). I took se#era practice tests, ut thescores on those ranged %ide y. *he est estimation o" my actua >A* score Irecei#ed y taking the t%o tests to %hich the >A2 gi#es access a ong %ith theregistration. I scored 740 and 7?0.*here are some comments I %ou d ike to make regarding the preparation guides. I

%ou d not recommend using 9arron s practice tests: they are outdated and ogic o" the #er a section is not on y "a acious, ut a so rather inconsistent %ith that o" the>A*. 9arron s math and #er a o#er#ie%s, ho%e#er, are e=ce ent. >ath o#er#ie%gi#es a rather cere ra e=p anation to so #ing di""icu t pro ems as opposed to asimp e p ug+in strategy.I iked 'rinceton s 21A2< >A*. It gi#es one #a ua e c ues into understanding thereasoning o" the >A* test de#e opers and makes one a%are o" possi e traps toa#oid. In my e=perience, their practice tests ha#e a meaning"u sa"ety cushion incomparison %ith rea >A*: my scores %ere main y in the ?-0+?D0 range. !o%e#er,a tru y inquisiti#e mind may e "rustrated y 'rinceton s approaches to so #ing mostpro ems: ' 8 and p ug+in strategies are certain y great, ut they don t rea y he pone de#e op any ski s. I a so iked 'rinceton s idea o" putting some interesting9usiness $choo "acts and #oca u ary argon terms on the margins.'eterson s guides are rather %eak and may on y he p at the initia stages duringpreparation.I iked A12 >asters >A* 2A*. It has a some%hat separate ank o" questions, soone can practice %ithout a "ear o" seeing questions "rom other guides #ery o"ten.' us, its practice tests gi#e a #ery nice reakdo%n ana ysis o" your per"ormance andpro#ed to e rather accurate in estimating my >A* potentia . A out ha " o" thetimes I scored in ?70+?D0 range, the other ha " in 700+740. *heir Ana ytica &ritingguide seems to e he p"u , ut it did do not too much good in my case.3ina y, p ease keep in mind that the ank o" questions that is pro#ided in the o""icia


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>A2 >A* 'reparation guide is that o" 550+?50 di""icu ty e#e questions I" youp an to score eyond this inter#a , make ad ustments in your preparationaccording y.I did not intentiona y use any pacing strategies. I "e t ner#ous during the >athsection and that a""ected my per"ormance signi"icant y. A so, I had to rush thesecond ha " o" questions o" the >ath section: I %as running short o" time. In the

Ver a , I e=ceeded the a#erage a o%ance "or a question during the "irst 0questions, ut caught up pretty quick y. In "act, I had a coup e minutes e"t as I"inished my ast #er a question.I %as p anning to retake the >A* ecause I %as not "u y satis"ied %ith my >athscore. !o%e#er, I e ie#e that my strong academic record in quantitati#e courses %ie an o""setting "actor. ' us, I am "acing certain time constraints that %ou d ha#estood in the %ay o" my retaking the test.I %ou d not ha#e made any a terations to my preparation process had I had anopportunity. >ay e I %ou d ha#e de#oted more attention to the Ana ytica &riting$ection.I %ish est o" uck to a the test+takers.3ind a method o" studying that %orks "or you and stick %ith it. 9e ie#e me, it is estto take the test once and e done %ith it"/ did %"$ prepare #"r the GMATI recent y appeared "or the >A* and scored 740 (Quantitati#e: DD percenti e,Ver a : -5 percenti e). I %ou d ike to share my e=periences %ith you.I used the "o o%ing ooks sources: 8*$ ""icia >A* ook 0th edition ( ood "or practice + has many questionsand is quite c ose to the rea (mid+ e#e di""icu ty) questions on the >A*) >A* -00 (!as the toughest questions you can "ind any%here. I" you aretargeting a score o" more then 700, then this ook %i e quite he p"u . Iiked the detai ed e=p anations and the question #ariety. $entence 2orrectionhas many patterns that I ha#e not seen e se%here) A* -00, $ &ord). A"ter I had %ritten 5+ 0 essays, I got soused to it that it took me a out 5 minutes to %rite a 450 %ord essay. A* '6;$ (I am not sure i" this %i e a#ai a e in ook+stores. I ought iton e ay. Is a good question ank)5"$ld %"$ chan&e an%thin& a'"$t the /a% %"$ prepared 5hat advice /"$ld%"$ &ive t" s"me"ne a'"$t t" ta.e the GMATI started preparing "or >A* in Ho# 00 . I had thought that I %ou d ust prepare"or it and %hen I think that I am ready, I %i go gi#e the test. 9ut that %as not a#ery good idea. &ithout a "i=ed dead ine, I cou d not "ocus #ery %e . In Banuary "irst%eek, I decided to pick a date in Ban end. n y a"ter this did I get serious and did


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test during the essay math reak, I #omited my reak"ast ( ucki y I made it to theathroom). to %a k out o" there %ith my score %as V81O satis"ying.ho%e#er, the reason I posted to this oard is ecause o" %hat happened %hen I gothome. I sho%ed my score to my dad and said I got a 740 , and his stoneco dresponse %as that it didn t matter un ess I got in a top 0 program. &hi e that %as aserious rea ity+check, I rea iFe he is right. *here"ore, ust %anted to see %hat you a

thought o" my credentia s.!i,I took the >A* today and %ou d ike to thank 8rin "or setting up this "orum and athe users "or posting their e=periences. >ore than anything e se it kept memoti#ated through the preparation and it %as great to get "eed ack "rom such aarge group o" peop e "rom so many di""erent countries.*he A&A %as simi ar to one o" the topics gi#en at the ack o" the ook, the%ording might e a itt e di""erent. Quant %asn t di""icu t at a . It started o"" rea ysimp e and y the -th question reached the highest e#e o" di""icu ty and then there%as a rea y simp e question, I guess it might ha#e een one those e=perimentaquestions, ut I didn t et that other me. I had 5 minutes e"t a"ter the quantsection so I took the ad#ise o" one o" the ear ier posts in this "orum and ust %aited"or the ast minute to con"irm the ans%er "or the ast Quant question, this he ped mere a= e"ore the #er a section.I ha#e a %ays een ad at #er a , main y ecause o" sentence correction, ut I guessI did a right. I think I got 4 12s ut these %ere o" the same di""icu ty e#e as thosein ,nothing too di""icu t in Ver a . I think the est ook to use %ou d e the ""iciauide and the ne=t est %ou d e 'rinceton 1e#ie% and then


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A* a %eek or so ack. got score o" 7 0 - 8Q- 0 V-4 :1General #eed'ac. and strate&% :test %as ok. the quants %ere a itt e more di""icu t than the po%erprep tests.some%here et%een '' and


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, id >arch Q 4D V /-


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esson is don t ose heart mid+%ay, gi#e your est shot1egarding preparation, is a must "or Quant @$ and '$ and Ver a $2.ost important y I studied

a the question and ans%ers "or @$ and '$ "rom this %e site. A so studied some$2s. *his he ped a ot.*hats a I studied. He#er rea y %ent through (didn t ha#e time) the 12s and 21s o" . I did n t think I can impro#e my ski s y doing some 400 questions o" 12 and

21. 'racticed "or this on y during the practice tests.&e , >A* is done no% the *arget is >9A. I %i e app ying "or some ca state uni#sin ay area and $anta 2 ara uni#ersity %hich a o% e#ening >9A. I dou t i" ha#e anychances "or 2a 9erk "or e#ening >9A %ith ust / years o" e=perience, and a so its a#ery cost y program. 6ets see %hat happens.

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