Keeping on keeping on
So, only a few more weeks till I hit the US and pickup my new GMAT studying books. After this brief study pause I'm anxious and eager to get back on the habit.
Interestingly enough, I've noticed that all my hard work on the math section of the GMAT has resulted in me finding GMAT style problems in real life! Shocking! The other day a colleague was talking about how many boxes would fit into a container of 'x' dimensions. I did a double take and thought to myself, "these things really are applicable!".
As well, I've found that my arithmatic 'speed' has increased. I can solve things in my head more easily than I used to. It's not that I'm measuring, its that the difference is so pronounced!
So, to those of you that find studying for the GMAT, remember that there are some good things (albeit small) that come out of your hard work!
It's not what you know....
Everyone knows the old adage... "It's not what you know. It's who you know." From the researching I've done into the MBA application process it seems that you actually need both components to succeed.
The application deadlines for me still seem far off (Oct '07). But, yesterday I was thinking about the recommendation letter from peers and colleagues, and it might be closer than it seems! I was reading a Business Week B-School journal from
Hussein Kanji. He states the following -
Even though I didn't turn in the applications until the last minute, I did prepare a nice "kit" for each of my recommenders in early August. For busy executives, that is a must-have as it gives them a nice frame for what to put into your essays
I will follow his steps and create such a kit for my recommenders. That means I literally have 10 months left!
Also, it is important to cultivate relationships with people you respect and who are respected. CEOs and other high profile recommenders may have trouble making you look good in their recommendation letter, if they don't really know you. Make a plan to interact with these people
before you ask them for a recommendation. That way you don't look like a chump!
I already have a good idea of who I want to be my recommenders for the MBA process. Now I have to start thinking about how to prepare that kit and how to further "ripen" our relationship.
Relief and grief
After postponing the GMAT until February I started to get really down on myself. I really hate setting a goal and then missing it. I mean, I
really hate it.
So, too soothe my self-loathing, I bought some books on Amazon. I'm having them delivered to my house in Arizona, so I won't be able to pick them up until Thanksgiving when I go home. I figure that gives me some time to sit back, re-prioritize and look at finding some alternative sources for studying.
The books I picked up: 2 Manhattan guides on Math (my hardest area) and a couple books on writing admissions essays. I'll post my first impressions of them here as soon as I can. Later, after I've devoured them I'll post again to see how they stack up after some use.
As for alternative sources for studying, I'm definitely looking into purchasing some more CATs online. As well, there is a quant section on
GMAT Club.
Boban go ahead and make a comment:)
It had to be done
So, I haven't studied in nearly a week now. My fiancee and I spent the past weekend moving house and I spent the last two days doing some of the remainder work. It has been quite a chore and it has prevented me from doing any study whatsoever.
The result is that I have rescheduled my GMAT for February 28th. I didn't want to do it in part because when I make a plan any rescuduleing feels like failure!
My reasoning is sound however, paying 50 bucks now is a lot better than getting a sub-par score and paying another 250 bucks later to re-take the test. Plus, I'll wager that a reschedule is less of an emotional hit than a poor score.
In the meantime I've purchased some good books from Amazon, two of the Manhattan book series on the quant side of things.
Distractions, Distractions, Distractions!
So I didn't get around to studying last night. My life is getting in the way. After work I went to a 7 o'clock dentist appointment. After that some dinner with my fiancee. I finally arrived home at 11pm or so. It's incredible how little time you've got for things after work.
To top it all off, we are moving this weekend and I'm sure that means I'll get little to no studying done.... bummer:)
(Perfect) Practice Makes Perfect
Last night I did some time trials from the Official GMAT guide. I chose 37 questions from the problem solving section and did them in 75 mins (69 actually) and then I did 37 questions from the data sufficiency section in 75 mins.
While these aren't the best simulations of the actual test environment, I am using them to get an internal feel of what 75 mins feels like, plus simulate the pressure of answering a set number of questions under time duress. I've heard from many people, (and it just plain makes sense) that the hardest part of the whole test is the limited time frame. The questions themselves are not
that difficult. I believe, given enough time, anyone could perform most of these calculations. The difficulty lies in getting as many out of 37 correct in 75 minutes.
The timing wears down your stamina. The fast pace of performing arithmetic, the hasty clicking ok and then clicking 'confirm.' These are all factors, which don't seem to be addressed in lots of the study materials. The real question is, "Do you have enough
strength of mind to perform well?"
So, my study plan has me performing 75 minute bursts of 37 (41 for qualitative) questions, in order to simulate the stress and rythym of the exam. After the 75 mins I go through my answers to find the incorrect ones. At this point I take as much time as needed to really dissect the question, figure out why I got it wrong and look at a couple of ways to arrive at the correct conclusion.
Occaisionally I come across an "aha!" moment when dissecting the questions where, once I see the whole picture, I see a broader concept behind the question that helps me solve it faster. Looking for 3:4:5 combination (Pythagorean Theorem) is one of them. I can't remember now, but I remember looking at the question and just all of a sudden seeing that I could have done it much easier if I had thought to apply such a simple concept.
Also, upon review of my answers, I have found that I've got a problem with simple, silly mistakes. (ie, adding wrong, choosing the 'A' despite having calculated the solution to answer 'B'). In some part, this validates my studying method because I believe these simple mistakes come from being unfamiliar with the stress and rythym of 75 minutes and 37 questions.
Tonight I have a Spanish course, but tomorrow I'm going to hit the books for 3, 75 minutes sessions. I'll give you a report later!
In the meantime, I'm listening to:
Meeting the Requirements
Since I am trying to enter an international MBA program, and most of them have bilingual and trilingual requirements, I have enrolled in a Spanish course through a local college.
That is what I spent last evening doing, ayudando hablar espanol. It's going to be a long hard process. I think that I will ultimately succeed in this effort, even if I know that I will have to practice a lot outside of class and do other extra curriculars to make the grade. I'm ok with these things because I figure that I have two years until I need to be semi-fluent and this is enough time. (Notice how I didn't say 'plenty of time'... I think my timelines are going to be quite thin.)
My objective of this whole excersize is to take,
and pass, the Cervantes Institute Exam for semi-fluent speakers. This is quite an ambitious goal, but I believe that if I start now, prepare, practice, and apply my learning, I will be able to acheive it.
Currently Listening to: Ocean's 12
First things first
Studying for the GMAT...
Studying is hard to do. Especially since I've been out of school for what, nearly 4 years now? Books... what? Study... what? Test... WHAT?
My exam is scheduled for October 19th, and I'm on the verge of delaying it some more. Its here that I've run into a problem. I don't want to delay it. From November until after Christmas I will be so busy that there will be no time for studying.
This past weekend I took a practice exam from PowerPrep (I won't tell you my score!), but I didn't feel very confident so I spent the rest of the weekend really going in depth with each question.
