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The website of Chris Worth, marketing hobo.
Browsing All Posts filed under »gmat«
Last gasp for the GMAT: aced the AWA score (6.0)
One final blog on the GMAT: my full report came through today, and at least I got a 6.0 (maximum) for the essay writing section. Obviously I expected a decent score after a decade writing copy for a living, but I was still concerned that my idiosyncratic marketer’s syntax (and the way I realised with […]
How NOT to ace the GMAT in 28 days: the verdict (680)
May 29, 2007
The figures are in. A disappointing 680, scored at 42Q/41V. In other words, I did a bit worse than expected on the Quant, and rather badly on the Verbal (I think it’s the first time my English performance has dipped below my maths!) But it’s enough to support exploratory applications to the top business schools […]
How to ace the GMAT in 28 days: Day 28 (practice, practice, practice)
May 28, 2007
The last day! Not altogether pleased with how the month’s gone: I do feel I’d be poised for acing the GMAT if I’d had two months of study rather than one, so ultimately I’ve just run out of time. As it stands I’m capable of tackling almost any question given thought and time … but […]
How to ace the GMAT in 28 days: Day 27 (Verbal review)
May 27, 2007
Another cribsheet: my Verbal notes and a checklist for attacking sentence correction. Critical reasoning Always 2-5 sentences giving an argument and question or conclusion. FIRST note down the argument’s premises (bits of evidence) and the conclusion drawn. - What most weakens or strengthens the argument- What conclusion can we draw about- Find the author’s assumptions- […]
How to ace the GMAT in 28 days: Day 26 (Quantitative review)
May 26, 2007
Time to write up my Quantitative cribsheet. Here it is: Numbers & properties of numbersIntegers: all the whole numbers, -2, -1, 0, 0 is an even integer, but not positive or negative-8 is LESS than -7 What is true for one odd number is generally true for all odd numbersNatural numbers: all positive integers, not […]
How to ace the GMAT in 28 days: Day 25 (5th CAT test: 660)
May 25, 2007
Ok, my last ‘proper’ test before the exam. A 38V/44Q corrected score, giving 660, a full hundred points below my best. Oh well. Today’s essay practices: Analysis of an Issue “There is only one definition of success — to be able to spend your life in your own way.” To what extent do you agree […]
How to ace the GMAT in 28 days: Day 24 (4th CAT test: 600)
May 24, 2007
A 600, for 38Q/38V corrected scores. Nowhere near. It’s odd that this week’s meltdown into depression is being reported so precisely; I’d never realised quite how debilitating the Black Dog could be. I may just scrape past 600 next week, some 160 points below my best. Still, it’s been an interesting month; pity it won’t […]
How to ace the GMAT in 28 days: Day 23 (3rd CAT test: 570)
May 23, 2007
Ok, I’m in trouble. Possible reasons: a) I’m not approaching the CAT tests properly, b) the questions on the CAT are harder than on my paper practice tests, or c) my brain’s turned to mush. The most likely possibility is c), since my brain split apart on Monday and I spent twelve hours staring at […]
How to ace the GMAT in 28 days: Day 22 (2nd CAT test: 560)
May 22, 2007
Ok, my second CAT practice hit an all-time low of 560, with raws of 36V/32Q, barely above average. With a week before the test to make up a sudden 200-point drop in my simulated score, this is serious. Do I have time to recover? Analysis of an Issue “In any large business organization, teamwork is […]
How to ace the GMAT in 28 days: Day 21 (1st CAT test 590)
May 21, 2007
First time trying a practice GMAT onscreen, rather than on paper. As expected, a throwaway result: 33V/39Q giving 590. The problem: rushing. Doing it on a PC creates less tension when you’re choosing an answer, so I finished the Verbal section with over 30mins left, making 11 errors of the 41. On quant, I finished […]
How to ace the GMAT in 28 days: ideal structure for Analysis of an Argument
May 20, 2007
Here’s my model for the 30-minute Analysis of an Argument question, arranged in the same five-paragraph structure I tend to use. (Update 01 June 2007: I scored perfect 6′s for both my GMAT essays, which suggests these plans work!) Write a topic sentence that sums up what the author is saying in a few words. […]
How to ace the GMAT in 28 days: ideal structure for Analysis of an Issue
May 20, 2007
Here’s my model for the 30-minute Analysis of an Issue question, arranged in the same five-paragraph structure I tend to use. (Update 01 June 2007: I scored perfect 6′s for both my GMAT essays, which suggests these plans work!) Write a topic sentence that states the general premise of the issue and whether you agree […]
How to ace the GMAT in 28 days: 20-day review
May 20, 2007
With a third of the programme left, it’s time to see how things are going. The basic method – doing a practice paper, then reviewing what I got wrong the next day, and trying to learn one new thing that’ll stop me making ONE of those mistakes on the following test – has taken me […]
How to ace the GMAT in 28 days: Day 20 (analysing 740)
May 20, 2007
Ok, time to analyse my errors in that 740. 108 questions, giving me corrected raws of 51V/42Q. Quant A flat triangular cornfield has the dimensions shown in the figure above. If y^2 = 2, what is the area of the field in square miles? (A) 1/4(B) √3 / 4(C) 1/2(D) √3 / 2(E) 1 I […]
How to ace the GMAT in 28 days: Day 19 (result: 740)
May 19, 2007
A 740. Not bad. If I can maintain this orbitting around the 750 level I’ll be happy. 108 questions, 56V and 52Q, and 11 wrong leading to corrected scores of 51V/42Q. Here are today’s practice essays. ANALYSIS OF AN ISSUETime—30 minutesDirections: In this section, you will need to analyze the issue presented below and explain […]
How to ace the GMAT in 28 days: mid-programme review
May 18, 2007
With 10 days of the programme left, it’s time to see how things are going. The basic method – doing a practice paper, then reviewing what I got wrong the next day, and trying to learn one new thing that’ll stop me making ONE of those mistakes on the following test – seems to be […]
How to ace the GMAT in 28 days: Day 18 (analysing 760)
May 18, 2007
So: a big leap in performance; perhaps the several 690s in a row were some sort of latent-heat period and this programme of GMAT study’s now undergoing a phase transition. A score of 760, from corrected raws of 44Q/50V. Here are the ones I got wrong. Quant If (x^2 +6x + 9) + 6(x + […]
How to ace the GMAT in 28 days: Day 17 (result: 760)
May 17, 2007
A 760 on today’s practice test. I think that’s called a ‘result’: comfortably past the 99th percentile (i.e. beating 99% of the people who take this test). 108 questions, 52Q and 56V, with 11 errors giving me corrected raw scores of 44Q/50V, despite getting 5 wrong near the end of one section. Analysis tomorrow; here […]
How to ace the GMAT in 28 days: Day 16 (analysing day 15)
May 16, 2007
Okay, time to analyse my first 700 score. (Or 90th percentile, which means I’m beating 9 out of 10 people who take the GMAT.) 107 questions, corrected raw scores of 50V/40Q: 3 sentence correction, 1 critical reasoning, and 0 reading comprehension errors, and 7 problem solving quants, and 3 data sufficiency questions wrong. I’m getting […]
How to ace the GMAT in 28 days: Day 15 (result: 700)
May 15, 2007
ALmost back on track: 700/800. Should have hit 710 today to be fully on track. But from here on in it’s going to get really hard. 107 practice questions, with raw scores of 51/55V and 42/52Q, correcting to 50 and 40 for a total corrected raw score of 90. Here are the essays… ANALYSIS OF […]
June 1, 2007
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