I have hit the reset button on GMAT prep. And this time around I think I know better and can see why it bombed the first time. And in the spirit of being positive about the re-test, I also feel that it is not quite a bad thing. If I think back about it, all my life, my preparation for exams has been really bad. š A combination of procrastination, too much prep-material gathering, and then over-confidence that a common sense understanding of the theory instead a thorough understanding of the application, will be enough to help sail through flying colors. It was always very late in the game that I did realize that I need to nail the application and thereby actually get the marks.
Unlike the other exams that I have given so far, GMAT at least gives me an opportunity to go back and re-do everything and hopefully write for myself an alternate ending that is more to my liking? Glass half full anyone? Indeed!
In the last five years, once most of my friends had exhausted themselves trying to scratch at the CAT poleĀ they turned towards GMAT to fulfill their MBA dreams. (FYI – CAT is an Indian equivalent to GMAT that you need to ace to get into the top Indian B-schools who only invite to interview the top percentile applications in the exam i.e imagine only the 750+ GMATers equivalent)Ā As this process began, each year starting in September and ending about December, I’d sit and review the MBA essays for my friends applying to different b-schools. Initially, it was more around language support – making sure there were no grammatical mistakes, redundancies, ideas flowed seamlessly etc. Over the last few years though, I started looking at it more critically about being able to convey the core of the question and making suggestions to strengthen responses.
This year, as the season began, and also as I haven’t yet shared with most of my friends that I am going to be applying too, I started getting the heads up emails. Finally yesterday, the first set of essays also turned up and my first thought was – why is it much easier for meĀ to review these essays and point out grammatical flaws and meaning-based errors in these sentences than in GMAT ! š¦
I am sure that the irony will not be lost on anyone if my verbal score tank again! So Long…
Coffee Beans And Tea Leaves 