TRICKS UP MY GMAT SLEEVE
This Article is written by Livia Thomas PGPB batch of 2018
School applications. Essays. Work experience. Academics. Entrance exams.
Phew!
I know exactly what you guys are going through. A year back, the dreaded admission process got me on my toes too. So let me help you breathe by giving some tips and tricks to nail this beach of an entrance exam that I had to write, GMAT. *Cue scary saas bahu serial music*
1. THE HOLY GRAIL – GMAT Official Guide
Before you start purchasing online practice papers, know the OG inside out. Practise every sum and question in the OG. I practised the sums in the guide and the Free GMAT Prep software from www.mba.com/global and you know what my score was? A freaking 49 on 51. I’m not trying to boast here, my point is that it’s enough to do the sums from the OG. As far as Verbal is concerned, I did the OG and some additional papers that my coaching institute (Princeton Review) provided and I scored a pretty decent score.
2. TECHNIQUE IS LIFE
If anything works for the perfect GMAT score, it’s this: KNOW YOUR TECHNIQUES LIKE YOUR CRUSH’S DAILY SCHEDULE. Once your techniques are in place, the questions automatically break down into snackable parts that you can logically solve with no problem at all. So first, understand techniques. Okay? Okay.
3. THE HANGOVER ACTION PLAN
When one does practice exams, the usual strategy is to go through the answer key and understand your mistakes right after the score comes out. DON’T. Trust me when I say this, give it a day. Say you wrote the exam today, whatever be the score go through the answer key, understand your mistakes and redo the questions tomorrow morning. It gives you that gap that you need to differentiate between what you think is correct as of that day and what is actually right the next day. It’s like getting really drunk – You drunk dial Neha because you in all your ‘sobriety’ know she is the one. GIVE IT A DAY. You only realize the idiot that you were being when that headache hits you like a freaking hurricane the next morning.
4. CUT YOURSELF SOME SLACK
I know you’ve been stuck in your room with no shower and bits of maggi stuck in your hair for days. STOP. GET OUT. Take a luxurious bath. Go out and meet friends for a brunch or just a chai at bhaiya’s stall downstairs. Remember to give yourself these tiny treats to keep yourself going and going well to the end. However, don’t do this thing where you study for 15 mins and treat yourself to three hours of entertainment. Keep the study to entertainment ratio at 1.75:1 (Yeah, I’m meticulous!)
Follow these tips and you guys should be sorted! ☺ Also please remember it’s not the end of the world if you don’t get the score you want in the first try, you can always give the exam again and this time with better experience and knowledge. You’ll be fine, hang in there soldier!
This Article is written by Livia Thomas PGPB batch of 2018
