Now that I'm back to studying I really need to start planning on when I want retake the GMAT. Ahhhhh!!!!
This is where I have ran into a split path. Should I go ahead and sign up for the test and just work as hard as I can or should I sign up when I feel like I'm truly comfortable with the material? There are cons and pros to each, and for the most part I'm pretty sure I'll be taking the test around the same period no matter my choice. (end February/beginning-mid March)
Yet, on my first go I took the path of picking a date and sticking to it even though I didn't feel as confident as I should have felt. Because of this, I think I'm going to move down the path of scheduling the test when I think I'm ready to get that oh-so magical 710 score.
Does this sound logical or am I just going crazy?
Does anyone else have any suggestions?
Well people, I'm signing out from cold and windy Illinois.
Cheers!
December 22, 2010
December 18, 2010
OG Fun In The Midwest
Hey all,
I'm back where everything started for me, in good ol' Illinois. Even though I get to come back only a couple of times a year it seems like not much changes. Still the same stores. Still the same old friendly people. Feels like I can come back here anytime and be accepted.
This time though my visit includes doing problems in the OG. Some people may look at this as a chore. Christmas. Family. Friends. It's suppose to be a time of enjoyment. However, why can't the OG be enjoyable? I am making it a challenge. In addition, I am using the new tool from Manhattan, which is really a nice tool for going through the OG. The Official Guide Companion Plus is an amazing tool that allows you to interact with the OG. Plus it keeps track of the problems you have done, which ones you got right and wrong and the amount of time it took you. Definitely a great add on to the rest of the Manhattan materials they currently have. Here's a picture...
Pretty cool, huh?
Hopefully, will I not only keep up with the schedule I showed you all in an earlier post, but move way beyond it. I'm already ahead of schedule and am planning on moving even further ahead in the next couple of weeks. We will see!!!
Well, I'm out for the day.
Happy early holidays!
I'm back where everything started for me, in good ol' Illinois. Even though I get to come back only a couple of times a year it seems like not much changes. Still the same stores. Still the same old friendly people. Feels like I can come back here anytime and be accepted.
This time though my visit includes doing problems in the OG. Some people may look at this as a chore. Christmas. Family. Friends. It's suppose to be a time of enjoyment. However, why can't the OG be enjoyable? I am making it a challenge. In addition, I am using the new tool from Manhattan, which is really a nice tool for going through the OG. The Official Guide Companion Plus is an amazing tool that allows you to interact with the OG. Plus it keeps track of the problems you have done, which ones you got right and wrong and the amount of time it took you. Definitely a great add on to the rest of the Manhattan materials they currently have. Here's a picture...
Pretty cool, huh?
Hopefully, will I not only keep up with the schedule I showed you all in an earlier post, but move way beyond it. I'm already ahead of schedule and am planning on moving even further ahead in the next couple of weeks. We will see!!!
Well, I'm out for the day.
Happy early holidays!
December 12, 2010
Getting Back To The OG
This has been a crazy week!!! We have a blockpoint coming up at work, which basically means everyone is working overtime and things are getting crazy. Add that to film class and I haven't had much time for the GMAT. However, I have been able to finish the Foundations book from Manhattan, which I would definitely recommend to anyone who needs a refresher.
But now it's time to get started back on the OG.
I'm planning on doing and studying 5 problems every other day. I think it's essential to know as many of the problem types for Quant as you can. It seems as although you will never see the same exact problem twice you most likely see at least a few similar problems. This is why the OG comes in so handy.Written directly from old problems on the actual GMAT you get to see the possibilities of future problems. And from what I've heard they don't change the problems around that much. Plus, I gain a certain level of confidence with practice. Essential for getting my 700+ score.
I want to share my December calendar so you can kind of see what I'm doing with the OG. Be aware though, at the end of the month is my favorite holiday so I've set aside quite a bit of time for family and friends. Take a look...
Sorry that some of it gets cut off and is hard to read.
I know it seems like I'm taking quite a few days off, but I plan on stepping up the studying to a much higher level in January. My overall goal is to have a 700+ score before summer starts.
Hopefully, I can find that inner determination to keep focused. It seems like in this day and age there is just way too much going on. I definitely think it's possible though.
But I will leave you with that. Have a great next week!
Adios
But now it's time to get started back on the OG.
I'm planning on doing and studying 5 problems every other day. I think it's essential to know as many of the problem types for Quant as you can. It seems as although you will never see the same exact problem twice you most likely see at least a few similar problems. This is why the OG comes in so handy.Written directly from old problems on the actual GMAT you get to see the possibilities of future problems. And from what I've heard they don't change the problems around that much. Plus, I gain a certain level of confidence with practice. Essential for getting my 700+ score.
I want to share my December calendar so you can kind of see what I'm doing with the OG. Be aware though, at the end of the month is my favorite holiday so I've set aside quite a bit of time for family and friends. Take a look...
Sorry that some of it gets cut off and is hard to read.
I know it seems like I'm taking quite a few days off, but I plan on stepping up the studying to a much higher level in January. My overall goal is to have a 700+ score before summer starts.
Hopefully, I can find that inner determination to keep focused. It seems like in this day and age there is just way too much going on. I definitely think it's possible though.
But I will leave you with that. Have a great next week!
Adios
November 29, 2010
Starting Back Up
I want to start this post with 2 words... Joe's Goals.
You may be wondering what the hell I'm talking about. And no, I'm not going out of my mind.
Joe's Goals is a FREE website set up to help people gain good habits and crack bad ones. The website itself is quite simple, but that's why it is great. It could end up being my savior from procrastinating on the GMAT, among other important aspects that have been pushed aside for the past few months. http://www.joesgoals.com/
Here is a copy of my current goals.
You may be wondering what the hell I'm talking about. And no, I'm not going out of my mind.
Joe's Goals is a FREE website set up to help people gain good habits and crack bad ones. The website itself is quite simple, but that's why it is great. It could end up being my savior from procrastinating on the GMAT, among other important aspects that have been pushed aside for the past few months. http://www.joesgoals.com/
Here is a copy of my current goals.
I would recommend checking it out sometime. What do you have to lose?
Now on to some more exciting news. Recently, I was able to speak to Nani Attar, an Alumni / Admissions Officer from IESE, one of the premier MBA schools of Europe and the world. If you have ever thought about going to an international school (away from the United States), IESE has probably popped up on your radar. I haven't personally visited the school, but fell in love with Barcelona itself last summer. But on to my conversation with Nani; it was an amazingly comfortable conversation that could have been mistaken for a conversation with a close friend. If you have questions about the school I would definitely recommend contacting the school directly. They are willing to go out of there way to answer any questions. In fact, Nani gave me an alumni contact in the Seattle area. Overall, a great experience.
Well I'm off to some Seattle rainy weather. Wish me luck!
Adios.
November 17, 2010
It's Been a While...
The first go around of this blog didn't last too long and the last thing I updated you all on was about a vacation I was just about to leave for. So, let me update you with what I've been up to the last several months....
Work
Manhattan GMAT Class
Work
Film Class
Work
ANDDDDDDD Work.
I hate to make excuses, but as you can see, work consumed my life a little more than I was expecting.
HOWEVER, I did get to take the GMAT. Drumroll please....................... Score: 680
Not terrible, but I've brought it upon myself to go beyond that "average" score and move above that oh so beautiful 700 score. And I do have a plan!
But first, I would like to give you a little info of how I got to the 680 from my first diagnostic score in the mid 500s. First, half of the credit has to go to hard work. And the other half needs to go to my good friends at Manhattan GMAT. If you are one of those people who need to be pushed, these guys are perfect. The one thing I wouldn't suggest doing is taking the GMAT exactly 2 weeks after you finish the class. I was only able to finish about half of the problems in the OG books and feel I could have probably surpassed the 700 level if I would have just done more problems.
So don't make that same mistake! (Unless you already are scoring what you want)
Now it's time to get to my new plan.
First of all, my weakness is Quant. I don't know what it is, but I just feel plain stupid after solving some of the problems (that's if I am able to solve them). So, I'm starting strong on Quant and going to ease up into next year (2011). I've already started with the Foundations of Quant book from Manhattan (EASY!!!!) and will actually be finishing that this weekend. From there, I plan on using the Official Guide (OG) to get solid practice in. I want to finish the entire Quant section of the OG by mid January, which is definitely doable. The one thing I don't want to do is just skip over problems. Understanding each problem is probably necessary for me to get the score I want.
Once I get through the OG Quant section, I will brush up on my verbal while also sticking to quant.
I did make out a calender for the rest of November and all of December. I think I will try to get that on here on my next post.
However, I have to get going. Film class tonight... lighting workshop. Should be fun.
Adios!
Work
Manhattan GMAT Class
Work
Film Class
Work
ANDDDDDDD Work.
I hate to make excuses, but as you can see, work consumed my life a little more than I was expecting.
HOWEVER, I did get to take the GMAT. Drumroll please....................... Score: 680
Not terrible, but I've brought it upon myself to go beyond that "average" score and move above that oh so beautiful 700 score. And I do have a plan!
But first, I would like to give you a little info of how I got to the 680 from my first diagnostic score in the mid 500s. First, half of the credit has to go to hard work. And the other half needs to go to my good friends at Manhattan GMAT. If you are one of those people who need to be pushed, these guys are perfect. The one thing I wouldn't suggest doing is taking the GMAT exactly 2 weeks after you finish the class. I was only able to finish about half of the problems in the OG books and feel I could have probably surpassed the 700 level if I would have just done more problems.
So don't make that same mistake! (Unless you already are scoring what you want)
Now it's time to get to my new plan.
First of all, my weakness is Quant. I don't know what it is, but I just feel plain stupid after solving some of the problems (that's if I am able to solve them). So, I'm starting strong on Quant and going to ease up into next year (2011). I've already started with the Foundations of Quant book from Manhattan (EASY!!!!) and will actually be finishing that this weekend. From there, I plan on using the Official Guide (OG) to get solid practice in. I want to finish the entire Quant section of the OG by mid January, which is definitely doable. The one thing I don't want to do is just skip over problems. Understanding each problem is probably necessary for me to get the score I want.
Once I get through the OG Quant section, I will brush up on my verbal while also sticking to quant.
I did make out a calender for the rest of November and all of December. I think I will try to get that on here on my next post.
However, I have to get going. Film class tonight... lighting workshop. Should be fun.
Adios!
May 13, 2010
Week 3
So, after an Arizona trip and an upcoming Europe trip, my GMAT plans have changed a bit. Instead of following the books on my own schedule, I've decided to go ahead and sign up for the Manhattan class that starts June 9th in Bellevue. It's expensive, but I think it will keep me on track to score my GMAT goal of 700.
About the Manhattan GMAT...
1) The average student who has taken the class in the past has scored a 690.
2) Class is once a week, but the homework looks to be pretty intensive.
3) Lasts for 9 weeks.
Right now, I'm beginning the Math Foundations book that Manhattan sent over with the rest of their materials. This book is just what the title says, the foundations. The problems are pretty easy, but it's a great beginning.
Next week I will be leaving for Paris and plan on bringing the foundations book with me to do some problems on the plane ride over. However, we'll see how much really gets done within this time. Also, I probably won't be updating this blog while on vacation.
Just to give a quick itenerary of my trip, I'll be in Europe for about 12 days. First, we are heading to the city of lights, Paris. I've never been, but I've heard great things. After Paris, we will be heading south to Spain to the two great cities Barcelona and Madrid. I've heard nothing but amazing stories about these two cities. Overall, this trip is going to be quite amazing!
But I'm signing off for the week.
Have a great couple of weeks!
Adios
About the Manhattan GMAT...
1) The average student who has taken the class in the past has scored a 690.
2) Class is once a week, but the homework looks to be pretty intensive.
3) Lasts for 9 weeks.
Right now, I'm beginning the Math Foundations book that Manhattan sent over with the rest of their materials. This book is just what the title says, the foundations. The problems are pretty easy, but it's a great beginning.
Next week I will be leaving for Paris and plan on bringing the foundations book with me to do some problems on the plane ride over. However, we'll see how much really gets done within this time. Also, I probably won't be updating this blog while on vacation.
Just to give a quick itenerary of my trip, I'll be in Europe for about 12 days. First, we are heading to the city of lights, Paris. I've never been, but I've heard great things. After Paris, we will be heading south to Spain to the two great cities Barcelona and Madrid. I've heard nothing but amazing stories about these two cities. Overall, this trip is going to be quite amazing!
But I'm signing off for the week.
Have a great couple of weeks!
Adios
April 28, 2010
Week 2 - Phase 1 (GMAT)
It's been a little past a week since my last post, but good news, I've finished up the first Manhattan book!
It was a great start and it brought back a lot of material that I had forgotton how to do, along with a lot of great new strategy for number properties. Overall, this book deserves 2 thumbs up! Moreover, I plan on going back periodically to this book to work on problems I missed, along with problems I was questioning myself about (quite a few if I may add).
Book 2 looks to have the same structure as book 1, but is quite a bit shorter. I would say that I could finish it in about a week, but I'll be visiting the old alma mater in Phoenix, Arizona(ASU) and probably won't get too much finished this weekend. So, I'm going to stick to the schedule I set in my first post.
Enough with the GMAT talk... I promised last week that I would give some insight on what schools I was thinking about applying to and why. I think with this post I'm going to give just the schools and in my next few posts give the actual reasons. So, here it goes...
NYU
Harvard
UCLA
Northwestern
Washington University
This list may change as time goes on, but this is it for now.
I have to start packing for my Phoenix trip so I have to get going, but one last thing. Has anybody heard about or taken one of the Manhattan classes? I'm thinking about taking a class, but am still kind of torn on the idea.
Have a great day!
Cheers
It was a great start and it brought back a lot of material that I had forgotton how to do, along with a lot of great new strategy for number properties. Overall, this book deserves 2 thumbs up! Moreover, I plan on going back periodically to this book to work on problems I missed, along with problems I was questioning myself about (quite a few if I may add).
Book 2 looks to have the same structure as book 1, but is quite a bit shorter. I would say that I could finish it in about a week, but I'll be visiting the old alma mater in Phoenix, Arizona(ASU) and probably won't get too much finished this weekend. So, I'm going to stick to the schedule I set in my first post.
Enough with the GMAT talk... I promised last week that I would give some insight on what schools I was thinking about applying to and why. I think with this post I'm going to give just the schools and in my next few posts give the actual reasons. So, here it goes...
NYU
Harvard
UCLA
Northwestern
Washington University
This list may change as time goes on, but this is it for now.
I have to start packing for my Phoenix trip so I have to get going, but one last thing. Has anybody heard about or taken one of the Manhattan classes? I'm thinking about taking a class, but am still kind of torn on the idea.
Have a great day!
Cheers
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