My second test

Another weekend, another test....
This time, i was a bit cautious about the limited number of CATests that i have have, and so, i decided to plunge upon the Disclosed Actual GMAT paper tests, that ETS disclosed before Pearson took over from them...

I wrote the test with test code 14 today...
Before i landed in the office today, i had in my mind that i was supposed to give test 14...
But hardly did i knew that these paper tests have a different number of questions and sections than the CAT that we have nowadays....

I took a print of the paper and was just going through it when i found that it had 6 sections!!!
And each section had a timing limit...
Never mind, i said and started with the tests...

Section 1: Data sufficiency.... Was a smooth ride...
Section 2: Problem solving 1.... Was another smooth ride...
Section 3: Problem solving 2.... Was a bit bumpy, as i had some stoppers...

The three quant sections were over before time... I was just relaxing a bit when i got a call from my CHARGER... (guess who??) :)

Started with verbal sections then-
Section 4: Critical Reasoning.... Dont know why i feel that they are becoming easy day by day...
Section 5: Reading Comp... 3 very simple passages with 23 sections in all... was a cake wake, but
i missed on the time again.... Had to leave 4 of them unattempted...
Section 6: SC.... To be considered as one of my strong points... Was ok!!

After having another talk with my CHARGER, i was soon back to business... Had to complete the exciting task of counting my score!!

Started with verbal:
Section 1: CR - Just 1 incorrect and 15 correct... U ma... i was in command of the test now!!
Section 2: RC - Just 1 incorrect + 4 not attempted with 18 correct.... was still in command!!
Section 3: SC - Got dumped!!! Made 7 wrong and had 15 correct.... over confidence????

Quant:
Section 4: DS - 2 incorrect + 18 correct... Dont still understand why those 2 are wrong..
Section 5: PS - 2 incorrect + 14 correct... Silly mistakes, they happen sometimes...
Section 6: PS - 3 incorrect, which were all the stoppers that i had.... cant figure them out still..

The overall scores after a lot of struggle with the steps...
Quant: 44
Verbal: 40
Total: 670

Though 10 points less than my last touch, m a bit satisfied....
Had an amazing accuracy in RC and CR, the two most dreadful arise, is what is making me feel happy....

I can do it!! Touching 700 isnt too far now!!!

Numbers and me!!

I have always had an usual liking for numbers.... I somehow always try to figure out symmetries in the kind of numbers that i see around.. These numbers can be in the form of dates, or in the form of my Id numbers, or exam hall ticket numbers... Dont know if this happens with most of the human beings :), but it certainly happens with me in large numbers!!

This time it is the date that is bothering me!!! 24th March, 2006 was a day that i felt was the best day i will have in this year, and 24th April, 2006 is probably the worst. Though no bad news so far have come from any direction today, and though it is still 10'o clock in the morning, the day is giving me a serious displeasure in anything i do...

And here it comes... Got the call that i expected, which surmounted to all the discomfort i was having since morning... The day is indeed pathetic!!!

Giving GMAT'Prep' 1 without any 'Prep'

Gave my GAMT Prep - 1 today.... Mixed feelings to sum up... Made horrible mistakes in Quant and have no having to say as far as Verbal goes...

The problem with GMAT Prep verbal sections is that these fellows are too lazy to give explanations... As seriously, there were a few questions in verbal for which i could have entered in a sure debate if anyone contradicted my answers... But this software does not give any such opportunity.. :( When it throws at you an answer that they say you got incorrect, you cant argue or even ask for an explanation for... :(:(

But nways, i know.... Thats too much to ask for from a free softare.. :)

As far as the scores are concerned... Here they are:

Quant: 49 (37 attempts, 10 wrong)
Verbal: 35 (38 attempts, 19 wrong!!! )
Total score: 680

Frankly speaking, verbal was very disappointing.. Not only coz i got 19 wrong.... I ran short of time as well... Couldnt complete all 41 questions... Had to hurry through the last 10 questions i attempted and got 8 wrong out of them!!

But then too.. what saved me a bit in verbal, i guess, was that i got the initial ones correct... No mistake in the first 10... That probably took my score to 35...

All in all, a slightly disatisfactory performance in quant and a heavily disatisfactory performance in Verbal... Could have certainly done better in quant and... in verbal... well, i need loads and loads of practise to make my line of thinking and reasoning parellel to that of the testmakers!!

Practise, practise and more practise is the conclusion today and also the key to 720+..

My most astonishing b'day so far!!!

Before i go on to write anything in this blog, it becomes mandatory for me to mention a few lines on :

• Being 23 now, shouldnt i have thought of something better, than to write an essay on such an infantile thingy, just like any high school kiddy??
• Wont the people who even dont know me, find this piece absolutely 'roobish' as Geof Boycott would call it?

Well, well... The answers to both these questions can be summed up in a single word, 'YES'. Yes, i could have thought of something better to be described, but somehow this day left an impression on my mind, heart and soul, it made me realize many many things that i couldnt have otherwise, leaving me with a new horizon in which i breath today. So, for me this day becomes a slight twister of thoughts and confidence and hence finds a place in my first ever blog.

Coming on to the second question and its answer, yes... People who do not know me (and also some who know me) might find this piece to be folderol.. and so... Ammmm.... I cant give them a refund for the few minutes of broadband they might have spent to read till here... Instead i can just offer them my apologies... :)

Well.. well... So, here i go.. The date was 24th March, 2006. Celebrations had already begun a day earlier on 23rd, as my roomies had brought a nice lil cake with loads and loads of chocolate icing.. People at my place, all tired after a tough day at office were desperately waiting for the clock to show 12 since evening 8 o clock... :) And exactly at midnight, amongst the buzzing of the phones, i had the pleasure of cutting the most chocolaty cake i ever had!!!

The morning of the b-day was very usual... After attending many phone calls and acknowleding all the wishes that were showered, i was again busy replying people who succumbed to sleep as my phone was busy the other night... And when i reached the office, i hardly knew that i was to be presented with a surprise... Few of my colleagues showed me a beautiful pinnaple cake... It felt nice to find that they remembered this day!!


But this was not all... We had a group activity event which was co-incidently planned on the same day... We were supposed to go to a place called Ramoji Film City and stay in a 5-star hotel called Sitaara... I wasnt all that exited about going there, as i had been to Ramoji earlier as well, but the idea of spending a day in a 5 star hotel wasnt all that bad!! So, i decided to join in for Ramoji Film City....The route to Ramoji was totally new for me, as the driver, totally baffled & bewildered in his approach, was in search of a short cut to reach there.. :) We had a nice time in the bus, and i found a lot many new faces... I predicted them to be new joinees to the IBU, as they had the usual question marks painted all over there foreheads... :)

The b-day wasnt yet over, and this got reflected in Ramoji Film City. I was presented with yet another cake, this time a bigger one. It was so very enchanting to cut that strawberry cake in front of almost 150+ people, standing in a lush green lawn of a 5 star hotel. It made me feel for while that it wasnt me who was doing the honors... I just felt as if i was a son of a millionaire or may be a virtuso, and was celebrating my bday, with all the guests applauding and singing.. :)




The day was indeed one of the best days i had seen.... I dont know if all the smiles i saw or all the giggles i heard, were real or not :(.. But one thing is for sure, they were huge in number.. :) The day certainly made me realise that sometimes you get happiness from places where you dont really expect.. Made me realise that its not always important to plan everything, there should be some room for randomness in your life as well... :)

Inspite of having an amazing day, when i was about to shut my eyes at night, in that auspicious room of the hotel, there was a sense of dampness that i felt... I had everything i had always wished for... From fame, to luck... From applauses, to wishes.. But then too, there was something that i was missing badly... I tried to figure it out... It was probably the abominable thought of being away from home, away from the people you love, away from the person you love to be with... And with this thought in my mind... off i was... now, with 1 year less to achieve all that i want to!!