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Crack erbal

15 Success stories of 700+


to inspire you!

I was finding it difficult to identify patterns


in Verbal and this is where the CrackVerbal
classes helped me!

Jyoti Ramnath:
GMAT Score from 650 (Q48, V33) to 710 (Q48, V40)
http://www.beatthegmat.com/my-gmat-journey-from-650-to710-in-one-month-t93626.html

I have read through multiple posts on BTG with very useful advice on
which books to read, how to plan the GMAT Prep, how to prepare for the
test day etc. Instead of going through a detailed account of my journey,
I will focus on the materials I referred, what I felt about those different
study materials, what I did differently in my two GMATs and how that
difference helped me score a 710 the second time.
Quant prep
How much ever books I read for quant, I always felt no one book
prepared me completely for GMAT Quant:
- Kaplan : Quant questions seem too simple and different from what you
see in a real GMAT. Can be used to practice in the initial days of GMAT
prep just to get your brain warmed up.
- MGMAT : MGMAT Strategy guides are very good to understand the
concepts. I could clearly see a jump from 40 to 47 in my practice test
scores. Quant in MGMAT Practice tests are again good as a stress test.
They will train you well to speed up your calculations and think of
solutions fast. But do remember the real GMAT Quant is not that
computation intensive as you see in MGMAT. Also the real GMAT is much
more tricky than MGMAT Quant.

- GMAT Sets, compilation of difficult problems and all other un-official


docs that you find over the internet : Believe me, I could not benefit
much from them. It is very tempting to solve those difficult problems
thinking it'll increase your score but they are too out of the way from
real GMAT. Better not to waste much time on those until and unless you
are out of material to study.
- OG : Very good resource to start with but real GMAT is much difficult
than OG.
- GMAT Prep Questions : None of the quant materials matched the GMAT
Prep questions. I practiced thoroughly from a compilation of all GMAT
Prep Quant questions and this was the best resource I could find. What
you see in the real GMAT is on the same lines as these. As you solve
these questions, you'll realize how a question looks so simple on face but
has a hidden trick which is so easy to miss if you are not used to solving
questions like these.
My Quant score was 48 both in my first attempt & second attempt. Both
the times, I focused on practicing from GMAT Prep more than any other
resource. I took GMAT Prep multiple times and used it not just to check
my score level but as a study material.
In addition, I made detailed notes of my silly mistakes and before every
practice test reminded myself of those mistakes.
Verbal Prep
Verbal was the real problem area for me as I am not a native English
speaker. For Verbal I again referred multiple books.
- Kaplan : Kaplan is just opposite of what a real GMAT is. In Kaplan, I
found CR and RC too tough and SC simple. Where as in real GMAT, RC
doesn't scare you as much as it is dreaded. RC is manageable as long as
you can manage your time well. CR in real GMAT is also not as cryptic as

Kaplan. As a non-native English speaker, SC is tough to crack in real


GMAT.
- MGMAT : MGMAT materials also seemed too simple for verbal and I
could not derive much value from them. However MGMAT SC Guide is a
very good resource to prepare from. If you have time, go through it
thoroughly including the advanced chapters and do read them multiple
times.
- CrackVerbal classes : For me, the real savior for verbal were
the classes that I attended with CrackVerbal (These are
conducted in person in Bangalore, India). I was finding it
difficult to identify patterns in verbal and this is where the
classes helped. In the classes we went through each SC
concept, CR question type and RCs of different lengths and
difficulty levels. Discussing problems in a group helped a lot as I
could remember the concepts much better. The instructors
especially Arun kept the class lively and also conduced multiple
classes on advanced concepts which again strengthened my
concepts.
My verbal score jumped from 33 in the first attempt to 40 in the second
attempt. The biggest difference in my preparation was:
- Timing Timing Timing : The one simple reason I scored 33 in my first
GMAT was because I completely mismanaged my timing in verbal. In the
my second attempt, I was very clear I had to fix my timing. Read this
post by Stacy of MGMAT
(http://www.manhattangmat.com/articles/keeping-pace.cfm). I drew out
clear time targets for SC, RC & CR and never practiced a question
without a timer. I diligently kept a log of my timings to gauge my
improvement.

- SC : Timing can not be fixed until you nail the problems faster. This
requires absolute clarity with concepts. When I first read MGMAT SC
guide, I marked certain difficult sections. I started reading through those
sections every day morning. I wanted to remember those concepts
crystal clear so that I could recall them faster while answering questions.
The best resource to practice SC is GMAT Prep questions. No other
resource gave me the taste of real SC as GMAT Prep did.
- CR : There are only a certain question types you get in CR. Once you
identify those, do know the wrong and right answer patterns as well.
Powerscore CR Bible is a lengthy guide to read. But you can pick only
certain topics which you see regularly in GMAT and go through them. It
does help in identifying right and wrong answers.
- RC : RC's in real GMAT is not that difficult. OG is a good resource to
study RC. For me the key to RC was to get my timing right. I practiced
to read the passage in 2-2.5 min and attack each question in 1 min. The
moment you get a control over time ( without compromising on your
reading quality ), RCs are very much handled. Aristotle RC99 helped me
in fixing my timing. The passages in RC99 are way different from real
GMAT but going through those long and confusing passages especially
under the medium and difficult sections help get my timing right.
Above all, practicing from GMAT Prep, using it as a study material helped
me greatly. Crackverbal had prepared some very good study materials
compiled from retired GMAT Prep questions and they were the best
resource I could get my hands on.
To Summarize, my final set of advice is:
- Never ever practice without a timer. Download any timer you find and
always keep a log of your timings.
- Make your own flash cards as each one of us have different pain
points. Spend atleast 2 hours everyday reading through those flash
cards.

- Don't use GMAT Prep just in the last few days to check on your score
level. There is a wealth of study material in GMAT Prep and that is the
best material you can find. Over the internet, you can find 2 versions of
GMAT Prep - one that you download from mba.com and another older
2006-07 version ( This is not the powerprep one but a later version) .
The questions in both of them are different and that gives you a broader
range of questions to try out. Start taking GMAT Prep much earlier and
take it multiple times to extract all questions out of it. However be
conscious not to read too much into the scores you see in GMAT Prep
repeats. They are highly INFLATED.
My debrief has come quiet late as I took my second GMAT in Aug.
I have already applied to B-schools in R1. Eagerly waiting for the results
Smile
A bit about me : 30 / F / Indian / Entrepreneur

It was CrackVerbal that gave me the


confidence that I deserve a dream score
of 750!

Ritwik Verma:
GMAT Score from 680 (Q49, V33) to 750 (Q50, V41)

Crack erbal

http://www.crackverbal.com/forum/threads/680-to-750through-Crack-Verbal/233

On Thursday, 4 October I wrote my GMAT the second time and scored


750, a score which was my dream ever since I started preparing for
GMAT.
In this post, I want to tell you about my journey from 680 to 750 of
which CrackVerbal is a vital part.
I had given the GMAT in 2009 for the first time scoring 680 (Q-49, V-33).
I was really dejected with my score as I was expecting at least 720 on
the GMAT based on my practice test scores.
I came to know about CrackVerbal through Pagalguy.
When I joined CrackVerbal, I really didn't know how can an institute
enhance your caliber in a few weeks. But I saw it happening to me.
The way Arun teaches the students to approach GMAT
scientifically is brilliant... Other than the concepts taught by
Arun, there are some quotes by Arun that have remained with
me throughout my GMAT preparation...
1. One of the fact that GMAT tests you on is stamina. Don't underestimate this fact. (Something I did when I took it in 2009)

2. If you are preparing yourself for a marathon, don't train yourself with
100m sprints. (This led me to take all my practice tests along with
AWA and IR)
3. If you are 90% sure about an answer choice, you are good to make
that choice. If you are 100% sure, you have perhaps spent too much
of time on that question. (This suggestion helped me not to spend
extra time over questions and get nervous because of lack of time)
4. Don't take the Quant and Verbal sections as individual tests of 75
minutes, but take them as 5 tests of 15 minutes each. (Again, it
helped me manage my time better)
My preparation was based around OG and GMAT prep tests... After
solving each section in OG, I categorized my mistakes in one of the 5-6
pre-identified categories. That helped me identify my common mistakes
in each section and make a strategy to avoid common errors.
Moreover, I took 2 Mock Tests at the CrackVerbal center - one, a day
before the actual GMAT - which helped me a lot.
Eventually, when I took the GMAT, I scored 750 (Q-50, V-41). I can't
thank the CrackVerbal team enough for giving me the ability to
increase my Verbal score by whopping 8 points!

Constant help and support from


CrackVerbal kept pushing me towards a
decent GMAT score!

Skvignesh:
GMAT Score 720 (Q49, V40)
http://www.pagalguy.com/forums/gmat-and-gre-prep/mysuccessful-gmat-ex-t-40477/p-1549367#post1549367

My Successful GMAT experience - 49Q 40V 720 - AWA 5.5


Hi All,
Completed my exam in the previous weekend (30th May 2009) at Cochin
Centre and the experience has been good enough (even though the
result is not amazing) that I thought I will share them.
When I first thought of GMAT preparation, I realised that verbal would
be the problem area. As everyone who reads this passage might realise,
sentence correction remains a problem. I just managed to keep that as
an exception and managed the show around that. I did improve a lot on
my sentence correction so that only the highest level of SC remains a
problem.
Ok a formal chronological listing might help everyone so I would start.
Please forgive me for being long.
One of the first things that I did after deciding to take GMAT was to join
pagalguy and other forums. I also downloaded the GMAT prep and took
the first test to see where i stood. I slept half way through the verbal
and when I woke up and completed the test, I ended up scoring a 490
(I dont remember the split).

I went ahead and purchased Kaplan Premier Program, Princeton Review


and OG 11. Manhattan seemed costly and so avoided it.
I then started collecting material both soft and hard copies from
wherever I could. It was at that time that I heard of Arun and his
crackverbal.com course running in Bangalore. I wanted to find
more about it and attended the informal meeting that he keeps
conducting. The meeting not only helped me clear some
practical doubts about GMAT, but also helped me to understand
that verbal is a problem with most (Indians) of them who
attended the meeting.
The next few days was good, in the sense I completed the Math
"syllabus" in kaplan and almost the entirety of pricenton (just glanced
through it). I also attended the crackverbal program which actually
threw out many expected and unexpected advantages. The first
advantage was to actually classify the sentence correction problem into
various types and finding an approach to solve each of them. Even
though I later re-took the sentence correction class, the first class had
actually got me started off.
Then came a period when I lost interest in GMAT. This was mid february
and I was planning originally to take the GMAT by the first of May.
Almost the entire February and a good part of March was wasted in
terms of my preparation for GMAT. The only preparation activity that I
was doing in this period was to take an occassional problem that my
colleague and friend Sushant would throw at me. Then came the
realisation that unless I fix up a date, I will never start off preparing.
This was when I planned and took the 30th May date. Since Bangalore
as always was full, I took the Cochin option. I never realised how this
decision would help me later on.

Full fledged preparation started after that. I started working on various


content that was available with me including 1000 SC, OG and a bit of
Kaplan CD material. I also started studying a bit of sentence correction
lessons. This was the time I realised that just by preparing I would not
improve much. Constant help and support from Arun, Aruna and Anurag
of crackverbal kept pushing me, with help, ideas and even an
occassional prod. Having prepared enough (I couldnt take the book book
book thing anymore ), I wanted to test my position and so I took the
GMATprep again. The first attempt had been about three months prior to
this attempt and so I remembered nothing other than the AWA. I gave
the test with AWA and I had scored a reasonably OK 46 Q 35V 670. It
was at this point that I realised that I needed more test practise. I took
the MGMAT free test and then I did the second best thing in the entire
preparation series, and that was to purchase the MGMAT exams.
I started taking MGMAT every weekend at a timing similar to my real
GMAT (13.15 - 17.15 hrs) and every time I took the AWA along with the
exam to actually simulate the experience. I scored the following in my
MGMATs
MGMAT
MGMAT
MGMAT
MGMAT
MGMAT
MGMAT

1
2
3
4
5
6

47
47
46
47
50
51

Q
Q
Q
Q
Q
Q

35
35
36
39
38
35

V
V
V
V
V
V

680
680
680
700
720
700

(exact same)
(something is crawling)
(verbal is finally moving)
(Finally I saw my range)
(I doubted my Quant score in the last two

exams - things got easier because of lack of questions I believe)


But by the end of this I was feeling confident of two things. First is the
fact that I could take the four hour test without any trouble, I just could
sit through it very easily. Second was that my verbal is becoming better.
Even though I got a 35 in the last test, I knew that I was ok there.

I had three days left for the exam and so I took the GMATprep 2. I
scored a 47 Q 41 V 710 there. This made me feel confident. I started the
entire journey with a 720-740 score in mind and I was always counting
on my abilities to reach there. A 50 Q 40 V 740 was my target.
Ohhh... having done all that I had my exam centre about 350 kilometres
from my place and during the journey and also during my stay in the
hotel, I took the same gmat prep 2 math section (i just clicked
something in verbal) thrice and got some 48 49 50 kind of scores with
repeated questions. I knew for sure that hitting a 50 in Quant might be
really difficult. My only hope of reaching a 740 was hitting 41 in verbal
and 49 in Quant.
I had a few friends in Cochin and the day before the exam I went
around meeting them. On the day of the exam, I think there was some
unknown fear developing. I realised this when I watched a comedy strip
and started really laughing. In the midst of the comedy I started feeling
fearful and I thought may be its good to spend some more time relaxing
(I had almost stopped watching any TV in the last few weeks before
GMAT - I did have my share of entertainment in games and internet).
D-Day.
I was quite cool on that day, never had any exam day pressures, I
always had at the back of my mind that I could retake this exam and
that kind of helped me keep my cool. Had my breakfast at 07.30 lunch at
11.45 and reached the centre before 1 hour. The guys at the centre
(Rajagiri College) were very cooperative and allowed me some time to
settle down. It was then that I learnt the two breaks were to be for 10
minutes each and not just 5. I took my time to read the instructions and
had a nice chat with the guy in the centre. I learnt a bit about the
general exam procedures.

The grand thing


I got into the exam hall with three other candidates taking the exam, all
three were from the morning batch and so they were almost completing
the exams. Took the AWA cool. I had my own template made up from
what Abhinav had taught us (crackverbal again) and I had also practised
them on the MGMAT and GMATPrep essays. They were cool and I was
feeling confident after the essays (I havent got my AWA scores yet
though - Edit - got my scores it is 5.5).
By the time I started math, everyone had left and I was all alone in the
centre. This was something I had dreamt of. I always verbalised math
problems and since I knew that it would not be possible to do it in the
real GMAT, I had curbed this habit. Now I had a full hall to myself and so
I got comfortable back again with my verbalising. Took the math cool, I
got a parabola question in between and so I felt things are going fine. at
about the 30th question, I felt things were getting easier and easier, so I
was worried. But I did not allow this thought to eat up my mind. I kept
telling myself that even if i screw up my MATH, I would still end up
scoring a 47. Kept my cool completed 30 seconds before the final time
and took the 10 minute break.
Had some peanuts in the break, just to ensure that I dont feel hungry,
had a lot of water and did some pranayama in the break. Started the
verbal section and got a boldface somewhere around the 10th question.
This made me feel happy, one RC was particularly short which made me
feel anxious, but that was a thick passage so I convinced myself that
things arent going really bad. by the mid of the exam I started
reconciling with the clock and found that I had almost 2.5-3 minutes for
each question. I slowed down a bit to improve my accuracy and by the
time I had about 3 questions I had only 5 minutes. Had to rush up the
39th question and then take 40th and 41st cool.

I had filled all my profile information in MBA.com before the test and so
it was just next next next in that section. After about 15 seconds I saw
the 720. Felt happy about that but I was a bit surprised about a 49 and
40 only adding up to 720 (considering that 50 40 would be 740). I
started the entire journey with about 720-740 as my target so I was
happy that I atleast reached my range.
My short profile, 30 Year old, Indian male, I am a Cost Accountant
(ICWAI) by qualification and I have about 4 years of experience in the
government sector (Indian Railways) 4 years in a manufacturing concern
in the Accounts and ERP implementation roles and now about 3.5 years
in an IT MNC as a Lead Business Analyst. I hope that a total of 11-12
years of experience and a 720 would help me to get into one of the
schools of my dream. At the start of the preparation, and even now, I
would not consider myself a super-math guy or a great exams guy, so a
720 from me should tell everyone here that, if you stay cool, know your
weaknesses, and keep your vision, you can achieve a good score (I am
not saying that 720 is good but thats what I had as a target )
I have plans to apply to Harvard, Wharton, Stanford, ISB and LBS. IIM A
Nanyang Singapore and IIM B are still in my list too. I strongly believe in
destiny and I think I have never remained as cool as I was on the GMAT
day on any exams previously and not even in a few job interviews. With
the way things have gone, I think god will take me there, sorry for
getting philosophical, but I think thats the way to look at it.
Thanks to CrackVerbal, Manhattan GMAT and last but not the least PG
for the direct and indirect help. A word to people preferring to verbalise
the exam in India, a weekday afternoon appointment at cochin might be
a good idea. They even informed me that if you take an afternoon
appointment, you can take it in the morning if the slots are free. I had
accommodated myself in a very good small hotel called Bluehouse
nearby, it was an excellent stay which helped things too.

First thing a perspective test taker needs


to do is understand the test itself CrackVerbal familiarized me with the same!

Varun:
GMAT Score from 680 to 730 (Q48, V42)

Crack erbal

http://www.crackverbal.com/forum/threads/GMAT-680-to730/194

Hi,
Just done with my GMAT last week and scored 730 (Q48, V 42)..
Although this is an improvement over my last score of 680 but I am not
very thrilled with my score. Just to make it clear I am not unhappy
either. Although 20 points more would have done no harm..would they??
I am saying so because my target score was 750 as I scored 760 and
770 in my last two GMATPreps. I was aiming 750 with a deviation of +10 but in the end only managed a 730.. All this story to remind you that
be prepared for surprises on the test day. I was banking on a Q score of
50/51 and in the worst case 49 but ended up with *only* 48. I would
have achieved by target score had I not fared so badly in Q. Again to
reiterate that it is good to depend on your strengths but be prepared for
surprises on the test day.
Coming to the preparation: I had already given the GMAT once so I was
familiar with overall structure and complexity of the test. I knew I had to
increase my verbal score if I were to achieve my target score. After
searching on the various forums for test prep companies I cam
across CrackVerbal. I called and had a word with Arun and
explained what were the problems I was facing on the Verbal
section. After talking to him I realized I was talking to someone

who knows the test inside out and could help me with my
problem areas. I went ahead and enrolled into their online
program. Needless to say I did not regret my decision. The best
part is how quickly the team at CV responds to your queries.
Although there are few downsides to the online course specially in terms
of its packaging but the content and the quality of the content is top
notch and in the end that is the thing that matters the most.
First thing a perspective test taker needs to do is understand the test the challenge that lies ahead of him/her and then figure out a plan
according to his/her strengths. The best way to do this is to take a
GMATPrep test and if you think you are not ready to sit for extended
periods with high concentration levels you can take the paper diagnostic
test in the OGs. After taking this test you can see which areas you need
to work on more compared to the others. Before you start hitting the
questions it is very important to build strong fundamentals. Depending
on your weakness areas you can allocate appropriate time to various
sections. Depending upon your work load/ professional or personal
commitments you can make a study plan and remember it is very
important to follow it. There would be many reasons/ opportunities to
postpone your studies to the weekends but it is imperative that you
study regularly over the weekdays as well.
My plan was to do the following:
Theory - brush up the concepts though guide books and CV books
Complete OG systematically - it is very important to review the
questions you have attempted. Here I must say that maintaining a error
log comes in quite handy at the later stages of your preparation.
After the OG - do the CV advanced document. This document
exposes you to high level questions.
Take a test every weekend and review your test thoroughly.

The material to follow is quite standard and has been discussed quite
often on the forum so I will not mention it again. It is very important to
follow the right material and only practice from the official sources.
In the end - fix your target score depending upon the schools you
are targeting. Make a plan to reach your target score from your
current score. Never shy to ask for help on the forum or from
one of the CV faculty. Never forget that GMAT is only a piece of your
MBA application and fairing poorly on the GMAT is not the end of the
world. You can always retake the exam if you are not satisfied with your
score.
Happy GMATing,
Varun

CrackVerbal helped me identify my


strengths and weaknesses in terms of
content and also in applying the concepts!

LostPhoton111:
GMAT Score from 710 (Q50, V36) to 750 (Q50, V42)
http://www.pagalguy.com/forums/gmat-and-gre-prep/gmatexperience-750-q50-v42-t-57811/p-2259409#post2259409

Hello Everyone,
I would like to share my experiences in GMAT preparation and hope that
it would be helpful to at least some of the aspirants.
For the sake of background, this is my second attempt at GMAT. The first
time I scored 710 (Q50, V36) AWA 4.5, but was not happy with my
preparation as well as the score and decided to write GMAT again.
Books referred (I would say that all three books are a must) : I am a
strong advocate of referring only very limited material but doing it
thoroughly
1) OG 12
2) OG Verbal
3) Manhattan SC : Very helpful in developing concepts in Sentence
Correction (the biggest pain area for me)
Some important learnings for me in the process:
Solve only the official material, i.e. OGs. I realized that most other
material is nowhere near the original GMAT. Besides solving questions
from other sources confuses you even more and affects your concepts
negatively as one starts thinking a lot even for simple questions.

Since for many aspirants, the OG material may not be enough. I would
suggest solving the same material twice, it helps in testing and
reinforcing the concepts.
Tests taken:
GMATPrep 1: 710 (before starting preparation)
GMATPrep 2: 760 and 770 (with a few repeat questions)
Again, I believe that one shouldn't solve any other tests as most others
are not true reflection of actual GMAT. Infact poor scores in these exams
negatively affect the confidence of the student.
Class Attended:
CrackVerbal
I was looking for a verbal only class, which was comprehensive,
short duration and focused on improving the concepts.
CrackVerbal fit the bill and was very helpful in improving my
verbal score.
Some important pointers (in a nutshell): All this is common knowledge
and most of us already know it, but still I would like to re-emphasize:
1) Solve OGs thoroughly, so that you understand all the concepts in
detail. If needed, solve it twice for topics you are weak at. (This includes
OG Verbal too)
2) Manhattan SC is must for developing concepts of sentence correction
3) Solve only the Official GMATPrep tests or atleast consider only
GMATPrep scores as true indicator of your performance in actual GMAT.
Don't get demotivated by poor scores in Manhattan/Kaplan/Princeton
etc.
4) Remember confidence is very important: And confidence comes from
practice

5) Don't solve unnecessarily complicated questions, because A) they


would never come and B) They negatively impact the concepts that you
have built
6) Clearly understand what are your strengths and weaknesses (even
before you begin your preparation) The strength/weakness may not only
be in terms of content but can also be in applying concepts or
examination temperament). Always understand your weak point and
work on it to maximize results
7) Remember that not all questions are tough in GMAT. You will receive
very simple questions if you are in 30s in Verbal, so you need to access
what your target score is and then prepare accordingly. There is no need
to get panicked if you cannot answer questions from a huge RC about
some Latin American tradition. Remember (unless you are targeting
780), you will make mistakes and it's ok to do the toughest questions
wrong. What is important is not to do silly mistakes in simple questions.
Make sure that doesn't happen and you can easily score 700+. Accuracy
therefore is the key.
Don't get panicked if you start feeling that you did poorly in Quant and
don't let it affect your Verbal. Focus on the question you are solving with
the clear aim of solving it correctly, nothing else should come to your
mind
9) After finishing the test, I felt that I did worse than my first attempt
and I was almost about to cancel my score but thankfully I didn't. So at
times you feel that you have done badly but you don't. So don't think
about how much you score, just go ahead and solve every question in its
own merit (this is a slight repetition of the previous point, but is very
important)
10) Don't try to analyze basis the question as to how well you are doing
in the exam. At times you receive some very simple questions in the

middle of the exam, that doesn't mean that you are doing poorly. There
would be simple questions even when you do extremely well and solve
10s of questions correctly in succession
11) Focus more on the initial questions to ensure that they are not
wrong so that the algorithm sets you at a higher level. However, try to
map time after 35 minutes. You do not want to encounter a situation
when you have to solve 10 questions in 10 minutes
12) Do not panic if you are not able to understand what the answer to
any particular question would be, just guess and go ahead. It's ok to
guess if you are stuck rather than to waste lots of time. Not only does it
wastes time but also causes frustration and you find it extremely difficult
to concentrate on further questions and ultimately causing you to panic.
So don't get stuck on any question, just guess
13) Keep track of the time during the 8 minute break. I didn't and lost 1
minute from my verbal section
14) Eat light and maybe have a chocolate before the exam. That helps
de-stress you
15) Sleep sufficiently long a night before so that you have the mental
stamina to take the 4 hour long exam
16) Last but not the least, don't consider GMAT as a life and death issue.
As every bschool website say (which is true as well), GMAT is just one of
the factors in your Bschool application, so don't kill yourself too much on
it. Chill and take it easy.
Apart from this, I would be happy to answer any questions which you
may have.
All the Very Best!

GMAT is all about Time Management and


Pattern Recognition. It was at CrackVerbal
where I learnt the tactics to ace the GMAT!

Vikas:
GMAT Score 760 (Q50, V42)

Crack erbal

http://www.crackverbal.com/forum/threads/My-First-timeGMAT-experience--760-50Q-42V/81

Just wanted to add a quick write up on my GMAT process and the exam
experience from last week. Hopefully this helps a few of you who are
planning to the take the GMAT in the next month or so.
I started about 3 months ago when I attended a Score Booster
workshop conducted by Arun. I came in without really knowing
what the GMAT was and had to ask Arun what this OG thing
was that he kept referring to constantly. But I came away
impressed and signed up the Verbal Class. I was quite busy with
work during this time, and did not have much time to spend on doing
daily homework, so really most of what I learnt and practiced happened
during class hours. Towards the end of the classes, I realized that the
only way i can push myself to prepare in full seriousness was to set a
date for the exam first. I picked a date in early july since I wanted an
afternoon 1pm exam - early morning adds stress around waking up and
getting to the exam hall while evening exams - you are too tired already.
A lot of my studying happened during the two weeks before the exam, I
was regularly spending 4-5 hours every evening doing problems from
the OG, and reading up on forums on strategies around both test taking
as well as approaching problems. The first GMAT Prep Test that I took
about two weeks before the exam - I scored 690, and I did not finish the

quant section in time. About a week later I took the second test and
scored 690 again and this time I did finish all the quant problems. This
was quite de-motivating since it appeared that all my studying during
that week was for naught and I wondered if I had hit my level. But with
only a week to go, I decided I'd amp up my studying, took a few days
off work and concentrated on fixing the spots that I was having
difficulties in. Retaking both tests got me 750 on each, but with about
30% of the questions repeated it was not a good yardstick since the
repeated questions allowed me to spend a lot more time on the harder
problems, and skewing the overall time graph.
The day of the exam, I solved a few problems before I left home, so that
I get my mind in the quant solving mindset. I had a light breakfast and
got to the exam center by 12. I was expecting to sit and relax for an
hour, but they told me start the exam immediately since there were a
few spots open. Half a red bull later, I started on the essay - which was
easy and and the IR section - which was a lot harder than I expected. A
single passages/table/graph question was quite confusing, with a lot of
data that was irrelevant and I was asked a total 3 X 4, 12 questions on
that same data set, of which I had to guess on about 6. Feeling a bit
demotivated, I started on the Quant section. The questions started out
easy and got hard very fast. I was stuck by the fifth question for about 3
minutes and I decided to guess and keep going.
Then the questions were moderately easy till I had about 4 minutes left
for the last five questions and ended up guessing on a few of them,
including blindly guessing on a chart type question since just trying to
read the chart would have taken 2 minutes. Within the DS Questions,
there were very few Cs and Ds. Mostly As, Bs and Es - so almost every
question needed to be solved for both data points. I did not get even a
single question on probability, and there was just one on combinations,
so I would suggest not to waste too much time on this section if you

guys find it hard. A majority of the harder questions were based on the
number line, and I had to plug in values for quite a few since I could
figure out the pattern fast enough.
During the Verbal section, the exam was front loaded with RC and CR I got only 2 SC questions during the first twenty. The unfortunately part
about this was that the second half, which had the harder questions
were mostly SC, where trying to pick between the last two almost
always involved guessing since they would both "sound right". There
was only one SC question that was fully underlined, but quite a few that
had only 1-2 words underlined.I found the RC and CR questions quite
straightforward, with only one or two guesses.
My key takeaways:
1. As Arun keeps saying, GMAT is all about time management
and Pattern Recognition. If you can figure out instantly what
type of question it is, then you save almost 30-40 seconds, so
its important to practice all type of questions. The one thing that
helped me was I practiced OG with the solution pages instead of the
question pages so that I read the explanation for each choice, even the
ones i got correct. This way I learnt the technique that gmat expects you
to know and was able to apply it on similar questions.
2. OG is more than enough. I started on some manhattan tests, but i
gave up after a few questions because they were too ambiguous and the
answer key did not provide satisfactory explanations. I only practiced
from the OG and GMAT prep software, and that too I only had time to
do about 80 percent of OG questions.
3. During the exam, its extremely important to be alert and awake and
in a good mood. I think this made a huge difference that I was relaxed
and not nervous and I was able to give every question full attention.
Towards the end of the verbal, all the SC options started to sound right

and since I had plenty of time left, I took a quick unscheduled break,
washed my face and basically traded 10% of time left for 10% more
freshness. I do not recommend this unless you have more than five
minutes on top of the 2mins X questions left. But yes, I washed my face
and sipped redbull during every break :) As far as redbull is concerned I made me very hyper at times, but I followed a similar consumption
pattern as I had practiced during my prep tests so I knew what to
expect.
4. Given the adaptive nature, its very hard to know whether you are
doing well or not - so dont get caught up if you are getting questions
wrong. Most likely they are the harder ones! I definitely did not expect
the score I got given the number of questions I answered incorrectly but that was just the software throwing questions at me till it found a
set that I could not answer.
5. The score on the actual exam was higher than anything i got my
practice tests - so dont keep pushing your exam date - just make sure
you go in with a clear mind.
I can say without a doubt that CrackVerbal and Arun were a big
part of why I was able to succeed on the GMAT and most of
what Arun said during class came back to me during the exam
to help pick the right choice many times.
Thank you Arun.

Constant help and support from


CrackVerbal kept pushing me towards a
decent score!

hprashi:
GMAT Score from 660 (Q50, V28) to 700 (Q51, V33)
http://www.beatthegmat.com/v28-v33-in-2-monthst72350.html

Hi,
Wanted to write this post for quite sometime now. A little background
about myself - An engineer from India, 24 yrs, 1.5 Yrs work exp as a
Risk Analyst at a MNC bank.
I started my preparation in August. As I was not a natural in Verbal,
concentrated much of my time practising and reviewing verbal. I used
OG 12 and Manhattan Sentence correction. I hardly spent any time on
quant. I took the GMAT Practice tests and almost always scored between
700-730 with a quant score of 50-51 and verbal score fluctuating
between 33 - 38. I felt comfortable with that score range and decided to
take the GMAT (big mistake!!). I bombed. Scored 660 (Q50, V28!!!)
I was naturally shocked and devastated. Later, I sat back and thought
what went wrong and realised that even though I was scoring 33-38 in
verbal in practice tests, I was not very clear on why I chose the answer
option that I did. After practising and reviewing OG, I was able to feel
the difference in my approach, but was not consciously clear of how I
was solving the problems. I was going with my instinct instead of
following logic and rules most of the time.
I decided to take the GMAT again. This time, I decided to take some
professional help as I didn't know what to do to improve my verbal

score. I enrolled to CrackVerbal, Bangalore. I love the way


verbal is taught there. Arun made it fun and interesting. Within
no time I had my confidence back. I went through OG 12 and
Manhattan Sentence correction, in addition to the CrackVerbal material. I
started scoring in the 730-780 range in GMAT practise tests and
Manhattan Tests, with verbal score ranging from 38-44! I was now much
more clear on what I was doing, and was able to eliminate the wrong
options with much ease.
After I consistently scored around 750, I decided to take GMAT again. I
scored 700 (Q51, V33) this time. Even though I touched the milestone
700, I am slightly disappointed with the score. Think, I can do better. If I
take GMAT again, I'll be taking it for the 3rd time. Not sure how adcoms
will perceive it. Any thoughts?
- Prashanth

Your association with CrackVerbal will end


ONLY when you want it to end. This is ONE
institute that delivers exactly what it says!

Rohit Nandan:
GMAT Score 690 (Q47, V38)

Crack erbal

http://www.crackverbal.com/forum/threads/690-Q47-V38AWA-5-IR7/181

690, almost there?


Well, in my case, Ive never really been a great test taker and
considering that I write decent essays and my profile is pretty diverse
(Bachelors degree in International Business on a 100% scholarship,
Private Equity
(2 years), 1.5 years at a start-up (Market Research) and currently in
Organizational communication) and my target school isnt too big on a
high GMAT score, I think I am done with GMAT.
Location:
I took the exam at the Electronics City center and I saw the center
beforehand. With the expressway, its location is perfect and I would
recommend the center to anyone taking the exam. I just wish that one
didnt have to go to a different block altogether to use the restroom.
But, it was alright. Also, I wore a thick shirt/sweater/jacket (all in one)
and it worked for me as the room was pretty cold.
I have a combo of conditions: Cervical Spondylitis (Stinging pain if I
keep my neck in the same position for long) and something with my eye
where I need to use eyedrops if I am looking at the screen for anything
more than 20-30 minutes. While exercise and painkillers helped me with
the neck pain, I wasnt allowed to take my eyedrops inside the exam

room.
Exam:
Formalities Done! Dont fret about the AWA or the IR and just go
through it and try to use the IR section as a buildup for the quants
section. Done with the section, I drank a little bit of water, half a
chocolate, used the restroom , used the eyedrops and did some mental
maths.
Quant section was alright. I didnt dwell too much on the intricacies , no
overthinking and was doing pretty well but my eyes starting hurting and
I found it really hard to concentrate. But, I finished the section with very
few regrets and I am alright with the score.
Break Repeated the earlier sequence
Verbal: I like Verbal! I went through the first 10 questions or so without
much difficulty and found Bold Face staring at me, soit was all good! It
went on alright for few more questions till my eye started acting upIt
was pretty difficult to concentrate and I felt that while I am trying to
plough it through, the questions are a little easier than question number
25-28 ought to be. I decided to take an unscheduled break for 2-3
minutes, used the drops, splashed water and re-started the exam. I
finished reasonably strong but I do think that I should have taken the
unscheduled break earlier.
Submitted the score and was praying for a 700..but alas, a 690. No
problem. Dear GMAT, you are only a part of the application process, you
are out of the way and now, I get to work!
My suggestions:
Take the exam when you are at your peak. I had to reschedule the exam
due to a schedule conflict with work and I am sure it slowed me down.
OG = Holy Grail

CrackVerbal Questions: Brilliant Collection (Have to admit, I didnt


complete them all)
Practice Tests : Complete Tests ONLY
Relax, it is just an exam.
Special note to CrackVerbal:
I had done my digging about coaching institutes and was pretty
clear that I wanted to join CV. But, CV exceeded my
expectations and by a HUGE Margin. Always available, ready
and keen to help. I remember Shreekala mentioning a few
points that impressed me and CV lived up to it.
Faculty is qualified and here are their GMAT scores, but what matters is
how much you manage to get out of them and their experience.
Your association with CV will end ONLY when you want it to end.
Arun, Pradyot, Shashank :
Your achievements are well documented but I just want to
point out the approachability and honesty that makes you
amazing. Thank You.

Arun asked me to just concentrate on the


preparation and not the score. He was the
first person to educate me about the GMAT!

Rsriram84:
GMAT Score from 620 (Q49, V26) to 730 (Q50, V38)
http://www.pagalguy.com/forums/gmat-and-gre-prep/mytryst-with-gmat-730-v-t-42977/p-1615129#post1615129

And finally, I get to open a thread in PG


Anyways, coming to the point, I had taken up the GMAT on the 29th of
this month and had scored a 730. Though,its not a god level score, I am
still content with it. I would like to share my experience leading to 'G'
day..
Well, to start with, my profileX- 80.6%
XII - 75.4%
BE - 82.9% (SRMVEC,Chennai)
Work ex- 25 months as of date in a product development company in
Bangalore.( Yes, Yes.. M part of the prestigious IIM fraternity too )
3 CAT screw ups, some B school interview calls that I could not convert
and an inability to make a transition to a consulting/research based job
is what made me take the GMAT plunge.. Arun(PychoD) happened to
convene a GMAT coffee session in mid April.. That was the time when I
did not have a clue as to what the GMAT was all about.. Once I came
home after the meet, I had pretty much made up my mind that I would
be taking up the test sometime in June/July..

As with most people taking up CAT, I also wondered about all the fuss
made wrt GMAT's toughness in general and the verbal section in
particular.. I thought I was a 700+ material and used to have an
impression that even if I were to be woken up in the middle of my sleep,
I would still manage a score in excess of 700.. Well, it did not take much
time for me to disown this belief..
In the first week of May, I took the GMAT Test Prep 1.
I fell flat on my face by scoring a 620(Q-49, V-26). I was shocked. It
brought me back to ground zero. After analysing the test, I found that I
was not able to complete the Verbal section and that I made many silly
mistakes in the Quant section.. I figured out that I had to work hard on
the verbal front while at the same time consolidate on the Quant front...
The idea was to touch a figure of 750/760 to offset the disadvantage of
being an IIM.. I booked the GMAT appointment.. 29th July, it was..
I went on a book buying spree in the first week of May.. OG-11, Kaplan
Premier, Kaplan 800, Kaplan Verbal workbook.. Downloaded soft copies
of 1000 SC/RC/CR, Spidey's notes, Rajat NDA's notes and what not..
That I used every single material of these would be a BIG BIG LIE...
Anyways, I started with OG-11 in the month of May.. Took my own
sweet time and completed it by the end of MAY.. Found that my accuracy
in Quant was 85%+ and in Verbal 70%+.. I decided to take up GMAT
Test Prep 1 again.. This time I scored a 690 ( Q-50, V-34)..
the test obviously had some repeat questions and I did'nt read too much
into the score.. After this, I completed the Kaplan Premier book.. I found
that my accuracy in Verbal still hung in the mid 70s..
A timely bonus at my workplace in the month of June made me
decide to extend my relationship with Arun.. I joined
CrackVerbal in the first week of June.. In the month that followed,
things became very hectic at my workplace.. I tried to solve questions

from the 1000 series whenever I got time in office.. I went to office on a
couple of weekends and took the complete printout of OG10.. In fact,
we got a mail from the management warning the employees not to use
the printers in a irresponsible manner.. Fortunately they did not (or did
they ?) track down the black sheep.. I tried to squeeze out time and
spent 2 hrs a day solving OG10..
I took up PowerPrep 1 in the middle of June and scored a 690
(V-34,Q-49)..
I found that many of the questions were from OG10/OG11.. And I was
frustrated that with just 40 days left, I was still not able to hit a 700.. I
spoke to Arun and vented out my frustration about my inability
to do so.. He asked me to just concentrate on the preparation
and not the score.. However, I was desperate to hit a 700.. Atleast
once .. to get my confidence going.. I continued solving OG10.. I spoke
to TFA (Pavan) in the last week of June.. I had heard about the
manhattan test series.. After he gave his personal opinion, I decided not
to take any more PowerPreps since it would not be a correct indicator
having many repeats from OG10/OG11.. Having gotten through IIMK, he
helped me out with his MGMAT account.. Till July 18th, I had taken up 4
MGMATs..
MGMAT1-690 (V-34,Q-49)
MGMAT2-710 (V-37,Q-49)
MGMAT3-750 (V-41,Q-51 ... This was a BIG confidence booster.. For the
first time, I felt I had it in me to score a 740+)
MGMAT4-710 (V-39,Q-48 )
I found the Manhattan series to be awesome.. Their Quant was tougher
than the actual GMAT and the verbal part was close to the actual test.. I
enjoyed every MGMAT test that I had taken up.. I used to analyse every
test properly and made sure that I did not make the same mistakes
again in the next test.. By mid July, I had completed OG10 and was

confident that I would hit around 710-720.. But it was still 30/40 less
than the score that I aimed for.. I read in many a threads that Kaplan
800 was the stimulant needed to take one from a 700ish score to a
750+.. I took up kaplan 800 and finished it in a week's time.. I revised
all the questions that I had marked in OG10/OG11 while solving those
questions the first time around.... I also brushed up the concepts which I
learnt from the MGMAT tests.. On the 25th of July, i took up the last
mock- GMAT Test Prep 2 with the aim of touching a 740/750 score .. At
the end of it, I was in for a BIG shock..
I had scored a 680(Q-49,V-33) ..
I was devastated.. I started doubting my capabilities.. That night, I
treated myself to
On the 27th, Abhishek (the_hate) took up the GMAT and scored a 750..
I was so happy for him.. He reassured me and asked me to keep my
cool and just relax.. After that, I decided not to think about my
probabale score.. Thought i d just give my best shot and accept
whatever score comes up.. Had given my cent % on the prep front..And
that is what mattered in the end..
'G' day experienceWhile booking the GMAT appointment, I had no other option but to
select the much dreaded afternoon slot..The time frame was one when
my conscious gave way to the subconscious.. I had taken up all the
mocks in the afternoon slot just to be in the correct mind frame.. I had
practised AWAs while taking up the MGMATs and I did not have much
problems on the day either.. I went on to the quant section, and after
solving the first 2-3 questions, I grew in confidence.. I solved the first 10
questions in 12-13 minutes and completed the entire section with 9
minutes to spare.. I had guessed only 1 question which figured
somewhere between q20-q30.. At the end of it,I was totally confident or

overconfident I should say.. I started thinking that there is nothing in the


world that would stop me from getting to a dream score of 750.. I went
back to the room after just 4 min into the break as I did not want to let
go the momentum..
As soon as I started the verbal section, I found it very tough to
concentrate.. My mind was just thinking on the final figure (whether I d
reach 740/740) rather than concentrating on the exam.. I tried to bring
my mind back to the exam but found it very tough.. I took a lot of time
to solve the first 10-15 questions.. With 35 minutes remaining, I had 21
questions to solve.. I was pissed with myself for being so complacent.. A
trait which led to my downfall in the last two CATs.. I somehow brought
my mind on track and started solving the remaining questions seriously..
I was fortunate to see a couple of questions which I had solved in one of
the OGs.. I did not spend more than 20s on those questions.. With 10s
to spare, I completed the section..
I filled out the questionaire and clicked on the "Submit Score" button.. I
closed my eyes and prayed that I get anything above 720.. When I saw
a 730, I heaved a sigh of relief.. It could have been much better.. It
could have been much worse.. I have but myself to blame for not
getting to a 750.. But then its OK.. I am quite content with it....
When I started my preps for GMAT, I thought I d score high so that I
have a good backup option in place should I manage to screw up CAT
for the 4th straight time.. I have to start my preparations for CAT again
but will be applying to ISB,NUS and Nanyang at the same time..
Have a few ppl to thankArun(PyschoD)- He was the first person to educate me about
the GMAT... He has been a constant throughout my
preparation.. His encouragement, motivation and tips helped
me a lot in my preps.

Tarun and Ashish- My offline study partners.. We had a solid study group
sort of a thing.. We used to share questions, strategies,etc and
motivated each other to increase our performance levels.. Can't thank
you enough guys..
TFA- Bhai, thanks a lot for your tips and the MGMAT thing.. Can't explain
how helpful it was in my preps..
Abhishek(the_hate)- Needless to say, if not for his encouragement, I
would have been brooding over my mock scores and would not have
reached even a 700.Thanks buddy..
CrackVerbal- The faculty, the content, the discussions and the
peer group that I got there was more than helpful..
Some general pointers that I d like to give1) My score in verbal is not high but of what I have practiced, I feel
there is no substitute for OG.. Completing OG10 and OG12 properly and
solving Kaplan 800 should ideally help a person in getting to a 40+ score
3) I strongly recommend the Manhattan test series. Although it costs
around 40$, you will have your every penny worth..The tough quant
section prepares you well for the main test..
4) Don't be hell bent on taking 10-12 mocks.. IMHO, space out your
mocks in such a way that you don't drain yourself out.. Even if you
decide to take 7-8 mocks, ensure that you learn from every mock and
see an improvement in every exam. At least I tried to do the same wrt
my preps..
5) Talk to people who have taken up the GMAT recently..Read debriefs in
forums.. I have found them to be very helpful.. I spoke to 3-4 people
who had taken up the GMAT within the last one month. I tweaked my
prep plans at times based on their experience.

6) Don't take your mock scores to your heart.. Instead learn from every
mock.. In my case, I scored 50 more than what I did in the last mockGMAT TestPrep2
and
7) Take these pointers of mine with a pinch of salt.. There are gurus who
score a 750+ with minimal efforts.. with ease.... They d wonder whats
the big deal in a 730 score.. In my case, I had to work hard for this
score.. I just wanted to share the experience of an average guy who got
to a decent score..
Cheers!!
Sriram

10

CrackVerbal taught me how to recognise


the patterns in CR, approach RC using
mapping techniques and debunk SC!

Arindam Bhattacharyya:
GMAT Score from 580 (Q47, V23) to 710 (Q49, V36)

Crack erbal

http://www.crackverbal.com/forum/threads/GMAT-journeyfrom-Q47-V23-to-710-Q49-V36/172

Yesterday I took the GMAT for the second time and scored 710. This was
my second attempt and I happy that I increased my verbal score from
23 to 36.
I was always confident about my quant skills but I am little disappointed
that I could not score a 50 in quant.
Initially I scored a paltry 580 in my first attempt at GMAT with Q47 and
V 23. I was literally disappointed and wanted to increase my score to at
least 700. I searched on net and zeroed down to CrackVerbal.
Initially I was little skeptic but after reading the posts from
Arun Sir AKA Psychodementia, I joined CrackVerbal in June 1st
week 2012. During the course I learned how to recognise the
pattern in CR, approach RC using mapping techniques and
debunk SC.
Before joining CrackVerbal my approach for RC and CR was not
correct. For CR I used PS CR Bible, though the content of the
book is excellent but the approach is not correct reading the
stimulus first and then reading the question stem. CrackVerbal
helped me to rectify this and explained all the possible CR
patterns. It is very important to recognise the pattern in CR as

early as possible in order to do well on CR.


To do well in RC please use the mapping technique, it helps not only to
stay connected with the passage but also to do well in the main point
and authors tone questions. For inference question please use the CR
100 percent true approach. Before joining CrackVerbal, I was bad at RC.
I used to get string of questions wrong leading to poor verbal scores.
Regarding SC, please go through the CV SC booklet. The CV SC
booklet is as good as MGMAT SC guide. Learn the rules and do
practice a lot of SC from OG and VR.
If you want to take extra practise test use the MGMAT CATs only. I
remember Arun Sir saying you can take GMATPrep tests multiple times
and it is true. If you are improving your score each time you will see
GMATPrep throw new questions at you with some 20-30 percent
repeats. So, do take the GMATprep test atleat 2x2 times. The MGMAT
CATs have tough quant questions because they are time consuming. So,
do not get disheartened if you are not scoring well in MGMAT quant. My
MGMAT CAT scores varied from 660 to 700. But my GMATPrep scores
varied from 690 to 740.
Lastly keep practicing as much as you possibly can.
A Big thanks to CV team and a special one to Arun Sir!

11

Special thanks to Psychodementia (Arun


Jagannathan) for all his help, guidance and
support during and after my prep!

idream:
GMAT Score 700 (Q51, V34)
http://www.pagalguy.com/forums/gmat-and-gre-prep/got700-51-slash-34-slash-5-t-35094/p-1253114

I gave GMAT some time back and got a 700 with 51 in Q and 34 in V.
Key take aways from GMAT experience:
- In most of the cases, it is verbal that pulls the score down. I did
Manhattan + OG 10 & 11. In practice tests i even got a 45-46. But still in
the actual test i got 34. I think CR is quite manageable. It's SC & RC
which together do the damage. I think OG & Manhattan helped to a
certain level but then it's upto a person to grasp & apply in the real time.
- Quant had lot of tricky questions. It had some long and confusing word
problems. But the key to solve those kind of problems was to remain
fully concentrated and not miss anything in the problem statement.
Whenever i found that i had time on hand and was ahead of time, i used
to resolve the questions. I found 3 mistakes in resolving. And so much
so that the original incorrect answer i had found was there as one of the
options.
- I used a timing chart found on another website. Before starting the
section i would make the table on the sheets given to us - After 10th
question, x mins shud remain, after 20th, y mins and so on. I did this for
bothe Quant & Verbal. It helped a lot. I think this was one of the best
ways to track time.

- I delayed prep for AWA and really started 4-5 days before the actual
test. I think this got me 5.0 in AWA. I feel i shud have started earlier.
Shud have given myself a couple of weeks and improved upon to get a
6.0. Don't delay AWA till the last moment.
- One more reason why i got 5.0 in AWA. I was feeling good after
writing the first essay and hence started the second essay (Issue) on an
overconfident note. I didnt bother to stick to the strategy to brainstorm
for a couple of minutes and then start writing. I straight away took a
side and started writing. 5 minutes into the essay and it occurred to me
that the other side offered more persuasive examples. I switched side in
the middle of my essay. Though i completed everything in time but then
i got 5.0
Special thanx to Psychodementia for all his help, guidance and
support during and after my prep. Psychodementia , you rock!
For people not so confident in Verbal, i wud recommend this
link, "CrackVerbal", Home. Though I didnt attend the bootcamp as
such but i took guidance (not only verbal but all aspects of GMAT &
MBA) from the mentor himself and the ideas have really helped me in
tangible ways.
And thanx to all the forum members for sharing so much information
and knowledge on this forum.
Happy to help for any queries.
-idream

12

A very handy tip that I learnt at


CrackVerbal - Practice is the key and time
it well. It's extremely important!

Aparna Kohli:
GMAT Score 720 (Q47, V23)

Crack erbal

http://www.crackverbal.com/forum/threads/GMAT-720/154

I am a doctor, so getting past the math and the reasoning may seem like
a night mare. But its really no big deal. Let me know if anyone needs
any helps. I really did start from the scratch.
:
English:
Do a lot of reading, particularly the Hindu editorial. 2 more suggestions:
The Economist ( get a subscription; 500 for 3 months. Its too expensive
to buy otherwise) and the Business Today. It'll give you some
perspective.
For sentence correction: Pradyot's class. Just listen. Its enough.
Books: OG 12 +Kaplan 800
If you're really bad at English: Sentence correction bible. Its useful
For CR: Manhattan strategy guide. I can email it to you if you want.
I downloaded it.
Maths:
Don't take it lightly. DS is particularly tough.
Do Geometry and Numbers properly. I had a slight advantage. I was
doing CAT coaching and the maths was ok for me.
2 more imp topics: Inequations, Modulus,
For DS: Modulus is superimp.
Also for DS, always consider a number can be a fraction
(positive/negative)

also consider the following numbers unless the Qn specifies it


positive
negative
0
0- -1
0 to 1
Overall, CrackVerbal stuff is good. Get as many classes from
Arun. he's good and he can hold your attention.
Most important of all is timing. I thought I am too fast and I
can handle this. i left 2 Qn in IR and was just in the nick of time
for Maths and Verbal.
So practice is key. and time it. Its extremely important.
Practice as many mock GMAT's as possible. Manhattan GMAT mock Tests
are good. They're slightly tougher than what's on the test but only
slightly. Like if u get 700 on the test, you'll get a 710-720 really. But their
analysis is really good.
Most importantly, this is not the end of the world.
tc
let me know if u have any more questions
best

13

The main idea behind GMAT is to get the


basics right and CrackVerbal achieves that!

Vishal Chaudhury
http://www.pagalguy.com/forums/gmat-and-greprep/reviews-gmat-coaching-institutes-bangalore-t-79987/p3345539

I do not have much of an idea about MGMAT but had joined


CrackVerbal and so will talk about that.
Course structure
It covers every possible aspect of the three pillars of VA (SC, RC and
CR). Every topic is finished with hands-on on examples. The main idea is
to get the basics right and CrackVerbal achieves that. After that, it is
only practice and more practice.
Faculty
I think i have encountered few of the most patient faculty members
here, esp Arun and Shifa. I for one used to very confused in CR and
bothered Arun and Shifa a repeated number of times for clearing my
doubts. The faculty members always made themselves available and
never got flustered by my never ending doubts.
Teaching methodology
The most repeated advice that i used to get before is that i have to read
a lot to be better at VA. Obviously, one has to read a lot but reading a
novel is different from reading a RC passage or cracking a CR ques. I
understood the tricks involved in approaching each question type from
crackverbal and that helped me in GMAT and CAT.

Finally, the fact that Arun conducts ad-hoc workshops even for ppl who
are not crackverbal students speaks about his desire to help people out.
One can expect support for a long time even after finishing the course....

14

CrackVerbal was completely focused on


cracking the question than learning
grammar!

Sherin Kurian:
GMAT Score from 660(Q44, V37) to 660(Q47, V34)
to 710(Q48, V39)

Crack erbal

http://www.crackverbal.com/forum/threads/My-GMATjourney-660-to-660-to-710/80

First attempt 660 (Q 44, V 37, AWA 6)


Let me trace back to 2010 when I wrote GMAT for the first time. To be
very frank, I was not even sure if I wanted to do an MBA at that point. I
had a close friend of mine who was working so hard to crack GMAT and
go to her dream school for studies which motivated me to attempt it
once. I collected as many materials as I could, almost 1.2 GB apart from
the hard cover materials! I had a meager 2 .5 years of work ex when I
attempted GMAT for the first time. Not to say, I took GMAT very light
without much practice or preparation. I booked the test date in August
and took 2.5 weeks off from work. The plan was to start and finish the
preparation during that time (not sure how I got that much confidence ;)
). I purchased Kaplan Premiere book with the Practice Tests CD. I had
OG 12th edition also as reference book. I spent time on Kaplan material
for more than a week and started taking the Practice Tests. I got scores
ranging 580-640. I could not complete Quant section on time in any of
the tests. I was confident that I knew the concepts in Quant, so did not
bother much to practice. I also found that the number of careless
mistakes I make in Quant was very high. I focused more on Verbal
section, especially on Sentence correction and Critical Reasoning.
Though I was not at all comfortable with Reading Comprehension, I
decided to rely on my luck on the test day. I browsed through the

internet to see forums where test takers have mentioned that one can
expect much higher score than the Kaplan score during the actual GMAT
which made me happy. Later, I picked few questions randomly from each
section in OG-12, some problems from the sea of materials I have
collected and solved them. Also I attempted GMAT Prep Tests 1 and 2
and ended up with 690 and 720 respectively. Once again I browsed to
find that the actual GMAT could be +/- 30 from the Prep Test scores. I
wanted to be optimistic that I never thought of the negative side.
Test Day AWA section went well. The Quant section started and I
knew I was going in a very slow pace. Finally at the end, I had to leave
5 questions unanswered. Verbal section went fine especially because I
got very simple RC passages from my comfort areas. I was prepared to
see a bad score at the end of the test since I could not complete Quant
section. But when I saw 660, I was quite happy.
I knew the score was not good enough to get into any of the top schools
with less than 3 yrs work experience. As I mentioned earlier, I was not
sure whether I wanted to do an MBA at that point. So, I just let it go.
What went wrong - Though I did not want to take the score seriously,
I tried to think about the areas I need to improve if I try to attempt
GMAT ever again and came up with these:
1. Quant Lack of Practice: Knowing the concepts and a lot of formulas
is not good enough. I had not done much math in almost 3 years. This
has resulted in slow calculations and more silly mistakes while doing the
Quant section.
2. Spend around 1-2 hours regularly for about 2 months before taking
the test which will help in better focus and improves speed.
3. Concentrate on few materials than randomly pick and try from every
other book available!

Second attempt 660 (Q 47, V 34, AWA 5.5)


In 2011 April I started to think about attempting GMAT once again. This
time I was serious as I knew I wanted to go for higher studies. As
planned, I started my 1-2 hr regular prep from mid April. There were a
few breaks in between, but the prep was going as planned till mid June.
I was able to get the correct pace during Quant (silly mistakes were
something I still needed to work on). I solved all problems in OG-12 and
some paper based tests available from mba.com for Quant. I booked the
date for July end. Due to hectic work schedule, I could not do much for
a month immediately before the test day. I should have rescheduled the
test, but I was thinking that I can do better than the first time since I
have been preparing regularly. Also I did not want it to be delayed
further which might give me less time for other parts of application.
This time I limited my study materials to Manhattan Sentence Correction
Guide, OG -12, Manhattan Test Series (2 tests)
Test Day: As expected I could do better in Quant, this time I could
finish the section. I could hardly concentrate during the Verbal section
since I did not take any tests in the weeks prior to the exam. I have to
admit that I did not have the stamina to sit through the entire exam! I
dont think I even read the RC passages completely before attempting
the answers. Finally I felt bad to see the same old 660 once again in my
score card. This time with Verbal score lower than the first attempt
though Quant score improved.
I wanted to attempt GMAT one last time. But I was just not sure if I
have enough time to do that. Instead I decided to apply to Universities
with a 660, hoping that I can make better essays that could compensate
for the lower GMAT score. I applied to 7 universities (a mix of top
schools and reasonable schools). I got admit from 1, but was not ready
to take it up for various reasons.

What went wrong : Though I started the prep early enough, I could
continue in the pace I had planned; the break for a month had a
negative effect. I did not have the right mindset for the exam.
After I had the results from all schools by early March, I decided to
attempt GMAT once again. Looking at the scores, I knew I could do
better. If I had similar cuts in Quant and Verbal in both the attempts, I
wouldnt have tried again. But the inconsistent scores in Quant and
Verbal made me optimistic. While browsing through the internet to
get motivated by stories where people improved their scores, I
found someones post in pagalguy mentioning about
CrackVerbal. I felt I needed help that will give me direction in
my preparation. My plan was to take the classes which will span
for around 2.5 months and take a week off and then write the
exam which will keep me focused.
CrackVerbal Experience
Sentence Correction
I started my classes on Mar 25 with Sentence Correction. The
approach was good which is completely focused on cracking the
question than learning grammar. The classes covered almost all
question type with detailed explanation.
I had solved many questions in OG earlier and few other sources prior
to coming for the classes, but whenever I get an answer correct, I never
went back and read the explanation. This approach has a major
drawback. If we get an answer correct by luck, we can almost be sure
that we get a similar question wrong the next time since we dont know
the real reason why one choice is correct. Also the approach of
elimination worked really well for me. It was easier to find mistakes in
the answer choices which can thus be eliminated than to find the correct
answer choice.

Critical Reasoning
I used to be reasonably good at CR in the tests I attempted so far. But
the approach I had was driven more by intuition than by reasoning. The
intuition method worked well for me for the questions that are below
700 level. The accuracy dropped drastically beyond this, especially on
strengthen/weaken questions. The classes actually helped me to think
wrt to the context of the question.

Reading Comprehension
RC was my enemy right from the start. If I get very easy passages, I
was able to get few questions correct, but as the difficulty increases I
used to get almost all wrong ! My approach was to scan through the
passage and re-read after getting the questions. I used to take notes,
but the notes did not give me the correct storyline behind the passage.
The mapping process taught during the classes helped a lot in improving
my accuracy in RC section. The advantage of mapping was that main
theme of the passage along with a clearly connected series of events
could be drawn easily. This was especially helpful when encountered
with tough passages.
Quantitative
I was initially thinking of not signing up for Quant classes. But I am
really happy that I took it up. The problems solved in the class are
generally of higher difficulty and the explanations given were really
good. The classes helped me a lot in solving Data Sufficiency problems
in a very systematic way. I used to supply random examples to prove or
disprove the statements which sometimes did not cover all possible
cases. I could see improvement in the accuracy for Data Sufficiency
problems when I practiced the approach before the test.

Third Attempt 710 (Q 48, V 39)


I completed the classes on June 10. I had lighter load at work. So
decided to prep for couple of weeks and then book a date when I feel
confident. I had June end as a tentative time for my test, but did not
book it until I was sure that everything went as planned. Apart from the
classes on weekends, I was able to spend few hours over the week until
the test date. I did not try to go through any new material this time, but
just concentrated on OG-12 for Verbal & Quant, Verbal Review, 198
tough problems in Math. I took one test per day for a week (starting the
test at 9 am to replicate my tentative test timings). I got scores between
710 and 740 consistently on 6 MGMAT tests and 2 GMAT Prep test.
When I felt confident, I booked the date for the immediate Monday so
that I am in the right mindset to write the test. I was not able to
complete IR section in most of the tests. So decided to use a strategy to
skip 2 out of 3 (pick an answer and move on) multi source reasoning
questions if the data provided is a lot to comprehend. The 3rd question
in this category if it is based on a single tab(as could be directly read
from the question), attempt it , else move on.
Test Day : AWA section was smooth. IR section started, and I got multi
source reasoning questions right in the middle. I skipped the first 2 as
planned, but spend some time on the 3rd. I could attempt most of the
other questions (hopefully correct, score is not yet available). I wanted
to be extra careful during the Quant section as I have a history of
making silly mistakes. For the first 15 questions I double checked each
answer. After that I realized Im running out of time and hence made
guesses and moved on for questions that took more than 1.5 minutes to
solve. This punished a bit on the Quant score, but atleast helped to
attempt all questions till the end. The Verbal section went quite well till I
got the first & tough RC passage. It was a short passage and I could not
comprehend it well. The mapping process did give me a grasp on the

overall idea, but I did not do well in the other questions. There were 3
more RC passages which were really long. I could comprehend two of
these passages well with the mapping process. I dont have comments
on the last one since I am sure I did not get that correct! I had to hurry
towards the end due to the extra time spent on the last RC passage.
Anyways, finally it was time to see the score. I was extremely delighted
to see 700+ score with more than 80 percentile in both Quant and
Verbal.
What worked for me : I was able to prepare myself for GMAT
over a period of time since I joined the classes. Even if I was not
able to spend a lot of time during weekdays, I could get the tempo back
on weekends. By Gods grace, I had lighter load at work around the test
date, so could take a week off and write practice tests every day which
built the stamina I needed for taking the real GMAT; and finally the
score!
My heartfelt thanks to the entire CrackVerbal team for their
guidance and support :). Best wishes to all future aspirants.
Feel free to reach out to me with any questions.

15

Just 6 weeks of good informative Verbal


sessions at CrackVerbal saw me take the
GMAT in April this year more confidently!

Advyth Gururaj:
GMAT Score from 640 (Q49, V29) to 730 (Q50, V38)

Crack erbal

http://www.crackverbal.com/forum/threads/700plusDefinitely-achievable-730-Q50-V38-AWA-6/83

There are 2 cars RacingThe finish line is at a distance of 210Kms.One


is going at 30kmph..While the other at 70kmph.. Which one would you
get into to win the race?
Anyone sane person would choose the latter...But what If, after you got
into the car ,you realise that the car you are in, though going faster, is
actually going the wrong direction..??
This analogy is extremely relevant to anybody taking the GMAT...
Unfortunately many first timers pick up the GMAT prep or the OG or any
other course that is available online and jump into solving mode .... And
I was no different... What few realize is that GMAT not only needs
exhaustive preparation but also strategy planning and thorough
guidance.. It is not enough if one simply picks up a GMAT book
and starts solving questions... Besides dedication, motivation,
perseverance and all the other High-fundoo words, acing the
GMAT also requires a sound strategy and the right approach.
CrackVerbal gives all that to a student and more...
Last August I booked my GMAT date for Nov11, not knowing what the
test is all about,or how it is scored .. I surfed the web, Googled the
keywords. - I want 700 plus in GMAT .. and downloaded all the material

from the first few links that google prompted..I also Picked up some
more good books and spent an hour every night solving questions.. Early
November I gave a few practice tests.. Had my scores oscillating from
one extreme to the other.. 590 to 760 .. With the hope of being able to
replicate the best of my scores from the practice test , I went ahead and
took the GMAT What transpired was a disappointing 640I had a 49 in
Math..and a 29 in English It was not late before I realized i`d gone
into Battle with the wrong weaponry..
Went back home dejected..Thought I should give myself some more
time to study..I gave myself a 6 month study period, and booked
another date for April12..Picked up the same material to do the same
thing again..
Luckily I had a friend of mine, walk upto me and say, - So you had a
640 on GMAT the last timeI see you are dissatisfiedplanning to pull it
up to 650 this time??
And I said, What nonsense..I need a 700 atleast..
With a smirk he said, Not with your current way of studying,,you are
gonna get a 700.
He then uttered the same lines , I would get to hear much later
from Arun at CrackVerbal..
You dont need to study the definitions of a gerund, an Infinitive etc..You
dont need to go into that depth to do well in the GMAT. What you need
is a simple set of rules,strategies,tactics to beat the Test..You dont have
to become an English pundit to do better in VerbalYou should go check
out this place called Crack Verbal. They are supposedly this group of
Verbal experts and claim they can get most of their students to score
700plus more often than not.. See if they can help you
And help they did..Just 6 weeks of good informative verbal sessions saw
me take the GMAT in April this year more confidently.. I learnt Simple yet

effective methods of approaching a question..Though CrackVerbal


doesnt have it in writing, but I think their method of teaching makes
them believe, their students will touch that coveted score of 700. In
most of my subsequent practice tests my scores hovered around the 700
to 710 markwhich was definitely more realistic than the 590 to 760
pattern the previous timeI Finally scored a 730 Q50 V38 on my
GMAT... An improved performance, to say the least.
So, if you have a problem in the Verbal section or any other
section of the GMAT for that matter and need to ask for
someone for assistance..
Why ask anybody else, when there is CrackVerbal ?? This is
exactly what I tell anybody who is looking to take their GMAT ..
As a part of your GMAT prep, you should be able to calculate the
number of words the Winner of the race can read before the loser
reaches the finish line. Assume, that the winner can read 70 words a
minute. And that both the cars are heading in the same direction
A big Thank you to Arun and is team at CrackVerbal for doing
what they believe they can do best. Looking forward to seeing a
lot more success stories come up on this page
Cheers
Advyth

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