Studying, Scandals, and Puppies

There's just over two weeks to go for my GMAT appointment. I keep working through the quant parts of OG11 (my verbal is pretty good, so I'm not focusing too much on that), slowly going through the last few questions and beginning to focus on DS. I've got one more MGMAT prep test, and of course the two GMATPrep tests. I'll definitely do at least one this weekend, maybe two. I'm excited to take a GMATPrep, as they're the closest representation to an actual GMAT score.

One thing I've been focusing on is slowing down. It may sound strange, given there are about 37 questions that need to be answered in 75 minutes, but some of my problems on quant are that I move too fast. This has lead to careless mistakes (ie, I know the answer is c)4, but I pick D as my choice because I'm flying through). I've also started double-checking my work in order to be as sure as I can. Another skill I need to learn is knowing when to cut my losses and move on. This happens often on the geometry questions, especially the 700-800 level ones. I'll try and figure it out, but become hopelessly lost. This results in time wasted on a problem you can't answer, forcing you to move even faster in later questions.

Just some random thoughts on the whole GMAT cheating scandal: Getting into a top notch MBA program is filled with lots of pressure, and the prospect of spending thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours studying and preparing and yielding zero results has led to people making poor decisions. As Tinydancer said in her blog (and detailed on the Clear Admit blog and over at Businessweek), this is not the first time a cheating scandal has happened, nor will it be the last. Those I feel truly sorry for are the ones who didn't know what ScoreTop was about, and who thought they were simply buying a question bank to better prepare themselves for the GMAT. This could potentially hurt legitimate prep resources, such as the GMAT Club question sets, or Manhattan GMAT, as prospective applicants wonder where the questions are from. I know it made me pause and think for a moment. In the end, those who used the service may find themselves unable to apply to most top schools (as their scores were cancelled and they are banned from taking it again), and students already in school may be expelled.

This weekend there's not much going on outside of GMAT-related activities. The Humane Society is selling tickets for a wine tasting, so I'll be helping out with that, and we've got some adoption events. I've been planning something for the HSGA, and hope to sit down with the volunteer coordinator soon and show her what I've got in mind. It would make things a lot easier for everyone involved, and hopefully lead to more volunteers!