I’m back! And I took the GMAT

My reward for enduring the GMAT- pic by Drunken Monkey

Well, I did it.  I took the GMAT.  If you are considering taking it, you need to know that getting in is like visiting Fort Knox.  First, a lady swiped my ID, palm-scanned each hand, then took my picture.  (Think DMV quality.  I hope to heaven the B-schools don’t see it or they’ll dismiss me entirely for looking like a drunk.)  Then I went to another lady who swiped my ID and scanned my palms again.  She took me in the testing room and logged me in the computer.  During breaks I had to raise my hand for her to come in, escort me out of the room, and do the ID and palm scan dance again.  The process was repeated to reenter.  I have to say there must have been some crazy elaborate cheating schemes in the past for all this hoo-ha to become standard operating procedure.

The essay portion was first, and according to most of the “experts” online the least considered portion of the test by schools.  I did very little to study for it since you don’t know the topic until you get there.  I reviewed the structure of a good argument, but that’s about it.  It’s also the only score you don’t find out about immediately, so I’ve got a couple of weeks before I hear about that bit.  As predicted, the math was my weak point.  I panicked, dithered over the problems and ran out of time.  In fact, the last five or so questions were near-blind guesses—I literally clicked the last answer with one second to go.  After I remembered to breathe again I found that my hands were shaking and I was sweating despite it being cold in the room.  The verbal questions were last and I’m glad of it.  I was able to relax and give it my best shot without worrying about the math coming up.

Way back in the olden days when I first took standardized tests you had to wait weeks to find out what you got.  This time, I found out right away.  Of course, this is after they ask if you want your scores reported to the schools.  I held my breath, clicked “yes” and got the results. 

I did pretty well. 

I didn’t hit my goal score, which bummed me out, and I was decidedly average on my math score, but I ended up in the 88^th percentile so I shouldn’t complain.  (I did complain to Alex, who gave me a short dressing down for being a silly git who should be happy for a good score.)

I am now moving on to the big job of writing all the different essays that each school requires for entrance.  For the most part, I have a little time—the big guys start taking applications for fall 2012 in October, and a couple of the part-time programs accept applications for spring 2012 at about the same time.  But I’ve got one school that’s a rush job—they are asking for a tweet instead of an essay, and the best tweet gets a full ride.  It’s a longshot, but the school looks cool and I’ve got nothing to lose.  So, I figure, why not?

There are other projects to be worked on, so I’m still limiting my blogging time.  I’ve missed the blog so don’t count me out just yet!