My file story:
Now I have a difficult task in my hand. In the beginning, it looked very simple and I thought it would be maximum 15 minutes job. But to my surprise, even after 15 days there is no solution to my problem. My problem is very simple to hear and very difficult to get the solution.
All that I want is a file to keep my certificates. It sounded simple to me when I started my search operations. As usual, Pune is a town of unusual surprises and has got a bunch of stupid shop owners. In Pune you call zip as chain, and electricity as light, and what do you call for a holder of your loose papers: A file, a folder or a file folder? This brilliant explanation was given by one of the stationery owners.
Folder: A loose transparent sheet to keep your sheets is called a folder
File: A file is an object, in which, you punch your documents and keep it here
Folder file: A group of folders piled together and marketed as one single entity is called a folder file.
So choose your term and ask carefully when you are buying any of these articles in Pune.
Stop. I have not told my problem yet. I have an A4 sheet laminated certificate. All my problems started because of this. It is sad and surprising that all the files or folders or folder files are available ONLY in standard sizes in A4 or A3, other wise a non-standard country. If my mistake or by some intelligent choice, if you happen to laminate your A4 sheets, be prepared for a tough experience to get a suitable file for you. You may never get it .I have tried in almost 20 stationery shop and every body looks me like a fool, carrying my certificate and asking for a right folder. I have not found anything so far. Is there any manufacturer in India who can give a folder for laminated A4 sheets? Our schools don't give our mark sheets laminated and if you pro-active to get it laminated you will find the difficulty of storing it.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Data Sufficiency Mentality
What is the shortcoming in me or what mindset to adopt when I attend Data sufficiency question?
I am taking the questions too light. At least too light for GMAT standards. I should start the question with a very serious mentality. Because there are many traps in the question to make you fall. Casual attitude in approaching questions is very dangerous and that attitude is trap-friendly.
DS is all about thinking POSSIBILITIES. If you can't think about all the possibilities, before you attend a DS question, you are out of the business. You will land up with some score like 530 - 550 for sure. If there is no mention about the variable, that variable can be anything like 0, -1, 0.5, -0.5, 10000, 2/3 or -5/7 etc.. The possibilities are infinite. If you can not make out that point before you start reading statement 1, you are sure to fail or take a longer time to attend that question.
Unless the variable is explicitly mentioned as an integer, it can have all the possible values available in the number line. Please be careful with this point. The answer choices are really close. If you miss one possibility, you are bowled. For example, what are the possible ways that a # a =1, where as # represents any one of the following mathematical operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Actually except subtraction all other operations can suit this equation. The moment you say variable "a" is an integer addition gets ruled out. The moment you say "a" is greater than zero, then the possibility "a" being -1 is ruled out. If you can't list down possibilities, you can't smell success.
First write down the question, whether it is asking some value of YES or NO type question. If it asks for value, then relation type statements won't work. You should try to get some unique values. Very general relationship equations given in the statements would usually fail.
If it asking for YES or NO types, then open the Pandora box of possibilities. Attack your own initial assumptions. Ask frequently, questions like why it should be negative or why only "a" should be given a lower number or why not "Y" can be a real number. Such questions will open more avenues and automatically your answer choices will be mistake-proof.
I am hasty in selecting the answer choices. If something is not coming correct, I should read the question again and recheck my assumptions and calculations. To be honest, I am not doing that. This mentality can fetch a great score of 500-550 easily. Remember, the questions are highly engineered to deceive you. The questions are not created by ordinary people and been sent across to you to solve. More than one twisted mathematical knowledge is applied to frame the question. If you are not alert, you are sure to stumble on the question. Fluke or guessing does not work here.
Problem solving is not that easy and it is not that difficult to solve. You need to have the right mentality. That's all. All the concepts are known and all the tools are known. Still if I am not striking the question right, it is really the question of mentality. Improve your mind set and improve your score.
I am taking the questions too light. At least too light for GMAT standards. I should start the question with a very serious mentality. Because there are many traps in the question to make you fall. Casual attitude in approaching questions is very dangerous and that attitude is trap-friendly.
DS is all about thinking POSSIBILITIES. If you can't think about all the possibilities, before you attend a DS question, you are out of the business. You will land up with some score like 530 - 550 for sure. If there is no mention about the variable, that variable can be anything like 0, -1, 0.5, -0.5, 10000, 2/3 or -5/7 etc.. The possibilities are infinite. If you can not make out that point before you start reading statement 1, you are sure to fail or take a longer time to attend that question.
Unless the variable is explicitly mentioned as an integer, it can have all the possible values available in the number line. Please be careful with this point. The answer choices are really close. If you miss one possibility, you are bowled. For example, what are the possible ways that a # a =1, where as # represents any one of the following mathematical operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Actually except subtraction all other operations can suit this equation. The moment you say variable "a" is an integer addition gets ruled out. The moment you say "a" is greater than zero, then the possibility "a" being -1 is ruled out. If you can't list down possibilities, you can't smell success.
First write down the question, whether it is asking some value of YES or NO type question. If it asks for value, then relation type statements won't work. You should try to get some unique values. Very general relationship equations given in the statements would usually fail.
If it asking for YES or NO types, then open the Pandora box of possibilities. Attack your own initial assumptions. Ask frequently, questions like why it should be negative or why only "a" should be given a lower number or why not "Y" can be a real number. Such questions will open more avenues and automatically your answer choices will be mistake-proof.
I am hasty in selecting the answer choices. If something is not coming correct, I should read the question again and recheck my assumptions and calculations. To be honest, I am not doing that. This mentality can fetch a great score of 500-550 easily. Remember, the questions are highly engineered to deceive you. The questions are not created by ordinary people and been sent across to you to solve. More than one twisted mathematical knowledge is applied to frame the question. If you are not alert, you are sure to stumble on the question. Fluke or guessing does not work here.
Problem solving is not that easy and it is not that difficult to solve. You need to have the right mentality. That's all. All the concepts are known and all the tools are known. Still if I am not striking the question right, it is really the question of mentality. Improve your mind set and improve your score.
Monday, March 16, 2009
How to read books & my understanding of reading.
Don'ts:
1. Do not read from back wards.
2. Do not read from middle of the book. The author's intended train of thought will be definitely missed by reading this way.
3. Do not read with a closed perspective. Of course, reading more and more books will change this attitude.
4. Do not read, if you feel like stopping.
5. Don't discuss your reading with some one who is not interested. This will make you a comedian in front of others.
Do's:
1. I read from end to end, including acknowledgements, index, bibliography etc.,
2. I will give a short pause, when the author really stirs my brain either by positive or negative way.
3. Please read the foreword also. Many times forewords will give you more thought provoking ideas rather than the book.
4. You may start writing notes from the books you read. But I know it would be difficult. Start taking mental notes of what you are reading. With practice you can track down every concept to a particular book you read.
5. Critically examine author's point of view - This would help in identifying bad books.
6. Unless you read a lot, it is very difficult to find a bad one.
7. Keep a record of books that you read. Make your profile in www.shelfari.com. Visit profile "kums20" in shelfari.com
8. When you are reading biographies of extra-ordinary people, feel proud to understand the personality. Not everyone gets this chance.
9. I generally don't read any review of the book.
10. I generally prefer to read one book at one time. Curb the curious inclination to read, if you come across another mind-blowing book.
11. Try to reward you when you actually finish the book, especially for non-fiction books.
12. Get books from any source: Library, borrowed (but please return in good condition), platform, second hand, photocopy, scrap vendor, lying on the road etc.,
1. Do not read from back wards.
2. Do not read from middle of the book. The author's intended train of thought will be definitely missed by reading this way.
3. Do not read with a closed perspective. Of course, reading more and more books will change this attitude.
4. Do not read, if you feel like stopping.
5. Don't discuss your reading with some one who is not interested. This will make you a comedian in front of others.
Do's:
1. I read from end to end, including acknowledgements, index, bibliography etc.,
2. I will give a short pause, when the author really stirs my brain either by positive or negative way.
3. Please read the foreword also. Many times forewords will give you more thought provoking ideas rather than the book.
4. You may start writing notes from the books you read. But I know it would be difficult. Start taking mental notes of what you are reading. With practice you can track down every concept to a particular book you read.
5. Critically examine author's point of view - This would help in identifying bad books.
6. Unless you read a lot, it is very difficult to find a bad one.
7. Keep a record of books that you read. Make your profile in www.shelfari.com. Visit profile "kums20" in shelfari.com
8. When you are reading biographies of extra-ordinary people, feel proud to understand the personality. Not everyone gets this chance.
9. I generally don't read any review of the book.
10. I generally prefer to read one book at one time. Curb the curious inclination to read, if you come across another mind-blowing book.
11. Try to reward you when you actually finish the book, especially for non-fiction books.
12. Get books from any source: Library, borrowed (but please return in good condition), platform, second hand, photocopy, scrap vendor, lying on the road etc.,
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