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GMAT
GMAT
By Raj Bapna
Dear Friend,
You now have in your hands a very valuable list of 1,853 most difficult
GMAT words that can give you an edge over others for your success in GMAT
exam. This is my gift to you with my best wishes for your big success in GMAT
exam and in life.
This list is taken from the vocab books of Vocab-Builder Mind Machine (for
GMAT exam, CAT, MBA), which is a topper’s ultimate vocab system.
The page numbers are listed on the top right side of each page as:
Here Cassette 1 Side A means that the words are on the Side A of
Cassette 1 and 4 means that the page number is 4 of this book
Wishing you best of success in GMAT exam for MBA from a top college and
worldwide opportunities for exciting career, great wealth, enriching travel, and
family pride,
Raj Bapna .
Cassette 1 Side A
ascribe = to attribute
asinine = stupid
assail = attack
avow = declare
bevy = group
bilious = ill-tempered
bulwark = fortification
colloquy = conference
commodious = spacious
concur = To agree
Cassette 1 Side B
conflagration = large fire, big, destructive fire
contusion = A bruise
craven = cowardly
cupidity = greed
didactic = instructional
dissipate = scatter
eclectic = joyful
efface = To obliterate
effrontery = insolence
effulgent = brilliant
elicit = provoke
emend = correct
euthanasia = mercy-killing
Cassette 2 Side A
exacerbate = worsen
exult = rejoice
fealty = Loyalty
fidelity = Loyalty
fitful = irregular
foment = instigate
foster = encourage
fraught = filled
furtive = stealthy
gainsay = to deny
gargantuan = large
garner = gather
gibe = heckle
goad = encourage
hackneyed = trite
hapless = unlucky
harbinger = forerunner
haughty = arrogant
hiatus = interruption
hone = sharpen
illimitable = limitless
impair = injure
impeccable = faultless
imperious = domineering
imperturbable = calm
impervious = Impenetrable
impolitic = unwise
impugn = criticize
inadvertent = unintentional
incandescent = brilliant
incognito = disguised
incontrovertible = Indisputable
incursion = raid
indigenous = Native
indolent = lazy
indubitable = unquestionable
Cassette 2 Side B
infallible = incapable of making a mistake
infernal = hellish
innocuous = Harmless
insolent = insulting
insuperable = insurmountable
insurgent = rebellious
inter = bury
interdict = prohibit
interminable = unending
intransigent = uncompromising
intrepid = fearless
inundate = flood
irascible = irritable
kismet = fate
lachrymose = tearful
legerdemain = trickery
loquacious = Talkative
macabre = gruesome
malediction = curse
mendicant = beggar
minatory = threatening
munificent = generous
myriad = innumerable
neophyte = beginner
nettle = irritate
niggardly = stingy
obdurate = unyielding
oblique = indirect
obliterate = destroy
obstinate = stubborn
onerous = burdensome
ordain = appoint
ossify = harden
Cassette 3 Side A
pacifist = one who opposes all violence
panegyric = praise
pariah = outcast
partisan = supporter
patrician = aristocrat
pedant = a person who is too interested in formal rules and small unimportant details
penchant = inclination
penitent = repentant
pensive = sad
peremptory = dictatorial
pernicious = destructive
pertinacious = persevering
plethora = overabundance
polemic = a controversy
portend = omen
precipitous = steep
precocious = advanced
precursor = forerunner
preponderance = predominance
prodigal = wasteful
progenitor = ancestor
progeny = children
prognosis = forecast
prognosticate = foretell
propensity = inclination
prude = puritan
puerile = Childish
pulchritude = beauty
purport = claim to be
pusillanimous = cowardly
querulous = complaining
rapprochement = reconciliation
raze = destroy
Cassette 3 Side B
recant = retract a statement
refractory = obstinate
regal = royal
replete = complete
reproach = blame
retrieve = reclaim
retrograde = regress
revelry = merrymaking
revere = honor
revulsion = aversion
rustic = rural
sacrosanct = sacred
sagacious = wise
sanguine = cheerful
sardonic = scornful
savant = scholar
scintillate = sparkle
scoff = ridicule
sloth = laziness
slovenly = sloppy
sobriety = composed
sobriquet = nickname
sodden = soaked
solace = consolation
soliloquy = A monologue
somnambulist = sleepwalker
somnolent = Sleepy
spawn = produce
sportive = playful
spurn = reject
squalid = filthy
stolid = impassive
stratagem = trick
suave = smooth
sully = stain
supercilious = arrogant
supplant = replace
surmise = to guess
surmount = overcome
surreptitious = secretive
tantamount = equivalent
temerity = boldness
4
Cassette 4 Side A
ample = enough, specious, abundant
carnivorous = meat-eating
earthy = crude
extemporaneous = unrehearsed
fabricate = construct
flora = plants
fraudulent = Counterfeit
imprudent = unwise
inconsequential = Valueless
injurious = harmful
irreverent = disrespectful
laudable = Praiseworthy
lexicon = A dictionary
litigation = lawsuit
mishap = Misfortune
plenitude = Abundance
propagate = To spread
superannuated = retired
Cassette 4 Side B
superficial = shallow and phony
therapeutic = medicinal
transcend = To surpass
tenacious = persistent
tendentious = biased
tepid = lukewarm
thrall = slave
trepidation = fear
tumult = commotion
tyro = beginner
umbrage = resentment
unctuous = insincere
unsullied = spotless
vacillate = To waver
vie = compete
vilify = defame
virile = manly
winsome = charming
wizened = shriveled
wraith = ghost
Cassette 5 Side A
amphibian = creature that lives on land and water
benighted = un enlightened
benison = Blessing
canny = clever and able to think quickly, especially about money or business
consequential = important
contumacious = rebellious
dissimulate = to disguise
excoriate = to denounce
fluster = confuse
ignominious = Shameful
Cassette 5 Side B
maritime = Situated on or near the sea
mendacious = Untrue
permeable = penetrable
ratiocination = reasoning
salubrious = healthy
succinct = Concise
variegated = many-colored
verity = Truth
Cassette 6 Side A
abase = lower, humiliate
advent = arrival
adventitious = accidental
affect = influence
aghast = horrified
amenable = agreeable
amity = Friendship
amorphous = shapeless
anarchist = terrorist
animus = hate
apoplexy = stroke
apparition = phantom
apposite = apt
apropos = Appropriate
arbiter = judge
argot = slang
array = arrangement
arroyo = gully
artifice = trick
aseptic = sterile
atelier = workshop
badger = To pester
bard = poet
baroque = ornate
beholden = in debt
bereft = deprived of
bivouac = encampment
bode = portend
brackish = salty
bucolic = rustic
burlesque = farce
cadaverous = haggard
callow = inexperienced
carafe = bottle
cardinal = chief
Cassette 6 Side B
carrion = decaying flesh
chafe = abrade
chasten = castigate
cipher = zero
cleft = split
cloven = split
cogitate = ponder
cognizant = aware
cohort = an associate
concordat = Agreement
condescend = patronize, talk down to, to treat someone as though you are better
condiment = seasoning
condolence = sympathy for the family or friends of a person who has recently died
consort = spouse
contingent = conditional
contort = twist
controvert = dispute
corollary = consequence
corpulent = fat
cortege = procession
coruscate = sparkle
crestfallen = dejected
crevice = crack
culvert = drain
cynosure = celebrity
dank = damp
dauntless = courageous
deadpan = expressionless
decant = pour
decrepitude = enfeeblement
defamation = slander
defray = pay
deign = condescend
demented = deranged
denizen = dweller
denouement = resolution
deposition = testimony
derelict = negligent
desolate = forsaken
desuetude = disuse
diminution = Reduction
disconcert = confuse
discretion = prudence
dishevel = muss
disinter = unearth
disinterested = Impartial
dissonance = Discord
dolorous = gloomy
duenna = governess
ecclesiastical = churchly
eclat = brilliance
elegiac = sad
embryonic = rudimentary
engross = captivate
epoch = era
escapade = adventure
eviscerate = disembowel
excision = removal
exegesis = interpretation
exigency = urgency
exiguous = scanty
expletive = oath
extant = existing
facet = aspect
factitious = artificial
factotum = handyman
ferment = turmoil
fester = decay
7
Cassette 7 Side A
festive = joyous
fete = to honor
fiat = decree
firebrand = agitator
flagellate = whip
flail = whip
foray = raid
fret = worry
fritter = squander
frivolity = playfulness
gamut = range
garnish = decorate
genealogy = ancestry
genesis = beginning
ghastly = horrible
glean = gather
gory = bloody
grapple = struggle
grisly = gruesome
guffaw = laughter
guttural = throaty
haggard = gaunt
halcyon = serene
hale = healthy
hamper = obstruct
harry = harass
heedless = careless
hibernal = wintry
homily = sermon
horde = group
hubris = arrogance
humus = soil
immolate = sacrifice
impale = pierce
imprimatur = sanction
impute = charge
incantation = chant
incapacitate = disable
inclement = harsh
incriminate = accuse
incubus = nightmare
ineffable = inexpressible
ineluctable = inescapable
infidel = nonbeliever
influx = inflow
infraction = violation
inimitable = peerless
inopportune = untimely
inordinate = excessive
insouciant = nonchalant
insubordinate = disobedient
integument = a covering
inveigle = lure
jejune = barren
knead = massage
lackey = servant
laity = laymen
lave = wash
litany = list
lout = goon
lupine = wolf-like
luxuriant = lush
maim = injure
manacle = shackle
marauder = plunderer
masticate = chew
matriarch = matron
maul = rough up
mausoleum = tomb
mayhem = mutilation
medley = mixture
melee = riot
mete = distribute
miasma = toxin
minion = subordinate
minutiae = trivia
mire = marsh
Cassette 7 Side B
miscegenation = intermarriage between races
modish = chic
molten = melted
mortify = humiliate
mottled = spotted
mountebank = charlatan
mulct = defraud
muse = ponder
nubile = marriageable
obituary = eulogy
obliquity = perversity
ogle = flirt
onus = burden
opprobrium = disgrace
orison = prayer
pantomime = mime
papyrus = paper
paramour = lover
parsimonious = stingy
passe = outmoded
pastoral = rustic
pedantic = bookish
penurious = stingy
peregrination = wandering
perforce = by necessity
perjury = lying
petty = trivial
platonic = nonsexual
plebiscite = referendum
plumb = measure
poltroon = coward
prate = babble
preamble = introduction
preternatural = abnormal
primp = groom
proboscis = snout
prod = urge
profusion = overabundance
prophylactic = preventive
propound = propose
proviso = stipulation
puissant = strong
purloin = To steal
putative = reputed
quaint = old-fashioned
qualms = misgivings
quay = wharf
queasy = squeamish
quip = joke
quirk = eccentricity
quizzical = odd
quorum = majority
8
Cassette 8 Side A
rabid = mad, furious
raiment = clothing
reconnaissance = surveillance
recumbent = reclining
redolent = fragrant
redundant = repetitious
reek = smell
regale = entertain
remiss = Negligent
remorse = guilt
rendezvous = a meeting
repercussion = consequence
repine = fret
reprimand = rebuke
reprisal = retaliation
retaliate = revenge
retribution = reprisal
reverent = respectful
reverie = daydream
rigor = harshness
risible = laughable
rout = vanquish
rummage = hunt
ruse = trick
sacerdotal = priestly
sanctimonious = self-righteous
sapid = interesting
saturnine = gloomy
scarify = criticize
scuttle = to sink
seclusion = solitude
sedulous = diligent
semblance = likeness
serried = saw-toothed
shibboleth = password
shoal = reef
shrew = virago
skinflint = miser
skittish = excitable
slander = defame
sleight = dexterity
slither = slide
snivel = whine
spasmodic = intermittent
spectral = ghostly
splenetic = peevish
spry = nimble
spume = foam
stratum = layer
stupor = lethargy
substantiate = verify
Cassette 8 Side B
substantive = substantial
sultry = sweltering
sunder = split
sundry = various
supernumerary = subordinate
sylvan = rustic
tantalize = tease
taper = candle
tarry = linger
taurine = bull-like
temperate = moderate
tempo = speed
tentative = provisional
terrapin = turtle
testy = petulant
thespian = actor
throes = anguish
throng = crowd
Titanic = huge
touchstone = standard
traduce = slander
tribunal = court
truckle = yield
tutelage = guardianship
tyranny = oppression
unassuming = modest
uniformity = sameness
unscathed = unhurt
ursine = bear-like
vagary = whim
vainglorious = conceited
vassal = subject
vehement = adamant
venial = excusable
viand = food
victuals = food
vitreous = glassy
vituperative = abusive
vulpine = fox-like
waggish = playful
wastrel = spendthrift
waylay = ambush
wheedle = coax
whimsical = capricious
wince = cringe
winnow = separate
wither = shrivel
wont = custom
wreak = inflict
wrest = snatch
writhe = contort
yen = desire
Cassette 9 Side A
aberration = different from normal or usual
abettor = encourager
abominate = to hate
actuarial = calculating
acuity = sharpness
agility = nimbleness
ambrosia = food of the Greek gods that provided immortal youth & beauty, anything
sweet and pleasing
antecede = To precede
anthropoid = manlike
apothecary = One who keeps drugs for sale and puts up prescriptions
archaeology = the study of ancient cultures by looking for and examining their
buildings, tools
aromatic = fragrant
assessment = estimation
blurt = to say something suddenly and without thinking, especially when you are
excited or nervous
boorish = Rude
brittle = Fragile
brooch = a piece of jewelry for women which is fastened onto clothes with a pin
cameo = when someone famous appears for a short time in a film or play
caprice = A whim
catapult = slingshot
cerebration = thought
Cassette 9 Side B
ciliated = having minute hairs, one-celled animal
clavicle = collarbone
cohesion = consistency
colossal = huge
cornice = a decorative border around the walls of a room close to the ceiling
crone = hag
dappled = spotted
defection = desertion
demesne = domain
demolition = destruction
derision = Ridicule
detonation = explosion
diadem = crown
disavowal = Denial
disport = amuse
durance = confinement
eerie = weird
How to Use this: The goal is to give you an idea of what types of unusual, odd,
uncommon words are part of GMAT preparation. Reading and revising any word list is
a hard way to learn and not very successful. That is why we have developed the Vocab-
Builder Mind Machine, so you can learn in effortless way and we strongly recommend
you try the mind machine.
"Step 1: Honestly evaluate how good are you at Maths and Vocab
for GMAT exam"
Do you realize that most people (other than engineers and science/Maths
Do you realize that most people taking GMAT exam do not have large, rich
vocabulary of about 4,500 words including unusual and odd words needed for
these exams.
To really discover how good you are at Maths and Vocab, you can take a mock
test in realistic exam environment by timing yourself. This helps you discover
how ready are you for the exam, which requires two skills: knowledge of
subject (Maths, vocab, comprehension, data interpretation) and speed in
solving problems and answering question.
Here are the last 10 words from the GMAT/ CAT exams cassette 7 side A to
test yourself: iridescent, jettison, jingoism, lackadaisical, langour, lapidary,
latitude, lionize, loiter, lull. If you know less than 8 words, you are perhaps not
as good as you think you are.
Which coaching is the best? Each city has some good coaching and that you'll
have to find out by asking others and visiting some of the famous institutes in
your city.
The mind machine also trains you to "enter the learning state" so you learn other
subjects better, too.
It is clear from the above results that Indian students are strong in Maths (and
that is why our engineers are becoming more valuable worldwide) but weak in
English.
The main reason for low score in English Usage and Comprehension is not
knowing the vocab well which makes it much harder to answer questions
correctly. Most of us in India are not so good in English vocab even if we have
studied in English schools.
Do you realize that even the toppers with 100 percentile in CAT 2006 got
only 60% or less in English Usage and Comprehension? And since many had
joined famous coaching, it seems to me is that the classroom coaching is not
able to help much with this aspect of CAT.
The biggest problem is that though it is relatively easy to learn new words at
home or in coaching classes, it is extremely difficult to remember them after a
few weeks/months.
Even the best coaching classes fail to put 4,000 to 4,500 words in the long-term
memory of your mind because they do not specialize in mind power and mind
technologies. The best they can do, no matter how hard they work, is to prepare
a good book offering you word lists and then motivate you to repeatedly read
the word lists in different ways many many times over several months and hope
that you remember many of the words.
But, you cannot blame the coaching institutes because it is not their fault. It is
the nature of our mind, which is simply not capable of remembering many
uncommon and odd words just by reading word lists a few times and you know
there is not a lot of time to revise many many times.
If you are concerned or worried about memorizing vocab, you are not alone--
almost every student faces the same problem. Despite my hard work for over a
year, I myself got only 20% in Verbal, though I got 97% in Quantitative in
GRE (see my GRE score card below), so I know how one can feel.
My wife, Dr Anju Bapna, who is a medical doctor, took GMAT exam in USA
for admission to MBA. To get a good score, she took classroom coaching in
California from Kaplan, which is world's number one coaching institute for
GMAT test preparation. The fee was about $1,200 for 11 classes. The Kaplan
coaching proved ineffective and totally failed to help her improve vocab for the
GMAT exam. She was just lucky to get admission to MBA she wanted. In fact,
this coaching experience of her was what motivated me to develop the Vocab-
Builder Mind Machine on our return to India.
You need to find various ways, both small and big, if possible unique and not-
yet-common ways, to gain "unfair advantage" and get ahead of others and win
the race.
A competition is like a race where only certain number of students get success
and remaining fail. Mind Machine is like being on an airplane when others in
the race are on bikes, cars or cycles. Guess who will win such an unfair race?
The mind machine provides one way to gain such "unfair advantage" because it
puts words into your mind effortlessly. You perhaps realize that toppers are not
two times as intelligent as others and that toppers don’t study two times as many
hours as others per day, but knowingly or unknowingly they use more mind
power. “Using mind power” is the missing link in our education system and that
makes the difference between success and failure.
www.MindPowerIndia.com/GMAT-Vocab/gmat.htm
and
www.MindMachineLab.htm