1.25 yrs prep 3 sleepless nights 2 failures & 1 Dream Score

GMAT 1: 650 (Q49, V30)- Sep 16th, 2012

GMAT 2: 690 (Q49, V34)- July 1st, 2013

GMAT 3: 750 (Q50, V41)- Sep 17th, 2013

Pheww!! Done with GMAT Marathon finally-- 1.25 years of preparation, 3 sleepless nights, 2 failures and 1 dream score!

Would like to thank e-GMAT (Rajat, Payal, Shraddha and Chiranjeev).

Here's a breakdown:

GMAT 1--

Preparation lasted ~ 5 months..I was always decent at quant and from the start, was scoring 49-50 in Q on mocks but speed & letting go of questions remained an issue. Bunuel on GMATClub is great-- solve all his questions.. In Verbal, I was not aware of rules or logic..just practiced alot of questions-- lacked in speed and got stuck often. The first GMAT experience was nerve wracking-- primary focus was somehow to complete the test; wasn't sure of many answers esp. in Verbal esp. SC. Couldn't attempt the last 3-4 questions properly in both Quant and Verbal. The screen flashed a 650-- gutted;

GMAT 2--

Took a 2 months break but the GMAT score kept bothering me..knew that I will retake it. Couldn't start on my own so decided to enroll for classroom learning-- Joined Princeton Review Classes; Preparation~ 6 months. The faculty was great at PR, Delhi esp. the Verbal faculty; SC became my strong point and I achieved a 80-85% accuracy, CR improved marginally 70-80% accuracy however, RCs remained a problem- 55-65% accuracy and my timing was totally off; In hindsight, I might have over focused on the 1st 10 questions and ended up short of time.

Quant was the same even though I felt I had managed time better; Verbal- felt like I was doing pretty well and even started thinking of 40+ but kept getting behind on time which really messed up the last 10..submit- 690-

Low point in life. I have always been over-persistent with a cling on attitude and it is extremely difficult for me to let go of things. Started wondering whether the GMAC & the powers that be are conspiring against me and whether the GMAT is not for ppl lyk me..self doubt, inner demons, even the L word marked my thinking..was the accuracy reqd much higher than what I thought.. I deserved better maybe. My mocks seemed to suggest so..

GMAT 3--

Something within me jus kept me going..I couldn't stop now..690 thats not bad ppl said-- which made me feel worse..I shut myself down-- devised a study plan-- I knew it had to be Verbal which was setting me back..Quant had never been the issue even though I couldn't cross 49 both times..I decided to focus on the core issue -- VERBAL and I quit smoking..

Enrolled for e-GMAT- its different from most other courses-- inspite of the initial glitches, moved ahead with my prep..yes-- there is indeed a method to teaching CR & RC as demonstrated by e-GMAT--here are the main takeaways from the e-GMAT course--

-- SC- focus on the original sentence and error analysis. POE comes later and if the intended meaning is clear, u can breeze through this step.

-- CR- Pre- thinking helps u to structure the argument in your head; so that even if u can't guess correctly; u can identify the correct option during POE better

-- RC- Logical Structure, passage summaries and keywords help u understand the passage in the 1st go.

-- Last but not the least-- following the process for each and every question every single time; once ur done with the process- u move on, u save time

And never get bogged down-- I got a 50% on the e-GMAT Mini Test..e-GMAT workshops are great for practice and the analysis is unparalleled..

2 days before MGMAT repeat test - scored 770 and more importantly, could complete both sections well in time..Practice a variety of tests - U must try all the free sources including Veritas, Grockit, MGMAT, Edvento to name a few apart from the regular test series u take..monitor ur results n do in depth analysis and corrections on the same day.

Contrary to popular belief, took a paper on the day before the GMAT (had taken 2 papers the day before- 1 complete and 1 Quant); Wanted to be in qa mode and in rythm unlike previous 2 exams where I lazed around the day before the GMAT which made me even more nervous..I do recommend some light exercise a day before the GMAT as it helps get rid of the nervous energy -- did help me..just do everything u need to focus..

If Andy Murray could do it, .....decided to drive myself to the centre this time-- Quant was a breeze- kept monitoring time-- last question was super tough-- some weird series - could not make head or tail out of it..was unsure of only a few questions. Had Gatorade+ Crackle instead of Red Bull + Snickers this time-- more of a superstition thing..Verbal- in the break time I thought- these next few moments might well define what I end up doing with my life-- no stress- started off with 3 SCs n everything started falling in place-- couldn't have been more sure about the answers-- most of them-- I daresay if I could have completed the last 2-3 questions on Verbal, my score might have been even higher !! I would still take it...any day..!! New challenges beckon..