110 point increase! 590 to the 700-Club !!!

I thought it would only be fitting for me to start off by saying

"Well well well, how the turntables..."

I officially received my invitation to the 700-Club this past Monday!

700 = Q47 | V38 | IR6

I started studying for the GMAT towards the end of 2018, alongside ahabib.

ahabib has his own amazing debrief that is a MUST read for anybody looking to make that final push

I attended an Access MBA event in November and had a chance to speak with INSEAD, McGill, Ivey, among others. I was very impressed with Ivey Business School, and felt like it was really the perfect fit for somebody looking for a transformative experience like I was. INSEAD and Ivey both made it to the top of my list, but both had Median GMATs of 710 & 680 respectively so I knew I had my work cut out for me if I wanted to stand a chance of getting admitted.

My baseline score was 600 = Q35 | V37.

ahabib was spearheading our study efforts, he kept me motivated and in check. We spent months studying together, working on essays/applications; one of the first, and best, habits we started doing was waking up before sunrise and going to bed early so we can rinse and repeat day-in/day-out.

I subscribed to @EMPOWERGmat at this time, but unfortunately I didn't really use the resource as much as I should have. The year was tough both personally and professionally, so I rescheduled 4 TIMES before actually taking my first real test. I rescheduled from Nov 2018 to Jan 2019, Jan 2019 to March 2019, March 2019 to July 2019, July 2019 to August 2019.

ENJOY THOSE FEES GMAC!

My studying was very fragmented over this period going strong for a few weeks (30+ hours/week), then off for a few weeks, then rescheduling ... rinse and repeat.

Materials I owned during this period:
OG16
OG19
EmpowerGmat (On & Off, I found they provide some strong tactics, but not enough practice problems to really build a skillset or train the underlying methods)
OG19 Verbal (Did not use)
OG19 Quant (Did not use)
MGMAT 12th edition collection (Did not use)
PowerScore CR 2015 (Did not use)

1st Attempt, Aug 26th 2019: 590 = Q38 | V34 | IR4

After months of studying, rescheduling and more studying, I had built up this exam so much in my head that I was scared to take it. ahabib hit a 680 on his very first attempt and I knew I was nowhere near that level

The weeks leading up to my August exam, I took a practice CAT every week. I took MGMAT CATS and my scores were 570, 630, 590...my OG CATS were 660 & 640.

I was finding it very difficult to juggle Quant and Verbal review simultaneously, my scores were fluctuating all over the place, I considered rescheduling AGAIN, but decided enough is enough... I have to face this test and get it over with.

I went into my first exam expecting 640+, and saw 590...I cancelled the score instantly.... It was a tough pill to swallow.

I had invested a lot of hours into the GMAT already, but in a very fragmented and rushed way that left me woefully unprepared. I learned the hard way that Quality > Quantity. Looking back at that point, I kept cutting corners, rushing through the material, in fact, the story that ScottTargetTestPrep talks about in the "Strategy" lesson of TTP is basically me lol.

My first ever cold baseline OG CAT was a 600 (Q35 | V37) and I felt like I was still at that level. Overall I​ hadn't put my best foot forward.

2nd Attempt, Dec 30th 2019: 620 = Q44 | V32 | IR4

For my second attempt, I knew I needed a structured, methodic approach to QUANT. I took a few weeks off to shake off the 590 and went back at it toward the end of September.

This is when ScottTargetTestPrep came into play. I spoke with Jeff over the phone after doing an initial assessment online, I signed up for the 4-Month package shortly after that. From October to December, I treated GMAT like a job. Wake up early get in a few hours, stay up later to do a little more. I'm not sure how somebody is humanly capable of completing TTP in less than 3-4 months. The course was exactly what I needed to hone my skills in Quant. I learned that the GMAT takes a combination of skill and ability, but not much knowledge outside of some formulas. Both your skill and ability will improve dramatically with the amount of questions ScottTargetTestPrep will throw at you.

They help you build a skill and then test your ability, help build another skill and test your ability....rinse and repeat.

Here comes the bad part ... early December I realized that the GMAT also has a Verbal section

I took my first MGMAT CAT in months and got a 620 (Q41|V35).... I was devastated.... after months of studying ... over 2,000 questions at 85%+ accuracy..... I took another MGMAT CAT a week later, 630 (Q44|V32).... still very disheartened.... I stopped taking CATs and focused on TTP and Verbal. 4 days before December 30th, I took OG4 CAT (repeat), I had taken OG4 almost a year prior. I got a 720 (Q49|V40) and was very surprised .....

heading into my 2nd Official attempt I had gotten

620 (MGMAT)
630 (MGMAT)
720 (OG4 retake)

Right after my 720 OG4 confidence booster, I got a really bad cold.... the thought of rescheduling creeped into my head again.... I couldn't this time because I would miss Ivey's final deadline....I decided to do my exam regardless.

Morning of the 2nd Attempt, I was feeling awful, but I did a little warmup set and got everything right. Now or never I thought. The Exam proved to be tough with a cold and I could feel that I wasn't as sharp. By the time it ended I knew the best I could hope for was a 660, I figured I was at around a 640.... then the 620 (Q44 | V32) shows up.... it was disappointing to say the least. I accepted the score and ultimately decided to apply to Ivey Business School, hoping that I could do well in the interview, essays and Story/Fit portion of the application to MAYBE have a chance.

Fortunately for me, it wasn't such a bad idea because I ended up getting an offer!

3rd Attempt, February 20th, 2020: 700 = Q47 | V38 | IR6

Fast forward a few weeks, I was admitted to one of my target schools, but I couldn't help but feel a little defeated....defeated by this test...

All I could remember was a quote from Brian Galvin's article "Why you don't Deserve a 700 on your GMAT"...

"The GMAT isn’t a proficiency test; it’s a separation mechanism."

I took the OG5 (repeat) just to see where my head was at.... 710 (Q50|V35)...

The idea of giving it another shot, even though I was admitted just kept spinning in my head. Fortunately, I had a lot of people encouraging me to give it one last chance. I actively avoided studying, because it would just add unnecessary pressure. I even signed up for TTP for another month, but ultimately decided not to use it. I had already learned everything I could from TTP, a week or two would not change that.

After about 6 weeks of staying away from GMAT and reading more of the Economist instead, I stayed cool as a cucumber, but kept my Verbal framework. I took a fresh OG6 CAT, the last unattempted exam I had left. I took it 3 days before my actual exam on February 20th and I wrote it in the business school I would be attending regardless of my score. I got a 640 (Q42|V37|IR3)...I just laughed. After that, I really stopped preparing for the GMAT, I mainly reviewed flashcards I had made through my time with TTP and read business news instead of Verbal prep.

February 20th arrived, I was in London, Ontario a city I had only lived in for a week up until this point. I took the bus to the test centre, left my place at noon, and arrived around 1:30PM for my 2PM exam.

I started Quant and right away felt like I was bombing this exam, spent almost 6 minutes on the first 2 questions...but I didn't really care so I just went about my business and answered the next question and the next question... by the middle of quant I felt like I was doing better... I had to start triaging (Thanks @EMPOWERGmat) some questions towards the end to make sure I finished on time.

Verbal went pretty well overall, I spent a little bit too much time on a tough RC, but I just wanted to get this exam over with and go home.

IR started off tough, but I felt like I recovered in the 2nd half. AWA I won't lie, I rushed through because I really just wanted to see my juicy 640 (Q42|V37)....what I expected before hitting "next" .....

I pressed next and there it was ...... SEVEN ZERO ZERO

I simply burst out laughing at the screen, my vision got hazy and I couldn't stop laughing.... I felt like I was in an episode of Punk'd.

The test moderator comes into the room to tell me to keep quiet and I tell her that I'm finished, but I make her repeat the number on screen to make sure I'm not imagining this.

I walked out of that test centre feeling a little light-headed. I called ahabib shortly after to share the good news!

Summary and Closing remarks regarding the GMAT

My advice to anybody looking to tackle the GMAT is to follow the following steps...lets call it the P7 of hitting a 700+ GMAT

1) Take a practice OG CAT, don't study, don't review, just take the CAT following all the instructions to establish your true baseline.
2) If you score below a Q46 as your baseline, don't think, just head on over to TTP and connect with ScottTargetTestPrep.
3) Before you continue any further go watch dcummins 's Video Debrief.... Understand that this is not going to be easy.
4) Read Brian Galvin's article.......Why you dont deserve a 700 on your gmat.....Understand that this is not going to be easy.
5) Buy OG Verbal and use MGMAT or @EMPOWERGmat (Triage, Test the Answer & Test It! are amazing tools) for Verbal and tactics, Quant is taken care of by TTP.
6) Focus on getting questions correct before you focus on timing, you will need to be around 70-75% accuracy, averaged across both Quant & Verbal, to hit a 700+ score.
7) Take a break before heading into the exam, I would say a good 2 days off before exam day. Light review of flash cards only.

Hope you all enjoyed! There are a ton of amazing resources on this forum, MAKE GOOD USE OF EM!

I've attached all ESRs. If anyone has follow-up questions I'll gladly reply