580 to 690 in 3 weeks, Q36 to Q48 - non-native, no quant background!

I have never been one to write in forums, but when I needed advice the most, I turned to gmatclub and read stories of other people who have killed it, so I want to give back. Hopefully, somebody reads this and realizes that they can improve their score significantly too!

In July this year, I started prepping with examPAL and diligently studied my material for the following three months. This is not to drag the program, as it did teach me the basics in an easily understandable way and might have worked perfectly for someone else. You go through everything on a topic-per-topic basis. It is great for the basics, but looking back I believe I studied hard for stuff I didn't need to focus that much attention on (e.g. I spent hours and hours getting crazy over geometry and severely neglecting integers and such topics when it should have been the other way round. I didn't know about the big topics on the GMAT. I just studied for everything with the same amount of input.)

October came around and the date of my GMAT approached rapidly. I might have been over-confident, going into my first GMAT. During my mock exams, which I kept as close to reality as possible (no breaks, distraction or other) I scored in the high 600 and even hit a 700 once. I was aiming for mid 600. That being said, when I sat my first GMAT, I thought this was the easiest the test had ever been. I was prepared for this. I had slept 8h every day for three months. I had eaten well. I had stopped studying the day before to avoid cramming. I had meditated. You name a technique to calm down and ensure a good test performance, well I did it. I was there to kill it! Not even nervous, not shaking, I was the calmest I had ever, EVER been in my life. (Given the test-circumstance of course)

During the exam, the whole time I was telling myself "oh wow, how come the exam is this easy this time?" BIG MISTAKE. Do not let your ego get the best of you. You are never too good for the GMAT. Ever. You get what you deserve and if you go into this exam believing you're invincible, you'll receive what you deserve: a score you don't want LAUGHING right at you from the oh-so-familiar blue-white screen.

Instead of concentrating on what was in front of me, I was pushed by my big ego, I thought I was doing great and shining. I was sure I was doing great. Guys, I mean DEAD sure. Until I clicked "send essay" and stared at the 580 in front of me. I sat there and stared at my screen, not wanting to realize what it says. I sat there until the test instructor came around and asked me to leave the chair since I was done with my exam. I couldn't believe it.
They surely must have made an error, this is impossible.
I went outside and still couldn't believe it. I got handed over my score paper and got asked "So? Are you satisfied?" I could barely squeeze out a "Not really" before I quickly left and started crying. (No need to be ashamed of that, ey).
After investing MY ENTIRE LIFE to the GMAT for three months, studying 7h-9h per day and pushing aside other hobbies, meetings etc. (yes, it was all I did) I was only able to score 580. To me, it wasn't representative of the amount of work I put into this prep. AT ALL. Q36, V34.

I wasn't even close to the minimum I needed to apply to my Master's.
After spending two days being semi-depressed and debating of just letting it slide and accepting a 580, I started reading on GMAT club, specifically looking for people who had managed to see a jump in their score in a short amount of time.
I had three weeks until the last possible GMAT date. The only positive point was my 6 on AWA but otherwise, my daily mood was far from shining.

I contacted my former study platform and looked for advice to understand if I would be even capable of seeing an increase in as little as three weeks. Answers weren't really conclusive, but they're not to blame, I guess they can't tell you something precise in the danger of you taking their word for granted.
After writing a post in this forum, Rich from EmpowerGMAT answered, offered help as well as to analyze my ESR and I decided to try out EmpowerGMATs free trial. Before you say I didn't give anything else a chance, I actually started four different free trials in the attempt of finding one program that would be my life score saver.

The thing that got me hooked immediately with Empower, was their approach. Now, I do not have a math background. In fact, I studied culinary arts, sciences and restaurant management - yes, management, so there was a bit of biz in there, but needless to say, I wasn't forced to calculate and play around with integers, radicals or work problems for a good 5 years. Don't even get me talking about geometry and such. You get the picture. And if any calculation was required of me during those past 5 years, then surely not on paper but with a calculator.

I used Empower's score booster, their shortened program which immediately caught my eye as it is advertised as directed towards people who wrote the GMAT once already. I saw advertisements of people bumping their score to the big 7 and all I could think of was "yeah sure.. But could I?"
The whole program and interface are laid out clearly, with a step-by-step guide to follow so it leaves no room for guesswork. There is even a pdf document which lets you know in advance how much time you need to set aside to complete a certain topic. THIS IS BEYOND HELPFUL. How many days have I planned out study sessions just to find myself adjusting them because something took longer than I expected? I believe, especially when you're planning your GMAT around your workday or daily activities this feature is beyond helpful. I didn't have it previously so I appreciated it immensely.

The whole course is structured in mini-videos and in-between exercises BUT THE BEST PART is that Empower, and Empower only makes use of the OG guides. I purchased them back in June, before even knowing which online study platform to use because I thought that I would surely need those books. During my three months with examPAL I didn't touch the books at all, but in Empower's structure, you have built-in Quizzes of different difficulties for which you always use the OG guides. It means you're practising with the real deal only. It's not only great for your performance but also very calming on your nerves to know that you've been practising with real stuff, rather than knock-off questions that could be either too hard (MGMAT I am looking at you) or too easy.

I studied hard, and I mean HARD, for the following three weeks, focusing mainly on math, and diligently went through all of the prep material. I still did my English courses as well, as there were plenty of little tricks and tips which helped me to bump my score that was good already.

Now, one important thing though: When I asked for advice in forums if an increase in three weeks would be possible, everybody said no. I was nearly discouraged. The only reason why I managed to bump my quant from 36 to 48 was because of Rich's way of teaching math. What I loved is that he cuts back on unnecessary stuff, teaches you the vital things only. I focused most on formulas I didn't know and with each module and video I discovered new shortcuts and clear-cut ways of solving math without making it complicated. MOST OF ALL Rich teaches you how to be thorough. I no longer guessed around in DS or answered based on what I thought was true based on some notes and calculations, but started following a strict way of figuring out what is right and wrong in DS and HAVING PROOF FOR IT written on my paper, so whenever I clicked on an answer I was dead-sure it was the right one. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE HOW IMPORTANT THIS IS. I would even claim that my main increase in Quant was because of all tricks, tips, shortcuts and new ways of just, simply, taking clear notes. I didn't discover any theoretical knowledge I didn't know already, but it was the way I got to the knowledge that was all new!


I cannot thank the Empower team enough. Rich made me love math (which has never happened in my life and Max made me discover the little details I was missing in my approach to verbal. Lyndsay was always quick to help and their platform is well built, self-explanatory and full of little surprise bits like motivational podcasts and extra study material as well as built-in reviews and Quizzes to strengthen all you've learnt so far.

One last note: I know I could've gotten higher than that. This result is without even finishing the ENTIRE score booster program. As it was laid out for 4-6 weeks, I had to make a decision between studying nearly 10 hours per day and finishing it all but risking to burn out just before the exam, or just focus on what I thought was the most urgent. That is to say, that I can only imagine how far you could go up if you complete the entire program.


I finally retired from my GMAT quest. It might have taken longer than expected, it brought more tears than I thought, but finally, I can proudly say that my score reflects my work and all that I've put into it. Q48, V37, 690.