610 to 720 over 8 years - family guy (not the Griffin kind!)

Question

Background I had a business school degree on my mind during graduation in 2007 and I took my first stab at the GMAT 2009, scoring a 610. Needless to say, I decided to move on. Got married in 2011 and gave the GMAT another shot in late 2011, scoring 620 this time around. I again, decided to move one. The years following 2011 came with amazing opportunities on the work front but I never let go of my books all this while, keeping them neatly stacked at various places in the house so that they might not hinder the aesthetics of the place

Taking the GMAT was a recurring thought every quarter and then with the kid arriving in 2014, things took a backseat. I was still killing it at work and flying around to build the brand across destinations and events such as WEF. I must say that I was disillusioned by the crop of MBAs I would interact with and was a non-believer for a good 2 years or so, in the potential of an MBA. This is the time when I stopped looking at an MBA as a qualification and began to look at it as an experience. Note: I have considered myself well-versed with nuances of the English language, having worked in marketing and communications for over 8 years. The love for the language goes back to primary school, though. Baseline scores from previous GMAT attempts: 2009: 610 Q43 V31 2011: 620 Q44 V31 Cut to 2017 Study progression and resources I decided to give the GMAT one more shot before the kid grew up. I started studying without any baggage from the past and I owe it to my wife for ensuring that she pushed me hard enough for me to actually begin studying again, after a break of 6 years. First step: The Economist GMAT Tutor - 31 August 2017 I installed the app on my phone and used the first week of free access to just go through what they had to offer. I ended up traveling 2 hours each way to another office location during this week and Bangalore traffic ensured that I went through the lessons thoroughly. I did not opt for the paid version of the app after one week but it did help me get back to reading the concepts. This was the much-needed step 1. Second step: GMAT Prep 1 - 7 September 2017 I upgraded the GMAT Prep software to the latest version and lo and behold, the practice test from 2011 showed me a score of 620. I reset the responses and attempted the test on 26 August 2017. The score? 620 ! Clearly, the metaphorical needle had not moved a bit in those 6 years and this meant quite some hard work that had to be put in for validating the $250 that were going to be spent for the exam. Anyway, I decided to NOT move on from GMAT this time around. I listed down every section that I had committed mistakes in and made sure that I kept a note of these in a separate writing pad. Call it the GMAT Pad of Nemeses . Third step: Magoosh GMAT - 7 Sept 2017 I must say that I was hooked on to this one. The detailed explanations made me realise about the one fault (among many) in my GMAT preparation over the years - I needed a human voice to tell me what was wrong with an approach to solve a question and whether my approach was correct in solving the question. I utilised the one week free access to the best of my available time - during traffic snarls. Things were going south from an 'availability of time' point of view and I had already started wondering if this was a bad idea. I was putting in 2 hours of 'sit-at-table' time to my studies beginning 7 Sept 2017. We celebrated our kid's 3rd birthday in 10 days and it usually is the most awaited event for my wife and I since we create everything on our own. I design with the old friends that Photoshop and Illustrator are and it would be an understatement to say that we host his birthday just to quench our creative thirst. Humans are selfish beings, aren't we?

Fourth step: GMAT appointment - 13 Sept 2017 I took the appointment for the first week of October to chase the remaining deadlines for an early start to schools. The only school on my list at this time was Rotterdam. With the birthday done in this week, it was time for some heavy lifting. Fifth step: Magoosh GMAT (Paid) - 19 Sept 2017 I finally paid up. I might have mooched off torrents half-a-decade back but I wanted on-demand access and flexibility to courseware and practice questions. I was spending 2-3 hours every day after work, on getting my fundamentals in place. You must understand that having a three-year-old kid who understands that 'papa has to study' and that 'papa's books must not be scribbled on to' is a blessing. Sixth step: GMAT Prep 2 - 26 Sept 2017 630 . Uneventful. I required a change in tact and soon. The prep was going nowhere irrespective of the fact that was putting in the time and I was getting a grasp of the fundamentals. As mentioned earlier, I have been fairly good at my usage of the English language and I had to approach it again with a clean board, so to say. Seventh step: Manhattan Sentence Correction and Critical Reasoning - 26 Sept 2017 onward I have had these books for over 8 years by this time. I still have one which doesn't even have the access code to practice tests revealed! This was probably the best decision in my GMAT preparation in 2017. I focused on my English, learning as if I were learning the language the first time in my life. Zoning out any pre-conceived notions that I had about the language. Believe me, if you step down from the high pedestal that you are at, you will learn quite a few things that you might have blindsided earlier. Note: The three of us were down with a nasty viral fever and a persistent case of the cough that Bangalore has become quite notorious for, these years. These things do hamper the preparation. Eighth step: Magoosh Practice Test - 2 Oct 2017 570 ! Since this one came under a week prior to the real deal, I should have been shaken and stirred as Mr. Bond's Green Apple Maritini. I was not. I took a day's break and focused on verbal. There's wan't much to do anyway. The GMAT Reached the Pearson Center in Bangalore, well in time. Settled in and began the test. I did get that error in the verbal question and later on was offered a chance to take the test again (this communication came in 2 weeks after the test). I was surprisingly focused while attempting verbal and enjoyed it, to say the least. Unlike earlier times, I took my time to finish the section. If my memory serves me right, I was left with 15 minutes to spare in verbal when I took the GMAT in 2011. #overconfidence Quant was the usual story with easy questions popping up with a sign of the bungling of the test achieved. Unlike earlier times, I did not lose hope and the difficulty of questions started going up again. I was zoned out during AWA and IR. My LinkedIn articles have been featured globally on Pulse and I knew I wasn't giving it my best shot but this had to be done and so, it was done. I was getting tired too (irrespective of consuming an apple and a banana during the break) but tried to pace myself well. Note: I am making this sound uneventful because I don't want any bit of anxiety to creep in for the reader (that's you, ICYMI). Every person has his or her (MGMAT note: they is not allowed) own way of dealing with the test and it is best left to the person to work this particular detail out. Score: 720 Q48 V40 Context - score progression over years GMAT 2009: 610 Q43 V31 GMAT 2011: 620 Q44 V31 GMAT Prep 2017: 620 GMAT Prep 2017: 630 Magoosh 2017: 570 Q36 V32 GMAT 2017: 720 Q48 V40 I pretty much froze on seeing the score as it was probably the highest I had ever scored in a competitive exam

'Accepted' the score, got the formalities done, took the result sheet and headed out to have a chai and 'the-thing-that-makes-you-look-like-a-chimney' and gathered my thoughts on what had just happened. Called up the wife and it was laughter and happiness all around. My chances of getting into a better ranked school might have just opened up there. Things that I learned 1. Get down from the high pedestal of perceived appropriation of knowledge 2. Be regular in your studies 3. Practice as much as you can. I would solve at least 3 verbal question while sitting on the 'throne.' 4. Don't lie to yourself 5. Work on your strong points, you can leverage them better and quicker 6. Be ready for anything on exam day 7. You are your best cheerleader (not in a physiological manner of things) 8. If your family is giving you their time for you to study, respect that, and don't waste time on Twitter 9. Keep that mobile away when studying 10. Practice on a tablet; it is less distracting than a laptop or a phone 11. Create your zone wherever you live. It's your corner where all the noise must die out. Use earplugs, if you want to. 12. Don't be hung over. That's the last thing you want when every hour of preparation is of importance

13. Ensure that you find solutions to questions on gmatclub 14. Come to realise that there is a quant god by the name of Bunuel on gmatclub 15. A La Chouffe tastes the best when chilled and consumed after a 720

I will be happy to answer any questions that you have. Oh and I got my first pre-selection reject from HEC Paris

Cheers! Aashish

adkikani · Answer

unbelted

8 years is a long long journey of perseverance. 
It must have tasted a lot sweeter with the efforts you put in!

Can you throw a bit more light in changes in tactics and how you motivated yourself
along this 'Hercules path'.

Wishing you all the very best for your apps!!

Shiv2016 · Answer

That is a great score. Congrats and Good luck for your applications. With this score, you can apply to your dream school.

I don't know how you and some other guys on GMAT Club have managed to score so well despite low scores in mocks. Before my last attempt (October 2017), I prepared day and night for 8 months using limited but well researched resources, followed all the tested strategies such as reviewing questions (both right and wrong), and practised. My scores in mocks were 600, 610,620, and 590 (two days before my test) and I scored exactly this (590- Q44, V28). I will again give the test by the end of this year and really want to score 700+.

What helped you the most during this phase ? What (according to you) led to this 100 point jump?

spetznaz · Answer

Congrats buddy !! Stories like these make my day. Best wishes for your applications. Would you please elaborate on your strategies for RC and CR ??

unbelted · Answer

Thanks!
Change in tactics: Focused on verbal as I knew if was my stronger section of the two and that I had taken it lightly earlier. 
As part of the study regimen, worked on my quant basics and continued to practice as it was my weaker section.

unbelted · Answer

Focus and persistence in ensuring that I take at least 2 hours out irrespective of the time available to me after work.
Having been schooled in India, I was used to approaching every problem by framing it into a formula.
I changed my approach, thanks to Magoosh, and approached each problem through a logical analysis of the problem rather than jumping to frame it into a formula.
This helped me gaining confidence in quant (I did bungle my quant on exam day, though).

Verbal. 
I was always over-confident about my verbal chops and would, similar to a stubborn child, consider it below my dignity to read up on tips and tricks associated with questions in the verbal section. I took my faux-esteem aside, handed it an unlimited supply of cheap whiskey, and let it be in a corner away from my view.
Example: I would screw up the boldface questions earlier. This time around, I got down to understand the mechanics and the structure behind such questions. I moved from a 20% success rate to a 90% success rate.

unbelted · Answer

Thank you!
 Strategy for RC 
Most of us are struck by the tragedy of short attention spans. How long do you stay on a browser tab for? See!
RC requires a longer attention span, working on mental strength to retain context and content, and analysis. The fact that all these are required together, doesn't make the task any bit easier.
I practiced a lot of RC questions and more so when I was on the throne or had some 'me time' at a dinner. 
I also learned to make quick notes from Manhattan GMAT RC. I didn't follow their semantics but created my own semantics that I was comfortable with.
Again, a lot of practice.

Strategy for CR 
This one was minefield for me. The interesting thing about CR is that it tests your understanding of the problem at hand.
It is easy to get overwhelmed by the 5 options that seem similar but it's easy to approach CR if you lead in through elimination; that's what worked for me.
Zone out from external context and focus only on the context presented in the problem statement. Don't assume anything.
I would suggest that you grab a copy of Manhattan GMAT RC and have a go at it.
As always, stay honest with yourself about your progress.

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610 to 720 over 8 years - family guy (not the Griffin kind!)

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