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10 Sep 2025, 10:51
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Hi all! I read a few stories in this forum and thought I'd chime in with my GMAT journey.
STARTING OUT
I thought I was a strong standardized test taker, so I first took the GMAT in January with very limited preparation. I only took one of the official practice tests and was rudely awoken when I scored a 615 (Q: 78, V: 83, D: 80) - not bad, but nothing to write home about. Coming from an engineering background, I thought the Quant section would come naturally to me; ironically, it was my weakest section. In response, I started researching test prep services and, ultimately, landed upon Target Test Prep (TTP).
STUDYING
From January until early May, I spent about 15 hours per week before/after work going through TTP's lesson plan and the corresponding practice problems. Although I signed up primarily for the Quant prep, I actually found some of the data sufficiency DI prep to be the most valuable. The Verbal lessons were also useful for me, separating GMAT testing logic from my own interpretation of passages.
Since I wanted to have a score ready for Round 1 applications and did not want to be studying while writing essays, I signed up for an early June GMAT test date. In mid-May, with three weeks remaining until test day, I switched into practice exam mode. I took all 6 of the official GMAC practice exams to familiarize myself with the testing constraints, further developing my "internal timer".
ATTEMPT #2 (685 Q85, V86, D81)
I walked into the test center with a 3pm appointment, taking the day off work to be mentally fresh for the test. I did half of one of TTP's ~30 question review exams right before making the 15-minute trek to the testing center. Once inside, I took the sections in this order: Q > V > Break > DI. I put a lot of pressure on myself to score well this time and, unsurprisingly, froze up during the Quant section (guessed on the last 2). I steadied the ship during Verbal, but I felt pretty fatigued by the time I sat down post-break for the DI section. All in all, it was a marked improvement over my first attempt, but definitely at the lower end of the scoring range of my practice exams.
BETWEEN TESTS
I scheduled a third GMAT immediately after taking #2. Having gotten a 775 and a 725 on two of the practice exams, I knew that I could do better. After a few days off, I started practicing TTP problems again, focusing on my weakest areas. I also tried to reinforce a willingness to "mark and move on" - avoiding unanswered questions at all costs.
ATTEMPT #3 (715 Q85, V88, D84)
On my third attempt, I made sure to schedule an earlier start time (12:30p) to be "fresher" stepping into the test center. I also reordered the sections to allow for the break in between the two numerical sections (Q > Break > DI > V). When I finally saw the 715 onscreen, I felt a huge wave of relief, knowing that the last few months of extra effort had paid off!
SUMMARY
To conclude, I would HIGHLY recommend NOT trying to "wing" the GMAT like I did at first. In particular, I would recommend TTP to anyone considering GMAT prep - the structure, lesson quality, and practice problem bank are unbeatable!
STARTING OUT
I thought I was a strong standardized test taker, so I first took the GMAT in January with very limited preparation. I only took one of the official practice tests and was rudely awoken when I scored a 615 (Q: 78, V: 83, D: 80) - not bad, but nothing to write home about. Coming from an engineering background, I thought the Quant section would come naturally to me; ironically, it was my weakest section. In response, I started researching test prep services and, ultimately, landed upon Target Test Prep (TTP).
STUDYING
From January until early May, I spent about 15 hours per week before/after work going through TTP's lesson plan and the corresponding practice problems. Although I signed up primarily for the Quant prep, I actually found some of the data sufficiency DI prep to be the most valuable. The Verbal lessons were also useful for me, separating GMAT testing logic from my own interpretation of passages.
Since I wanted to have a score ready for Round 1 applications and did not want to be studying while writing essays, I signed up for an early June GMAT test date. In mid-May, with three weeks remaining until test day, I switched into practice exam mode. I took all 6 of the official GMAC practice exams to familiarize myself with the testing constraints, further developing my "internal timer".
ATTEMPT #2 (685 Q85, V86, D81)
I walked into the test center with a 3pm appointment, taking the day off work to be mentally fresh for the test. I did half of one of TTP's ~30 question review exams right before making the 15-minute trek to the testing center. Once inside, I took the sections in this order: Q > V > Break > DI. I put a lot of pressure on myself to score well this time and, unsurprisingly, froze up during the Quant section (guessed on the last 2). I steadied the ship during Verbal, but I felt pretty fatigued by the time I sat down post-break for the DI section. All in all, it was a marked improvement over my first attempt, but definitely at the lower end of the scoring range of my practice exams.
BETWEEN TESTS
I scheduled a third GMAT immediately after taking #2. Having gotten a 775 and a 725 on two of the practice exams, I knew that I could do better. After a few days off, I started practicing TTP problems again, focusing on my weakest areas. I also tried to reinforce a willingness to "mark and move on" - avoiding unanswered questions at all costs.
ATTEMPT #3 (715 Q85, V88, D84)
On my third attempt, I made sure to schedule an earlier start time (12:30p) to be "fresher" stepping into the test center. I also reordered the sections to allow for the break in between the two numerical sections (Q > Break > DI > V). When I finally saw the 715 onscreen, I felt a huge wave of relief, knowing that the last few months of extra effort had paid off!
SUMMARY
To conclude, I would HIGHLY recommend NOT trying to "wing" the GMAT like I did at first. In particular, I would recommend TTP to anyone considering GMAT prep - the structure, lesson quality, and practice problem bank are unbeatable!
10 Sep 2025, 11:11
Kudos
Bookmarks
Congratulations on the score!
pyoung20
10 Sep 2025, 11:28
Kudos
Bookmarks
Gratz on the 715. All the best going forward.
