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06 Aug 2025, 02:23
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I recently landed a 695 on the GMAT Focus Edition (Q89, V88, DI77). What makes this score special isn't just the number, but the journey - I improved by 60 points in just 1.5 months while working full-time. I'm here to share my experience because when I was struggling with my initial 635 score, reading success stories like this gave me hope.
I'm an engineer by background, currently working in the industry, but like many of you, I had my sights set on an MBA. My initial GMAT attempt in June was humbling - I scored 635, which was nowhere near my target. Like every Indian, I had started with the cheapest resources available: official guides, free mocks, and some random online platform. Big mistake.
After that disappointing first attempt, I knew I needed professional help. That's when I discovered e-GMAT, and honestly, it changed everything.
The Wake-Up Call: Why Cheap Resources Failed Me
Let me be brutally honest - I was overconfident initially. I'm an engineer, I thought quant would be a breeze. I had never attempted a single question wrong in the OG guides, so I figured I was set. Wrong.
The platform I initially used had this approach of rote learning formulas - 17 different methods for 17 different permutation-combination questions. When my actual GMAT had PnC questions, I couldn't solve a single one. That's when I realized the GMAT isn't about memorizing formulas; it's about logical thinking.
Verbal Transformation: From V82 to V88
The Pre-thinking Revolution
Verbal became my biggest success story, and it started with one game-changing technique: pre-thinking.
Before e-GMAT, my CR approach was typical - read the stimulus, read the question, then go through all five answer choices hoping something would click. It was basically educated guessing.
The pre-thinking method completely transformed how I tackled CR questions. Instead of jumping to answer choices, I started taking those crucial few seconds after reading the question stem to think about what kind of answer I was looking for.
Bold face questions were my initial weakness. I thought I was doing well in CR overall, but when I dug deeper (thanks to my mentor Dhruv's probing questions), I realized I had significant gaps. Once I learned the structured approach through e-GMAT's course, my hard CR accuracy improved from 53% to 67%, and my timing came down significantly.
RC Mental Mapping
Reading Comprehension was another challenge. I was writing everything down, treating every passage like I needed to memorize it. This was killing my time and not improving comprehension.
The breakthrough came with mental mapping. As I tell people now: "You need not marry the passage for God's sake." The key is conscious reading - understanding what each paragraph is trying to convey, creating a mental roadmap, and then navigating back to specific sections when questions demand it.
This approach helped me improve my hard RC accuracy from 68% to 80% while reducing my average time per question from 2:24 to 2:00.
Quant Journey: The Engineer's Humbling Experience
Overcoming the "Easy Quant" Myth
Here's an uncomfortable truth for fellow engineers: being good at math doesn't automatically translate to GMAT success. The GMAT tests how you think under pressure, not just what you know.
My biggest enemy in quant wasn't the concepts - it was behavioral issues. I'd solve problems correctly but mark the wrong answer, or misread what the question was actually asking for. These "silly mistakes" were costing me dearly.
The 2.5-3 Minute Rule
The game-changer was learning time management through what I call the "biological clock" technique. Between 2.5 to 3 minutes on any question, I trained myself to ask: "Am I getting anywhere near the solution? Will I reach the answer in the next 30 seconds?"
If the answer was no, I'd bookmark and move on. This was incredibly difficult initially - as an engineer, I was convinced I could solve every problem given enough time. But GMAT isn't about unlimited time.
I remember during my actual test, there were two very calculation-heavy questions. I spent exactly 2 minutes and 30 seconds on the first one, remembered Dhruv's exact words, bookmarked it, and moved on. Same with the second one. This discipline helped me maintain composure and tackle the questions I could actually solve within the time limit.
Learning from Hard Questions
One crucial realization: e-GMAT's hard questions are challenging. Initially, I was frustrated by low accuracy on cementing quizzes. But you'd realize that these hard questions are the best thing that can prepare you for the difficult Quant section on the D-day
The platform prepares you for the worst-case scenario. When you can handle e-GMAT's tough questions, the actual GMAT feels manageable.
Data Insights: The Unpredictable Section (DI77)
I'll be honest - Data Insights didn't go as planned. I had scored DI81 in my previous attempt and was overconfident about this section. I focused heavily on quant and verbal, thinking DI would take care of itself.
Data Insights is unpredictable and combines both quant and verbal skills. Maybe I encountered graphs I wasn't prepared for, maybe I missed some numbers, or maybe I got overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information. The section requires dedicated preparation, which I didn't give it this time due to time constraints.
If I had even a week more to focus specifically on DI, I believe I could have scored higher. But I had Round 1 deadlines to meet, and sometimes you have to make tough choices.
The Last Mile Push Experience
I cannot overstate the value of mentorship. Working with Dhruv through e-GMAT's Last Mile Push program was transformational, not just academically but emotionally.
The Power of In-Depth Analysis
One thing Dhruv taught me was the importance of in-depth analysis. Initially, I'd give surface-level feedback about my performance. He pushed me to dig deeper: "Why did you choose that wrong answer? Why did you eliminate the correct option?"
This process of talking to yourself after every question becomes a habit. You start forming an instinct for what to look for in questions, and that's when you know you're thinking like the GMAT wants you to think.
Personalized Strategy
The mentorship wasn't just about study plans - it was about having someone who could see patterns I couldn't. When my mock scores fluctuated, Dhruv helped me stay focused on the process rather than getting bogged down by numbers.
Mock Test Journey: Learning to Trust the Process
My mock journey was far from ideal. I gave about 20 mocks before my first attempt (which resulted in 635), then 4 more e-GMAT mocks for this attempt. The scores varied significantly, but I learned not to let that affect my confidence.
Key insights from mocks:
I even deliberately tested myself by not following my proven strategies in the final mock. The result? A terrible score. But it confirmed that the process works - stick to what got you there.
Test Day Strategy
On test day, I maintained a simple philosophy: trust the process and execute the strategies that worked during preparation.
The time management strategies I'd practiced extensively came in handy. I was able to bookmark difficult questions, solve what I could efficiently, and return to bookmarked questions with remaining time. I actually changed at least one answer from incorrect to correct during review time.
Key Takeaways and Advice
1. Invest in Quality Resources Early
Don't make my mistake of starting with cheap resources. Professional help from the beginning would have saved me time, money, and frustration.
2. Process Over Performance
Focus on executing the right strategies rather than obsessing over mock scores. If your process is sound, results will follow.
3. Mental Resilience is Key
The GMAT tests your mental strength as much as your academic abilities. Having a support system - whether it's a mentor, study group, or GMAT Club community - is crucial.
4. Trust the Platform
When e-GMAT gives you challenging questions that seem impossible, trust that they're preparing you for success. Don't get discouraged by low accuracy on hard questions during practice.
5. Learn from Mistakes, Not Successes
As I learned, "You do not learn from questions you did right; you learn from questions you did wrong." This principle applies to every section.
6. In-Depth Analysis is Non-Negotiable
After every practice session, ask yourself the hard questions: Why did I choose this answer? What made the correct answer right? This habit will transform your test-taking approach.
Final Thoughts
Achieving a 695 in 1.5 months while working full-time wasn't easy, but it was possible because of structured preparation, quality resources, and the right mindset. The improvement from V82 to V88 and Q82 to Q89 didn't happen overnight - it was the result of consistent application of proven strategies.
To anyone currently struggling with their GMAT journey: trust the process, invest in quality resources, and don't let temporary setbacks discourage you. The GMAT is as much about how you think as what you know.
Remember, "GMAT is half the mental game. If you're sound here, if you're strong here, half the battle is won."
Feel free to reach out if you have any questions about my journey. This community helped me tremendously, and I'm happy to pay it forward.
All the best with your GMAT preparation!
Best regards,
AB
I'm an engineer by background, currently working in the industry, but like many of you, I had my sights set on an MBA. My initial GMAT attempt in June was humbling - I scored 635, which was nowhere near my target. Like every Indian, I had started with the cheapest resources available: official guides, free mocks, and some random online platform. Big mistake.
After that disappointing first attempt, I knew I needed professional help. That's when I discovered e-GMAT, and honestly, it changed everything.
The Wake-Up Call: Why Cheap Resources Failed Me
Let me be brutally honest - I was overconfident initially. I'm an engineer, I thought quant would be a breeze. I had never attempted a single question wrong in the OG guides, so I figured I was set. Wrong.
The platform I initially used had this approach of rote learning formulas - 17 different methods for 17 different permutation-combination questions. When my actual GMAT had PnC questions, I couldn't solve a single one. That's when I realized the GMAT isn't about memorizing formulas; it's about logical thinking.
Verbal Transformation: From V82 to V88
The Pre-thinking Revolution
Verbal became my biggest success story, and it started with one game-changing technique: pre-thinking.
Before e-GMAT, my CR approach was typical - read the stimulus, read the question, then go through all five answer choices hoping something would click. It was basically educated guessing.
The pre-thinking method completely transformed how I tackled CR questions. Instead of jumping to answer choices, I started taking those crucial few seconds after reading the question stem to think about what kind of answer I was looking for.
Bold face questions were my initial weakness. I thought I was doing well in CR overall, but when I dug deeper (thanks to my mentor Dhruv's probing questions), I realized I had significant gaps. Once I learned the structured approach through e-GMAT's course, my hard CR accuracy improved from 53% to 67%, and my timing came down significantly.
RC Mental Mapping
Reading Comprehension was another challenge. I was writing everything down, treating every passage like I needed to memorize it. This was killing my time and not improving comprehension.
The breakthrough came with mental mapping. As I tell people now: "You need not marry the passage for God's sake." The key is conscious reading - understanding what each paragraph is trying to convey, creating a mental roadmap, and then navigating back to specific sections when questions demand it.
This approach helped me improve my hard RC accuracy from 68% to 80% while reducing my average time per question from 2:24 to 2:00.
Quant Journey: The Engineer's Humbling Experience
Overcoming the "Easy Quant" Myth
Here's an uncomfortable truth for fellow engineers: being good at math doesn't automatically translate to GMAT success. The GMAT tests how you think under pressure, not just what you know.
My biggest enemy in quant wasn't the concepts - it was behavioral issues. I'd solve problems correctly but mark the wrong answer, or misread what the question was actually asking for. These "silly mistakes" were costing me dearly.
The 2.5-3 Minute Rule
The game-changer was learning time management through what I call the "biological clock" technique. Between 2.5 to 3 minutes on any question, I trained myself to ask: "Am I getting anywhere near the solution? Will I reach the answer in the next 30 seconds?"
If the answer was no, I'd bookmark and move on. This was incredibly difficult initially - as an engineer, I was convinced I could solve every problem given enough time. But GMAT isn't about unlimited time.
I remember during my actual test, there were two very calculation-heavy questions. I spent exactly 2 minutes and 30 seconds on the first one, remembered Dhruv's exact words, bookmarked it, and moved on. Same with the second one. This discipline helped me maintain composure and tackle the questions I could actually solve within the time limit.
Learning from Hard Questions
One crucial realization: e-GMAT's hard questions are challenging. Initially, I was frustrated by low accuracy on cementing quizzes. But you'd realize that these hard questions are the best thing that can prepare you for the difficult Quant section on the D-day
The platform prepares you for the worst-case scenario. When you can handle e-GMAT's tough questions, the actual GMAT feels manageable.
Data Insights: The Unpredictable Section (DI77)
I'll be honest - Data Insights didn't go as planned. I had scored DI81 in my previous attempt and was overconfident about this section. I focused heavily on quant and verbal, thinking DI would take care of itself.
Data Insights is unpredictable and combines both quant and verbal skills. Maybe I encountered graphs I wasn't prepared for, maybe I missed some numbers, or maybe I got overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information. The section requires dedicated preparation, which I didn't give it this time due to time constraints.
If I had even a week more to focus specifically on DI, I believe I could have scored higher. But I had Round 1 deadlines to meet, and sometimes you have to make tough choices.
The Last Mile Push Experience
I cannot overstate the value of mentorship. Working with Dhruv through e-GMAT's Last Mile Push program was transformational, not just academically but emotionally.
The Power of In-Depth Analysis
One thing Dhruv taught me was the importance of in-depth analysis. Initially, I'd give surface-level feedback about my performance. He pushed me to dig deeper: "Why did you choose that wrong answer? Why did you eliminate the correct option?"
This process of talking to yourself after every question becomes a habit. You start forming an instinct for what to look for in questions, and that's when you know you're thinking like the GMAT wants you to think.
Personalized Strategy
The mentorship wasn't just about study plans - it was about having someone who could see patterns I couldn't. When my mock scores fluctuated, Dhruv helped me stay focused on the process rather than getting bogged down by numbers.
Mock Test Journey: Learning to Trust the Process
My mock journey was far from ideal. I gave about 20 mocks before my first attempt (which resulted in 635), then 4 more e-GMAT mocks for this attempt. The scores varied significantly, but I learned not to let that affect my confidence.
Key insights from mocks:
- Mock scores don't guarantee official scores - I had given 20 mocks before scoring 635 officially
- Use mocks for strategy refinement - not just score validation
- e-GMAT mocks are tougher - if you can do well here, you're prepared for the actual test
- One bad mock doesn't define you - I scored poorly on my last mock but still achieved 695 on the official test
I even deliberately tested myself by not following my proven strategies in the final mock. The result? A terrible score. But it confirmed that the process works - stick to what got you there.
Test Day Strategy
On test day, I maintained a simple philosophy: trust the process and execute the strategies that worked during preparation.
The time management strategies I'd practiced extensively came in handy. I was able to bookmark difficult questions, solve what I could efficiently, and return to bookmarked questions with remaining time. I actually changed at least one answer from incorrect to correct during review time.
Key Takeaways and Advice
1. Invest in Quality Resources Early
Don't make my mistake of starting with cheap resources. Professional help from the beginning would have saved me time, money, and frustration.
2. Process Over Performance
Focus on executing the right strategies rather than obsessing over mock scores. If your process is sound, results will follow.
3. Mental Resilience is Key
The GMAT tests your mental strength as much as your academic abilities. Having a support system - whether it's a mentor, study group, or GMAT Club community - is crucial.
4. Trust the Platform
When e-GMAT gives you challenging questions that seem impossible, trust that they're preparing you for success. Don't get discouraged by low accuracy on hard questions during practice.
5. Learn from Mistakes, Not Successes
As I learned, "You do not learn from questions you did right; you learn from questions you did wrong." This principle applies to every section.
6. In-Depth Analysis is Non-Negotiable
After every practice session, ask yourself the hard questions: Why did I choose this answer? What made the correct answer right? This habit will transform your test-taking approach.
Final Thoughts
Achieving a 695 in 1.5 months while working full-time wasn't easy, but it was possible because of structured preparation, quality resources, and the right mindset. The improvement from V82 to V88 and Q82 to Q89 didn't happen overnight - it was the result of consistent application of proven strategies.
To anyone currently struggling with their GMAT journey: trust the process, invest in quality resources, and don't let temporary setbacks discourage you. The GMAT is as much about how you think as what you know.
Remember, "GMAT is half the mental game. If you're sound here, if you're strong here, half the battle is won."
Feel free to reach out if you have any questions about my journey. This community helped me tremendously, and I'm happy to pay it forward.
All the best with your GMAT preparation!
Best regards,
AB
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Archit3110
Major Poster
08 Aug 2025, 03:00
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Congratulations for score
. All the best with applications
. All the best with applications
08 Aug 2025, 07:58
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Gratz on the score improvement and all the best going forward.
