BackgroundI'd been out of university for about six years when I decided to take the GMAT, and I'd almost forgotten what sitting an exam even felt like. I was rusty, especially on quant, and I quickly realised that getting back into "test mode" was going to be half the battle. I went with
Target Test Prep's self-study course, and the initial diagnostic test was genuinely one of the most useful things I did early on as it highlighted the core areas I needed to focus on quite quickly.
QuantHonestly, I was surprised by how much I struggled with quant at first, and this is where TTP really shone for me. The course is incredibly thorough, and the chapter tests and video explanations were the most helpful part for me. They slowly rebuilt my confidence topic by topic. One thing I didn't fully appreciate before starting is that the GMAT rewards knowing certain tips and tricks to save time, and TTP gives you so many of these, especially in quant. I also liked that after every mini-topic there's a quick question to apply what you've just learned, which keeps you honest and makes sure the concept actually sticks before you move on.
VerbalVerbal can feel like the more subjective part of the exam, but TTP helped me bring some structure to it. This is in the form of common types of correct answers and common answer traps. That structure took a lot of the guesswork out of a section that can otherwise feel quite subjective.
Official practiceI also completed all official practice tests to get a feel for the real exam, which I found to have calmed me a lot more come test day!
Staying consistentIf I had to sum up what got me through, it's consistency of effort. I did the course alongside a full-time job, so it was so important to keep reminding myself why I was taking the test, and to actively and regularly carve out time for prep. If you can, get a study partner too as having someone to keep you motivated makes a huge difference.
Test dayFunnily enough, on exam day it didn't feel like things were going well at all, but that's the nature of an adaptive test, so try not to read into it in the moment. Time can be a real struggle, especially in DI, so don't be afraid to skip questions that are eating up too much of your clock. Moving on is often the smart play.
I ended up with a 695 (97th percentile) so quite happy. Overall, I highly recommend TTP!
Very happy to answer any questions about the overall process and prep.