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19 Oct 2024, 00:22
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Hey everyone! I just finally wrapped up my GMAT journey and wanted to share my experience with you all in the hope of helping a few of you. I decided to take the GMAT to pursue an MBA because it aligns with my future aspirations. I started my prep by taking a mock on eGMAT on 12th August and got a 595. With a couple weeks on prep I took my first attempt on Sept 12 and got a 645, followed with my second attempt on October 4th. Between the two attempts I heavily focused on Verbal and Official GMAT Mocks, with scores progressing from 685 to 735.
Attempt 1: 645(Q88,V79,DI79)
Attempt 2: 705(Q85,V88,DI84)
GMAT for me was a sprint and eGMAT definitely helped me with the same. Here are my key tips for everyone :
General Tips :
- Error Logs : Maintain very detailed error logs that you refer to frequently. I think it's great to make mistakes when studying, but the goal is to not repeat any mistake and Error Logs really help with that.
- Build up your endurance : A 2.5 hour exam that needs 100% focus till the last minute is no joke. Especially given how easily we tend to pick up our phones every 45-60 mins for that 5 min distraction. So when studying try going a 3 hour, no distraction study sesh everyday (either before or after work)
- Mock Tests : they really help so take them super seriously. While the theoretical material is one aspect of the exam, strategy is the other. So devising and trying out new strategies for say (1) section order, (2) when and what to bookmark and come back to later, (3) timing strategy, (4) maintaining my scratch pad, etc. - mock tests are the best time to consciously try them out
- Hit the gym, meditate, chill out - don't make GMAT your entire life for the duration that you are prepping for, cause others wise fatigue will build up. Especially 2 days before the exam - watch a movie, get a massage, meet friends - do everything that will just make you happy.
Verbal :
Verbal was initially my biggest challenge, starting with a mV80 (60th percentile) in my diagnostic. This section underwent the maximum transformation during my GMAT journey. The e-GMAT's Master Comprehension course laid a solid foundation, teaching me to dissect arguments and passages with precision. I also solved PowerScore's LSAT Logical Reasoning book in its entirety before my second attempt and it really helped. LSAT questions are harder but they definitely help. Critical Reasoning became my newfound strength. The pre-thinking technique revolutionized my approach, transforming it from educated guesswork to strategic analysis. I went from being overwhelmed by answer choices to confidently eliminating 3-4 options right off the bat. Particularly in Inference and Boldface questions, where I initially struggled, I saw my accuracy soar from 40% to an impressive 80% on hard questions.
Reading Comprehension required a mindset shift. I developed a topic-agnostic approach, focusing on passage structure and main ideas rather than getting bogged down in unfamiliar content. This strategy proved invaluable when facing dense scientific articles or obscure historical texts. I practiced active reading, asking myself about the author's purpose after each paragraph, which improved my comprehension and question-answering speed.
Quant :
Coming from an engineering background, I initially thought Quant would be a breeze. However, the GMAT had some surprises in store. While I had a strong foundation, I realized I needed to shake off some rust and adapt to the test's specific requirements. Which wasn't very time or effort consuming, you just have to be patient with yourself. The Q85 in the second attempt was a bummer though cause 87-88 was my lowest on mocks. :/
e-GMAT's PACE feature became my secret weapon. It quickly identified my strengths and weaknesses, allowing me to focus on areas that truly needed improvement. For instance, I discovered that while I was comfortable with most topics, Number Properties needed extra attention. The adaptive learning approach of PACE saved me countless hours by targeting specific concepts rather than having me review entire topics.
Scholaranium cementing quizzes were indeed of great help. I was suggested by my mentor to aim for consistently crossing the 80% medium and 70% accuracy threshold for hard questions. It was challenging at first, but as I practiced more, I saw my speed and accuracy improve dramatically. I remember the satisfaction of completing a tough Quant quiz with time to spare.
Data Insights :
DI is rather fun, or I found it that way. The importance of CR skills in DI is legit. So if you improve your Verbal and Quant individually - DI will naturally feel better. For DI I believe the key lies in exposing yourself to as many graph types, table types, etc out there. GmatClub's Question Bank and the "Focus Prep" filter helps for that.
With DI I don't have much of an advice since I didn't specifically study for it. On mocks I was consistently getting 84-85. In the first attempt by section sequence was Q-V-DI. The Verbal didn't go that well which affect by DI cause I wasn't entirely focus then. In my second attempt my sequence was Q-DI-V which helped with the 3-point increase. But it was still less than what I expected I guess.
Scoring a 705 with a V88 was beyond my expectations!! To all the test-takers our there: believe in your ability to improve. With the right mindset, resources, and consistent effort, significant score improvements are achievable.
Best of luck to everyone on their GMAT journey!
Kshitija
Attempt 1: 645(Q88,V79,DI79)
Attempt 2: 705(Q85,V88,DI84)
GMAT for me was a sprint and eGMAT definitely helped me with the same. Here are my key tips for everyone :
General Tips :
- Error Logs : Maintain very detailed error logs that you refer to frequently. I think it's great to make mistakes when studying, but the goal is to not repeat any mistake and Error Logs really help with that.
- Build up your endurance : A 2.5 hour exam that needs 100% focus till the last minute is no joke. Especially given how easily we tend to pick up our phones every 45-60 mins for that 5 min distraction. So when studying try going a 3 hour, no distraction study sesh everyday (either before or after work)
- Mock Tests : they really help so take them super seriously. While the theoretical material is one aspect of the exam, strategy is the other. So devising and trying out new strategies for say (1) section order, (2) when and what to bookmark and come back to later, (3) timing strategy, (4) maintaining my scratch pad, etc. - mock tests are the best time to consciously try them out
- Hit the gym, meditate, chill out - don't make GMAT your entire life for the duration that you are prepping for, cause others wise fatigue will build up. Especially 2 days before the exam - watch a movie, get a massage, meet friends - do everything that will just make you happy.
Verbal :
Verbal was initially my biggest challenge, starting with a mV80 (60th percentile) in my diagnostic. This section underwent the maximum transformation during my GMAT journey. The e-GMAT's Master Comprehension course laid a solid foundation, teaching me to dissect arguments and passages with precision. I also solved PowerScore's LSAT Logical Reasoning book in its entirety before my second attempt and it really helped. LSAT questions are harder but they definitely help. Critical Reasoning became my newfound strength. The pre-thinking technique revolutionized my approach, transforming it from educated guesswork to strategic analysis. I went from being overwhelmed by answer choices to confidently eliminating 3-4 options right off the bat. Particularly in Inference and Boldface questions, where I initially struggled, I saw my accuracy soar from 40% to an impressive 80% on hard questions.
Reading Comprehension required a mindset shift. I developed a topic-agnostic approach, focusing on passage structure and main ideas rather than getting bogged down in unfamiliar content. This strategy proved invaluable when facing dense scientific articles or obscure historical texts. I practiced active reading, asking myself about the author's purpose after each paragraph, which improved my comprehension and question-answering speed.
Quant :
Coming from an engineering background, I initially thought Quant would be a breeze. However, the GMAT had some surprises in store. While I had a strong foundation, I realized I needed to shake off some rust and adapt to the test's specific requirements. Which wasn't very time or effort consuming, you just have to be patient with yourself. The Q85 in the second attempt was a bummer though cause 87-88 was my lowest on mocks. :/
e-GMAT's PACE feature became my secret weapon. It quickly identified my strengths and weaknesses, allowing me to focus on areas that truly needed improvement. For instance, I discovered that while I was comfortable with most topics, Number Properties needed extra attention. The adaptive learning approach of PACE saved me countless hours by targeting specific concepts rather than having me review entire topics.
Scholaranium cementing quizzes were indeed of great help. I was suggested by my mentor to aim for consistently crossing the 80% medium and 70% accuracy threshold for hard questions. It was challenging at first, but as I practiced more, I saw my speed and accuracy improve dramatically. I remember the satisfaction of completing a tough Quant quiz with time to spare.
Data Insights :
DI is rather fun, or I found it that way. The importance of CR skills in DI is legit. So if you improve your Verbal and Quant individually - DI will naturally feel better. For DI I believe the key lies in exposing yourself to as many graph types, table types, etc out there. GmatClub's Question Bank and the "Focus Prep" filter helps for that.
With DI I don't have much of an advice since I didn't specifically study for it. On mocks I was consistently getting 84-85. In the first attempt by section sequence was Q-V-DI. The Verbal didn't go that well which affect by DI cause I wasn't entirely focus then. In my second attempt my sequence was Q-DI-V which helped with the 3-point increase. But it was still less than what I expected I guess.
Scoring a 705 with a V88 was beyond my expectations!! To all the test-takers our there: believe in your ability to improve. With the right mindset, resources, and consistent effort, significant score improvements are achievable.
Best of luck to everyone on their GMAT journey!
Kshitija
19 Oct 2024, 01:12
Kudos
Bookmarks
Congrats & all the best for applications
19 Oct 2024, 16:16
Kudos
Bookmarks
All the best going forward. Consider writing a profile-review.
