I have been lurking around this forum for a while. Would like to share my experience. Study Structure: I have been preparing for around 3 months. I think the key to a good GMAT score is lots of practice. It's definitely not something that can't be achieved. With loads of commitment, positivism and practice one can definitely crack the GMAT. This is actually my second attempt at GMAT, having scored 620 the first time. I tried to put in around 5 hours everyday (weekdays and weekends alike). I think a regular routine helps one get in the groove. Quants: Problem Solving: I am good at Quants thanks to my engineering background. I think the OG Problem Solving problems are a cakewalk. It's good to have your quant fundas straight before diving into PS (although i did otherwise). I'd definitely recommend going through all Manhattan Strategy guides. They are quite good. I even went through sections on which I am comfortable to make sure i don't miss out on any hints that might help me on data sufficiency problems. I solved questions from all 3 OG's - 10,11 & 12 (for all the sections, not just PS). There are some excellent resources on the forums such as the compilation of all difficult GMAT Prep problems, 50 Difficult DS & PS problems. I solved all these questions. The GMAT Prep questions document is a god send. I went through explanations posted by instructors/others on forums for the problems i did not get right, and then marked them off for the second iteration. In all, practice as much as you can. Data sufficiency: This is a section where loads of practice will help. I used the AD/BCE method. I think its a very methodical approach to data sufficiency especially since reading the 2 statements together might play with your mind. Read just one statement at a time. Try considering all possibilities. Plugging in numbers helps a lot in DS. Remember to use all possibilities - integers, fractions, negative numbers, zero. Make sure you read the question correctly. I made a lot of silly mistakes just be ignoring smaller things in the question stem such as positives/integers/non negatives etc. Again, practice !!! Verbal: Sentence Correction: Treat this as the 'quants' section for verbal. Its scoring !! Get your rules right. Being a non native speaker I struggled a bit initially. Although I practiced immensely for SC, knowing this is the only section on verbal where i might be able to score. Manhattan SC guide is a must read! I also used Aristotle SC Grail. It's quite crisp and to the point. Besides, its the best for the day before last revision (more on that below). I solved all 3 OG's twice to make sure i was making progress. The document with the compilation of all tough questions on GMAT Prep is also an extremely important resource. When i started solving that document, i got like 1 in 6 questions wrong. I followed the explanations on the manhattan verbal forums. They are absolutely amazing and helped me a lot! Again, practice. Critical Reasoning: I referred to the PowerScore CR bible for CR. Although, I think there are not too many strategies you can apply for CR. Get the concepts of causal flaws right. They appear on most strengthn/weaken questions and the S/W questions make up around 60% of the questions on CR. I cannot emphasize on how important practice is to crack CR questions. Once you solve a lot of questions, you start think the way the test writers think and that makes all the difference. Reading Comprehension: I practiced RC from all the 3 OG's. I tried taking notes. Although I didnt go back to the notes very often. All in all, I did not have any specific strategy in mind for RC and I did not practice RC all that much. Tests taken: The following is the split up of the tests I took: GMAT Prep 1 - 610 (before starting preparation) GMAT Prep 2 - 650 (1 month down) GMAT Prep 3 - 710 (2.5 months down) MGMAT free CAT _ 650 (almost 3 months down) GMAT Prep 4 - 700 (1 week before the exam) GMAT Prep 5 - 730 (2 days before the exam) I suggest taking GMAT prep exams is more than enough. I did not solve Kaplan, Princeton or Knewton tests. The questions on the actual test are pretty similar to the ones that appear on GMAT Prep and I think its better to not worry onself over other tests. Their scoring patterns are different and that might mess up with your head !!! Last week revision: I did not study/practice too much in the last week. Rather I just started doing some revision. Solved a couple of paper sets. For SC I read through the Manhattan guide once again. For CR, I read through the key points on the powerscore bible. There is lot of revision material available for quants. Basically revised the formulae and tried practicing questions I was weak at. Test Day: I was pretty calm on the test day. My test was scheduled at 1 pm. Reached the centre at 12. Got the formalities done and started the test early at 12:30 pm. AWA was ok. I had carried energy bars but i decided not to have them since I was too concerned about crossing the 8 minute time limit. Just had a glass of water and strolled around. The quants section was ok. I figured the first 5 questions were ok. The next 5 were slightly difficult and I spent a lot of time on them. I decided to hurry up to avoid losing out on time later in the test. Had to guess on 1-2 DS questions. Some questions were quite lengthy. The last 5 questions were too shockingly simple. I was worried I screwed up, but then didn't let it get in my head. I finished quants with 8 minutes to go. Took the next break, had a glass of water and strolled around the test centre. I knew I was good at SC, so I spent a lot of time solving SC questions. I did not get any idiom related questions. CR was ok. One of the RC passages was really long - 5 paragraphs. With 12 minutes to go, I had 10 questions and 1 RC passage. I tried to hurry and managed to finish on time. I was really anxious when I pressed the report scores button. But I almost jumped at seeing the 730. I know this has been really long, but I hope it helps someone else !!!

Last visit was: 23 Apr 2026, 23:02

It is currently 23 Apr 2026, 23:02

Toolkit

Share GMAT Experience

GMAT Club Daily Prep

Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.

Go to My Error Log Learn more

Request Expert Reply

Confirm Cancel

Apr 26
Score High on the GMAT with Target Test Prep
10:00 AM EDT
-
11:00 AM EDT
The Target Test Prep course represents a quantum leap forward in GMAT preparation, a radical reinterpretation of the way that students should study. Try before you buy with a 5-day, full-access trial of the course for FREE!
Apr 27
Try OnDemand GMAT Masterclass
11:00 AM EDT
-
12:00 PM EDT
Prefer video-based learning? The Target Test Prep OnDemand course is a one-of-a-kind video masterclass featuring 400 hours of lecture-style teaching by Scott Woodbury-Stewart, founder of Target Test Prep and one of the most accomplished GMAT instructors
Apr 28
Join - GMAT Day!
08:00 AM PDT
-
11:00 AM PDT
Whether you are just beginning your MBA journey or fine-tuning your path to a 700+ score, GMAT Day is designed to give you a competitive edge.

Back to Forum

Create Topic

730: Q 49, V 41 :)

1 2

StrangeWind

Joined: 08 Jul 2008

Last visit: 10 Nov 2013

Posts: 56

Own Kudos:

Given Kudos: 1

Posts: 56

Kudos: 4

26 Jan 2012, 14:35

Kudos

Bookmarks

Thanks for sharing

arjunbt

Joined: 13 Jul 2011

Last visit: 27 Jul 2014

Posts: 68

Own Kudos:

157

Given Kudos: 42

Concentration: Operations, Strategy

Schools: Krannert '15 (WL) W.P. Carey (A)

GMAT 1: 680 Q46 V37 Verified score

WE:Engineering (Telecommunications)

Schools: Krannert '15 (WL) W.P. Carey (A)

GMAT 1: 680 Q46 V37 Verified score

Posts: 68

Kudos: 157

28 Jan 2012, 02:12

Kudos

Bookmarks

Hi shwetadk,
Could you please tel me which one of these are GmatPrep I and GmatPrep 2 ?
Because i found GPrep2 to be more difficult than GPrep1.

GMAT Prep 1 - 610 (before starting preparation)
GMAT Prep 2 - 650 (1 month down)
GMAT Prep 3 - 710 (2.5 months down)
GMAT Prep 4 - 700 (1 week before the exam)
GMAT Prep 5 - 730 (2 days before the exam)
Thanks in advance.

aisha12

Joined: 09 Aug 2011

Last visit: 07 May 2012

Posts: 123

Own Kudos:

Given Kudos: 38

Location: United States

Concentration: General Management

GMAT Date: 11-15-2011

GPA: 3.33

Posts: 123

Kudos: 9

01 Feb 2012, 12:22

Kudos

Bookmarks

wow...good job

invincibleforce

Joined: 02 May 2011

Last visit: 07 Nov 2012

Posts: 53

Own Kudos:

Given Kudos: 3

Posts: 53

Kudos: 24

22 Feb 2012, 23:18

Kudos

Bookmarks

Congrats. Nice debrief. Your systematic efforts paid off in the end. Are you targeting ISB also ?

1 2

Moderator:

Founder

43155 posts

Prep Toolkit

Announcements

Solving 8 Hard GMAT Quant Questions (with Star GMAT Tutor)

Thursday, Apr 23, 2026
11:30am NY / 3:30pm London / 9pm Mumbai

The Shift That Took Bhanu from 665 to 715 on the GMAT

Subscribe to GMAT Club for New Videos on GMAT Strategies, Expert Sessions, and Debriefs

Get Free GMAT Tests by Registering for GMAT Day!

AGSM at UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE

Top GMAT Focus Debriefs

An Emory MBA Powers Growth

Emory powers growth—professionally and personally. Built on a foundation of interdisciplinary learning, leadership development, and career readiness, our top-20 MBA program delivers a high return on investment with top-5 career outcomes.

Tuck at Dartmouth

Step Inside the Tuck Experience: Discover Tuck Events This Fall
Current Tuck MBA students and Discover Tuck co-chairs share advice for prospective students and reflect on why they chose Tuck for their MBA.

Read More

My Rewards

What are Rewards?

My Tier

(1 points)

HOT DEALS FOR APRIL

	Manhattan Prep: $99 Bonus Score Higher on Your GMAT Exam. Guaranteed.
	Target Test Prep - Save up to $599 $400 Discount + $99 Bonus GMAT Club Tests
	e-GMAT: 60% Off on GMAT Focus Get to 735+ from any starting point
	Magoosh increases your score, guaranteed - 15% off ALL Magoosh GMAT plans with code GMATCLUB15 + Free GMAT Club Tests.
	Experts' Global - ~~$1720~~ $960 End-to-End GMAT Prep + App Support: 150+ Videos, 2000+ Questions, 15 FLTs +
	GMATWhiz - $299 ~~$499~~ Experience the course through a free trial.
	GMAT Club Tests - Free Included with every course purchase of $149+ View all deals

730: Q 49, V 41 :)

Prep Toolkit

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards