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Hi GMAT Club Community -
I am happy to report that after a 5-year journey of studying for this exam (was studying for this back when Sentence Correction was a thing!), I am finally done. I took the GMAT Focus for a 4th time yesterday. I couldn't figure out what was wrong with me; I'd been getting 715+ on my practice scores ever since my second practice test, and I was starting to get really defeated.
I officially scored a 755 (Q88, V90, DI85). I am beyond relieved - as this test has been a part of my identity it feels like for the longest time.
I'd previously posted about my second test (https://gmatclub.com/forum/2nd-attempt- ... 41366.html) and first test (https://gmatclub.com/forum/got-a-625-gf ... l#p3480288).
Happy to answer anyone's questions offline if they want to further discuss.
First off, big thanks to the following folks:
Next steps for me - Kind of weird that I no longer will need to study for this test every day. Applying to 3 - 4 schools and will keep folks posted on here. I will say this as a general caveat to anyone reading my post - if goal is an M7 school, would not wait too long to take the exam like me. In talking to consultants, my biggest obstacle even before this test score was not my test score but my years of experience (I'd worked for 9 years). The "sweet spot" for most schools is apparently 4 - 5 years post-college, so try to take the test sooner rather than later!
Big thanks to this whole community. It takes a village --- I couldn't have done it without your unwavering support!
GMAT-Club-Forum-omo4u2gl.png [ 42.28 KiB | Viewed 2148 times ]
I am happy to report that after a 5-year journey of studying for this exam (was studying for this back when Sentence Correction was a thing!), I am finally done. I took the GMAT Focus for a 4th time yesterday. I couldn't figure out what was wrong with me; I'd been getting 715+ on my practice scores ever since my second practice test, and I was starting to get really defeated.
I officially scored a 755 (Q88, V90, DI85). I am beyond relieved - as this test has been a part of my identity it feels like for the longest time.
I'd previously posted about my second test (https://gmatclub.com/forum/2nd-attempt- ... 41366.html) and first test (https://gmatclub.com/forum/got-a-625-gf ... l#p3480288).
Happy to answer anyone's questions offline if they want to further discuss.
First off, big thanks to the following folks:
- Marty Murray - That's my guy. Ever since Marty posted about getting a perfect GMAT score back in 2015, he has been my source of inspiration and a role model in this endeavor. I started emailing Marty back when I was still in college just trying to pick his brain. He had been working on his own website (Healing Chronicles) that detailed his journey with inner work. I'd always been fascinated with his approach to studying, which was heavily tailored to the individual and wasn't forced down one's throat like a 12-week classroom course might be. A simple thanks isn't enough for Marty - he is singlehandedly the reason I heard about TTP and he was the first one to respond to me and help me out when I got my disappointing initial scores. He instilled a high level of confidence in my abilities and believed in me. Above all else, he's a great person. I think people assume, when they see a perfect scorer, that someone is off the charts brilliant and a statistical anomaly. Upon getting to know Marty more, to me, he's just a normal person like us all. I'm sure Marty will tell you too - he genuinely believes that anyone can get a high GMAT score if they put their minds to it.
- Scott and the rest of the TTP crew - I first learned about TTP back in 2019 / 2020 from Marty. The course, at the time, had a notable quant section with no verbal section or DI section. I remember each week new modules were constantly appearing which made my studying very fluid. It's incredible to see what Scott and the team have accomplished in terms of content creation over the last several years. I think any of the courses can be great for the right person, but I chose TTP mainly because I didn't feel like it was gimmicky or complex / formulaic in approach and it was aligned with Marty and Scott's sentiment of learning at your own pace. For example, I really didn't like e-GMAT's "pre-thinking" approach to Critical Reasoning; to each their own but it's a personal red flag for me if it takes over a page to explain how to solve a CR problem before even getting to the answer choices.
- bb - thank you for the GMAT Club practice tests towards the end. When I ran out of Official GMAT Club tests, those GMAT Club practice tests were super helpful and instructive.
- GMATNinja and Karishma - We never directly interacted but your explanations, especially on Critical Reasoning and Data Insights, were super invaluable to me during this process. I could not have gotten to this point without your thorough explanations and Youtube videos.
- Be mindful of what works vs. doesn't work for you. While TTP was a great starting point, if I truly did not like a methodology or approach, I wouldn't just accept TTP's solution at face value. I always feel like there's multiple ways to skin a cat. So, I'd either i.) find an approach tailored to me or ii.) research why TTP favored that approach (e.g., Vieta's formula), so that I wasn't just memorizing. This is also a big part of my Critical Reasoning pathway as I tinkered with approaches over time from multiple resources / folks.
- Be accountable. As someone who spent 5 years harping on this exam, I can admittingly say I made a lot of excuses for myself about not taking the exam until last year. I think it was only when I finally committed to myself that I was finally going to apply to school that I started taking this test more seriously in actually taking it.
- Be aware of when you function optimally. I royally screwed up my first and second test by not picking ideal times for me (took first one at 5 PM on a Friday which I do not recommend) or ideal test order. There's no right section order to take the test in but I will say at least for me doing Quant, Verbal, break, DI worked amazingly for me and I do think section order matters for confidence flow during test day.
- Be kind to yourself and just look to improve. My tiny nitpick with TTP is the advertising around "Score a 715+" if you follow this Study Plan. I know I averaged 715+ practice tests, but I'll just say this off the bat - a 715+ is really hard to score and requires oftentimes a lot of time, focus, and dare I even say luck. Over the years, I was paralyzed by fear about not being good enough for schools because I didn't get a 760 GMAT Score or a 715+ GMAT Focus score. Seeing others' posts or some of these testimonials sometimes made me feel more down on myself than optimistic. Once I stopped trying to get a certain score and just focused on improving on what I did the day before or on the prior test, it helped me a ton in my focus and mindfulness. My goal going into this test was honestly just to get better than a 665 from my second time taking it.
- It's just a test - the GMAT is just one part of a winning B-school recipe. I'd spent so long trying to get this exam done that I started forgetting why I was taking the test in the first place - to get into a great business school! I spent years trying to get a perfect score like Marty or Charles Biblios until I realized something - i.) you don't need to be perfect for a business school (look at any top business school and you'll see a range of scores) and ii.) Marty / Charles' goals are different from the average GMAT taker (if you think about it, their main vocation is GMAT coaching, so of course getting a perfect or nearly perfect score is a lot more important for them and makes more sense for their goals). From going through the process right now and talking to various consultants, the keys to a winning application (in no particular order) are i.) academic and test performance (GPA, GMAT / GRE); ii.) professional experience; iii.) extracurricular activities; iv.) letters of recommendation; and v.) personal essays. I get the need to benchmark against one's peers but I can also admit that the delay in taking the test was unwarranted on my part. I've seen some students on here talking about re-taking the GMAT Focus after getting a 695. To each their own, but I don't think a 695 to like a 715 will change one's prospects much in their b-school candidacy.
Next steps for me - Kind of weird that I no longer will need to study for this test every day. Applying to 3 - 4 schools and will keep folks posted on here. I will say this as a general caveat to anyone reading my post - if goal is an M7 school, would not wait too long to take the exam like me. In talking to consultants, my biggest obstacle even before this test score was not my test score but my years of experience (I'd worked for 9 years). The "sweet spot" for most schools is apparently 4 - 5 years post-college, so try to take the test sooner rather than later!
Big thanks to this whole community. It takes a village --- I couldn't have done it without your unwavering support!
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GMAT-Club-Forum-omo4u2gl.png [ 42.28 KiB | Viewed 2148 times ]
25 Sep 2025, 08:29
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MartyMurray, we did it.
boybread5
Joined: 29 Dec 2016
Last visit: 31 Mar 2026
Posts: 25
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 20
Location: United States
Schools: Booth (Chicago)
GMAT Focus 1: 625 Q86 V80 DI77 
GMAT Focus 2: 665 Q81 V89 DI79
GMAT Focus 3: 635 Q83 V78 DI83
GMAT Focus 4: 755 Q88 V90 DI85
GPA: 3.92
Products:
Also looks like I could have gotten a Q90 (and a 775 GMAT FE Score). My only Incorrect answer was originally Correct and I changed it at the last second as part of my Review of the Problems at the end of the test --- sometimes luck cuts in both ways!
All the best with your next steps!! 
