790 via self-study - you can do it, too

Hey GMAT Club,

Some of you may remember me from my post a few weeks ago about a disappointing score dragged down by a very sensitive verbal section (link to said post.) Well, I am disappointed no longer.

Without dwelling on it: as of this afternoon, I am the proud owner of a 790 (V51 Q50 IR8).

Because this forum has been so helpful to me throughout my process, I wanted to share some notes on my experience, both in the test center and out, that helped me achieve a score I didn't think was possible.

0. Materials.

I guess I technically "self-studied" for this because I didn't enroll in a course. However, it would be silly and presumptuous of me to think I studied on my own. The following were essential to my preparation:
- GMATClub questions
- GMATClub tests (accessed during holidays)
- Official Practice Exams 1 & 2
- Official Guide and online questions tool
- GMATNinja and egmat verbal lectures on YouTube
- A supportive and loving girlfriend without whom none of this would be possible

To the intelligent, diligent, and generous commenters who make this forum the best place in the world to prepare for the GMAT: thank you. A particular shoutout to GMATNinja, Bunuel , GMATNinjaTwo , bb , ScottTargetTestPrep , walker , and many others whose gifts of their time and expertise make this place so special. Now, on to the recap:


1. Know what you want, and why you want it.

My GMAT journey started this February. Seeing headlines about the troubles that plague our world flipped a switch somewhere deep inside. What can I do to create a better world for my future family? It certainly didn't look like my current work experience. I knew a transition from my current job to a position at an aerospace, energy, or hardware technology company would be nearly impossible without drastic measures. And so, I started looking into business schools.

Well, actually, I took a free, four-question GMAT diagnostic test online and scored a humbling 580. Then I started looking into business schools. And realized that a 580 probably wouldn't get me where I wanted to go.

So, I started studying. And even when I got frustrated - when the elegance of Bunuel and the generosity of GMATNinja felt more like mockery at my wrongs than help towards my rights - I stuck with it. Because I knew what I wanted to do. And to do it, I'd need a damn good score.


2. It's all about area under the curve.

Although calculus isn't on the GMAT, I found one of its central principles to be a guide in my studies: at a fundamental level, GMAT success is about practice, practice, practice. The GMAT is not a difficult test. It is, however, a test of mastery. And to score highly on a test of mastery, you need to know every single concept tested inside and out.

I had strong verbal foundations from my day job, but I hadn't thought about interior angles since high school. What did that mean? It meant I'd need to get lost in math. As I took mocks - official mocks, GMAT Club holiday mocks, you name it - I'd pay close attention to questions that made me feel panicked. When that "oh ****" feeling set in, I'd jot down the subject matter, work through the skill post-test... then lock my jaw and pursue mastery.

Does the idea of finding the remainder of the product of two double exponents make me feel panicked? Great. Let's watch lectures, take notes, and beat practice problems to a pulp until it doesn't.

I diagnosed, attacked, and worked through more than half of the GMAT study areas outlined in bb 's Quant Question Directories. I also did similarly when I realized Evaluate-style Critical Reasoning was a weak point after my first real exam.

My final tally is likely somewhere around 300 hours of GMAT studying over the last few months. However you integrate those, that's a good chunk of area under the curve.


3. Build habits.

There's a saying among history scholars: "Wars are won with logistics."

If you're trying to overcome a difficult task, you need robust and repeatable solutions. For the task of GMAT mastery - where there's no replacement for area under the curve - building good studying habits is the most robust, repeatable solution there is.

My weekday GMAT logistics looked like the following:
- Wake up.
- Stretch.
- Do 10-20 practice problems of area unrelated to area I'm focused on mastering.
- Have a coffee.
- Do an hour's worth of practice/learning in focus area.
- Work from home.
- Get a sweat in.
- Eat dinner.
- Do an hour's worth of practice/learning in focus area.
- Get a full night's sleep.

Is it boring? Absolutely. But that's why it works. And if you know what you want and why you want it, it's just part of the process.


4. Use GMATClub as resistance training.

Because I started my GMAT journey with GMATClub questions, I expected the questions marked "700-level" on this forum to be reflective of what I'd see on official exams. Friends: they are so much harder.

You are very unlikely to see a question anywhere close to the difficulty of this one (my personal White Whale) on test day.

Think of GMATClub questions like heavy weights. They're there to help motivated test-takers strengthen their skills and get closer to achieving mastery. They should not, however, drain motivation. If you find yourself spiraling because you're <50% hit-rate on 700-level GMATClub questions, do some OG questions. I can guarantee you'll see yourself improving.


5. How (not) to prep for test day.

After I felt confident enough in my GMAT studies (aka, no longer likely to score 580), I took my first official mock exam and scored... better. My first official mock clocked in at 740 (Q47 V44), which was the exact midpoint of my target range. So, I went ahead and scheduled test #1 for a sunny Saturday in April, giving myself an additional 4 weeks to prepare.

Dear reader: don't make my mistakes.

Yes, I switched my question diet entirely to OG questions. Yes, I took mock #2 and got a score I was happy with (770 Q47 V50). But I also, very consciously, stressed myself out. Instead of continuing my studying pattern - train, diagnose, address, repeat - I micro-managed the hell out of my daily studying because "test day was right around the corner." It got to the point where I had Google Calendar blocks set out for specific topics, on specific days, for two weeks prior to exam day.

In fewer words, I got into my own head. If I got a question wrong, it was an omen. If I got 10 right, it wasn't good enough. The week before Exam #1 could best be described as frenzied and isolating - like if an order of mountaintop monks were brewing energy drinks instead of beer.

Exam #1 rolls around and... I underperform. Big time. 730 (Q47 V42). Worse than any of my mocks. And below median for my target.

Something had to change.


6. Getting back on the horse.

After an afternoon spent wallowing in misery, I (metaphorically) punched myself in the gut. I knew what I wanted. I knew why I had put the time in to date. Why would another signal that there were problems to address keep me from improving?

According to my ESR, two (2!!!) Critical Reasoning questions were the difference between my mock V50 and my real V42. So I threw myself into Critical Reasoning. Also, thanks to this forum, I learned that Verbal has a bad habit of being high-sensitivity on test day. So I threw myself into Quant, making sure I addressed any outstanding "panic" moments one by one. What made the difference for me in both categories was thinking deeply about what each question was supposed to test. Reading Comprehension is easy: it tests reading comprehension. But what about a 700-level Absolute Value inequality? Past a certain point, GMAT questions become conceptual. And if you can sniff out the concepts, you can solve them quickly.

With a week's worth of studying under my belt, I scheduled my exam retake, promising to myself that I would do things differently than I had for exam #1. And so I did!

Instead of spending the week in an anxious panic, in the wise words of ekuseru , I touched grass. In the week before my exam today, I: started a new video game; went on some long bike rides; spent a sunny Sunday at the local brewery; and spent a long night baking cookies for a friend's birthday. Yes, I also studied. But more importantly, I lived my life (while also studying an hour or two a night because see #2.)


7. Test day, part deux.

I woke up. I got a sweat in. I had a coffee. I took a test.

Simple as that.


8. A few closing remarks.

Ok, it wasn't that simple. I was convinced I messed up Q#3 in Verbal and dwelled on it for a solid two minutes (that last question felt easy! My CAT is ruined!!!!). I also had minor panic attacks throughout Quant, which led to what can best be described as "Faustian bargaining" during my second break. When I clicked "submit" on my AWA essay, I expected to see anywhere from 710-750. But instead it said "790." And here we are.

What made the difference?

There's a version of this section where I spout clichés about "believing in yourself" and "trusting the process", but the tough part about the GMAT is that there's a big part of test day that comes down to pure luck. I felt like I knew every Quant question I saw, and with the exception of V#3 (V#3!!!!!!!), I felt like I knew every Verbal question.

On Verbal, the only thing that matters in high-level CR is the argument. Get myopic on exactly what it's telling you and what premises support it. If you do, the answer should jump off the page.

On Quant, slow is fast. You have time to test counter-examples, even on hard algebra and geometry. Get creative. Look for friendly numbers on either side of a problem's roots. And when all else fails, look for relationships between the answers themselves. Are three of the answer choices to a "select x people from y married couples" problem parts of the equation x - y = z? If x is equal to the total number of combinations those people can form, you've got a valuable clue.

All in all, did I feel more prepared today than I did two weeks ago? Sure. Did I feel +60pts prepared? Not in this lifetime.

Thank you for reading this rambling recap of my GMAT experience, and to all my fellow self-studiers out there, I hope this post provides some level of motivation, and maybe even a tip or two. Your dream GMAT score is possible - as long you know what you want, and why you want it.