A car salesman's journey from 600 to 760

For the last 5 years, after graduating from college, I've been in car sales. My math skills had withered away. With a calculator handy at my desk, I had no need for mental math. And with the long hours I typically work, I didn't spend much of my free time reading. Jan 1 I decided to go for an MBA. I started Veritas Prep at the beginning of march. Before I went to the first class, i started a practice test. The first quant problem made my eyes boggle. It was only a 600 level algebra problem, but at the time it made no sense. I started to doubt whether I could relearn all the math and English that the gmat tests. I started to think my window had passed. But I had already paid for the Veritas class so I decided I'd make the best of it.

I went to class, and did the homework, most of it at least, but I was still not scoring where I needed to. Taking practice tests, I was hovering in the mid 6's with just a month before my test. My verbal score was consistently higher than my quant so I started focusing on the quant, against the advice of my Veritas teacher. I doubled down on data sufficiency and word problems, taking on as many practice problems as I could from the Veritas website. My practice tests were improving slightly but the gain I made in quant was almost offset by my slide in verbal. A week before the test my best score was 690, still not as good as I needed.

I continued to review every day until two days before the test. I took off work the day before and did nothing test related. Did some lawn work, went on a bike ride, I did everything I could to forget the test. But I did go that morning to see the test center and scope out the logistics. I would highly recommend that. It took 10 minutes and the people there were very accommodating. The day of, I woke up around 6, ate a nice breakfast and got to the test center about 30 minutes early. I was one of the first admitted. Once in the test center, I took the 8 minutes before it starts to pray and journal very briefly. I wrote about a paragraph of positive affirmations about how hard I had worked and that I was as prepared as I could have possibly been. My nerves were going crazy. I was almost shaking. This little period of reflection and self-centering really calmed me down.

Right as I was finishing my essay, with five minutes left, the power to the computers went out. I was freaking out. My whole essay was gone! Fortunately, the back up system preserved everything. After that brief hiccup the test went on. I took advantage of every break. I made sure to close my eyes and center myself and my thoughts before going back to the next section. A mix of breathing exercises and meditation helped me keep my mind clear and unencumbered. When I finally submitted my test and saw my unofficial score, I almost fell out of my seat. I hadn't even broken 700 in my practice. I credit my success to Veritas' tests and method, as well as a level headed approach. All I did was go to class, do the homework, and work the practice exams. Towards the end I focused on my weak areas, but that was it.

I'm sharing this in the hope that it might encourage somebody who, like me, thought the GMAT was too hard for them. I never dreamed I could get the score I got, but through hard work and the grace of god, all things are possible. My biggest takeaway from my experience is that the few days before the test are SO important. Whatever you do, make sure you walk into that testing center calm and focused. Take a moment to reflect on all your hard work and preparation. And take each question 1 at a time.