CrackVerbal helped me identify and rectify my GMAT prep mistakes!

Hello everyone,

Like a lot of you out there, I am an engineer too. I am also an athlete who wishes to bring together sports and technology after I do my MBA.

I didn’t know a lot of things when I started preparing for the GMAT. I took the GMAT twice and I wasn’t happy with my scores, especially my Verbal scores.

But my CrackVerbal mentor guided me and helped me understand what I was doing wrong. And I think it is very important for all GMAT aspirants to know why they are not able to score well on the exam.

And that is why I am sharing my story here with all of you. Hope it helps all of you.

My Background - I am an Engineer who became a Product Manager

I did my B.Tech from NIT, Jaipur. I have been working for Siemens for the past 4.5 years. I started my journey here as an Installation, Testing, and Commissioning Engineer. For the past 2 years, I have been working as a Product Manager for Siemens.

When I started working as a Product Manager, I felt that I lacked the negotiation skills, pricing, and forecasting skills required for the job role. I needed my senior colleagues’ guidance to complete certain tasks at my workplace. That is when I decided that I need to take the GMAT and get into a B-school to do an MBA.

My Initial GMAT Prep Journey - 15 days before GMAT, I knew that I wasn’t going to do well

In November 2018, I decided to start my GMAT preparation and joined The Princeton Review. I joined their classroom training program. But it did not work for me.

Just 15 days prior to giving my GMAT, I realized that I did not know how to approach the questions. I knew that I was not going to do well on the GMAT.

When I gave my GMAT the first time in June 2019, I scored a 590.

After my first GMAT attempt, I enrolled in an e-GMAT course. I found the SC module in the course helpful. I understood the fundamentals and I improved the pre-thinking process. But I took too much time to solve each question.

I have an engineering background. So, I was always good at Quant. I used to score Q49 and Q50.

But Verbal was my weak point. I could attempt only 26-27 questions comfortably. I was missing out on 10 questions! I went ahead and took the GMAT again and scored a 650.

My Final Lap - CrackVerbal mentor’s technique helped me get my answers quickly

I was constantly trying to figure out how to improve my GMAT score. That is how I ended up on CrackVerbal and they got in touch with me.

Well...I decided to enroll in their online GMAT course. But they intervened and suggested that I should take CrackVerbal’s Personal Tutoring sessions and not the online GMAT course.

It made total sense! I had my GMAT fundamentals right. As they rightly pointed out, I just needed someone to tell me what I was doing wrong.

My CrackVerbal mentor did exactly that! She helped me understand where I was going wrong.

It is after joining CrackVerbal that I realized that I was pre-thinking a little too much when it came to the Critical Reasoning (CR) section on the GMAT. My CrackVerbal mentor was the one to tell me that I don’t have to think so much.

In fact, she gave me a technique that I call ‘the magic formula’ to ace the GMAT section.

I implemented the technique that she suggested and I realized that it helped me think faster and better. It came to a point where I started doing well in the GMAT CR section.

But soon I was tested COVID positive and post-recovery, I had to go to a site for product commissioning. Because of that, I had to stop my GMAT preparation for almost one and a half months.

But my mentor used to reach out to me every week. It was more like a reminder for me to get back to my GMAT preparation and take the exam. I had already postponed the exam four times by then.

She guided, motivated, and helped me restart my GMAT preparation. She never rushed just for the sake of completing the course.

She set deadlines for me so that I finish studying certain portions by that time. She gave me two months to get back on track with my GMAT prep. That is what kept me going. I am so grateful to her.

It is just like how it is when you run a marathon. I feel like I stopped running midway. But there was someone who kept telling me that I shouldn’t stop and that I should complete the marathon.

I wanted to apply to ISB and the deadlines were approaching fast. I had to submit my ISB application by January 10, 2021.

I gave the GMAT on January 5 and got to know my score on January 7.

I got a 710 (Q50, V35)!

My learnings - A few points that I think will help GMAT aspirants

1. You won’t get a good GMAT score just by practicing questions

Even when I took the GMAT the first time, I knew the concepts well. But that is not enough. GMAT is a lot more than just concepts or questions. It is all about the right approach.

2. You can score well on the GMAT even if you take a break

It is always good if you can practice for the GMAT consistently. But, in my case, I couldn’t do anything about it. I stopped my GMAT preparation for almost 1.5 months. But I got back and worked even harder. That is what helped me score a 710 on the GMAT.

3. You should know what you are going wrong

When you are preparing for the GMAT, you need to understand what you are doing wrong that is lowering your GMAT score.

I think that’s pretty much what I had to share with you all.

I am really glad that I enrolled in CrackVerbal's Personal Tutoring program. Without it, I am not really sure whether I would have known what I was doing wrong while preparing for the GMAT.

I am really grateful to my mentor at CrackVerbal.

I hope you all get your target GMAT scores and get into top B-schools. I am waiting for my ISB results right now.

All the best, you guys!

Regards,
Kanika