Done & Dusted - 510 to 710, Via 640 twice

Hi All,

I celebrated the end of an almost 2 year journey, a journey I should have completed in less than a fourth of that timeline. As I look back, I believe that a little lack of proper guidance in the beginning and very poor execution are the reasons for the delayed completion. I write this debrief to help you get done with the GMAT in less than 6 months.

This is a pretty long debrief. I have paragraph headings to help you decide the paragraphs you might want to skim or skip. If I have to share the key to the GMAT in a sentence it would be UNDERSTAND WHAT THE GMAT REALLY IS! It’s very easy. Trust me. I understood what the GMAT is 3 days before the test and from scoring 650 in MGMAT CATS consistently for over 1.5 months, I scored a 710 (5.5, 5, 49, 37) and you can do it too!

WHAT THE GMAT REALLY IS - in my humble understanding :
The GMAT tests the test taker on questions for which high school education and 2 minutes of time is sufficient. If you can remove the pressure which is induced forcefully and can think and choose the questions you want to skip and the questions you want to fight against “while your pressure is removed”, you can ace the GMAT! I will tell you how I came across and executed this understanding!

I am splitting this debrief into 2 parts:
1) Mastering GMAT Prep
2) Mastering CATs – what I understood about the test and how I cracked it!

If you are a crack verbal student, I think you can directly jump to the second part!

1) Mastering GMAT Prep

--> Learn the strategies and fundamentals of attacking each question type. AS SOON AS YOU’VE LEARNT THEM practice solving all the official questions possible in that question type. Once you are done doing this for each question type, practice a mixed bag of official questions. (NB: I’ve only mentioned official questions everywhere)

a) Starting off – choosing materials & classes and studying!

While I was about to start my prep, I was totally lost. There is a lot of free advice available online and there are different people telling you that different materials and strategies worked for them. Choosing the right class and materials is a tough decision to make. Don’t rush through this process. Crack Verbal’s fast track classes worked for me. I would very strongly recommend Crack Verbal’s classes.

i. Prepare for the GMAT ONLY. Mistake 1: I started off preparing for CAT (the admission test for Indian B schools since I was told, after preparing for CAT, GMAT would be easy). Tip 1: If you are preparing for the GMAT, prepare only for the GMAT! Since the GMAT is adaptive and has different finer nuances, don’t try to master other tests

ii. Have a strong goal to get done with GMAT in less than 6 months ONLY. I did not want to spend weekends sitting in classrooms as I did for CAT classes and so I decided to take an online course. I did a lot of research on online classes, attended mock classes and chose Knewton GMAT; the 50 point guarantee was irresistible. Mistake 2: Being used to self-study, I thought I must do self-study and get to a 650 level with self-study and then use the Knewton GMAT course, so that I could utilize the Knewton course well. Tip 2: Your objective must be to get your fundamentals and strategies in place in less than 4 months and practicing CATs and a mixed bag of questions for a month before you take the test! I believe that attending good classes, classes that work for you, is the best way to get your fundamentals and strategies in place at the earliest. I have aced very tough competitive exams with self-study. Tip 3: But you need to appreciate that the GMAT is a different ball game. A good instructor would hold your hand and guide you through! Explore every option available, take demo classes and choose the option that works best for you! I wish I had joined Crack Verbal right in May 2013! I spent 4 months (Mistake 3: on and off totally unsystematically without a proper schedule. I studied for a few hours on weekdays on some days and I slogged a little on weekends. Result - wasted weekday hours and wasted weekends!) preparing with Kaplan premier and then since I was not studying properly and regularly I realised that I won’t attain my goal (mistake 2) and so I joined the Knewton course in the first week of February 2014. I repeated mistake 3. My initial goal was to get done with the GMAT by May 14 so that I could apply to schools in R1. Mistake 4: To attain this goal I took a couple of weeks of leave from work and studied for upto 14 hours a day – completing 75% of the Knewton course. My mock Knewton CAT scores hardly improved by 10 or 20 points and I was around the 530 level. I was now able to understand what I read somewhere more GMAT prep time does not mean a better score.

b) Practicing questions:

R1 was still my goal, I recognised my weak areas. For quants I solved the 100 basic and 100 tough questions of Jeff Sackman. In addition I solved the whole of OG, QR, VR and GMAT Prep (free and paid questions) Mistake 5: serial number wise. Tip 4: Solve the official questions whenever possible topic wise, ideally after you have just studied that topic in class. You save time (you solve a good mix of hard and easy questions per day instead of solving a lot of easy questions the first few days followed by all tough questions) and you master the topic. Mistake 6 (ONE OF THE BIGGEST): I solved all these materials, made a note of my mistakes, kept revising these mistakes and by-hearted rules and formulae to avoid repeating these mistakes and I did manage to avoid a good number of these mistakes. I updated a quant flashcard from gmatclub.com and updated it and created my own flashcard for sentence correction. Tip 5: If you catch yourself memorising something, you are digging your own grave and you are certainly going in the wrong direction. Any GMAT question can be solved using logic once you identify the pattern of the question. Memorising something is not going to help you in the long run! The last time I was preparing for the test there were days when I spent over 5 hours just reviewing 20 SC questions. I prepared a NMGTS error log (as suggested by Crack Verbal) and learnt how to logically solve questions!

c) Reviewing questions on online forums:

I think it is very important that you seek only expert advice. For quant I looked out for Bunuel in gmatclub.com. For verbal I used the Crack Verbal forums where experts respond to each query. When questions were not posted on the Crack Verbal I used the MGMAT forum. I am not a big fan of the MGMAT forum; disadvantages I noticed here are – there is more discussion on grammar rules and stuff, at times why each option is wrong is not addressed, sometimes questions are not answered since the admins have a query whether the question is in the right folder, there is a discussion on bumping in the forum, language used, etc. I further watched Crack Verbal’s video explanation to almost each SC question. I was also a member of a closed google group; the members helped me a lot throughout my prep. Being part of a highly motivated group in which we discussed a few questions everyday helped me look at a few questions differently and to stay motivated throughout! I will strongly recommend these resources to all of you!

d) Galloping towards test day:

I took all the 4 GMAT prep tests and my quant score was stable at 47 from test 1, I never got over 2 RC questions wrong in each test and my verbal scores improved from 31 to 36 in my first attempt. Mistake 7 (ONE OF THE BIGGEST): I thought that I was getting 47 in Q, so let me just focus on my weakness – verbal. Similarly, I thought that my accuracy was good in CR and RC, so let me just focus on SC. Tip 6: Improving your score in your strong area is easier than improving your score BEYOND A POINT in your weak area! If Quant is your strength, try to score 51 consistently. Accuracy in a CAT is a bad way of determining your level. I believe the NMGTS checklist, mentioned earlier, is a better indicator of the areas in which you need to improve.

e) Taking Mock Tests:

GMAT prep tests are the only reliable tests. Taking Manhattan tests helped me nevertheless. The quant section is pretty tough (or lengthier) that the questions on test day seem way too easy! But don’t rely on the test scores of any private test provided. My MGMAT scores were stagnant for 1.5 months before my last test. I scored 650 and 660 each time I took the test for 5 times. I took a Princeton test 4 days before test day and scored a 530 (certainly nothing unusual or weird that day. I wasted the India Australia CWC semi-final taking this test)! Tip 7: So the bottom line is this – if you are taking a gmat prep test, you are taking it to assess yourself on 3 parameters – (a) your stamina, (b) the way you take the test – timing, early guessing or random guessing, what food you eat/drink during breaks (drinking red bull gives me a head ache. Initially I thought the head ache was because of the stress of the test. So when you take mock tests, try different food), scratchpad management, et all and (c) your test score. But if you are taking any other test IGNORE YOUR TEST SCORE.

f) Reviewing mock tests:

Read Stacey’s 2 part article. No substitute.

g) Section Wise Notes (Unless mentioned otherwise I only used Crack Verbal’s and official questions):

i. AWA – Chinese burned template. I got a 6 on both of my previous tests. I don’t know why I only got a 5.5 this time. But yeah, Chinese burned is the best template you will get.

ii. IR – I never gave much importance for this session. The first time I took the test, I solved all the OG questions, the GMAT Prep questions (paid & free). I got 5, 6 and 5 in my tests. I think solving these materials is good enough. By design, I never attempted over 8 questions in IR each time so that I save energy for the sections that matter.

iii. Quant – I believe, like bold face questions in CR, P&C and probability is overrated. Focus a lot on Number Properties and inequalities; more questions are tested from these topics. Mistake 8: “As soon as you see the question start doing something in your pad after you write down key information”. This is an advice you find on many forums/blogs, repeatedly. Tip 8: Once you write down key information, think for a few seconds how you can solve the question in the fastest and easiest way. When you are thinking on test day, try to do so breathing deeply!

iv. RC – I was used to writing elaborate notes (in a handwriting I can’t understand myself – I read and write simultaneously, I sometimes write 2 sentences on top of another) and RC was my strength ever since. In every mock, apart from MGMATs, I have not got 2 or more questions wrong. Different RC strategies work for different people, Crack Verbal recommends skimming, but I did not want to change a strategy which was working well for me.

v. SC – the vertical scan method as taught by crack verbal. The MGMAT book of course is very detailed and elaborate. I however believe that one need not learn so much for SC. Sitting in the Crack Verbal classes I learnt a few rules and principles and they were more than enough. I never had to even revise these few rules and principles, listening to them once in the class was more than enough.

vi. CR – Crack Verbal did the trick for me. The idea of vertical scan for bold face questions. After my first 2 RCs on test day, I got a bold face each. Hadn’t it been for Crack Verbal, I would have skipped these questions. I am sure I got both the questions right. Understanding the common traps in CR in the crack verbal classes made CR easy for me!

vii. CR Bold Face - In the vertical scan method for Bold face, you identify the conclusion first. Thereafter scan through the options and identify where the semi colon is placed in each option. If the semi colon is too much to the right side of the text in the option, then you start the vertical scan for all the 5 options for the second bold face questions or vice versa. For the Bold Face statement chosen, read the text of the option (either on the left or right of the semi colon) from the right to the left & eliminate options on your pad. For the options left, read the text of the option (either on the left or right of the semi colon) from the right to the left & eliminate options on your pad. You must be left with the right option!

2) Test Day Experience It is all about handling eliminating pressure

First attempt: I was not ready for the test as my verbal scores were fluctuating. I wanted to apply to schools in R1 and so I took the test. During the test I felt like I messed up quant as the last few questions were way too easy and the pressure got to me and I screwed up in verbal. I got the same old 47 in quant and my verbal score crashed to 31. I got a 640.

Second attempt: I got hospitalised the day before the test. I thought I had prepared well and I took the test because if I missed the test I would not be able to apply to schools in R2. I screwed up in both sections and got a 640 again, scoring 44 and 34 this time.
Mistake 9: The first time I took the GMAT though I felt that I had not put in my best. The second time I took the test when I was totally drained. These are mistakes, but the bigger mistake was post-poning my GMAT. Tip 10: Take the GMAT at least 6 months before you want to apply to school. Tip 11: Try to keep the news that you are taking the GMAT confidential. The lower the pressure, the better. Tip 12: Take the GMAT only when you believe you are fully prepared and when you are healthy. If you have taken the GMAT once, remember most B schools would consider the GMAT score you provide after the deadline as well. If you provide the score a bit late, the worst thing that would happen is that your application would be moved to R3.

Third attempt: Few days before the test in a Crack Verbal alumni event, I realised that once a test taker eliminates pressure, the test becomes easy. I did a bit of research and came across This video and I followed all the tips.

The day before the test, I went through my error log till the afternoon. In the evening I wanted a break, wanted to relax and certainly wanted to watch WWE wrestle mania and I watched it! Seeing the super stars smiling, breathing and relaxing when troubled gave me a reassurance on what I had to do (watch the video in the link above if you haven’t yet)!

I dressed in formals, tied a bandage tightly on my left index finger to remind me not to get tensed and to smile and breathe a lot, listened to high bass songs (appears you get pumped up) from a playlist I created for test day, reviewed my error log and solved 2 questions from each type before reaching the test centre in the afternoon. I reached the test centre 20 minutes early and after telling a hi hello to the test centre authorities, guess what, I took a power nap for 10 minutes, heard one more song and washed my face repeatedly.

I set up my scratch pad, wrote SMILE & BREATHE in 4 tissue papers and placed these papers across the desk, I drew a smiley face on each page of the scratch pad too.

The AWA session went on well. The bandage on the tip of my left index finger made me commit a few more typos though, perhaps that costed me .5 points in the section.

IR, I did not want to attempt over 8 questions properly as I wanted to store my energy for the sections that matter. I answered 8 questions well. I think after solving the MGMAT CAT IR questions, the GMAT IR questions appeared to be easy.

During the break, I ate a banana, a snickers and drank a tetra pack of ORS juice, washed my face repeatedly and did some exercise.

I spent 3.5 minutes on the first quant question. I kept telling myself from the end of the 2nd minute “stay cool and relax” and kept smiling. The bandage, smiley and tissue paper notes helped! Thereafter the session went on very smoothly. Practicing a lot of official questions, I was able to recognise patterns very well. Most of the questions were similar to the questions I practiced. As I felt during the first attempt, almost from the 25th question I felt as if the questions were too easy. I felt as if the questions were not getting tougher at all. This is when I panicked during my first attempt. The bandage, smiley and tissue paper notes helped me be cool! I completed the test with 5 minutes to spare and I sat dancing in the chair, singing to myself and relaxing!

During the break, I ate a banana, a snickers and drank a tetra pack of ORS juice, washed my face repeatedly and did some exercise.

For the very first time, I did not guess or rush through a single question in Verbal! I completed the section with 3 minutes to spare too! I kept smiling and breathing after each question. I solved almost each SC question very quickly (I guess in approximately 60 seconds each) using the splits method. For RC as usual, I wrote notes and solved the questions. I think I am sure I got them all right. After the first 2 RCs I got a bold face CR question; answering the bold face questions well made me feel good. I felt the CR questions getting tougher and so I calmly wrote down notes and solved them.

I skipped all the survey questions, I was wondering what my score would be. The next day was a deadline for me to provide my GMAT score to Tuck & Darden for R3. I put up both my hands and waved crazily at the camera when I saw the score and thus ended my journey!

I hope you find this long debrief useful in your journey!

Good Luck!