From 560 to 720 and headed to a top program!!!

Over 4 months after my second and last GMAT experience, I have finally found the perfect time to write about my “gmat journey.” While studying, I loved reading other people’s stories on here for inspiration and now, finally, I am in the position to do the same. In May I was accepted to three schools as a round 3 candidate and will be matriculating at a top 5 program this fall. If you had told me that a year ago, I would have called you crazy.

I started studying for the GMAT by enrolling in a Manhattan Prep course and strolled in on the first day without a care in the world. That was my first mistake. I strongly encourage everyone to take some time to refresh yourself on math fundamentals before signing up for a course. During one class, the instructor asked me how I would solve a particular geometry problem. I told him that I had no idea. That was an acceptable answer – we were all there to learn. Then he asked, “Ok, well, how would you start?” I said I would find the area of the circle. “Good” he poised his marker to the white board and asked me for the formula. I told him that I didn’t know it. He looked like me like I was from a different planet. I explained, “I confuse the formula for area and formula for circumference. I can’t remember which is which.” The instructor literally just stared at me for 10 seconds before he was able to get over his shock and move on. I am not ashamed that I didn’t know the answer – who the hell should be expected to remember something they learned over 10 years ago in geometry class? That said, I would have gotten way more out of the Manhattan course had I brushed up on the fundamentals. Don’t waste your money by diving into the course first like I did.

Being unprepared for the course also lead me to perform poorly on the CATS. On the second CAT, I actually did worse than the first which is not totally unusual, but by worse, I mean that I scored in the 18th percentile in the quant section. Yeah. It’s possible. I completely mismanaged my time so I didn’t even answer 10 or 15 questions. Also, I knew it was a practice test. Who cares? I knew I would get better. In class, the instructor reviewed some questions we had about the CAT and then after class we discussed it a bit more. He had access to our scores of course and I told him that I had mismanaged my time but I knew that I could improve. Then he asked me what my target score was. I said 170 – isn’t that the right answer? He literally almost laughed in my face. Next, he asked me what my target school was – Georgetown. Finally, he suggested I look at other schools, maybe some state schools, maybe some non-top 100 schools.

I could have left in tears, but I left fuming instead. This guy was supposed to be on my side, he was supposed to be encouraging me – helping me. At that moment, I knew I was on my own.
After the course ended in July 2015, I causally studied on my own until about November. I was working a full-time job and a part-time job so I had very little time to study. In November when my scores were still not anywhere close to the 700 mark and the opportunity to apply R2 was slowing disappearing, I realized that my method was not working. Causal studying was not enough. Starting on January 1, I lived and breathed the GMAT. I gave up drinking as part of “dry January”, avoided most social events, and held myself to a rigorous study schedule. One thing to mention here is that I did make time for exercise. I am a yoga nut and I went to class 4 times per week. GMAT and yoga that was my life – oh, and I went to work (by this time I had quit my part-time job).
What I had learned from the Manhattan Prep course helped me go from a good verbal score to a great score. Regarding quant, I made myself tons of flash cards (get the app Chegg to make your own) and I practiced real questions and full-sections. I woke up at 5 or 6 am every day to get in an hour or two of studying before work, I studied during my lunch break, and I studied for 1-2 hours each night. On weekends, I took a practice test every Saturday morning after a yoga class. I also had a deck of flashcards with basics that I HAD to know. I went through these every single day without fail. Use the app streaks to hold yourself accountable. As a side note, I had already gone through the Fundamentals of Math book and the entire Manhattan Prep syllabus (quant stuff only) for a second time. Gmatclub was definitely my best resource for answers and discussions!

I took the test on Feb 1 and panicked during quant. I was discouraged, but I knew I could do much better. So, I signed up again and my January study routine continued into February. I also didn’t like thinking about my parents and my boyfriend being nervous for me so I actually told them my test was at 4:30, but I actually took it at 12:00 so I wasn’t distracted thinking about them being nervous. On February 27, a Saturday, I went to my usual yoga class and then straight to the test center where I scored a personal best – 720.


If you stopped reading long ago, I can’t blame you. Here are the takeaways:
1) Casual studying doesn’t work.
2) Get excited about the GMAT. Fake it til you make it. When I learned a new concept or a method for solving a problem, I would get out the white board and excitedly explain it to my boyfriend. Teaching something is such an effective way of reinforcing it in your own mind. It doesn’t matter if your audience is completely disinterested!
3) The “fake it til you make it” strategy works really well for verbal too. When reading a passage, force yourself to care - think to yourself, “Man, this is so amazing! These caterpillers eat this particular grass because the grass purposely gives off a scent to attract caterpillers..“ Yes, you will look like an idiot muttering these things to yourself, but trust me, it works!
4) Download these apps: Chegg and streaks
5) Take advantage of the free GMAT club tests. I didn’t pay for the additional ones, but I am sure they are helpful as well.
6) Pay for the additional practice tests offered by GMAC – this should be a no-brainer. Take them strategically – they are very valuable.
7) For me, the materials I got from the Manhattan Prep course were way more valuable than the actual course. If you are disciplined enough I would recommend skipping it.

Here are most of tests I took and my progress:
May 2015 Cat 1 – 560
June 2015 CAT 2 – 540
August 2015 CAT 3 – 640
December 2015 CAT – 630
January 2016 CAT – 650
January 2016 CAT 6 – 600 (this one was really discouraging!)
Jan 18 – GMAC Exam 1 – 660 (41Q, 40V)
Jan 30 – GMAC Exam 2 – 710 (44Q, 44V)
Feb 13 – GMAC Exam 3 – 700 (43Q, 42V)
Feb 19 – GMAC Exam 4 – 710 (42Q, 44V)
Feb 23 – GMAC Exam 2 (rest) Quant Section Only – 48Q
Feb 24 – GMAC Exam 3 (reset) – Quant Section Only – 46Q
Feb 26 – GMAC Exam 4 (reset) – Quant Section Only – 47Q
Feb 27 – Official exam 2 – 720 (47Q, 42V), AW-6, IR-8

Finally, best of luck to everyone who is currently studying and gearing up for the test. With dedication and the right mentality, it is definitely possible to beat the GMAT!