From 570 to 680 to 710 - a 2 year journey

I recently took the GMAT and am happy to report I scored a 710 (V41, Q47). This represents a 140 point improvement from the 570 (Q42, V27) I scored in March 2018.

I am writing this post for all the people out there struggling to achieve their target score in less than 6 months. This post is not for the people who have broken the 700 barrier and are trying to break the 750 barrier but rather for people who are in the 500s or low 600s and dont think achieving a 700 is possible. Let me tell you - IT IS! If I can do, Anybody can do it. Let me tell you one more thing - It will take more than 6 months but it will be worth it in the end not because of the score you have achieved but rather the skills you acquired in the process. This post is also for people trying to score V40+

I will keep this short.

My own GMAT Journey
Jan 2018 - Began prep with a tutor in India called mandeep Kohli.
March 2018 - After putting in atleast 200-300 hours, I took my first OG mock and scored a 630.
March 2018 - I then took the actual GMAT in the test center and scored a 570 (Q42, V27). I was heartbroken. I thought the GMAT was not for me and this is something I could never master.
2018 - 2020 - I then took a 2 year break from GMAT. I was demotivated
July 2020 - I decided to restart my GMAT journey when I came across ChiranjeevSingh on Linkedin in 2020.
August 2020 - Jan 2022 - Completed @e-GMAT SC, ttp Quant, GMATIntensive and private tutoring sessions with ChiranjeevSingh. I was seriously studying for a few months, then took a break for a few months. This happened multiple times, hence I took so long.
Jan 2022 - OG Mocks 1 - 760, OG Mock 2 - 700, OG Mock 3 - 740
Feb 2022 - GMAT 1st attempt. I started with the Verbal section, thought I bombed it and then gave up on the quant section. To my surprise, I did better on the verbal. Final score - 680 (Q46, V37)
March 2022 - Gave the GMAT exam scored a 690 (Q48, V37), this time taking the quant section seriously.
March 2022 - Thinking that I was so close to the 700 barrier, I took the GMAT online exam the very next day and scored a 620 (Q44, V31). I was shocked, how could my score drop 70 points in one day. Later I realized this was just due to exam fatigue.
April 2022 - July 2022 - Began working with anishPassiTGC for Verbal and select topics in Quant. I also watched a ton of GMATNinja videos
July 2022 - Took 6 Manhattan mocks. Scores ranged from 670 to 710. These mocks are definitely harder, especially the Quant part! the Verbal is easier
August 2022 - Gave the GMAT and scored a 710 (Q47, V41). I started with Verbal, then Quant and then IR/AWA. After the Quant section, I thought I had bombed the test so I literally left the AWA and IR sections. I click next and see a 710. I was relieved but anxious whether B schools would accept a score with an AWA and IR. I called up the admission offices of top business schools. I have shared their responses below.

What worked

Sentence Correction - Scored a 99 percentile and 97 percentile
1. It is important to master things to score high in sentence correction
a. Basics of grammar and rules - I relied on @e-GMAT for this. It is much easier to learn grammar rules through videos rather than reading.
b. Structuring of a sentence- I cannot emphasize how helpful this was. Perhaps the most useful skill in the verbal section. You need to be able to break down a sentence into different parts and understand the function of each of those parts in the sentence. This not helps in SC but helps significantly in CR and RC - especially when you are uncomfortable with the passage material.
c. Meaning based approach - I think out of the ~13 SC questions I answered in the GMAt, I probably answered 4-5 solely based on meaning. This is the most important skill in SC and it will not be possible to get 700 level SC questions correct without understanding meaning
d. Learning no more than 10 idioms - Learning idioms is a complete waste of time! The English language has 26,000 idioms and they are all fair game for the GMAT. Think about it, would the GMAT, an entrance exam for business schools, test you on your knowledge of nuances in the English language?
2. @e-GMAT course, GMATIntensive course and GMATNinja were all extremely helpful. I would recommend doing 2 out of these 3. They all have a similar approach

Reading Comprehension - 96 percentile
1. The most important thing in Reading comprehension is to understand the passage and understand the intent of the author - Why is the author writing this? Dont rely on shortcuts such as reading the questions first and then skimming the passage. That is not what the test is trying to test you on and if you try to beat around it, you will fail. I found sessions with anish Passi extremely helpful as well as videos by GMATNinja
2. Science and Humanities passage/ Passages you are uncomfortable with - I found that 2 things helped me here. First, I built comfort with science and humanities passages by reading up more on the terms and concepts I encountered. Second, it is important to not get bogged down into the weeds. In a science passage, do not get too bogged down into trying to understand the science behind it. Rather, understand the function of each of the sentences in the passage as a whole!

CR
1. This was always my weakest but also my most improved. I improved from a 22 percentile to a 65 percentile. There is no better substitute than the Gmat Intensive course for this

Quant
1. Thank you ttp! I could not have done it without you and there is no other course out there that even comes close to measuring up. If your basics are weak, do TTP and do it well!. I mean read every lesson, understand the fundamental concept, take every test, make active review sheets, make flash cards, analyze your errors, review, review, practice, practice, do it in the order that the study plan is designed. Do not take shortcuts if you have a low quant score. Do not skip sections, or not complete the number of required tests
2. GMATIntensive's Quant course was very helpful too and quiet unique. The course emphasizes on using higher order reasoning skills to approach each question - which is really what the GMAT is testing.

Study habits, Exam Day & Dealing with the emotional aspect of GMAT
1. Be consistent. If you are not, you will have to revise what you already learned!
2. Set a time of day - Preferably the morning before work - This is when your brain is the most fresh. 2 hours on a work day and 4 hours on the weekend.
3. Create an error log - Go over your errors.
4. Do not ignore silly mistakes - They keep re-occuring but at the same time they are the lowest hanging fruits.
5. Take breaks as well between your GMAT prep - A few days off during study period or even a week off after taking a GMAT exam actually works to your benefit. It allows your mind to recover, just like Athletes take days off. This is something legenday GMAT tutor Ron Purewal has harped on.
6. Use ChiranjeevSingh's GMAT OG tracker. This is a list of all OG questions
7. Use GMATclub. It is a fantastic resource for error logs or creating simulated mocks and quizes. Lots of great explanations.
8. Only do OG questions! There are plenty of them out there and it is not possible for any other test prep company to replicate these.

Replicating exam day conditions for mocks
1. Use the GMAT writing pad in your prep way before you get to the mocks
2. Take the mocks in a timed environment with the respective breaks
3. Leave your house and go somewhere else to take your mock. This change in environment makes a difference. I even used to wear the same clothes, wear headphones and a mask - just like I would on exam day
4. Have the same food - the same breakfast and the same snacks that you would during the breaks. This might seem like a stretch but you want to minimize for variability on exam day
5. Turn off your mobile and all other electronic

Emotional aspect of GMAT
1. More than anything, the GMAT is a test of persistence. Angela Duckworth, a reknown psychologist at Upenn, has studied many high achieving performers and concluded that gritt is what sets apart the high achievers from the low achievers. Not talent, or family background or even hard work but rather gritt. The GMAT journey is a journey of ups and downs. Do not let your down days characterize you or your future. Most students who score in the 500s,

Dealing with anxiety on the GMAT day
1. Everyone goes through some level of anxiety on the GMAT day. You are not alone. In fact top athletes such as Steph Curry and Cristiano Ronaldo have said that despite what they have achieved, to this day they still get nervous before matches.
2. Whatever I tell you about dealing with anxiety, know that you will feel nervous and your nervousness will go away after solving the first 3-4 quesitons!
3. Anxiety can be a good thing. A lot of studies show that there is an optimal level of anxiety that allows you to perform at your peak. Anxiety focuses your mind. No anxiety can actually make you complacent and thus work against you.
4. Even if you bomb the GMAT, so what? ,you can just cancel your score and take it again! The GMAT allows for 5 attempts in a calendar year. Nobody will ever see your cancelled score
5. Even if you are never able to crack the GMAT, Does that mean that you wont get into a good B school? And if not, does that mean that you wont be successful in life? Is doing well on the GMAT a requirement for succeeding in life? Is your performance on one particular of one particular exam going to determine the trajectory of your life?