Hello Everyone!
Finally Done with the most crucial step as part of Application process.
It's My 4th Attempt which made my dream come true. Here are the In Detail Scores for all the 4 Attempts -
GMAT 1: 590 (Aug 28 ,2013)Analytical Writing - 6
Integrated Reasoning - 4
Quant - 49
Verbal - 23
GMAT 2: 640 (Nov 8, 2013)Analytical Writing - 5
Integrated Reasoning - 5
Quant - 49
Verbal - 28
GMAT 3: 650 (Aug 12, 2014)Analytical Writing - 5
Integrated Reasoning - 6
Quant - 48
Verbal - 31
GMAT 4: 720 (Sept 16,2014)Analytical Writing - 5
Integrated Reasoning - 7
Quant - 49
Verbal - 39
Let me start by introducing myself, I am an Engineering Student with top Grade in My school and got placed in a Top company through campus placements. I didn’t know what GMAT was and what It could do to a person like me at that point in time. I was enjoying my life and was happy with the way It has been. Later, When I involved in the organizational activities (Extra curricular, project related etc), I started analyzing my skill which was hidden inside till then. I started actively leading teams in the extra curricular, started suggesting improvements, started dealing with conflicts between our team members and suddenly realized I have something within me which could be ignited to full power with the help of an MBA Degree.
Then, I started looking into the Top MBA programs across the world(Since I came from top secondary, top Grade 12 College, Top undergraduate college , This trend was deeply rooted within me
) I started checking the eligibility factors, financial factors and other important factors that are required to get into the School I wanted. There came the GMAT as part of Eligibility criteria. I started exploring the GMAT so much that I took 3 – 4 months to understand the resources available and familiarize with the Test. I was literally into dreams when I first saw the concept that was being tested on GMAT (Quant : This is Bread n Butter for me) and didn’t realize that the Verbal part of it would screw me big time!!
Me along with my friend started preparing for GMAT starting with the
MGMAT Guides ( A set of 10 odd Guides) and got a chance to skim through the basic concepts required for the preparation. We later went through Kaplan Essentials and were completely involved in the pattern/models of the GMAT at that time. We purchased CAT Exams online from
MGMAT(On sharing
). We got access for 200+ Questions from an
MGMAT question bank along with this purchase. We worked hard solving those problems and thought we understood our mistakes. I personally solved the Advanced GMAT book by
MGMAT to go deep into the advanced concepts in Quant. We solved the Official Guides as well. Somehow, We thought we were prepared enough and booked our appointments with 10 Day gap in between.
I scored a 590(1st Attempt as mentioned above) and My friend scored a 560. It was a nightmare for us. We both were not sure what had really happened and why our scores fell like hell. A shocking twist to me was that my friend gave up GMAT with the score he received and started preparing for GRE followed by TOEFL. He ended up getting Admit in a good University for MIS program. Meanwhile, I was still hanging in to check what had went terribly wrong with my Test and realized that my thought process was the culprit : I thought I would cover up my weakness in verbal section by strengthening my Quant score. However, I realized that the Verbal score in the key component in one’s score if he/she wanted to have a 700+ tag.
I invested another $350 and joined
Manhattan GMAT Course exclusively for Verbal help. I was so desperate that I unknowingly become over dependent on the lecturers who taught verbal in that class. I started working on CS, SC and RC more carefully but never got the real GMAT Gist of them. I gave my second Attempt a month later and score a 640. I was happy, sad, joyful, fearful and what not. 640 for me is better than my previous score and hence happy, joyful. 640 will not give me a chance to look for top B School and hence Sad, fearful.
It was on the whole a consolidated upset feeling after my 2nd attempt. However, I never had a thought to give up the GMAT and in fact I took this as a challenge the some day that I am gonna kill this test right through one day. For this to happen, I needed a long break. I gave myself some time to clear off all those bad experiences and count on good practices followed. Then, I never touched GMAT for the next 4 months (It was during my marriage Time though)
After a long break, I started following YouTube for GMAT related videos ( Tips, strategies etc). I didn’t stressed myself right on Day 1. Later, I slowly started referring to my previous resources, guides etc and rebuilding my flow with the preparation. I accidentally came across a GMAT course “
E-GMAT Verbal Online” and looked at the reviews for the same. I was convinced with the ratings, straight away enrolled into the verbal online course. First of all, I would thank myself to be enrolled in GMATClub, the place where I realized the
E-GMAT course existed. I Thank
E-GMAT for giving me those tools that are required not only to excel in Verbal but also to look into the mistakes I made during my previous 2 attempts. Within no time, I realized, I can no more escape from the verbal section if I were to score 700+, Fighting it out was the only successful path to take.
E-GMAT helped in winning the battle. I started seeing Sentence corrections questions as 10th Grade questions. I practiced a well defined approach to solve critical reasoning questions which worked well for me during my practice tests. I purchased
Kaplan Premier 2015 Edition and used all the tests that I got free. (Scores were 690, 720, 720, 760, and 740). I practiced all the concepts that I learned from E_GMAT course and applied them for the questions I had in Kaplan question banks. It worked well for me with 70-80% accuracy in SC, RC, CR sections. I took GMAT CLub Free Tests and it worked well too to verify my accuracy. I took a Veritas Free CAT Online an I got a 710. All these tools helped me in analyzing and monitoring my accuracy in verbal section.
After a confident 6-month preparation, I gave my Actual GMAT and it was a 650(3rd attempt on Aug 12th ‘14). It was a complete dead-end for me at that time. All those criticisms, sad moments once again came into my mind when I saw the score on my test screen. I was reluctant to face my family again post that attempt. In fact, I fought with my family after Attempt 2 that I would prove my skill next time. Unfortunately, I didn’t. I went to Office and was completely in shock the whole day. I didn’t know what's next. It was like a complete stop to my admission process (Which starts in October ‘14). However, I Knew I had I month grace time (for my 4th Attempt) for this kind of a situation before I could go ahead with my application process. After 3 blank days in my life post my 3rd Attempt, I booked an appointment again for Sept 16th ’14 sitting, I knew the Skill I bagged all through those past 6 months will never ruin me, thinking that something else must have gone wrong and which needed my immediate attention.
I slowly started realizing the mistakes I did, not in the preparation but in the way I carried my Strategy towards the Test. I was over confident with the tips/tricks/strategies I bagged during my 6 months preparation. I worked on my weaknesses, YES! But I missed out working on my strengths all together. Also, I mistook my improved weaknesses as my inbuilt strengths, the fact which increased my confidence to level that is referred outside as “OVER-CONFIDENCE”. Okay, Now that I realized what I could realize at that time, I didn’t even touched any of the guides, books/CAT Exams etc. I knew that I am not anymore less in skill than a person who scores 700+. I had a peace of mind, I was Calm and composed, I didn’t really worried about the fast approaching Test day. I was engaged in the Office work and had a good time with family during the same period. Then, The Time has come for my 4th Attempt for GMAT. I didn’t even informed my family members about my 4th attempt and thought I would, once I finish the test. I went to the test center just as I would go on any other day. I was completely relaxed and engaged in my Analytical writing/Integrated reasoning. I took those 8 crucial minutes and said to myself, The time has arrived for me to prove my skill ( I was tensed though
). I made myself comfortable for Quant section and started the test. I made sure I did well in my first 15 and last 15 questions of the section. Took an 8 minute break and said to myself “This is it! 1 more to go”. I started verbal section with more relaxed manner than I was in any other attempts. I was completely focused on the tricky answer choices. BEFORE I SUBMIT, THE COMPUTER ASKS ME TO CONFIRM THE ANSWER. Every time I see this Prompt on my screen, I clicked on “NO” re-checked my answer against all other choices and then went for next question. I had my confidence in the Threshold level and didn’t permit it to go beyond this time. My Long waiting has come to end when I saw a 720( 4th Attempt on my screen). However, I was not jumping shouting in the test center. In fact, I was proud of myself. Sticking on my word for 2 years and not giving up, were the only 2 things that came into my mind. I came out of the Testing Room and took the unofficial score card with a proud feeling from the same hands from whom i took the last 3 un-official score cards. Fortunately, I had an appointment for my TOEFL on Sept 27th ‘14 and I can now reach the Application deadlines for Top B Schools in a relaxed manner. Now! The Ball is in my Court
Important takeaways –1.
Always trust your Skill, never give up! (This gave me extra boast to go for 4th Attempt) For Example, I would have landed in some decent university (but not in top University and ultimately in a Tier -2,3 Company (but definitely not in Tier 1 Company)If wouldn’t have trusted my skill. At-least this will me a chance for a better career.
2. Make Sure you went through all kinds of models/concepts required to Ace verbal section. Remember, you verbal score is the heart of your Total score.
3. Work on weakness but do not forget your strengths. It can cost you big time.
4. Your GMAT score depends on your personal factors ( peace of mind, happiness), external factors(Peace at home/office) and your thought process during your Test. The Way you think during your test will decide your score if it should be below 700 or above 700.
5. Never Ever go with other's thoughts. Have your Own Thoughts and planning. A Plan that worked for your friend might not work for you and vice-versa. If your mate gives up the GMAT, It doesn’t mean that the GMAT is hard to crack, It mean that the GMAT is a battle and you must work hard to win it. If the direction of yout thoughts is in the way I am suggesting now, My Friend, Please wait to see a big Score on your test screen soon!
6. Practice, Practice and Practice until you see redundancy in your practice.
7. Do not take the CAT practice exams just to check your probable score. Instead, Use it as a tool to work on your weakness and importantly on your strengths. For Example, If you do well in SC in 2 CATS consecutively, Make sure the trend repeats in the 3rd CAT. That way, You will have what you had earlier and You will work on what need to have extra!
8. There is no single resource that I suggest for any one. However,
MGMAT guides and
E-GMAT course are the important tools that any non native student should use before going to any other resources as part of their preparation.
Thanks everyone for viewing such a long debrief. Authoring this debreif took me 90 minutes and I didn’t realize the fact that I took this much of time! This mean, I love what I did and this feeling came only because I never gave up!