GMAT Debrief - Part 1

Question

I'm not an outlier. While I've consistently been an above average student in Academics (above average = 80-90% in the Indian School of Secondary Examination (ICSE) - Grade X and the Central Board of Secondary Examination (CBSE) - Grade XII), I've never seen the highs of highs in my academic journey, i.e. neither have I been close to topping my school during my Board exams nor have I been anywhere near the most coveted prize for "To be Engineers" in India, i.e. IITs and NITs. Yet, I wanted a 760 on my GMAT - to be on the 99 %ile. An irrational desire? Perhaps.

So, when people said that GMAT preparation, on an average, takes ONLY 3 months, I knew my battle was a different one. One that involves ability? Yes! But, more importantly, one that would be defined by longevity and perseverance peppered with, "What the hell am I doing in life?!" days in between.

So, if you're still reading this article and wondering, "How do I get to a 700+ on the GMAT with 3 months of preparation", then this is the cue for us to part ways - I didn't achieve this feat, nor can I promise that you will either after reading this debrief. But, if you are here to hear my story - one that will perhaps be useful to your GMAT preparation, then please read on.

THE START:

My tryst with GMAT started in July 2020. I was targeting the application cycle for 2021, so I was convinced that a year or so should do me well.

DIAGNOSTIC TEST:

In July 2020, I took my diagnostic test on the Bloomberg Test Prep. I scored a dismal 530 (Q45, V18). While I'm unsure of the veracity of the test, I was convinced that irrespective, I need to buckle up and start my preparation.

In hindsight, to gauge where I stand, I should've probably taken my first Official GMATPrep Test and not any other test because at the end of the day only the GMAT Test prep can give you a realistic estimate of where you stand.

Nevertheless, once I got this score of 530, I decided to scout for the best GMAT Test Prep products to subscribe to. Collective wisdom suggested that I start with Manhattan Test Prep, but I had a couple of reservations. First, though I've heard that MGMAT's books are wonderful to start off with, they do not give you the feel of an online interface. I wanted to get acclimatized to the online interface of reading and attempting questions. Second, I knew I was in this game for the long-haul. So, spending heavily on their Tutoring program did not make sense. I study better when I do so myself rather than when someone dumps me with a lot of information. My coaching experience while preparing for my Engineering entrance exams was testament to this fact.

It was during this time that I stumbled upon Magoosh. Magoosh has topic-wise video lessons for all sections - Quant, Verbal, IR and AWA - that one can choose to view at one's convenience. Moreover, Magoosh offered a one-year access to their platform and it was the most affordable product compared to the rest. So, I went ahead and purchased the same. I also took help of Magoosh's 3 month study schedule which is offered for free. I did so because the schedule would give me day-wise plan of how to go about with my preparation. I followed this plan religiously to the tee.

What I liked about Magoosh:
a. Their Online Support Team. I found Magoosh's experts to be very helpful and diligent with their responses.

What I disliked about Magoosh:
a. Though Magoosh has a good question pool, it doesn't have topic-wise questions for Verbal and Quant. So, though I would've gone through the videos related to a particular topic, there are would still be chances that I would get stumped on certain higher difficulty level questions, having no clue how to proceed. Moreover, in Quant, their questions are not representative of the high level questions that one may get on the GMAT.
b. I found their explanation for Verbal to be filled with such technical terms as "Subordinate clauses", "Participial phrases", etc. For a non-native speaker like me who converses in English, it became hard for me to follow their explanations because I did not learn English in a technical way.

So, by the end of 4 months of preparation, I realized that my Quant was getting better but my Verbal was not. I seemed to have stagnated in Verbal because I did not have an approach to solve questions in SC, CR and RC. I relied on my existing foundations and preexisting knowledge that did not help much.

After much thought, I subscribed to e-GMAT platform for my Verbal preparation. At first, I was very skeptical because of the overwhelming number of reviews advocating for this product on the GMAT club forum. But soon I realized that if something works for a lot of people, chances are that it may work for me as well.

I was already 6 months into my preparation, and I realized that I wasn't going any faster. I was consistently studying, yes! But, I had stagnated and didn't find the extra gear to my preparation. I was casual. So, to spice things up, I booked my first GMAT date in the hope that a deadline will instill a sense of urgency. Lol. It did.

With a couple of months left for my first attempt, I went through the SC course on the e-GMAT platform and completed all their modules, but because of paucity of time before my first attempt I did not start the CR and RC modules.

In the meanwhile I bought the MGMAT Test series. I took 2 MGMAT tests and the Official GMATPrep Mock before my actual test. The test scores were as follows:

GMATPrep Mock 1 - 630 (Q46, V31)
MGMAT Mock 1 - 610 (Q44, V31)
MGMAT Mock 2 - 640 (Q43, V34)

FIRST ATTEMPT  (650 - Q47, V33, IR 6, AWA 6)

I was satisfied. I knew that my preparation merited only a 650. The question was what was I going to do different to improve my score further? I still had Magoosh subscription, but that was not going to cut the ice when it came to my Verbal preparation. As for Quant, I thought perhaps Magoosh would help, but I needed to revise my Error Log thoroughly to get a grasp on Quant. Mind you, by the time I gave my first attempt, I had already created 2 entire long note books (200 pages each) worth of Error Log for Quant, but none for Verbal.

The next day I wrote to the e-GMAT strategy team, telling them about my situation. I told them that I wanted to get to a score of 760, so would be of help if there was someone who told me how to approach my studies. This aspect was a game-changer for me. That's when they put me in touch with Dhananjay (DJ). He was super comforting and a "fungi" to exchange emails with (Yes. If you haven't observed already, he is a lover of puns!) The first thing that he inquired after exchanging pleasantries was my ESR. He analysed the ESR and recorded a 6-minute video of his analysis and the next steps. I was surprised because I expected him to give a generic answer. But, to see him focus on my strengths and weaknesses to customize a plan for me was very encouraging. So, that's when I truly believed that cracking the GMAT was around the corner.

Note:  While I was diligent in my preparation, a lack of accountability swayed me away from my path. I needed someone to oversee my preparation - an individual I can be accountable to - so in that way DJ helped me a lot. If any of you reading this debrief is an e-GMAT subscriber, then hit the strategy team up for them to help you with your preparation!

Going through the e-GMAT course gave me an approach to solving Verbal questions. This aspect was very important to me because without an approach I was previously shooting arrows in the dark. I took close to 3 months to complete my Verbal preparation. Along the way, DJ helped me with a plan of what needs to be done and how to go about doing so on the e-GMAT platform. This process was mentally exhausting because it was a time-consuming process. But in retrospect it was important for me to go through it. One of the key ingredient to cracking the GMAT is to not cut corners. Doing so will only decrease one's chances of getting an elite score. So, if there's anyone out there who proclaims, "I will show you tricks that will help you crack the GMAT!", then please take me advice - You will be better off visiting a magician.

This brings me to the USP of e-GMAT: One of the key areas that e-GMAT focuses on is "Approaches" to solve Verbal problems. For instance, in SC, e-GMAT uses the 'Meaning-based' approach and in CR, it uses the 'Pre-thinking' approach. These approaches remain the same irrespective of the difficulty-level of problems. This is where the charm of these approaches kicks in because irrespective of how hard a question is, the process to answering the question remains the same. This stabilized my approach to questions - e-GMAT helped me find a method to this madness.

Around April 2020, I quit my job as well. I didn't like my job much so thought of focusing all my energy on the GMAT. While at first it seemed a good idea, I soon started to see the downsides of such a decision. Lol. Man. It is so much more challenging to focus on a single pursuit. At least while juggling both a job and an exam, one has several excuses - "Hey! I'm not hitting the sweet-spot for the GMAT because I don't have much time off from my job" - , or even the drive to do well in GMAT because the job is unsatisfactory or is going downhill. Without a job one runs out of those excuses. Worse, I got into a phase where I would think twice before spending my time on leisurely pursuits. Every time I thought of watching Netflix, my mind would quiz, "So, how much portions have you covered that you are thinking of taking an hour's worth of break?" Lol. In hindsight, the number of hours I spent watching Netflix while focusing on my GMAT and my job was more than that I spent while studying only for GMAT. It took an emotional toll on me. I questioned my life decisions. This especially became a pattern when I wasn't doing well on practice quizzes. It felt like I hit rock-bottom. I'm not sure why, but I still pushed. One of the few things that got me up and running during this period of hopelessness was my fitness routine. Working out in the morning made me active - the endorphins made me feel better and mentally sharp.

Once I completed my Verbal preparation (around May 2021), I took the Sigma-X mock. To my dismay, I scored a 510 (Unsure of the split, perhaps Q31 and V31). I was deflated. At the same time, I knew this score was an outlier because I hadn't touched Quant in those 3 months. My bigger concern was my Verbal score which reduced by two points (from my first Official GMAT exam). After a few email exchanges, DJ suggested that I trust the process and start my preparation for Quant. I upgraded my e-GMAT subscription from Verbal only to Online 360 (which included Verbal, Quant and Sigma X mocks). I did so because I trusted DJ's inputs.

Starting off with my Quant journey, I thought it would be a cake-walk because I'm a Quant inclined student. But that journey was also an arduous one. I say so only because I took significant time to complete it. In hindsight, however, going through the grind is what brought solidity to my Quant preparation. The most important aspect to tackling Quant is having a 'structure' to the preparation and e-GMAT provided me with that 'structure'. The modules in e-GMAT platform ensured that even the smallest of chinks in my Quant armor was identified and strengthened. There was no place to hide.

If you're still reading this review, now is a good time to steer away a bit. Let me help you exercise your brain: Let's say I ask you the formula for calculating Simple Interest, if you answer I = (PRT/100), where P = Principal, R = Annual rate of interest, and T = Time in years, then good on you. What if I asked you the formula for Compound Interest? If you jump up the seat and say, = P(1+(R/n*100))^nT, where n = Compounding period, then well, you are incorrect because the expression, P(1+(R/n*100))^nT gives you the Total Amount (A). Hence, the interest I = A - P. These were the nuances that I previously did not understand that e-GMAT helped me comprehend with much clarity.

Around this time, I purchased the NENIVA GMAT Test Simulation Scratch Pad + Marker and the GMAT 3 & 4 mocks from the official website. I wanted to be certain that I had all the tools for cracking the GMAT.

Around September, I completed my Quant preparation. It had been more than a year since I started, yet I felt complacent. It stemmed from the fact that I wasn't sure where I stood when it came to my preparation because I didn't give any mocks in between. It also hit me like a brick that I didn't have much time before Round 2 Application deadlines. So, I did what I did the previous time to cut the complacency - Book the GMAT for October 2021 (8:00 AM slot)!

I had a month in front of me before the GMAT. I had to tighten the screws. This was when I truly stepped up. I created a day-wise/ week-wise schedule on what I need to complete and followed through on the same. I ensured that I precisely calculated the number of hours I spent on my studies. I also had a well-defined routine: Wake up at 5:30 AM; Exercise from 5:45 - 6:30 AM; Freshen up and start studying from 7:30 AM. Go about with the day's preparation and sleep by 9:30 - 10:00 PM to get in 8 hours of sleep. I religiously followed this ritual. One of the reasons why I was certain about having a routine is because I wanted to reduce as much uncertainty as possible for the test day. I was convinced that having a solid regimen would help me in doing so.

Note:  Your diet and sleep cycle are perhaps the most important things to your preparation. Please ensure there is no compromise on these aspects.

Oh! One more interesting thing that I did: I extensively visualized my Test day. What does this mean? Every time I hit the bed at night, I would visualize how my test day would look - The dress that I would wear (Yes. Grey Jockey T-shirt with Torn US Polo Blue Jeans), the exercise that I would complete, the breakfast I would eat (Cereal and Milk), the snacks I would take (A box of dry fruits, 1 orange, 1 banana and 1 Snickers Bar), and more importantly the score that would flash on the screen - 760 (Q50, V42). This visualization process gave me confidence. Subconsciously, I would imbibe this test score. It was my way of fixing the target and moving towards it. So, I was hell-bent on getting that score.

Around this time, I took my second Official GMATPrep Mock to gauge where I stood.

Previously, during tests, I would follow the following order: Quant => Verbal => IR => AWA. I followed this order because I was good with Quant and thought I could take my confidence from Quant to Verbal. Later, I realized that this order was not working for me because by the time I got to Verbal, I was a exhausted.

So, I tried a different order: Verbal => Quant => IR => AWA. By doing so, I ensured that I attempted Verbal when I was fresh and raring to go - one of the reasons for this is because Verbal requires nuanced comprehension (and this aspect was harder for me) as compared to Quant which is more a solving game. This change made wonders towards the end of the preparation.

Week (1/4 from GMAT Test day)

GMATPrep Mock 2 - 640 (Q50, V27)

I was happy with this score. It was nice to see that my Quant improved. I was fine with my Verbal score because I hadn't extensively prepped for RC and CR after completing my Verbal modules. So, I cut myself some slack. It was a good base to push from with 3-4 weeks in hand.

At this time DJ suggested that I start prepping myself by giving the Test Readiness (TR) quizzes on the e-GMAT platform. He laid out a comprehensive plan for me on the number of topic-wise questions that I should attempt in each quiz, and the accuracy that I must target. He also told me to write to him after each quiz to ensure that I'm on track to doing the right set of things - revising concepts, reviewing Error Logs, etc. These TR quizzes helped me gradually transition from answering quizzes that contained 10 questions to answering full length quizzes (31 questions for Quant and 35 questions for Verbal). Performing well in each of the quizzes became important and DJ ensured that I didn't lose steam in the process. Through these quizzes, he helped me fix glaring 'timing issues' and identified areas that required extra attention.

Moreover, I was diligent in my preparation and followed DJ's inputs. Moreover, to get into the groove of test-taking, I gave a few mocks on a weekly basis - this frequency of mocks increased towards the fag end of my preparation.

I used the MGMAT mocks to season myself into the idea of giving a 4 hour exam.

Week (2/4)

MGMAT Mock 3 - 680 (Q47, V35)

Week (3/4)

MGMAT Mock 4 - 670 (Q46, V35)

MGMAT Mock 5 - 640 (Q44, V34)

Sigma X Mock - 690 (Q49, V38)

Even though my score hovered around the 680 mark, I was fairly confident that I would score higher because I trusted the processes that I followed. So, my approach did not change much after each mock. I only had to better execute what I was studying because I was thorough with my conceptual understanding because of the e-GMAT platform.

It was at this time that I wrote to DJ again. I told him about my score on the Sigma X mock. He then enrolled me into his Mentoring program for more nuanced inputs. We then had a conversation about my performance on my mock. For instance, in Verbal, DJ helped me identify that I was faltering in RC, while in Quant, he helped me identify that I was faltering in Algebra and Geometry. He then suggested the next steps to fix these issues and ensure an improvement in my performance on my next mock.

Week (4/4)

MGMAT Mock 6 - 690 (Q47, V37)

GMATPrep Mock 3 - 730 (Q50, V38)

After my latest mock attempt, I had 2 days before my actual GMAT exam. During this time I solved only OG questions to get myself more familiar with the language of GMAT.

I wrote to DJ again and he gave me Last Minute tips for Test Day which I found to be very helpful.

DAY OF THE ACTUAL GMAT:

My routine remained the same: I woke up at 5:30 AM and exercised. I got ready and solved a few OG questions to warm up my brain. I wore the dress that I visualized and headed to the venue. Verbal went well. I knew I was scoring well only when I saw that my 3rd RC passage was a 4-paragraph long science passage on Astrophysics. I was thrilled because I find Astrophysics to be interesting. I completed my Verbal section and took my break. Then was Quant, which didn't go that well. I knew I was lagging behind time. Also, I found the Quant section to be harder than that I encountered in the Official GMATPrep mocks. By the end of these two sections I was a bit exhausted.

Then came IR and AWA. After completing AWA, I briefly remember the following: I had 1 minute and 30 seconds left on the timer. I had proof-read my essay, and I was happy with it, yet I was reluctant to press the "Next" button. The noise cancelling headphones that I was wearing seemed to "subtract" all noises all of a sudden. The silence was piercing. I could hear my heart-beat, my mind went blank and I was soaking in that moment. A surreal feeling I must confess because I felt I gave it my all in those 4 hours. When the time elapsed, the score flashed on the screen. It read: 730 (Q49, V41, IR 4).

I was pleasantly surprised. A V41 was not something that I expected. Nevertheless, I was elated to see that my hard-work paid off. It was a long journey, so understandably I was elated to see the fruits of labor.

So, the next steps you ask? Well, 730 is a good score, but 760 was/ is still the aim. Perhaps, an irrational desire, or an attempt to score higher for better scholarships. Whatever the reason may be, I think I have one more attempt in me to get to the elusive 760. And DJ has been kind enough to agree to help me out in this pursuit. I will update this thread once I give my next attempt.

If you have reached until this point of the article, then I must say that you are a patient reader. Thank you for your time and I hope you have the strength to crack the GMAT.

Ciao!

kadamhari825 · Answer

congratulations Rahul
very well written debrief and you proved  Rahul Naam to suna hi hoga.

kudos to you.
best of luck

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