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Apr 2512:30 AM EDT
-01:30 AM EDT
At one point, she believed GMAT wasn’t for her. After scoring 595, self-doubt crept in and she questioned her potential. But instead of quitting, she made the right strategic changes. The result? A remarkable comeback to 695. Check out how Saakshi did it.
Apr 2601:30 AM EDT
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Learn how Keshav, a Chartered Accountant, scored an impressive 705 on GMAT in just 30 days with GMATWhiz's expert guidance. In this video, he shares preparation tips and strategies that worked for him, including the mock, time management, and more.
Apr 2610:00 AM EDT
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The Target Test Prep course represents a quantum leap forward in GMAT preparation, a radical reinterpretation of the way that students should study. Try before you buy with a 5-day, full-access trial of the course for FREE!
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Apr 2808:00 AM PDT
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Whether you are just beginning your MBA journey or fine-tuning your path to a 700+ score, GMAT Day is designed to give you a competitive edge.
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Updated on: 08 Jun 2025, 06:23
Originally posted by theAssassin on 08 Jun 2025, 01:49.
Last edited by theAssassin on 08 Jun 2025, 06:23, edited 1 time in total.
Last edited by theAssassin on 08 Jun 2025, 06:23, edited 1 time in total.
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Hey all,
Have been lurking here for quite some time now, learning a bunch about the exam, people's experiences, and solving questions along the way. Sharing a few learnings of my own, some of which I learned from experience.
Background: Indian IT GCC for an American Bank, Tier 1 Undergrad in Engineering (Yeah, nothing unique here)
Beginning and Rough Patches: Gave my first cold mock using the GMAT Club Free mock and scored a 675. I was pleasantly surprised at the outcome, to be honest. Decided to start the preparation using GMAT Club mock tests and the Experts' Global complimentary subscriptions.
Started studying topics randomly without structure and giving a half-hearted mock every week due to work pressure. As a result, my mock scores plummeted. I hit an absolute low of 595 in my second mock after I started studying.
Recovery Plan: Started learning from GMATNinja videos (Thank you, Charles and Team) for RC and CR. Quant and DI were something I didn't have a lot to learn, but I needed to time questions better. Used the Forum Quiz bonus that comes from time to time in combination with sectional mocks to improve my speed and get myself used to the question format.
Scores improved; it took me around 2 months to get back to ~675 in mocks.
Improvement (Last 1 month): With the structure set in place and mock scores moving upwards, I decided to take the official mocks. The scores for official mocks were:
Official Mock 1 - 655
Official Mock 2 - 715 (First ever 700+)
Official Mock 1 (Retake) - 735
GMATClub Mocks - 705 & 715
Official Mock 3 - 715
Official Mock 4 - 715 (4 days before exam)
Last 3 days: Just before the exam week, I caught a severe cold—the kind that keeps you in bed, unable to move. I had to manage work and the last leg of revision. I made a decision to prioritize recovery over revision. I didn't study much in the last 3 days; I had analyzed errors and logged them earlier, so I just went through them the last day before the exam.
D-Day: Woke up at 5 AM and took a cab to the exam center. Registered and completed the formalities. Took the exam in the order Q -> DI -> Break -> V. I had found this to be the best for me in the mocks.
Quant: Being the dependable scoring part in all my mocks, Quant felt considerably more difficult than all my official mocks and even a bit harder than GMATClub mocks, not sure if because of nerves or them being actually difficult. I had to power through them, and for the first time, I had less than 5 mins to review questions. Nonetheless, I gave my best and moved forward to the next section.
Data Insights: It felt exactly like the official mocks—no difference. I was prepared, but the mental fatigue from Quant with the after-effects of the cold were catching up. Managed to do it in the 35, 25, 15, and 10 min 3-question review pattern (thanks @bb). I was fairly confident.
Took the break, drank some water, and did some breathing to calm my mind, get my focus back, and reduce fatigue.
Verbal: Felt easier than the mocks; I had the structure set in place. I had a habit of rushing through Verbal and making mistakes—something I tried to fix during the mocks, and I didn't make that mistake here. Verbal went fairly smoothly.
Clicked on "end section" and closed my eyes. I expected something around 635-675 mainly due to Quant and was mentally preparing for that score and a next attempt. However, it was comforting to see the 715 on the screen.
What worked:
Question Patterns: I didn't get too much utility from the bucketing of questions, especially in the CR section. The best way I found was to read and understand the question, then eliminate the incorrect answer choices instead of fitting them into patterns.
Thank you to the complete GMATClub community, namely bb, bunuel, and everyone who works tirelessly to help out folks like me. Thank you GMATNinja for your invaluable service to the community and helping people ace the GMAT.
Have been lurking here for quite some time now, learning a bunch about the exam, people's experiences, and solving questions along the way. Sharing a few learnings of my own, some of which I learned from experience.
Background: Indian IT GCC for an American Bank, Tier 1 Undergrad in Engineering (Yeah, nothing unique here)
Beginning and Rough Patches: Gave my first cold mock using the GMAT Club Free mock and scored a 675. I was pleasantly surprised at the outcome, to be honest. Decided to start the preparation using GMAT Club mock tests and the Experts' Global complimentary subscriptions.
Started studying topics randomly without structure and giving a half-hearted mock every week due to work pressure. As a result, my mock scores plummeted. I hit an absolute low of 595 in my second mock after I started studying.
Recovery Plan: Started learning from GMATNinja videos (Thank you, Charles and Team) for RC and CR. Quant and DI were something I didn't have a lot to learn, but I needed to time questions better. Used the Forum Quiz bonus that comes from time to time in combination with sectional mocks to improve my speed and get myself used to the question format.
Scores improved; it took me around 2 months to get back to ~675 in mocks.
Improvement (Last 1 month): With the structure set in place and mock scores moving upwards, I decided to take the official mocks. The scores for official mocks were:
Official Mock 1 - 655
Official Mock 2 - 715 (First ever 700+)
Official Mock 1 (Retake) - 735
GMATClub Mocks - 705 & 715
Official Mock 3 - 715
Official Mock 4 - 715 (4 days before exam)
Last 3 days: Just before the exam week, I caught a severe cold—the kind that keeps you in bed, unable to move. I had to manage work and the last leg of revision. I made a decision to prioritize recovery over revision. I didn't study much in the last 3 days; I had analyzed errors and logged them earlier, so I just went through them the last day before the exam.
D-Day: Woke up at 5 AM and took a cab to the exam center. Registered and completed the formalities. Took the exam in the order Q -> DI -> Break -> V. I had found this to be the best for me in the mocks.
Quant: Being the dependable scoring part in all my mocks, Quant felt considerably more difficult than all my official mocks and even a bit harder than GMATClub mocks, not sure if because of nerves or them being actually difficult. I had to power through them, and for the first time, I had less than 5 mins to review questions. Nonetheless, I gave my best and moved forward to the next section.
Data Insights: It felt exactly like the official mocks—no difference. I was prepared, but the mental fatigue from Quant with the after-effects of the cold were catching up. Managed to do it in the 35, 25, 15, and 10 min 3-question review pattern (thanks @bb). I was fairly confident.
Took the break, drank some water, and did some breathing to calm my mind, get my focus back, and reduce fatigue.
Verbal: Felt easier than the mocks; I had the structure set in place. I had a habit of rushing through Verbal and making mistakes—something I tried to fix during the mocks, and I didn't make that mistake here. Verbal went fairly smoothly.
Clicked on "end section" and closed my eyes. I expected something around 635-675 mainly due to Quant and was mentally preparing for that score and a next attempt. However, it was comforting to see the 715 on the screen.
What worked:
- Folks who have a full-time job, it's much easier to study in the morning than at night if you have a hectic schedule. My scores and retention improved a lot, and this is coming from a night owl. If not in the morning, at least before work.
- 1 Mock test every week: These help to keep you in the frame of mind needed to sit through the grueling 2.5 hours of the test and help minimize errors that occur due to fatigue or other non-conceptual reasons.
- Use ChatGPT / LLMs to analyze mistakes in the Verbal sections: they are surprisingly good at explaining where you went wrong in your logic chain and help you refine the process.
- Reduce the number of variables not in your control on test day: plan out that day 2-3 days in advance and keep appropriate buffers so that there is time to recover from anything that doesn't go according to plan.
- Keep the marker upside down once you reach your desk: cap side down. The test centers usually keep the marker cap side up, which causes them not to work. A marker not working caused a lot of anxiety for my fellow test-takers, so this tip might help on exam day.
Question Patterns: I didn't get too much utility from the bucketing of questions, especially in the CR section. The best way I found was to read and understand the question, then eliminate the incorrect answer choices instead of fitting them into patterns.
Thank you to the complete GMATClub community, namely bb, bunuel, and everyone who works tirelessly to help out folks like me. Thank you GMATNinja for your invaluable service to the community and helping people ace the GMAT.
08 Jun 2025, 03:12
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Congratulations, great score! Thanks for sharing your experience, and all the best with application process! 
08 Jun 2025, 08:20
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CONGRATS on the excellent score and thanks a lot for sharing. It's always motivating to see those genuine "self-study" journey.
Would you mind elaborating a little bit on the "35, 25, 15, and 10 min 3-question review pattern (thanks @bb)" strategy, or pointing me to the original post?
All the best for your next steps.
Would you mind elaborating a little bit on the "35, 25, 15, and 10 min 3-question review pattern (thanks @bb)" strategy, or pointing me to the original post?
All the best for your next steps.
