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Sadio192
Joined: 09 Sep 2019
Last visit: 28 Apr 2026
Posts: 5
Given Kudos: 4
Location: India
Schools: Anderson '22 (A$) Ross '22 (A) Kellogg '22 (WL) Kenan-Flagler '22 (A$) Booth '22 (M) Duke '22 (WL) Wharton '22 (D) Darden '22 (A$) Haas '22 (A) Stanford '22 (D)
GMAT 1: 710 Q49 V36
GMAT 2: 760 Q51 V41
Products:
Schools: Anderson '22 (A$) Ross '22 (A) Kellogg '22 (WL) Kenan-Flagler '22 (A$) Booth '22 (M) Duke '22 (WL) Wharton '22 (D) Darden '22 (A$) Haas '22 (A) Stanford '22 (D)
GMAT 2: 760 Q51 V41
Posts: 5
About Me: I am an Indian male with 5+ years of work experience (engineering, consulting)
Brief Background (How it all began): In August of 2019, I decided to pursue an MBA from a decent US college for the fall of 2020. The first step was clearing the GMAT. Before getting started, I spoke to a few MBA consultants to understand what would be a good target score based on my profile. Heard varying opinions, few said 720 would suffice while others said that I had no chance with anything below 750. Took a target of 720 and started with prep.
For the 710 score
Total prep time: 3 weeks
Materials referred: OG 18, Manhattan SC (just flipped through it) and Experts Global test series. Additionally gave the Practice Test 1 and 2 and free tests available from GMAT Club (like Veritas, Kaplan, Manhattan, Economist GMAT).
Mock Test Scores: Initial couple of tests were in the 670 range but then progressed very quickly to regular scores of 720+. During this stage, while i found the quant easy, I struggled with Verbal. My accuracy in SC and CR would fluctuate a lot. From one test to another, the scores would vary from 35 to 45. It would tend to be on the higher side when I got easier RCs or got the CRs correct. Accuracy in SCs would be around 60%.
GMAT 1st take (710 | Quant 49 | Verbal 36 | IR: 5 | AWA: 5.5)
- Selected the section order as Quant - Verbal - IR/AWA.
- In the Quant section, breezed through the first 10-15 questions but then started struggling badly around Q15. Spent around 5 mins each trying to solve few very difficult DS questions and ended up rushing through the last 10 questions. Also got few unsolvable ones where I had to guess.
Overall, got very demoralised post the Quant section and kept thinking I had screwed up. Found the level of questions way more difficult than in any of the mocks I had taken.
- Didn't properly use the 8 min break between sections. Had just got water and did not have any food (chocolates/biscuits/etc)
- The verbal section went better but found the RCs and SCs difficult
- IR questions were very similar to what you get in most mock tests
Lessons learnt from 1st attempt:
- The computer adaptive nature of the test is unique to GMAT and none of the mocks accurately simulates it. When you start a section, the difficulty level of questions fluctuates a lot and can rise very quickly. If one is not expecting this then it can break your flow and throw off your timing. You need to have a game plan for this and it cannot be that I will tackle every question on its merit and try to get each one correct.
- IMHO a fail proof way to overcome the issue of CAT is to constantly practise questions of higher difficulty level (600-700 and 700+) especially for the weaker sections.
- You don't need to get all questions correct. For Quant section, one can score 48+ even after getting 6-9 questions wrong. Also note the 20%+ questions in GMAT are experimental and don't go into your score evaluation (found this out later!)
- The worse thing that I did was worry about my bad performance in the quant section (I ended up getting 49!) when answering questions in the Verbal section (ended up with 36!!). Train yourself to focus and give all your attention on the question on screen rather than thinking whether you got the previous question wrong. This does not come naturally to most of us since GMAT is one of the very few exams where one can't scroll through previous questions and change selections. Training is the key here.
- Maintain a steady pace to ensure that you don't have to rush at the end. Thankfully this is one of the few things that I did not get wrong. Was able to complete both the sections in time.
Preparation for Take 2:
- Realised that much of my focus needs to be on Verbal and more specifically SCs and CRs. Need to understand the main concepts and more importantly the applications
- I had created an account on GMAT club a few days before my 1st take so couldn't take much advantage of this wonderful forum. However, for my Take 2 prep, GMAT Club Practice Bank was at the core/epicenter/heart of my preparation. Installed the GMAT club app on my phone and made it my homepage on laptop. Spent on an average 2-4 hours daily solving questions from Practice Bank. In this period (5 weeks), I attempted ~2400 questions (80% verbal and 20% quant). Highly recommend all serious candidates to take full advantage of this wonderfu platform. You get to choose the source of questions and difficulty level as well. IMHO this is THE BEST PRACTICE MATERIAL one can get...period. And the best part - its freeeee!
- For SC, went through the Manhattan SC (this time more diligently)
- For CR, read through the Powerscore CR Bible to understand the concepts. It is very detailed but even if one just reads the chapter summary, you get a good framework on how to approach CRs. This is particularly useful for 700+ level questions. Additionally for CRs, would recommend practising questions from select sources only - OGs, Aristotle, LSAT (very good), Manhattan. Where do you find all this..GMAT PRACTICE BANK!
- For mocks, enrolled for Manhattan GMATs. Its expensive but worth it. Quant is on the more difficult side but prepares you better for the actual battle (read my experience and learning above). Additionally the solutions are awesome and very detailed. The solutions just don't solve the problem but give you an approach on how to solve similar problems. Highly recommended and must have for people who want to score 720+. In the 6 MGMATS, i scored 690,710,710,670,720,750.
- Gave the free GMAT Prep mocks. You get two free tests when you register. You can take those multiple times to practice on official material and probably official scoring algorithm
- Focus on DS more than PS
- Prioritised quant topics such as algebra, coordinate geometry, and statistics. Got good understanding of Progressions (AP and GP) and their properties
GMAT Retake (760 | Quant: 51 | Verbal:41 | IR: 7| AWA: 5)
- Order of atempt was Verbal - Quant - IR/AWA
- Took a bar of chocolate, a redbull and some biscuits along this time. Also took a jacket in case the air conditioner was malfunctioning (and it was!)
- Struggled with first few questions of Verbal. All were SCs and particularly difficult (700+ level). After first 5 questions, the questions were much more manageable. Found the RCs easy to read and comprehend (700+ LSAT and Aristotle practice RCs helped). CRs were of moderate level. Was able to solve most with reasonable confidence. Overall except for initial few SCs, found the section of moderate level (600-700)
- In quant, the questions from 1-31 were very manageable. Was expecting grinders( very difficult ones) but they never showed up. Was able to wrap up the quant section with 10 minutes to spare. Only a couple of DS on inequalities took more than 2 mins each to solve. Rest were quite straightforward. Again, the main difference from my first take to this in quant section was that this time I had mainly practised MGMAT level of questions (mostly from Practice Bank and MGMATS). So found the questions in actual GMAT much simpler.
- IR went as expected, no surprises here. Got an initial multiple folder question (question 1-3) and then rest were pretty straightforward.
- Utilised the breaks well. Had food and drinks, did some exercise and didn't bother about the previous sections.
Tried to put down my thoughts here so that it may help future GMAT aspirants. Pardon any grammatical errors as I still need to do a proofread . Shoot me any prep questions that you may have. Will try my best to help.
Brief Background (How it all began): In August of 2019, I decided to pursue an MBA from a decent US college for the fall of 2020. The first step was clearing the GMAT. Before getting started, I spoke to a few MBA consultants to understand what would be a good target score based on my profile. Heard varying opinions, few said 720 would suffice while others said that I had no chance with anything below 750. Took a target of 720 and started with prep.
For the 710 score
Total prep time: 3 weeks
Materials referred: OG 18, Manhattan SC (just flipped through it) and Experts Global test series. Additionally gave the Practice Test 1 and 2 and free tests available from GMAT Club (like Veritas, Kaplan, Manhattan, Economist GMAT).
Mock Test Scores: Initial couple of tests were in the 670 range but then progressed very quickly to regular scores of 720+. During this stage, while i found the quant easy, I struggled with Verbal. My accuracy in SC and CR would fluctuate a lot. From one test to another, the scores would vary from 35 to 45. It would tend to be on the higher side when I got easier RCs or got the CRs correct. Accuracy in SCs would be around 60%.
GMAT 1st take (710 | Quant 49 | Verbal 36 | IR: 5 | AWA: 5.5)
- Selected the section order as Quant - Verbal - IR/AWA.
- In the Quant section, breezed through the first 10-15 questions but then started struggling badly around Q15. Spent around 5 mins each trying to solve few very difficult DS questions and ended up rushing through the last 10 questions. Also got few unsolvable ones where I had to guess.
Overall, got very demoralised post the Quant section and kept thinking I had screwed up. Found the level of questions way more difficult than in any of the mocks I had taken.
- Didn't properly use the 8 min break between sections. Had just got water and did not have any food (chocolates/biscuits/etc)
- The verbal section went better but found the RCs and SCs difficult
- IR questions were very similar to what you get in most mock tests
Lessons learnt from 1st attempt:
- The computer adaptive nature of the test is unique to GMAT and none of the mocks accurately simulates it. When you start a section, the difficulty level of questions fluctuates a lot and can rise very quickly. If one is not expecting this then it can break your flow and throw off your timing. You need to have a game plan for this and it cannot be that I will tackle every question on its merit and try to get each one correct.
- IMHO a fail proof way to overcome the issue of CAT is to constantly practise questions of higher difficulty level (600-700 and 700+) especially for the weaker sections.
- You don't need to get all questions correct. For Quant section, one can score 48+ even after getting 6-9 questions wrong. Also note the 20%+ questions in GMAT are experimental and don't go into your score evaluation (found this out later!)
- The worse thing that I did was worry about my bad performance in the quant section (I ended up getting 49!) when answering questions in the Verbal section (ended up with 36!!). Train yourself to focus and give all your attention on the question on screen rather than thinking whether you got the previous question wrong. This does not come naturally to most of us since GMAT is one of the very few exams where one can't scroll through previous questions and change selections. Training is the key here.
- Maintain a steady pace to ensure that you don't have to rush at the end. Thankfully this is one of the few things that I did not get wrong. Was able to complete both the sections in time.
Preparation for Take 2:
- Realised that much of my focus needs to be on Verbal and more specifically SCs and CRs. Need to understand the main concepts and more importantly the applications
- I had created an account on GMAT club a few days before my 1st take so couldn't take much advantage of this wonderful forum. However, for my Take 2 prep, GMAT Club Practice Bank was at the core/epicenter/heart of my preparation. Installed the GMAT club app on my phone and made it my homepage on laptop. Spent on an average 2-4 hours daily solving questions from Practice Bank. In this period (5 weeks), I attempted ~2400 questions (80% verbal and 20% quant). Highly recommend all serious candidates to take full advantage of this wonderfu platform. You get to choose the source of questions and difficulty level as well. IMHO this is THE BEST PRACTICE MATERIAL one can get...period. And the best part - its freeeee!
- For SC, went through the Manhattan SC (this time more diligently)
- For CR, read through the Powerscore CR Bible to understand the concepts. It is very detailed but even if one just reads the chapter summary, you get a good framework on how to approach CRs. This is particularly useful for 700+ level questions. Additionally for CRs, would recommend practising questions from select sources only - OGs, Aristotle, LSAT (very good), Manhattan. Where do you find all this..GMAT PRACTICE BANK!
- For mocks, enrolled for Manhattan GMATs. Its expensive but worth it. Quant is on the more difficult side but prepares you better for the actual battle (read my experience and learning above). Additionally the solutions are awesome and very detailed. The solutions just don't solve the problem but give you an approach on how to solve similar problems. Highly recommended and must have for people who want to score 720+. In the 6 MGMATS, i scored 690,710,710,670,720,750.
- Gave the free GMAT Prep mocks. You get two free tests when you register. You can take those multiple times to practice on official material and probably official scoring algorithm
- Focus on DS more than PS
- Prioritised quant topics such as algebra, coordinate geometry, and statistics. Got good understanding of Progressions (AP and GP) and their properties
GMAT Retake (760 | Quant: 51 | Verbal:41 | IR: 7| AWA: 5)
- Order of atempt was Verbal - Quant - IR/AWA
- Took a bar of chocolate, a redbull and some biscuits along this time. Also took a jacket in case the air conditioner was malfunctioning (and it was!)
- Struggled with first few questions of Verbal. All were SCs and particularly difficult (700+ level). After first 5 questions, the questions were much more manageable. Found the RCs easy to read and comprehend (700+ LSAT and Aristotle practice RCs helped). CRs were of moderate level. Was able to solve most with reasonable confidence. Overall except for initial few SCs, found the section of moderate level (600-700)
- In quant, the questions from 1-31 were very manageable. Was expecting grinders( very difficult ones) but they never showed up. Was able to wrap up the quant section with 10 minutes to spare. Only a couple of DS on inequalities took more than 2 mins each to solve. Rest were quite straightforward. Again, the main difference from my first take to this in quant section was that this time I had mainly practised MGMAT level of questions (mostly from Practice Bank and MGMATS). So found the questions in actual GMAT much simpler.
- IR went as expected, no surprises here. Got an initial multiple folder question (question 1-3) and then rest were pretty straightforward.
- Utilised the breaks well. Had food and drinks, did some exercise and didn't bother about the previous sections.
Tried to put down my thoughts here so that it may help future GMAT aspirants. Pardon any grammatical errors as I still need to do a proofread . Shoot me any prep questions that you may have. Will try my best to help.
25 Oct 2019, 11:00
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi anupam00495 ... congratulations for 760 
. It's a fabulous score. You missed the debrief of your 760 journey. We would love to hear about that in details. I am sure it will be helpful for other applicants.
. It's a fabulous score. You missed the debrief of your 760 journey. We would love to hear about that in details. I am sure it will be helpful for other applicants.anupam00495
25 Oct 2019, 11:05
Kudos
Bookmarks
