GMAT Review: From 440 to 720 in eight months!

My GMAT journey began in August of 2021. Relatively unfamiliar with the exam, I decided to sit the advised diagnostic test. The idea behind this test is to get a feel for the exam and understand your weak areas, from which you can develop a study guide before you sit the real test. Well... on my diagnostic I got a 440 (Q29, V24, i.e. EVERYTHING was a weak area. This is my story—with some hopefully helpful tips along the way—of how I went from a 440 to a 720 (with a marvelous 680 in between) on the GMAT.

My background
I am Irish—born and raised—but moved to America five years ago where I now work in Marketing. Back home, we really do not sit standardized tests in the same way Americans do. When I sat my math exam in my last year of high school (which helped determine what college I would go to), there was no such thing of simply being "right" or "wrong" on a question. You were awarded marks for the right methodology, the right calculations along the way and for the right answer. It was still very difficult, but it wasn't an all or nothing approach.

The same with English. I was tested by examining poetry, by writing essays, discussing plays, and reading passages. I have never been presented with a sentence and provided options for improving an underlined portion.

I say all this to solidify that I was very out of my comfort zone when I started prepping for the GMAT. It is an exam completely different than anything I had ever sat before. I had thought I was always pretty decent when it came to Math and English (English being my first language), but that diagnostic score suggested otherwise.

Mastering the basics
Factoring in cost as well as reputation, I spent some time researching different GMAT course options and landed on Magoosh. Their quant video lessons provide an unbelievably concrete understanding of all the basics. The platform is easy to use, comes with a mobile application that allows a user to browse videos while offline (perfect for an airplane journey), and there are a vast number of GMAT-like questions at your disposal that provide rich metrics the more you take them. The verbal offering is just ok. While it goes into detail on many grammar rules, I don't think it does as good a job at preparing you for tackling actual GMAT questions. Their reading comprehension and critical reasoning materials are just ok.

Magoosh does a nice job at solidifying early on the benefit of multiple different GMAT sources, and as part of the study plan it gives you, it recommends purchasing the Manhattan GMAT book series. These books really reinforce what you need to know for tackling the more complex quant problems and also do a nice job of setting you up for success on sentence correction. Again, the reading comprehension and critical reasoning sections are just ok.

Between September and December, I completed all the Magoosh videos, 100s of questions, all the Manhattan GMAT books, and was feeling pretty confident. I completed three OG practice tests during this time:

GMAT Official #2 V35 Q40 620
GMAT Official #3 V36 Q42 640
GMAT Official #4 V42 Q38 660

I started to realize I was getting a little stuck on quant and was worried I had reached my maximum score. After my last assessment, I began to really focus on quant, completing more GMAT club questions, on top of focussing on my error log. I completed my fifth assessment in January and was thrilled with my quant score, but my verbal slipped:

GMAT Official #5 V32 Q48 650

After that point, I reached out to the forum and received countless recommendations to view the GMATNinja YouTube series. These videos were incredible and really helped me in tackling reading comprehension and critical reasoning. Sentence Correction can still be a hit and miss, but a week before my exam, I sat my final practice test and I got a 710:

GMAT Official #6 V38 Q49 710

I was prepared to ace the GMAT, I was excited to do so, and I was even more excited to be finally finished with all this study.

Test Day #1

And then test day came around. I have always been a very confident test taker. Even if I wasn't always the most attentive in school, or if I didn't complete all my homework, when test day came around, I did well. I got through IR and the AWA first with 0 hiccups. I then started Quant. I simply could not figure out the first question but I also could not let it go and move on. I spent six minutes on that first question and once I finally guessed an answer, the entire section—to me—was ruined. I was now playing this terrible game of trying to catch up to the clock while maintaining accuracy. I didn't, the test ended, and I scored a 680 (Q42, V40). The most impactful realization from the test was not necessarily that I didn't understand a particular concept or formula, but rather my anxiety negatively impacted my performance on the day. I had spent all these months practicing quant and verbal, yet what I needed to get under control were my nerves.

Rebound Period

I see a lot of GMAT debriefs on this forum with many that include people who sit the test multiple times. What I don't see enough of is users talking about taking some time for themselves after the first exam. The GMAT is hard. On top of all the studying, the exam itself takes three hours, not to mention the commute, the waiting to get checked in, the scanning of your finger prints, and the no water in the testing center. It's exhausting. After I sat my first GMAT I was so disappointed in the score, but I was also just really tired. I had these grand ideas to get back on the wagon immediately and go right back to my previous study schedule. I didn't, and I urge everyone else to do the same. Take a week off. Relax, spend time away from solving complex math problems and give your body a chance to heal.

Study Prep #2

A week after I sat my GMAT, I booked my second test for April 4, 2022. I signed up for Math Revolution's online course and private tutor package. I personally would not recommend this package, however. I needed something to improve my score but could simply not afford the costs associated with Manhattan lessons, for example. Math Revolution has an unusual approach—called the Variable and IVY approach—of tackling Quant questions. It essentially asks you to count the number of variables the question poses and then, by understanding how many equations you are given in the question, you can guess what the likely answer is. Unless the question is about any of the five key quant topics, then you have to apply the exception rules to the Variable and IVY approaches, which are known as CMT 1 and CMT 2... are you confused yet? On top of this, the video lectures are no where near the same quality as what I got from Magoosh.

The best part of signing up to Math Revolution was the access to the GMAT Club Tests. If you've read the reviews of these, they are no joke the best source of prep available—once you've mastered the basics first, that is. You get 20+ GMAT Quant section simulations that pose 31 questions in 62 minutes, with GMAT-like problems. What's better, the questions you see here are more difficult, on average, than what you'll see on the actual exam. It is an incredible way to train your mind how to tackle 31 questions as efficiently as possible. Plus, the test center provides invaluable metrics on your performance, across questions types and levels.

From a verbal standpoint, my test coincided with GMAT Club's 24 Marathon in support of Ukraine. If you haven't watched it, you should. Charles from GMAT Ninja provided possibly the most valuable and entertaining 24 hours you will ever see, across any provider, on the GMAT. One thing you should know about Charles: You will see positive and negative reviews for almost all GMAT course providers (Manhattan, Magoosh, Kaplan, etc.) but you will never see a bad review about the GMAT Ninja. He doesn't just know the concepts inside out, but he knows how to make other people understand them. I truly believe I wouldn't have scored anywhere near my V41 without his videos. Check them all out (there are tons and tons on the GMAT YouTube channel), it's the best thing you'll ever add to your study plan.

And, during the 24 hour marathon, Charles interviewed people on the importance of mental and physical wellbeing during your study period. Net-net, go out for walks, drink lots of water, set boundaries, stay active, get a good sleep and don't be so hard on yourself! The realization I had during this period was that I could always sit the GMAT again and it wasn't worth the stress and anxiety I put myself through the first time around.

Test Day #2

I sat my second GMAT on April 4, 2022. I arrived at the testing center 30 minutes early, was brought into the room, started with Verbal first and made my way through the exam. I had no anxiety issues. I recognized—when it was necessary—the importance of giving up and guessing on a question to preserve time. I checked all my work, I re-read the constraints of the question (is x negative, non-negative, positive, etc.), and I gave myself internal pep talks through the 3.5 hours. When I was ready, I submitted my essay and knew that my score would be on the next screen. To my delight, I got a 720 (Q49, V41). I was thrilled. I did it! Eight months of intense study, of multiple different sources, of hours spent on the GMAT Club. It was all worth it. Plus a jump of 280 points from 440 to 720 is a pretty nice feat!

My main takeaways and recommendations for your own study

Purchase an online program to master the basics: The GMAT is a hard exam and blends an aptitude of math with logic. Invest upfront in an online course so that your basics are solid. You cannot expect to move on to more complex questions without this solid foundation. I would particularly recommend Magoosh for Quant and Manhattan for Sentence Correction.

Review all GMAT Ninja Videos: The GMAT Ninja YouTube series will be the most valuable part—bar none—to your verbal preparation, particularly sentence correction. Find these videos in the GMAT YouTube channel, download them so you can watch them at any time, and be blown away by Charles' masterful teaching.

Purchase the GMAT Club Tests: To master GMAT Quant—both in terms of concept application and timing strategies—the GMAT Club Tests are the best way to go. They are fairly affordable but deliver the most advanced insight into your quant capabilities. Do not get put off the first couple of times you take these tests; I scored a Q35 on my first one and was very disappointed. They are supposed to test you using the hardest questions possible. Mastering these will make the real exam a breeze

Look after your physical and mental health: If I hand't put so much pressure on myself before my first GMAT exam, maybe I wouldn't have needed to retake it. The GMAT is a really hard test and requires a lot of study to get it right. But nothing is worth your own physical and mental health. Remember during your studying to take some time away from the books and the screens. Get some exercise, even if it's only a light walk at the end of the day. Eat healthy. Drink water. SLEEP. And make sure you have some distractions in your life so that the GMAT doesn't consume you. It did for me, and it just wasn't worth it.

Special Mentions: There is a ton of additional free content out there that I engaged with during my studies. Check out the GMAT Club's YouTube channel for additional video debriefs. Listen to the GMAT Strategy Podcast on Spotify (or wherever you stream your podcasts from). Isaac discusses the essentials for each section and provides some guidance on staying sane during the entire GMAT process. Get a Quizlet account to make flashcards you can review on the go for all your concepts. Read high-brow newspapers and magazines to build up your command of the English language in prep for the Reading Comprehension questions. There is so much out there to binge on; make the most of it!

The GMAT has been one of the most difficult exams I've ever taken, but the GMAT Club has made the entire process so much easier. Thank you to everyone who manages this forum. You hear this everyday, but you all really do make the difference.

Thanks!

Cathal Andrew