Got a 470 in my First Attempt! How can I get a 740+ score in 2 months?

Hello to everybody! On July 1st of that year, I took my first shot. I received a disappointing 470 (Q40, V16, IR3), which is 250 points below my goal score.

I am a senior in college who wants to apply to the Deferred MBA program. This program caught my attention last year in January 2021. I began learning about the GMAT in February 2021. By the end of the month, I had bought a GMAT course from a "less well-known" test preparation business. In February, I began with the foundation lectures, which offered me a general understanding of the GMAT's examined ideas. I attended the live online courses in March 2021. I began to enjoy the process and thought that my early start on this adventure towards the end of my second year would give me an advantage. However, things didn't proceed as I had hoped.

I took the diagnostic test before the end of March 2021 and received a VERY POOR score of 450. (Q27, V25). I was taken aback because I was doing so well in the seminars. I took responsibility for my time management and believed that I might not have fully understood the principles. Although my failure to effectively utilize the tactics to complete the question in under two minutes was a contributing factor.



I started working on the OG after finishing the lectures. However, I gravely erred by failing to create an error log. (June 2021) I finished the Manhattan verbal modules after completing the OG to a score of 70%. I then took the free Kaplan test and received a score of 430. (Q37, V17). I was annoyed with my verbal section time. The RC segment was one of the verbal section's main flaws. I had to guess on the final 8–9 questions, which significantly reduced my score.



After a month of OG prep analysis with an error log, I made the decision to take the test prep company's mock exam on July 4, 2021. I got a 590 (Q47, V24). I was pleased with the improvement even though I knew the score wasn't what I had hoped for.

I began concentrating on other facets of my profile at the same time in the month of July. But I found that I spent less time getting ready.

In the first week of August, I retook a simulated exam to evaluate where I stood, and I received a 480. (Q44, V16). This time, I made the decision to properly work on applications using the materials I had.



I finished the concept videos, OG Error Log Revision, in-class module (for questions at the 700 level), and the verbal and quantitative drills in the month of September. I started answering 60% of the questions correctly in SC, 70% of the questions correctly in CR, and 60% of the questions correctly in RC. I began concentrating on Verbal. I concentrated on the weakest portions while resolving GMAT Club Quant questions at the 600-700 level.

I was pleased with the accuracy improvement and was confident that I would obtain a Q49 and a V30+ this time.

Sadly, I had to relocate to another location in October, which completely messed up my schedule. This month, I wasn't consistent with my preparation. After some time away, I returned home and took a study leave from my jobs. I took the Princeton exams in November because I believed that my time management was the only problem.



Test-1 (490-Q39, V19, AWA-3)

Test-2 (490)

Test-3 (550)

Test-4 (590-Q36, V-33)



Over the course of the session, my verbal score increased dramatically from a V-19 to a V-33. I made the decision to take the test by December, but due to my college's confusing scheduling, I didn't reserve a date.

I didn't want to schedule the date until I had at least a 700 on my mock exams. ONE OF MY BIGGEST MISTAKES DURING THE PREP WAS THIS. I kept putting it off.

My college reopened in January 2022, and I began concentrating on my undergraduate GPA to keep my overall GPA at 3.8, which I did effectively. No matter how hard I tried, I was unable to maintain my prep consistency during these months. Numerous variables were present. But in the end, I was exhausted from the preparation.

I finished 70% of the OG review books, then on June 7th, 22 after going over all the notes and concepts once more, I took the free offcial test and received a 480. ( Q-36, V-24).

I wasn't surprised, but I was worn out from the preparation. Throughout my preparation, I was unable to surpass 600. This time, I chose to reserve the date. Since then, I've been delaying the trip. I was aware that if I didn't establish a baseline, things could drag on for a long time. I scheduled the exam for the first of July (8 a.m. slot) on June 7 because it was the only time I had left for my summer break. Even though I knew I had less days to get a 700 or higher, I was optimistic that I could this time earn a 600 or higher.



I studied just new topics, answered GMAT Club questions, evaluated, and watched GMAT Ninja videos on YouTube for the verbal section.



3 days- PS 30 and DS 30 each day (600-700, 700 level)

3 days – 60 SC questions per day (600-700, 700 level)

3 days: 60 CR questions per day (600-700, 700 level)

RC-60 questions per day for 3 days (600-700, 700 level)



I began taking mock exams at 8 am on alternate days after reviewing and studying these questions.



Test 1 (Offcial second free test) for June 22, 2022 (Q-42, V-17) 480

24/06/2022 Test-2 (free GMAT test from GMATwhiz) 570

26/06/2022 Test-3 (Q-36, V-32) 590

28/06/2022 Test-4 (Official mock test-3) (Q-44, V-24) 570



I still had faith that I would perform at least in the low 600s after taking these practice exams. I arrived on schedule at the testing location. But I was quite worried. Nothing I attempted, including deep breathing, seemed to work. I proceeded to take the test after convincing myself that it was normal.



I began using AWA on test day to settle my nerves and prepare for the exam. AWA and IR were good. paused for 5 minutes. began with Quant. Everything was going well until the tenth question. I began to freak out after the eleventh question. While taking the test, I began to analyze my results, which made me even more anxious. I spent around three minutes on a couple questions, so I had to guess the last two or three. By the time I finished the quant part, I had already admitted defeat. I stopped for five minutes. began with the verbal part. My anxiousness increased when I struggled to answer the SC questions. I had no trouble answering the SC questions in the first 20 questions of the most recent mock exams. This further damaged my self-confidence. My timing deteriorated by the time I got to question 20. The final 4-5 questions required guessing.



Before I saw the result, I realised I had made a mistake. Saw a 470 (Q-40, V-16, IR-3). I revoked the score and walked out of the room. It took me a few days to even consider if I wanted to go on this voyage in the first place.



The grade is embarrassing for a student majoring in engineering with a 3.8 GPA. But I'm finally here after much thought. I am aware that my trip has more defects than anyone else's, but I also understand that this is not how I want to finish it. I won't give up until I reach a 740. I'm hoping this community will be useful in helping me accomplish my objective. I'm still willing to submit an R-1 application when they open in September. I'm hoping to have a more focused study schedule so I can complete my objective in just two months.



I really want to alter the strategy, but I'm not sure how. The expert assistance didn't really help me either, possibly because the strategy I was given didn't really work for me.

Any advice or comments would be greatly appreciated.