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18 Nov 2023, 13:00
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TLDR: Started GRE prep in mid-2022, spent about 5 months learning, failing, and titrating only to realise I'm better suited to the GMAT. Switched over early in 2023, attempted the GMAT thrice and flatlined at 720. Finally, took a break, paused for a bit to change how I studied and analysed my mistakes, studied a few more months and got a 685 on the Focus edition after a few mocks at 705/715. At least 500 hours spent on prep, used primarily TTP for all the above (and OG at the end + mocks).
Over the past year, I've read countless debriefs and stories that have inspired me in my process to getting a good score for a future MBA, and I'm writing to give back in the hopes that my journey can help a few people on here.
Listing down the five key milestones and questions in my journey and the decision-making process through them; I think the rest is just all about putting your head down and trusting the process.
#1: Pick your exam.
I learned this the hard way, by spending hours going through content, practising questions, and not making enough headway. If I had to summarise reductively, I'd say that the GRE is slightly redundant in their verbal sections and not the best measure of "reasoning". But again, it optimises for a different goal than the GMAT. If you're somebody that's given a ton of exams and run through structured content to ace the tests, the GRE is useful to consider. All of this is assuming that B-school is your goal. More recently, I've heard that GRE vs/ GMAT quant levels have been a debate, but my rather personal and not-well-researched/informed opinion is that they both felt more or less the same recently. I don't think I was scoring comfortably on GRE quant, vs. GMAT quant.
Also, the focus edition is a game-changer. I've struggled with sitting myself down and focussing on tests and prep, and the reduced time is a boon. That, with sections such as geometry and SC dropped helped me a ton.
#2: Pick your material well.
I was a Target Test Prep loyalist starting day 1. It's been my partner through the GRE, the GMAT, and then GMAT Focus. Absolutely never failed me and I was in love with the platform + content. Nobody else let me analyse my mistakes the same way, gave me the depth of solutions that I got from them, and their 8-hour TAT on doubts was insanely helpful. As someone who researched the entire internet for content and platforms before I began, there was nowhere better I'd be. They were also kind enough to give me extensions for a few days sometimes when my exam was close rather than have me go through the full billing cycle, and I can't say that for any other brand when I say they care about their students. It's not just for the extra buck, they literally walk you down the path to success. That said, GMAC still makes the test, so I alternated between targeted practise from TTP once I'd gone through all the theory and content, and did 5-days worth of TTP and then 1-2 days of OG to learn both sides well and titrate. This combo worked best for me for error analyses as well.
#3: Test, test, test.
Mimic test-day conditions as often as you can. The best advice I recently got was what worked for me: study in 30-45minute blocks. If you've got an extra 20 mins somewhere in the day, don't force fit anything. If you can't make time, don't waste time. Do focussed blocks of practise and alternate between practise/quiz mode on OG Q-banks or TTP, don't be dependent on just one mode either. Also, closer to test-day (T minus 6 weeks), try taking a test a week. I took my last one 2 days before the test and I couldn't have been better prepped to manage time.
#4: Take adequate breaks.
If you've been in prep mode for a while, take it easy a few days. It's helped me solidify information, come back fresher and stronger, and more focussed. The monotony of test-prep is real, and it's good to treat it as any other activity in your life.
#5: Repeat what you know on test-day.
Test-day is just a celebration of all the effort over the past few weeks or months. You're there because you're mostly ready and good to go. Don't experiment with diet, clothing, section order, anything. Just rinse and repeat what you're acing already.
That's what was my process like, but please feel free to drop a note for thoughts or questions. I know I don't have a mind-numbing 99%ile score, but I'm happy and honestly couldn't find a better close to this chapter. It gets hard, stay cued in.
Over the past year, I've read countless debriefs and stories that have inspired me in my process to getting a good score for a future MBA, and I'm writing to give back in the hopes that my journey can help a few people on here.
Listing down the five key milestones and questions in my journey and the decision-making process through them; I think the rest is just all about putting your head down and trusting the process.
#1: Pick your exam.
I learned this the hard way, by spending hours going through content, practising questions, and not making enough headway. If I had to summarise reductively, I'd say that the GRE is slightly redundant in their verbal sections and not the best measure of "reasoning". But again, it optimises for a different goal than the GMAT. If you're somebody that's given a ton of exams and run through structured content to ace the tests, the GRE is useful to consider. All of this is assuming that B-school is your goal. More recently, I've heard that GRE vs/ GMAT quant levels have been a debate, but my rather personal and not-well-researched/informed opinion is that they both felt more or less the same recently. I don't think I was scoring comfortably on GRE quant, vs. GMAT quant.
Also, the focus edition is a game-changer. I've struggled with sitting myself down and focussing on tests and prep, and the reduced time is a boon. That, with sections such as geometry and SC dropped helped me a ton.
#2: Pick your material well.
I was a Target Test Prep loyalist starting day 1. It's been my partner through the GRE, the GMAT, and then GMAT Focus. Absolutely never failed me and I was in love with the platform + content. Nobody else let me analyse my mistakes the same way, gave me the depth of solutions that I got from them, and their 8-hour TAT on doubts was insanely helpful. As someone who researched the entire internet for content and platforms before I began, there was nowhere better I'd be. They were also kind enough to give me extensions for a few days sometimes when my exam was close rather than have me go through the full billing cycle, and I can't say that for any other brand when I say they care about their students. It's not just for the extra buck, they literally walk you down the path to success. That said, GMAC still makes the test, so I alternated between targeted practise from TTP once I'd gone through all the theory and content, and did 5-days worth of TTP and then 1-2 days of OG to learn both sides well and titrate. This combo worked best for me for error analyses as well.
#3: Test, test, test.
Mimic test-day conditions as often as you can. The best advice I recently got was what worked for me: study in 30-45minute blocks. If you've got an extra 20 mins somewhere in the day, don't force fit anything. If you can't make time, don't waste time. Do focussed blocks of practise and alternate between practise/quiz mode on OG Q-banks or TTP, don't be dependent on just one mode either. Also, closer to test-day (T minus 6 weeks), try taking a test a week. I took my last one 2 days before the test and I couldn't have been better prepped to manage time.
#4: Take adequate breaks.
If you've been in prep mode for a while, take it easy a few days. It's helped me solidify information, come back fresher and stronger, and more focussed. The monotony of test-prep is real, and it's good to treat it as any other activity in your life.
#5: Repeat what you know on test-day.
Test-day is just a celebration of all the effort over the past few weeks or months. You're there because you're mostly ready and good to go. Don't experiment with diet, clothing, section order, anything. Just rinse and repeat what you're acing already.
That's what was my process like, but please feel free to drop a note for thoughts or questions. I know I don't have a mind-numbing 99%ile score, but I'm happy and honestly couldn't find a better close to this chapter. It gets hard, stay cued in.
18 Nov 2023, 21:47
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All the best going forward. Consider writing a profile-review.
-contact: gmatknight site | gmatclub dm
-contact: gmatknight site | gmatclub dm
18 Nov 2023, 22:00
Kudos
Bookmarks
skumar97
Congratulations on your journey and achieving a 685 on the GMAT Focus! It's interesting to see how you adapted your study approach and found what works best for you. It's also great that you're sharing your experience to help others. Best of luck with your MBA applications!
