I gave the GMAT Focus 2024 - Scored 645 - key takeaways

Hey everyone! 

I'm here to share my entire GMAT experience. 

Background & Why GMAT:
I'm 22yo, have studied Mathematics until Grade 12, native EN speaker. So I already had somewhat of a foundation let's say. 
I started my GMAT prep on December 15, 2023. The hope is to apply for R3 admissions for MiM programmes in Europe. 

My situation:
I've been working full-time all of 2023, not doing so at the moment. So a disclaimer: I did 1.5 months of full-time prep. I understand this isn't feasible for most people. I had only this time to prep, so I knew I had to give it my all within this timeframe. 

Prep: 
I started my prep by going through all the content on GMAT's official FREE resources that it shares online. I also had some older GMAT Official Guides at my disposal. So I did go through Quant & Verbal from those in December. I started my prep for the Data Insights section by buying the Official Guide on MBA.com. 

After about a week of revising basics for 2-3 hours a day, I gave a first mock (non-official) and scored a 425   
I think that was pretty strange because I've been a good student throughout my life, and since the GMAT is on basic concepts, this score was unexpected even if it was partially 'cold'.

Anyway, not taking it too personally, I went on with my prep until I realized that the OGs were just not going to cut it.
I looked out for resources that'll give me more of a structured approach and landed on the iconic Target Test Prep. Got a 1-month subscription of this.

Things I did right:
- Got TTP, went through all unfamiliar and 'weak' topics' theory + made solid notes with tactics, formulae, tips, etc. 
- Reinfornced all learning with TTP's chapter tests and strengthened topics like number theory, Work Problems, Probability, PnC, etc. 
- Recognized I was better at Verbal than Quant and DI, so I did focus my initial time more on strengthening Quant & DI skills.
- Since I was only going to give myself 1.5 months, I studied dedicatedly (8-9 hrs a day), took care of my sleep pattern, nutrition, exercise, reduced my use of Instagram 
- Found and used great FREE resources like this forum, GMAT Ninja videos for Verbal & DI especially.  
- Understood the exam pattern, worked on my exam anxiety and was quite calm during all mocks.
- Kept a thorough error log, with super helpful pointers to myself which prevented me from making the same mistakes over and over again.
- Since I was giving the exam online, I didn't book it waaay in advance. For me, it would've added unnecessary pressure to have a deadline on my head. The flexibility to extend prep time might help some people get the best out of the GMAT.

Things I could have done better:

- Been more patient with my learning gains.
I was too quick to get started on mocks, skipped practicing many subsections, beat myself up for not scoring well (without equipping myself enough to do so!!) and assumed that my high school knowledge would easily carry over.

I've understood now that this is a test of how well you understand the exam and build the relevant skillsets to succeed. Some people might be more natural at it than you, and that shouldn't dictate your timeline. 

- Spent time on concepts even if I thought I knew them
I ignored Verbal a LOT, some parts of DI too, AND many math concepts thinking that I knew them already. Something as simple as Ratios or Prime Numbers can get you on the GMAT. Don't half-ass the preparation. Plan a sufficiently long timeline before your exam to go.through.everything 

- Had a more structured approach. 
I've been a good student at school, so I think subconsciously the impatience pushed me to just get the results ASAP. Without thinking too much about the process. I spent one week on just TTP quant and gave my first Official Mock in mid January. Scored a 595. It's an improvement, but nowhere near what I wanted. So I saw my mistakes (many of which on Quant & DI were "silly" errors).
This made me feel like I had the theory down and I just needed 'practice'. So instead of strengthening my concepts across the three sections, I started giving mocks (official ones btw) every second day. With some revision in between. 

Scores were: 595, 615, 615, 635, 615, 525 (the horror I felt!!!!), 595. 

I thought this graph was pretty terrible. Because I personally was feeling much more at ease with the exam, concepts, etc than ever before. So I had no idea why my score was declining. 

I was scoring 75-95% accuracy on TTP custom tests (medium-hard difficulty across sections), so I was perplexed. 

Now it was Jan 28, almost a week away from when I wanted to give the GMAT. I was panicking. 

I decided to sit with TTP and revise all the new weak areas I had discovered across sections. Boosted my comfort and confidence with the exam even more. 

I gave one more mock after 5 days of good reinforcement and got a 585. Highly disappointed. 

Which is when I realized that there's some sort of error I've made in my prep. W
hile my Quant score was getting better, DI stayed the same and Verbal was reducing. 

I was at a crossroads: either I study a month more, rework my strategy and get the score of my dreams. OR I give the official GMAT a try, get one official score and decide what to do next based on it. 

So yes, on Feb 03, I booked my exam. Decided to revise every error I had made, all my notes and just put my best food forward in the exam. 


Exam Experience: 

- Very very similar to the OG Mocks. If you're able to practice with these, the exam experience will go smooth
- No need to get psyched about the proctor, exam admin side of things. It's very intuitive. Just make sure to abide by all rules
- It was very obvious to me somehow when the questions were shifting difficulty levels. We need to train ourselves not to overthink how we're doing and just focus on the task at hand. 
- If you plan to the give the GMAT online, give your mocks in the exact same place and setup that you'd give the real one. Makes all the difference with temprament. 

Final Thoughts:

- Be super patient while preparing for the GMAT. It might seem like a sprint, but the mentality needs to be the one of a marathon. Small gains. They matter more.

- Don't be afraid to invest in the resources you need to improve on weaknesses. The OG resources might not be sufficient for all of us to get our best performance out  

- If you're prepping all by yourself, consider speaking to an expert at the start of your prep and validate your study plan. It'll help you avoid the mental mess I made of my preparation journey 

- Keep things in perspective. The GMAT is an exam. I know it means a lot to all of us, but it's important to keep things in perspective during prep. 
Your intelligence, strengths, uniqueness cannot be measured by any one exam. Don't make it a matter of ego or self-confidence. Take it more like a game. Know the rules, see the patterns, get the right tools and remember you have a life outside of it 


Update: Got into INSEAD & LBS! Thanks for all the great wishes everyone ­