Hello fellow test-takers,

My Background: Recent business undergraduate from Maharashtra, India. I work for a pharmaceuticals distribution company. I started prepping for GMAT in Feb 2021.

Attempt #1 (Online): May 2021- Technical issues, couldn't take the test.
Attempt #2 (Online): May 2021- 650 (Q48, V31)
Attempt #3 (Enhanced Online): June 2021- 700 (Q48, V37)
Attempt #4 (Test Center): June 2021- Technical issues, had to cancel the test.
Attempt #5 (Test Center): June 2021- 750 (Q49, V44)

Yes! I have taken all possible test formats provided by GMAT for candidates in 2021.

Attempt #1, #2:
With the second wave of COVID-19 raging havoc across the country, GMAT Online was my best option. I preferred the old format for a couple of reasons. I felt that my prep and test-taking abilities had peaked in May. I also felt that the single 5-minute break offered in the old format was no barrier for me. No AWA was always a plus. On the test day, I had everything ready as it should have been, my test-taking environment was almost at par with a test-center's. However, when I tried to check in, the Pearson ONVue team informed me that they weren't receiving any live stream from my end. That test was subsequently cancelled. (more on this in a separate post). Immediately after this failed attempt, I booked another attempt for 19th May, which was just 2 days after my original attempt and the last day of test-taking under the old GMAT Online format. This test proved to be a disaster too. Same issues with the live stream, only this time, the ONVue team managed to resolve it and I started my test close to 75 minutes later than the scheduled time. This did impact my test. My mind felt pre-occupied and I couldn't manage the extra 75 mins of sitting time before the break. The verbal section was affected the most and my score was in no way a reflection of my capabilities.

Attempt #3:
After the mandatory 16-day break between attempts, I took the Enhanced Online version of the test. This one was all on me. Although the test did feel tougher than the Official Prep material, I can take nothing away from the Examity software and test-taking experience which was flawless. As for the score, even though it had improved, it just wasn't good enough for me. There was no real improvement in my quant score and verbal was still far away from what I could have achieved at that time. Reflecting on this attempt for several hours after the test, I realized what was missing from my prep. I identified areas that I had a high chance of faltering in on the test day and worked on them accordingly. I also realized how much of the GMAT test is a mental game particularly on the test day; a fact that I had previously downplayed before.

Attempt #4:
For this attempt, I had to opt for an offline test because I exhausted my online registration limit. I had to travel to a different city that was 4 hours away. Before the test, I felt very confident, quite hyped up actually. I knew exactly what exactly to do and I was in the right headspace at that time. However, 2 hours into the test and the test-center suffered a network outage and a downtime of around 5 minutes. I lost some time and missed a couple of questions. The test center offered me a free reschedule which I accepted. I had to keep another 16 days between this and the next test. This bugged me a lot at first because I had a good momentum at that time and I had also exhausted most of my prep material. However, I saw this as an opportunity to work on any fundamental gaps in my concepts, especially those of verbal. The gap also gave me a chance to further bulletproof my test-taking techniques. Onto the next one..

Attempt #5:
Finally a day when everything went right. I had a very smooth test-taking experience and the test-center (a different one) was very professional. Kudos to their team! I had been targeting a score of 740+ from day 1 and although the final Q-V split of this attempt is not ideal, it is a score that I can settle for.

Resources:
Quant:
Official Guide 10, 18, 19, 20
Official Guide Quantitative Review 19, 20
Official Advanced Questions 2020
Manhattan Quant Books #1-5
Manhattan Advanced
GMAT Club Bunuel's Signature Collection
GMAT Club Question Banks
e-GMAT Scholaranium Free Questions

Verbal:
Official Guide 10, 18, 19, 20
Official Guide Verbal Review 19, 20
Official Advanced Questions 2020
Manhattan Verbal Books for Critical Reasoning and Sentence Correction
Kaplan 800 for Critical Reasoning
GMAT Club Question Banks
e-GMAT Scholaranium Free Questions

Tests:
GMAT Prep Official Tests #1-6
Manhattan GMAT Tests #1-6
Experts Global Tests #1-7
GMAT Club Free Tests
+ a few other trial mocks from other publishers

This may seem excessive to many people here and it actually might be. Its just that I needed new material each time I had a large gap between my tests.

Mock test results:
I took a free mock test from (different publishers) every 10-12 days right from the start of my prep. It helped me get used to the format and build the mental stamina for 3+ hours of peak focus levels. This worked for me. Others might not need as many mocks for the same purpose. I used the paid mocks much later as the test date got closer.

Mock results in a chronological order:
Experts #1: 660 (Q47 V35)
GMAT Official: #1 720 (Q50 V38)
GMAT Official: #2 750 (Q49 V44)
Manhattan #1: 680 (Q48 V38)
Manhattan #2: 690 (Q46 V38)
Manhattan #3: 680 (Q47 V36)
Manhattan #4: 660 (Q43 V37)
Manhattan #5: 700 (Q48 V37)
Manhattan #6: 690 (Q47 V37)
Experts #2: 700 (Q49 V35)
Experts #3: 710 (Q46 V41)
Experts #4: 730 (Q50 V39)
GMAT Official #3: 730 (Q50 V38)
Experts #5: 700 (Q48 V38)
Experts #6: 750 (Q50 V41)
GMAT Official #4: 760 (Q51 V45)
GMAT Official #5: 770 (Q51 V45)
GMAT Official #6: 760 (Q50 V42)


Finally, I have to acknowledge the contribution of the absolute legends we have here at GMATClub: bb, Bunuel, GMATNinja, GMATNinjaTwo, daagh, VeritasKarishma, mikemcgarry, TommyWallach, chetan2u


I hope this helps at least some members of the forum. I am happy to answer questions and also dive deeper into any specifics of my journey in any updates to this post.

Thank you for sharing, OscarD, and congratulations on achieving a fine score. I am particularly impressed by that one-month leap in Verbal from a 31 to a 44, and indeed by that same-month jump from a 37 to a 44. I hate to say it in a way, but that kind of variance suggests that the Verbal section is not as fine-tuned as the Quant section. Since you opened the floor to those with questions, I have a few:

• Did you think there was any sort of difference in the level of difficulty in the Verbal section between either online exam or the version at the test center? (I have read mixed reviews and even watched a GMAT Club video that dealt with the topic.)
• How was your performance on those mock tests you listed? (That is, I wonder what made you keep going, convinced that you could hit a mid-700s score.)
• What is the next step of the journey, with the GMAT™ behind you? (As you know, a high score can open doors.)

Good luck to you, and thank you again for sharing.

- Andrew

Thanks for your questions AndrewN


I certainly felt that there was a minor difference between the verbal questions on both the formats. But you also have to understand that I improved in the time that I had between my online and offline tests, so the following opinion may involve a minor confirmation bias. While the questions in the offline test felt relatively straightforward, those in the online test were not as much. The RC passages I feel were longer in the Enhanced Online test. That being said, I also do believe that if you have your fundamental concepts right, you should be able to tackle either formats equally well. I worked really hard on bulletproofing my techniques. I left no space for the odd SC question where guessing becomes one's best course of action. RC was always my weakest area out of the three. Reading passages on a variety of subjects, particularly long passages helped me a lot with my RC accuracy. This combined with the experience curve of previous tests contributed to my final score.


I will update my original post with my mock scores.


As for the future, I currently have no immediate plan of applying to schools. The nationwide lockdown presented me with an opportunity of making the best out of some extra time that I had each day. I felt that it was the right time to prep for the GMAT and that's what I did.

Thank you.

Congratulations mate !!

I see that Experts' Global last test score is in line with your official score. Do you think they are worth taking (especially considering the verbal section of these tests.)??
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Hey warrior1991,

The verbal section of the Experts' tests, particularly the CR questions, did not feel much in line with the Official Questions. They do provide written and video solutions for each question, yet these solutions felt rather unsatisfactory and inconsistent at times with solutions for similar questions by Experts'. That is really the only big criticism I can make about Experts' verbal section. Can't really complain about the quant. The test interface is also good. Overall, its a great deal considering the fact that the bundle includes 15 tests, which is more than any other mock tests bundle that I know of.

Hope I was able to answer your question.

Thanks.

Congratulations on the great score, OscarD! And thank you for the shout-out. Glad to hear that we could help a bit.

Good luck with your applications, and let us know where you end up!
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Congratulations on the score, and thanks for sharing!

I'd like to know the differences, in your opinion, between the enhanced online quant section and the test center quant section (in terms of difficulty/length/any other criteria). If it helps, I'm in Mumbai and trying to pick between the two exams.

Thanks!

Hey groverraghav,

I found no significant differences between the quant section of both the formats.

I feel that if you have the option of going to a Official Test Center of Pearson, you should do that. Because, compared to the online test, there are less chances of any disruptions and even if there are any technical disruptions, they can be (in most cases) attributable to the Center and not to you.

I know quite a few people who have had an issue with the center in Mumbai. In most cases the Center was uncontactable so travelling candidates weren't able to confirm if the center was actually open or not amidst the partial lockdown in the State. I know for sure that the Pearson center in Pune is open and have received some great feedback about that Center. Whichever center you decide I'd suggest you to contact the center first before booking your slot.

Hope this helps!

Thank you.