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Jul 1909:00 AM PDT
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Struggling to stay on time during Multi-Source Reasoning (MSR) questions on the GMAT? In this video, GMAT expert Karishma Bansal (founder of ANA Prep) breaks down a 3-minute scanning strategy that can help you save critical time...
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Do RC/MSR passages scare you? e-GMAT is conducting a masterclass to help you learn – Learn effective reading strategies Tackle difficult RC & MSR with confidence Excel in timed test environment
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Struggling to find the right strategies to score a 99 %ile on GMAT Focus? Riya (GMAT 715) boosted her score by 100-points in just 15 days! Discover how the right mentorship, tailored strategies, and an unwavering mindset can transform your GMAT prep.
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GMAT Preparation Online - A limited time sale use code: EXPERTSGLOBAL10- Jul 17
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Start your journey with a fully customized action plan and work with a dedicated mentor to achieve a 735+ score. - Jul 18
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Wondering how to craft compelling Career goals for your "Why MBA" essay? In this video, Gunjan Jhunjhunwala, seasoned MBA expert at The Red Pen, will walk you through how to: Define clear short-term and long-term goals, and more. 
Jul 2006:30 AM PDT
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Stuck at a score plateau and struggling to hit your target score? Join this Masterclass to understand how you should turn around your prep to reach your goal in just 40 days. Discover what top scorers know that you don’t!- Jul 20
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Join us in a live GMAT Verbal practice session to solve 10 tough questions from the Reading Comprehension section tested in the GMAT Verbal section. Take this quiz with other test takers in timed conditions. - Jul 22
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In our second video about test accommodations for the GMAT exam, GMAT Ninja’s founder chats with Jason Northrup, Test Accommodations Senior manager at GMAC, about the three main qualifying condition categories... - Jul 23
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Full-length FE mock with insightful analytics, weakness diagnosis, and video explanations! 
Jul 2410:00 AM EDT
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More Target Test Prep students are earning 100th percentile GMAT scores. Don’t settle for less when the Target Test Prep course gives you everything you need to score high on the GMAT. Start your 5-day free trial today.
Jul 2510:00 AM EDT
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Prefer video-based learning? The Target Test Prep OnDemand course is a one-of-a-kind video masterclass featuring 400 hours of lecture-style teaching by Scott Woodbury-Stewart, founder of Target Test Prep and one of the most accomplished GMAT instructors..
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.
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.
02 Jul 2021, 08:17
Kudos
Bookmarks
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:
Good luck to you, and thank you again for sharing.
- Andrew
- 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
02 Jul 2021, 10:33
Kudos
Bookmarks
Thanks for your questions AndrewN
Thank you.
AndrewN
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.)
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.AndrewN
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.)
I will update my original post with my mock scores.AndrewN
What is the next step of the journey, with the GMAT™ behind you? (As you know, a high score can open doors.)
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.
