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14 Sep 2025, 04:11
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A quick snapshot first:
Classic GMAT (June 2023) — 600 (Q47 / V27) — ~50th percentile
GMAT Focus 1 (Feb 2025) — 575 (Q78 / V83 / D75) — ~59th percentile
GMAT Focus 2 (Sep 2025) — 615 (Q83 / V80 / D78) — ~76th percentile
Background about me.
I am strong in Quant (or this is what I used to believe), was the university topper in BBA (Hons) in Finance, and I’ve been a good student since childhood. My school taught one thing: practice, memorize formulas, repeat problems. That approach worked for everything before the GMAT, but the test forced me to de-learn rote habits and actually understand concepts. I still remember being shocked when a topic we called “imaginary”, turned out to be something you can calculate and place on a number line, and a similar concept appeared on my first GMAT. I can’t share the exact question because of GMAC confidentiality, but the moment stuck with me.
My GMAT ATTEMPTS
Attempt 1: GMAT Classic (June 2023) 600 (Q47 V27) 50th percentile
What I did:
What went wrong:
Lesson learned (big one):
Attempt 2: GMAT Focus 1 (Feb 2025) 575 (Q78 V83 D75) 59th percentile
What I did differently:
Outcome vs expectation:
Lesson learned:
Attempt 3: GMAT Focus 2 (Sep 2025) 615 (Q83 V80 D78) 76th percentile
What changed:
Exam day realities:
Course reviews [My honest thoughts]
Manhattan GMAT (books) [Rating 5/5]
Magoosh [Rating 4.5/5]
I spent around three years in this whole GMAT process, there were many doubts and low moments, but ultimately GMAT became a path to real learning rather than rote practice. I’m proud of the progress: from a 600 that felt like a wake-up call, through a frustrating 575, to a 615 that reflected actual growth.
Classic GMAT (June 2023) — 600 (Q47 / V27) — ~50th percentile
GMAT Focus 1 (Feb 2025) — 575 (Q78 / V83 / D75) — ~59th percentile
GMAT Focus 2 (Sep 2025) — 615 (Q83 / V80 / D78) — ~76th percentile
Background about me.
I am strong in Quant (or this is what I used to believe), was the university topper in BBA (Hons) in Finance, and I’ve been a good student since childhood. My school taught one thing: practice, memorize formulas, repeat problems. That approach worked for everything before the GMAT, but the test forced me to de-learn rote habits and actually understand concepts. I still remember being shocked when a topic we called “imaginary”, turned out to be something you can calculate and place on a number line, and a similar concept appeared on my first GMAT. I can’t share the exact question because of GMAC confidentiality, but the moment stuck with me.
My GMAT ATTEMPTS
Attempt 1: GMAT Classic (June 2023) 600 (Q47 V27) 50th percentile
What I did:
- Prepared with Jamboree.
- Focused on formulas and doing a ton of questions.
- Repeated OG questions and repeated mock tests.
What went wrong:
- I treated mocks like homework to be repeated until the score looked good — which inflated mock scores and lied to me.
- I hadn’t actually built a conceptual foundation; I’d memorized strategies instead of understanding why they worked.
Lesson learned (big one):
- Don’t repeat questions blindly. Understand every mistake. Mock scores mean nothing if you haven’t learned from errors.
Attempt 2: GMAT Focus 1 (Feb 2025) 575 (Q78 V83 D75) 59th percentile
What I did differently:
- Did many OG questions and started an error log — progress!
- Still no structured learning plan. Practiced without building fundamentals.
Outcome vs expectation:
- My mocks often showed Quant >70th percentile, but on test day Quant fell to ~50th percentile and dragged the total down.
Lesson learned:
- OG is gold, but OG + structure is better.
- You need a method to build concepts, not just practice them ad infinitum.
Attempt 3: GMAT Focus 2 (Sep 2025) 615 (Q83 V80 D78) 76th percentile
What changed:
- I finally invested in structured learning:
- Magoosh (videos and fundamentals)
- Manhattan GMAT book bundles
- Critical Reasoning Bible Book
- A 1-week trial of TTP
- Rebuilt foundations from basics (Magoosh + Manhattan).
Exam day realities:
- I took the sections in the order: Quant → DI → Verbal.
- Got 4 verbal passages , got nervous and didn’t perform as cleanly as I wanted.
- The exam center was noisy, — college students shouting and playing. I raised my hand multiple times; invigilator finally brought earplugs near the end. That made me more anxious.
Course reviews [My honest thoughts]
Manhattan GMAT (books) [Rating 5/5]
- Gold standard for Verbal. Their reasoning approach and techniques are top-tier.
- Quant and Verbal practice are challenging and elevated — good for prep robustness.
- Techniques like the “teeter-tooter” method, among many, for certain Quant problems are extremely useful.
Magoosh [Rating 4.5/5]
- I actually got Magoosh by redeeming points on GMATClub, best reward ever
- Pros
- Video-based teaching: perfect for a visual learner like me. Worth every buck.
- Questions have great explanations and they teach why formulas work, not just what they are.
- Cons
- Limited number of DI (Data Interpretation) questions.
- Verbal approach/explanations aren’t as structured as Manhattan’s for CR and RC.
.- Pros
- Massive question bank, especially in DI.
- Cons
- Explanations are sometimes weak; a lot of plain text and scattered videos.
- Felt like it’s designed for long subscriptions, questions were not up to the standards of OG/Magoosh/Manhattan
- I also could not keep up with those accounts on Reddit which seemed very fishy as these accounts kept on praising TTP but had no other posts.
- The biggest battle for me was to de-learn the “mug-and-repeat” school method and re-learn how to really understand concepts.
- OG (Official Guide) is essential, but you need it paired with a structured study plan and a discipline of learning from every mistake.
- Mocks are useful, but only if you review them properly, don’t just chase the number.
- Test-day logistics matter: sleep, center environment, section order, and stress management, they all affect performance.
I spent around three years in this whole GMAT process, there were many doubts and low moments, but ultimately GMAT became a path to real learning rather than rote practice. I’m proud of the progress: from a 600 that felt like a wake-up call, through a frustrating 575, to a 615 that reflected actual growth.
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