I started my GMAT journey in October 2020. I had been planning this for some time, and I was lucky enough to get proper guidance from my friends who recommended
E-GMAT. As an engineer with experience preparing for the CAT, I believed I needed more help with Verbal than with Quant. So I went ahead and took their Verbal course.
My GMAT journey was long, with many breaks in between due to job changes and relocations, and obviously, COVID. I have worked with Rida, Atreya and Dhananjay as part of
E-GMAT's last mile program, which, BTW, is a gem. The tailored advice and study plans that they provide have been very beneficial.
Here's what I did to ace the GMAT -
SC - I started my prep with SC and went through all the
E-GMAT concept files, but I didn't really follow the process they asked me to follow. Somehow, I did score well in SC, but it was still not up to the mark. What made a significant difference was around the time of my 2nd attempt when I moved from the grammar approach to their meaning-based approach. Payal has taught these concepts in great detail, making them easy for me to grasp and implement. Due to this, my SC scores jumped very quickly from 80-85 to above 95%ile. This was very helpful for me since, in addition to improving my accuracy, it also increased my confidence while answering the questions.
CR and RC - I am clubbing this section because, in a way, I use a similar approach to solve both these questions. After solving LOTS of questions and trying many techniques, I have learnt this approach. The key is - Just read slowly with 100% of your mind in the statement. We often don't even realize it, but our minds are subconsciously elsewhere while we answer the question. Once we learn how to do this, understanding the logic and details of a CR question or an RC passage becomes a cakewalk, and accuracy automatically improves. However, regular reading practice is a must. Any international English newspaper will suffice.
Quant - I prepared for Quant primarily through
GMAT Club tests. Since I have a quantitative background, these tests were more than enough for me to get a Q50 in my final test.
My GMAT Scores are as follows -
GMAT 1 - 680 (Q48,V35)
GMAT 2 - 710 (Q49,V38)
GMAT 3 - 710 (Q49,V37)
GMAT 4 - 740 (Q50,V41)
In addition to Quant and Verbal, the GMAT is an exam of the nerves. You will get your desired score only when your mind is engrossed in answering the question and not thinking about what you have to gain or lose. My journey to a V41 was not at all easy. It has required a lot of hard work and good mentorship. While all the mentors at
E-GMAT were great, I have to thank Rida Shafeek specially. She has been very patient with me when it came to understanding my schedule and what I need. After that 2nd 710, I was almost about to give up, but Rida pushed me to give that one last attempt, the attempt that got me my 740.