Hi folks,
First of all, I'd like to thank all aspirants/experts for contributing to this wonderful platform. For someone who has read so many inspiring debriefs, its an awesome feeling to write his own.
Early Setback :
I started preparing in the mid of january this year with a classroom coaching. I did all their classes in a span of two months. While quant classes there prepared me with the basic stuff, verbal classes and the pedagogy for the same did not help my case as I found the coaching's verbal approach not only unstructured but also superficial with respect to the content. I was not sure of my preparation, specially of verbal section. I decided to take gmat prep 3 on 28th March, 2018, and I ended up with a 580 (Q49, V21). Though the score was disheartening, but the test served it's purpose. I started discussing with people I knew and I was suggested
e-gmat by almost everyone. I signed up for the verbal live prep and my journey with
e-gmat started from april,18.
My Journey from V21 in gmat prep to V31 & V38 in real gmat :
I started with CR section despite the general recommendation from
e-gmat to start with SC because CR was my weakest section then. I went through all the files comprehensively and got a hold of the content there. Pre-thinking really helps in CR just because it allows you to assimilate the argument and lets you arrange the information logically in your brain, making you ready to attack the question. Unfortunately, no shortcut ever works in CR; so, I made it a point to be very methodical here.
Then, I started SC modules. The course made SC prep a breeze as it is very beautifully structured. The articles written by Payal & Shraddha helped me clear lot of my wrong learnings. I quickly completed the course and brought my SC ability to a pretty good level.
By the time I came to RC section, dividends from investing in the CR & SC started paying off and I found my comprehension skills already improvised. Nonetheless, I made it a point to finish many RC files. Master comprehension course helps tremendously in building core skills across sections.
Role of live sessions :
They provided very good feedback of my learning from the online modules and helped me learn from the mistakes of others. They helped me recognize the pitfalls, verbal section of gmat offers. The CR live sessions by Krishna are really awesome.
Role of scholaranium :
I took a no. of customized tests for all three verbal sections. Taking customized quizes time to time helped me retain the strategies learned from the modules. Also, I simulated full gmat verbal section experience selecting 36 questions spreading them across topics and difficulty levels. Scholaranium questions are more than sufficient and gave me ample practice.
Role of official gmat preps :
They are awesome resource to make you test ready. Except for an early 580, my scores in remaining five mocks ranged from 710 to 730. So, I booked my test date as 18th July,18.
My 1st attempt :
I started with a verbal, quant, awa, IR sequence. I could barely finish 30 verbal questions. Quant section passed rather easily. 680 popped on the screen with a V21, Q50 split and a dream was shattered. I immediately cancelled the scores.
I came home and ordered ESR and the ESR reflected a poor time management for verbal section with equally bad RC skills. I started working on my RC skills and tackled four passages daily for next one month. I also retook a couple of official prep tests. I read a no. of debriefs to help me in time management as well as to keep me motivated. I alloted time to myself for every quarter of questions and strictly adhered to that. I started improving and thus booked the real gmat date as 1st sep,18.
My 2nd attempt :
I started with a quant, verbal, awa, IR sequence. Quant did not go well this time and I was forced to guess last four question. But, I kept control on my nerves and it paid off. I better managed time during verbal and had exactly a minute for the last question. A 720 popped on the screen with a V38, Q49. I heaved a sigh of relief.
Quant Preparation:
After getting basics right, I took gmat club quant tests which one gets for free with
e-gmat course. They prepare you well for the test day but be ready to face the surprises on the test day. I got a Q51 in most of
gmat club tests but could only manage a Q49 in the real gmat.
General tips:
1. Sleep well before exam. I could not do this because of my over anxiety.
2. Do not hesitate to skip a couple of questions from your weakest area. Completing both sections is paramount to get a good score.
3. Prefer quality over quantity of questions/material during the preparation phase.
All the best guys & do never give up. Feel free to get in touch at
pg6310@gmail.com for any help that you might need.
Consider Kudos, if you find it useful guys
Thanks,