I started my GMAT journey in July 2020, using Bloomberg’s GMAT Prep. My initial plan was to study concepts for 2 months, take mock exams and refine my knowledge for a month, then sit the GMAT around early-October. To help achieve this timeline, I studied like crazy for the first 2 months. I would wake up early to study before work then stayed up as late as possible studying every night. After completing all the concepts in 2 months, I did not feel as though I had what it took to score 730+. To gauge my skill level, I took
OG Practice Exam #1, scored 640 whilst pausing the exam a few times, and confirmed my lack of test readiness.
Trying to recover from the dismal mock exam, I revised my notes and took some practice questions online. I did not feel as though I was getting anywhere, so I did some online research and found great reviews for
e-GMAT. I used
e-GMAT for both Quant and Verbal from this point forward, with a far heavier time allocation to Quant as that was by far my weaker area.
About a month into using
e-GMAT, I read Matthew Walker's wonderfully insightful book,
Why We Sleep. A key learning from this book was that sleep not only consolidates memories, but also connects the dots between what you've recently learned and what you already knew. Although I had seen many people advise to get plenty of sleep whilst studying, it took reading this book for me to realise where I had been going wrong in my studies to date. From this point on, I did what it took to give myself a full, 8-hour sleep as often as possible, and this was the turning point in my preparation.
By the time December rolled around, my Quant still was not up to par. However, my online exam was booked for 4th January and I felt that instead of postponing, I should get sit the exam anyway just to get the first shot out the way and make myself feel comfortable moving forward. Whilst doing some last-minute revision, I noticed that
e-GMAT had upgraded their Quant course,
Quant 2.0. I completed part of the new Number Properties and realised how much of a massive upgrade Quant 2.0 was over Quant 1.0, so I emailed
e-GMAT with some positive feedback and a few questions.
e-GMAT then offered to put me through their mentorship program, with Archit as my mentor.
First GMAT attempt: GMAT Online (4th January 2021)I scored 670, which was not much of a surprise as I did not feel ready. However, I was surprised to find that I scored a Q49 and V32 as Quant was my weakness and Verbal was my strength. Reflecting on the exam, I felt I expended too much energy on Quant then fatigue set in during Verbal as I could not digest anything that I was reading. The lack of a break between Quant and Verbal certainly did not help. With no ESR available for the GMAT Online, I got working on my retake with the support of Archit, who set out a study plan for me and regularly checked in to see how I was going.
Second GMAT attempt: GMAT Online (4th March 2021)In between attempt #1 and this attempt, I had a solid run of good results in
e-GMAT quizzes and I even scored 740 in
OG Practice Exam #5. It's safe to say I was feeling extremely comfortable. To combat fatigue setting in during Verbal, my strategy was to finish Quant with ~5 mins to spare then use the rest of the time as a mini-break before Verbal. On exam day, I rushed through Quant and finished with 6 mins to spare. I felt that the final few questions were a bit too easy, but whatever, I could not go back and change my responses. In the end, I scored 690 with Q47 and V38. Whilst happy with the improvement, I was annoyed at the fact that if I could combine Quant from exam #1 with Verbal from exam#2, I would be on 710. Once again, with no ESR available, I got working on my retake with the support of Archit.
Third GMAT attempt: Test Centre (7th May 2021)I organised everything for exam day the night before so I could minimise any thinking required on the day. I woke up at my usual time, ran 5k, stretched for 30 mins, showered, ate more than enough food then headed off to the test centre. I started with Quant and I was very relaxed. Halfway through Quant, I felt as though I was doing well as the question were quite tough (for me). I finished Quant under some time pressure then during the break, I realised that I got some of the questions towards the end incorrect. I was annoyed, but I brushed it off to focus on Verbal. I was extremely relaxed all through Verbal. I don’t know if this is a thing, but I felt as though I was performing well as every passage, whether RC, CR or SC was long and complex. I stayed calm, broke the passages down and finished Verbal comfortably. When it came to the end of the exam, I felt I had done well in Quant and Verbal, but I was surprised when 740 appeared on the screen. I’m a little disappointed that I did not do as well as I could have in Quant, but I’m happy with 740 as I can now shift my focus to other projects.
Overall, I strongly believe it would have taken me much longer to score 740 if I had not worked with Archit from January. A big thank you from me, and a strong recommendation for all reading this to consider
e-GMAT and their mentorship program!
To conclude, if you’re like me – no quant, struggle to focus, and extremely impatient – I have the following recommendations:
1.
Discipline/persistence: practice every single day, no matter how tired you are or how you feel in general
2.
Sleep: 8 hours a night unless you’re one of those people who can get by perfectly with 4 – 5 hours of sleep per night. Apparently though, you are more likely to get struck by lightning than to be one of “those people”… just saying
3.
Exercise: exercise 3 – 4 times per week. Doing so is great for your focus, memory, and energy levels. I also strongly recommend a 5k run before the exam on exam day – just enough to get the heart pumping and the brain focusing, but not enough to tire you out
One last recommendation – sign up to GMAT Club’s Question of the Day – tough, high quality questions with fantastic explanations.
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11 May 2021, 13:02
