Terrible test taker scores 680 and admitted to HEC Paris & NUS in R3

­Story of a terrible test taker who scored 680 on her 4th attempt and made it to 4 of the top 40 business school(s) in the world

Hey there MBA aspirant, hold on to your breath to hear a story that hopefully inspires you to not give up by the time you reach the end of it

I started my MBA prep back in 2020 when the pandemic just hit and I was laid off from a “dream job”, as the job market was not too kind to the freshers like myself who had then just graduated from college, I thought to myself why not utilise this time to prepare for the GMAT so I could get it out of the way- paving the path for me to comfortably craft the perfect profile. As an engineer, test taking came easy to me as I would cram a whole year worth of syllabus overnight with my friends and still manage to get a decent grade. Thinking I could use that superpower I mastered over 4 years to “kill” the GMAT. Hopeful & full of enthusiasm, I signed up for “e-GMAT” self paced prep. My mornings consisted of applying to about 50 jobs, a bit of upskilling and the nights would be focused on GMAT prep. As I glanced through the modules, I thought to myself this was easier than the engineering math that I miraculously passed. As I solved questions and got ahead in the course, I was taken for a mad ride. Please see below for the timeline of my prep.

**Warning: Views on the test prep companies are personal and what might have worked for others, might not have worked for me


Attempt 1

Mid 2020

-Tried to complete as much of the course as it was nearing expiry, and I tried my best to glance through all concepts as fast as I could.  As I solved questions ( literally every other filter on GMATClub), I realised I not only didn't master the concepts but also in fact confused myself more. Not only did the course expire but so did my patience. I was also diagnosed with anxiety as I had been jobless in the job market for about 6 months by now and was also away from my family. My test prep hit a pause and I decided to take a break for a month before I prepared again.

Late 2020

• I thought to myself, if I didn’t have a job at least I should get done with my GMAT because that would get me a step closer to my MBA dream and I would finally have something to feel nice about.
• As my family & I at this point thought I should finally book a test date so this would bring in some seriousness to accelerate my prep. I booked an early Christmas present for myself the coveted GMAT date.
• Sometime in between, I got a job and despite the hectic schedules, I was determined to make to my test and ace it. I would for work 12 hrs and study at night with my friend as we both were charged up to study. 
• I was slightly overconfident on the quantitative part and I knew I would figure it out and I focussed all my energy to acing verbal. I solved every other filter on GMATClub and I took a couple of mocks. While the scores were not as encouraging, I was still determined to attempt the test as it was too late to reschedule.
• In the midst of this my job not only got worse but I also got laid off in a span of two months. I was back in the job market and at this point I paused my prep and rescheduled my exam.

2021

• New year new energy! With the advice of a dear friend, I registered for CrackVerbal’s classroom programme as I didn’t think self paced prep made sense at this point.
• As the classes progressed so did my hopes increase as I finally started understanding the concepts and had a tutor to whom I could reach out to with questions.
• After completing the programme, and solving the material provided , I decided to finally take the test. I had taken a couple of mocks and scored decently. Apr 8 2021- score 540 (Q37 V27 roughly). I blanked out and I couldn't even score a Q40 on Quant that I was confident about and by the time I reached the IR section- I started crying.
• At this point not only did I not have a full time job ( I picked up some contractual work), I also didn’t have a score and my world came crumbling.
• All was not bleak as within a few days I finally cracked the interview and secured a role with a Big 4 firm! 

Attempt 2

- I remember the instructor's words- your fear killed your confidence and she assured me that all was not lost and I can still reach my target score.  These words made me feel I could do this and I worked personal tutors through CrackVerbal. This time my prep was more structured and we had a plan to focus on both sections alike and reach the target score of 700+! The plan was simple: start from scratch and learn all concepts again- this time the RIGHT way!

- 4 months of prep and couple of mocks later, I mustered the courage to take my test again and my kind instructors assured me and helped me to regain my confidence. I was scoring around 680-710 in official mocks, 800 score, Manhattan Tests and some other tests, a few not given in not so ideal conditions. I tried my best to put the previous attempt behind me as I was more confident on the concepts as I had actually taken a lot more tests and analysed my mistakes with professional guidance. Nov 7th 2021 Score 530( Q42 V21) and this time verbal dropped to a V21 from a V27.

Stay tuned for the next part and the 3rd attempt!  ­