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LockdownGMATNinja
GMAT 1: 750 Q50 V41
Posts: 5
26 May 2021, 12:04
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An end to a long hard battle, from being K.O. ed to delivering the final sucker punch; my journey from 660 to 750 (Q50, V41)
Hi fellow Gmatclubers, hope you guys are staying safe and healthy amidst the crazy Covid surge. Keeping safe and mentally-fit from all that’s been happening lately, while being actively present in the GMAT-prep zone, was arguably one of the toughest things I had to do in my life, and I can’t help to think that many of my friends here would have been in the same boat - some impacted by the disease itself, and some by the loss of dear ones. I wish you guys all the strength and love, and hope you guys come out stronger than ever before.
My tryst with GMAT started back in 2019, right after Indian Cricket Team’s disappointing exit from the Semi-Finals of ICC Cricket World Cup. Much like my team did in the semis, I too choked in my exam scoring a meagre 650, after months of preparation and dedicated studying. Although I’ve used the metaphor “choked” above, I later realised that this was a wrong choice, as “choking” would imply being completely equipped and prepared to fight, but eventually buckling down under the pressure. While this might be true for Indian Cricket Team’s match against the Kiwis, my disastrous GMAT attempt was an outcome of lack of proper training.
2020 was a bit of a bittersweet year for me - while I was fortunate to keep my job and work on some interesting analytical problems related to COVID itself, I was forced to let go of an important opportunity of relocating to Singapore and working with an amazing delivery team. I had worked my a** to get the team’s visibility into my work, often slogging for straight nights and days at a stretch - and after passing through a lot of considerations, I was finally selected by the team’s partner to join them - AND that’s when the hiring and transfer restrictions were introduced. I was sad, but mostly I felt powerless - what else could I have done? I slogged and got busted by the goddamn virus. How was that fair?
2020 had dejected me and thrown me back to my normal routine, back to the same place, scrambling every day to meet deliverables and working crazy hours. However, the year gave me something to feel positive about - I was with my family after 5 long years. My parents and my sister spotted my depression and made me realise about the good things in life. They told me to fight back and fight hard, and to use the extra hours that I have, wisely. Suddenly, I was surrounded by positive vibes - telling me to fight the monster: The GMAT.
I picked up my prep books again, and came across a few great souls - GMATNinja, Respected (Late) daagh sir, and CJ - on GmatClub. You guys made my prep a lot more structured, more logical and most importantly, more efficient.
GMATNinja - your YouTube resources are gold (and so are your amazing CR-SC solutions to official questions on the forum). Each video of yours, I feel adds to the GMAT score of a candidate. DO NOT miss any of his videos - just DON’T.
daagh Sir - You were the OG, OG-SC Champion. Your solutions to the official questions will continue helping students to get better at SC and your legacy will live-on forever.
CJ - We connected once, but I have been binging on your content that you put on your website. Your website is another golden resource that should not be overlooked.
Following is the list of materials and resources I used (by topic); I hope this lends structure to anyone who’s confused or stuck in the process.
Sentence Correction:
- Manhattan SC Guide (a.k.a Holy Bible for SC) - Just learn every rule that this book has. Simple. That’s almost a perfect SC score for you.
- GMATNinja’s Youtube Videos: Excellent for developing your intuitions and processes for SC.
- Filter 600-700: Just get 95%+ accurate on this difficulty level for OG Stuff. And that’s where Daagh’s comments come into the picture - pure gold.
- How to get 95% accurate on the above?: Maintain and revise your error log, and do a daily 10-set practice.
- Once you get 95% accurate: Add 3-4 questions from the 700+ pool in your 10-question set, and repeat the above.
Critical Reasoning:
- Theory: I used the Kaplan Review for understanding the basic types of CR questions. I would say any book is great for theory since the essence is mostly the same. You can also check E-Gmat content for different types of CR.
- Practice Set: Use the GC filters to shortlist 10 CR questions every day from the Official Stuff. Start with a mix of 7-3 split for 600 / 700 questions.
- Practice Set 2: If (and when) you start scoring 8+ on the above, change the split to 5-5 for 600 & 700
CR is going to take time, so be patient. To me it’s like an art, despite its analytical focus - you need to understand the crux of an argument, anticipate what the best choice will be and then eliminate (or select choices) on the basis of your prediction. I feel this guide by nightblade354 is one of the best ways to improve on your CR skills.
Reading Comprehension:
This is one section of the exam that needs you to develop skills that are not found in any material. Consequently, this is what separates the GMAT acers from the casual 700 test taker - no offence to the 700-scorer.
The best advice I have received: Improve your basic reading skills, from my man GMATNinja. Referencing this blog for some of the resources.I was a lousy reader who was averse to the idea of reading since my Lower KG days. I had to change that. GMAT picks out lousy readers like me like sitting ducks.
- Subscribe to NY Times, Economist - read 3-4 articles every day, treating each article as an RC
- The Electric Typewriter
- GMATNinja’s book recommendations
Good news is that you don't need to do anything specific to RC for the initial months / weeks. If you have been a lousy reader like me, trust me to do this sooner than later. Once you have established a basic comfort with reading standard English Material - only then move on to practice.
- E GMAT RC Course: Amazing for understanding your approach to RC.
- Official RC Practice: Just stick to timed practice for RCs. Do 4 passages everyday.
Quantitative Reasoning:
2 really good resources, cited enough times
- GC Quant Tests
- Veritas’ Quant Question Bank - this has been cited far less, but IMO they questions here are the best replica of D-Day GMAT Questions
After doing this for 4 months, I felt I was ready to take a couple of mocks. I had basic expectations from myself - I just wanted to breach the 700 barrier. I took the mocks GMAT Prep 5 & 6 and scored - 740 & 780; boy I was pumped!:)
I took my GMAT on 30th Oct, 2020 in the offline mode. Needless to say, it wasn’t meant to be this easy for me. I blew up my Quant - did not solve any of the last 5 - and was shattered to find a Q48. However, I was pleased to note that the ground that I had lost in Quant was surprisingly covered by a newly added skill - VA - I scored V41, overall 720.
720 - It was a great score, far more than I had dreamt of scoring. Yet I felt a little disappointed. My friends were now split into two groups - the one which said: “What more do you want?” and the other which said, “Dude, you are not gonna cut the top 10. Sorry”. Confused with what to make of my score, I connected with a few colleagues, who had made it to good schools. All of them boasted scores north of 730-740.
I knew I could do it, it’s just that I was denied a Q50 by fate. Had I scored a 50 on Quant (with a Verbal 41) my total score would have been easily in the range. I felt I was in the ballpark of my score, I just needed a better day to breach the 730 mark. I realised my goalpost had shifted.
Parents to the rescue again: My parents realised I was getting too anxious with my prep, worrying about my mocks and losing my night’s sleep (some days I turned hungover at the breakfast table - like a drunkard returning from a bar at 7 in the morning). They sat me down and very calmly told me that - I DID NOT NEED TO SCORE A 730. They told me that I will do okay in life regardless of the score, and that I should just chill-out and give the test, one last time.
In addition to the below listed items, I would say it was this attitude shift that helped me power through the rest of the prep and ultimately, getting ready for the final showdown.
Veritas Mocks - Way tougher than actual GMAT, but must-do in case you want to simulate the D-DAY high stake exam experience. They are way tougher than official mocks so they do simulate a 750 (or V40+) experience quite well - a major drawback of the Official Mocks.
You need to know of all potential balck swans, in case you are looking to do well on the final day.
Reading, Reading and Reading: Read books, read articles, read anything that challenges you.
Finally, meditate. A great collection of videos on controlling your nerves on the D-Day by GMATNinja
My final attempt was on the Enhanced GMAT Online version. The experience was smooth, no major issues in the exam (except for occasional latency). Given this is the closest you can get to your Natural Habitat, I’d say just sign up for it!:)
Final conclusion: Just breathe easy and stick to the process and you will get there. Anyone can improve and anyone can score high. It’s just a question of following the process. As you all know by now, I am a die-hard cricket fan - I would not miss the chance to quote my favourite player.
“The process is more important than the result, the result is just a by-product of the process.”
MSD <3
TheGraceful
GMAT 1: 600 Q44 V28
Posts: 333
27 May 2021, 01:26
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LockdownGMATNinja
Congratulations...!!..Congratulations...!!.. The score is great and so is the debrief...!!
Thanks for sharing the journey and sharing your methods and materials.
Good luck for applications, am sure with your Impressive writing skills it would be easier for you than your GMAT.
Hoping to implement some points you spoke about in my prep 
