Am writing this post to encourage you all my friends – never give up! Although am not done with my GMAT Journey yet…but I wanted to share with you ‘a spot of light’ along my way

Never give up !
Little background about myself, am a 37 years old, female, a wife, mother and a successful business woman holding 15+ years of business experience, and a non-native English speaker

…I should say that the GMAT journey is a tough one … really nothing like what I have seen or experienced through all my life! … With all the experience and technical qualifications that I hold…this GMAT is Unique..but one thing that I possess : am persistent, patient and determined…I wish to pursue a postgraduate degree in Business...hence am determined to conquer the GMAT...I hope it is not too late though
My GMAT score ( first attempt in Nov 2013 - was 430, Q28, V20, AWA : 5. Am writing this post – as I improved by 8 points from V20 to V28 on my second GMAT attempt on Jan 13th, 2015 [ my Quant Score is Q25 – of course will focus on improving it in the coming period] ..but I wanted to share with you all my success story as I improved my verbal score by 8 points

I attempted my first GMAT exam or rather my 430 score in November 2013..Material used:
1)
MGMAT Strategy Guides (0-9)
2) Attempted no CATS ( there was no time because of work)
3) Scored 400 on the Gmatprep test just two days before the test date
My main aim of this attempt was to get a flavor of the exam. I also realized that there is too much homework to be done. I targeted applying for my prospective postgraduate program two years later..
Upon completion of the exam, my psychology at that time : I felt lost with so much to learn and not knowing where to start…I was so alarmed to the point that I couldn’t come near the OG! I was too afraid to open that book… …until that magical moment happened…I was sincerely looking for a sign and amidst my hectic schedule I said to myself “ No way…have got to find a way… a daily study ritual that I will not compromise under any circumstances..Since then, I wake up at 5 am everyday to study for 2 hours. I felt I have to approach the whole thing in a different way. I decided to leave Quant for a while and focus on Verbal – as I realized that the increments on Verbal section contribute more to the score than the Quant. [ Went through three Grammar books –
MGMAT Verbal Foundation, Aristotle SC Grail and
MGMAT SC in the same chronological order. Forgot to mention that I maintained a notebook to record summary of all the rules. It helped to a great extent to understand the basics...Then after studying hard for 6 months, I scored 450 on GMATPREP – on 19th July (Q31,V23). Again leaving that Quant score out, I felt down that after so much study time..i just improved by 2 points on verbal !!!
Realizing that my study efforts can become endless, I made a 'strategic' decision at this point – to subscribe to E-GMAT Live prep program – mid August 2014. Although I had a hectic work .. I wanted to get my hands-on the tools available to the best of my ability. I started with E-GMAT SC course..and it took me almost 40 days to absorb and understand the concepts…I was doing it slowly and diligently…my accuracy rate shot up from 50% ‘and an initial 'below average’ on my OG Diagnostic test’ to 75% on OG Questions…I started to feel confident… then I embarked on E-gmat’s CR course..Pre-thinking is great though it is tough to apply it sometimes..Loved the reading strategies for approaching the RC passages illustrated by E-gmat. Result V28 versus V20

Thank you E-GMAT team - It was the best decision I ever took during this journey !
Now, during the coming period, am determined to improve my Verbal Score and Quant Score further. My target score is 620. Will keep you all posted…Bottom line : Please Do not give up ! It is tough, painful, but truly, it is an inspiring experience and a life changer on all fronts.