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At one point, she believed GMAT wasn’t for her. After scoring 595, self-doubt crept in and she questioned her potential. But instead of quitting, she made the right strategic changes. The result? A remarkable comeback to 695. Check out how Saakshi did it.
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![Journey from 560 to 710 [Vagueness to Clarity]](/forum/styles/gmatclub_light/imageset/icon_post_target_unread.svg "Journey from 560 to 710 [Vagueness to Clarity]"){kind=icon}
14 Jul 2020, 01:18
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In my first GMAT mock in May 2019, I scored a dismal 560.
Needless to say, if you've ever got a similar score, it can be pretty disheartening to read others' debriefs and see that they started from 600-650 and then crossed the 700 barrier.
With a score of 560, I wasn't sure if I was ever going to cross 700+.
Like most GMAT test-takers, I was pretty lost in the beginning. I was checking out every free resource available, trying to put together a study plan, and reading every success story I could find.
There's a thousand strategies, a thousand success stories out there - how are you supposed to know which method to adopt? Some people aced GMAT in 2 months while working full-time; and here I was, unable to get myself to sit down for more than an hour a day.
When I look back now, I wish someone had told me to adapt my GMAT learning style to my needs. I know of people who aced the GMAT just by practising OG, but that wasn't good enough for me. I needed someone to teach me the concepts.
How I built consistency
I only started preparing for the GMAT seriously in April 2020. As someone who struggled a lot with procrastination, I couldn't get myself to sit for more than 1-2 hours a day. If you face a similar problem - maybe a shorter attention span or a hectic schedule, try to take out 20 min from your day wherever you can.
I was using e-gmat's GMAT online course. It worked out perfectly because their concept files are less than 20 min each, so I didn't feel like I was in for a long study session.
The problem most people make while trying to develop a routine is to get impatient and try to do 4 days' worth of work in 1 day. Just start by watching 2-3 videos a day and you'll see yourself becoming more focused and being able to push yourself to watch that 1 extra video.
How I practised questions
If you're using this concept approach I did, watch all the videos on a topic, note down any important formulae, and start practising. You can use OG, gmatclub questions, questions from your test prep company. Practice around 20-30 questions (atleast, if not more), of varying difficulty levels, before you move on the next topic. It's one thing to memorize a formula, it's another thing to use it.
If you're using an error log (which I highly recommend), remember it doesn't have to be a huge excel sheet. You can take notes on a sheet of paper and pin it up on your wall so you see it every time you pass by.
E-gmat lets you build practice sets of questions, so I mostly used that to improve my score.
To conclude,
even though this debrief will probably get lost in the flurry of posts on this website everyday, here's a few general tips for the GMAT. If this helps even one person, I count it as a success!
1. Don't try to emulate anyone else's strategy to the T. You're most likely not going to be able to, and it will drain you. And you will experience burnout.
2. Don't underestimate the value of someone teaching you how to approach a question. Yes, you can hit the OG on your own, but if someone tells you how to solve a particular type of question, you won't believe how much time you'll save on prep.
3. If OG is the bible, a good test prep company is your church. I took e-gmat's free trial and ended up buying the full course. They help you figure out a study plan according to your needs which is a game changer if you're struggling to stay consistent.
4. Error log is important, but it doesn't have to be an excel sheet. I took a tiny notebook and wrote parts of the question I got wrong. I read it whenever I was too tired to study but still wanted to be productive.
P.S. I would love to give more specific advice, but the longer I make this debrief, the likelihood of you just skimming through this increases. If you're reading this last bit, do read the post once again, it's not very long, and I think you can take away something useful from it!
Needless to say, if you've ever got a similar score, it can be pretty disheartening to read others' debriefs and see that they started from 600-650 and then crossed the 700 barrier.
With a score of 560, I wasn't sure if I was ever going to cross 700+.
Like most GMAT test-takers, I was pretty lost in the beginning. I was checking out every free resource available, trying to put together a study plan, and reading every success story I could find.
There's a thousand strategies, a thousand success stories out there - how are you supposed to know which method to adopt? Some people aced GMAT in 2 months while working full-time; and here I was, unable to get myself to sit down for more than an hour a day.
When I look back now, I wish someone had told me to adapt my GMAT learning style to my needs. I know of people who aced the GMAT just by practising OG, but that wasn't good enough for me. I needed someone to teach me the concepts.
My Story
How I built consistency
I only started preparing for the GMAT seriously in April 2020. As someone who struggled a lot with procrastination, I couldn't get myself to sit for more than 1-2 hours a day. If you face a similar problem - maybe a shorter attention span or a hectic schedule, try to take out 20 min from your day wherever you can.
I was using e-gmat's GMAT online course. It worked out perfectly because their concept files are less than 20 min each, so I didn't feel like I was in for a long study session.
The problem most people make while trying to develop a routine is to get impatient and try to do 4 days' worth of work in 1 day. Just start by watching 2-3 videos a day and you'll see yourself becoming more focused and being able to push yourself to watch that 1 extra video.
How I practised questions
If you're using this concept approach I did, watch all the videos on a topic, note down any important formulae, and start practising. You can use OG, gmatclub questions, questions from your test prep company. Practice around 20-30 questions (atleast, if not more), of varying difficulty levels, before you move on the next topic. It's one thing to memorize a formula, it's another thing to use it.
If you're using an error log (which I highly recommend), remember it doesn't have to be a huge excel sheet. You can take notes on a sheet of paper and pin it up on your wall so you see it every time you pass by.
E-gmat lets you build practice sets of questions, so I mostly used that to improve my score.
To conclude,
even though this debrief will probably get lost in the flurry of posts on this website everyday, here's a few general tips for the GMAT. If this helps even one person, I count it as a success!
1. Don't try to emulate anyone else's strategy to the T. You're most likely not going to be able to, and it will drain you. And you will experience burnout.
2. Don't underestimate the value of someone teaching you how to approach a question. Yes, you can hit the OG on your own, but if someone tells you how to solve a particular type of question, you won't believe how much time you'll save on prep.
3. If OG is the bible, a good test prep company is your church. I took e-gmat's free trial and ended up buying the full course. They help you figure out a study plan according to your needs which is a game changer if you're struggling to stay consistent.
4. Error log is important, but it doesn't have to be an excel sheet. I took a tiny notebook and wrote parts of the question I got wrong. I read it whenever I was too tired to study but still wanted to be productive.
P.S. I would love to give more specific advice, but the longer I make this debrief, the likelihood of you just skimming through this increases. If you're reading this last bit, do read the post once again, it's not very long, and I think you can take away something useful from it!
14 Jul 2020, 08:49
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi nitroxy,
Congrats on the score. Would like to know the quant strategies and materials you used for it.
Thanks.
Congrats on the score. Would like to know the quant strategies and materials you used for it.
Thanks.
14 Jul 2020, 10:24
Kudos
Bookmarks
nitroxy
Congrats! Could you please how did you practice CR and RC from e-GMAT? Did you cover all CR concepts from E-gmat or any other resources? I have got e-gmat and PowerScore bible, and I can't decide what I should go through.
Congrats! Could you please how did you practice CR and RC from e-GMAT? Did you cover all CR concepts from E-gmat or any other resources? I have got e-gmat and PowerScore bible, and I can't decide what I should go through.
