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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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Struggling with GMAT Verbal as a non-native speaker? Harsh improved his score from 595 to 695 in just 45 days—and scored a 99 %ile in Verbal (V88)! Learn how smart strategy, clarity, and guided prep helped him gain 100 points.
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26 Dec 2020, 11:26
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Good things come to those who wait - GMAT 710 (Q50, V36)
So, the topic name is something that could easily sum up my journey of getting a GMAT 710. It's been 2 days since my GMAT online score came out and the only problem I have right now is worrying about the deadlines of the B-schools to apply to. But then again, that is a good problem to have. The debriefs here helped me a lot in picking myself back up after a failed GMAT attempt (640 Q48, V33) which really knocked me off my boots, and in a way I feel obligated to share my experience on how I could achieve this modest feat after a 6-month long tiresome journey. Now I'm no GMAT expert or someone who knows exactly how to go about this process but I'll just let you know what worked for me and what would never work for anyone.
My Background
So, I was a software engineer working a somewhat decent IT job in a giant networking company. While I was in my final year in college, I was almost certain that a typical 9-5 coding job is something I cannot and would not do. But then life happened and even though I had a few admits from some decent Indian B-schools, I decided to gather some experience in the industry in which I someday wanted to be in a managerial role. Well frankly it also had something to do with putting this engineering education to practical use or I'd just feel like a schmuck to go the typical Science->Engineering->MBA route which is quite prevalent in our country.
Anyway, the job wasn't that bad and somehow, I loved the work culture and the type of work I was getting. It had its own challenges and opportunities to grow both professionally and personally. I still maintain that having that corporate environment around you changes you as a person and a professional for the better, simply because of the fact that you have a more practical knowledge about what kind of a role and responsibilities you'd have after you're done with your MBA. Soon enough, this passion started fading and even with that amazing view outside the window next to my desk, all I could see was that same monitor flashing that same kind of morbid work I was doing for months. I started having some serious medical issues too and decided to quit in the next couple of months. That's when I started with my GMAT prep so that I can get over with my GMAT as early in the year as I can.
How to go about it?
Well, the first thing I would suggest is to have a target score in mind. Do your research well on which colleges you want to apply to and what kind of scores would they require. Don't select a broad range of scores, instead try to zero in on a safe score that would definitely clear the cut-offs for the schools you want to get in. Of course, your GMAT score is just a part of the whole process, but it would give you a lot more confidence and peace to focus more on other parts of your application.
The second thing would be to give a mock. Just don't think, do it! It'll give you the best idea of where you stand and how much effort is required to get where you want to be. Take any free mock you can find online, it's mainly to familiarize you with what the exam is really about. The testing system in India places a disproportionate amount of focus on knowledge over application and this is what most of us are conditioned to. The GMAT is different. Application is king in the GMAT and you would genuinely feel how the test is adapting itself to test your true ability. I went with the Manhattan free mock and got a 600 (V27, Q45), which to be honest came as a shock. I was quite confident in verbal having gotten a 98 percentile in my CAT, but this V27 just made me question everything I knew. It was later that I realized that it's primarily because the type of questions and the areas the GMAT tests are very different from what we usually find in our standardized tests. I couldn't complete the exam on time which attracted penalties that were worse than answering the question wrong. So, try to finish it off always to get a proper evaluation of where you stand.
The third thing would be DON'T OVERTHINK. I made a mistake of judging both my ability and scope in this exam based on this score, but believe me you're more than that. It's just the first thing you did, unprepared and with no practice. In most cases, it can only go uphill from here. Study thoroughly about what kind of questions appear in GMAT- DS, PS in Quant and CR, RC and SC in Verbal. Just peruse over your attempts and analyse what kind of questions you got right and what kind were generally wrong.
The fourth thing would be to make a plan, something that involves when you'll study what and how you're gonna be studying it. Have a date in mind, or like a week in mind when you plan to give your GMAT and start tailoring a plan so that you're done studying at least 7 days before D-day. After having discussed with people who had completed their exams and people who were on the same boat as me, I decided to go with the e-GMAT course for both Quant and Verbal.
Verbal
As the general consensus goes, Verbal is generally more difficult for people with an engineering background when compared to Quant. Well....yes, it is somewhat true I guess though I believed that verbal would be my stronger area. There's nothing wrong with admitting that effort is required and the sooner you accept reality, the better it is! So, e-GMAT was amazing when it comes to verbal. The user experience and the prompt doubt solving on their portal is simply awesome. Basically, you've got to revise a lot of stuff that we take for granted, stuff that we learned in primary school such as Nouns, modifiers, idioms and their correct usage etc.
There are NO SHORTCUTS in GMAT and please don't rely on them solely to ace the verbal section. They may have a fairly good success rate in determining the answer, but in ALL the questions, it is your understanding of the core concepts which will definitely help you arrive at the right answer.
I would suggest to do SC and CR before RC as these learnings would help in understanding and evaluating a RC better. Take tests of what you learnt in a week at the end of that week. These would help you retain those concepts longer in your head. Analysing your result is key and I can't emphasize on this enough. You have to have to know where you're going wrong as what you already know won't change but what you don't know, or to put it like what you know wrong would make the greatest impact. So, learn from your mistakes and keep a track of how often you repeat them in the following tests. Go back to that concept as many times as you want until you get it right and believe me it'll enhance your confidence like anything.
Try not to leave topics as we never know how much anything would be tested in your test. Make your personal notes on anything you've learnt that is new or basically anything that you deem important. The more personal it is, the more effective it would be. This would help in the last week/fortnight of your GMAT journey when you have to revise your stuff. Reading what you've written helps you recall those concepts the best in my opinion. Use different coloured pens, underline what you think is important, use references and examples to complete a concept understanding, use a pen or use a laptop- do it whatever way comes naturally to you!
Read the RC slowly! You have to know what it's talking about clearly before you start with the questions. You should focus on minimizing revisits to the passage as much as you can as this wastes your time like nothing else in this section. Try writing your own short notes, doodle it, maybe translate it into your native language and organize these informal notes which will give you an idea of what each passage is talking about and how the central idea is flowing along the passage. Try different strategies and stick with what works best for you. If you think making these notes is just wasting time and you can retain what it's about, don't do it. That's what these tests are for- hit and trial until you find a strategy that works best for you
Quant
Here too, the type of questions is quite different than what we are used to. I used to fear those Data Sufficiency questions as unlike the normal ones, you can't know for sure if you have the right answer. Well, all it takes is practice and you'd soon be confident enough to mark a 'Even using both the statements, you can't answer this'. Rely on your knowledge more and try not to find patterns. Just because you've noticed certain geometry questions generally 'require both statements to answer the question' doesn't make it a sure shot to mark it as your answer.
Don't spend absurd amounts of time on a question just because you know everything about that topic. You'll always be this close to an answer, but the clock's still ticking. Swallow your ego or whatever it is that's stopping you from clicking that "Next" button and move on. It's best that you learn this lesson sooner than later as it'd save you a lot of trouble.
One of the amazing things that e-GMAT did was get me into a habit of following their 3-step process to answer a question and maintain an error log. Again, know your weaknesses and work on them. The more things you ignore the bigger the pile will get and the more it will drag you down. Make your own formula sheet, bookmark the questions you think are unique/important and write down why you think so. Again, making your personal notes here would do wonders.
Some miscellaneous tips
1. Try to take the GMAT early. Yes, it would help as you're relieved from the stress it carries.
2. Speaking of stress, do whatever you can do avoid it on and before the D-day. Even though I scored as high as 750 in my mocks, the stress of what could happen got to me and made my first attempt go worse than I could ever imagine. A sleepless night before the exam and a troubled mind would take over all your prep and confidence to finally spoil it for you. Remember that the worst thing that could happen is probably not the worst thing that would happen.
3. In case of a retake, don't wait too long. In my experience, the longer you wait, the harder it gets. Also, don't hesitate in going for a retake. There could be a plethora of reasons behind why it didn't go the way you wanted in the first go, from bad luck to stress to anything you wouldn't even know exists.
4. Go at a pace that is comfortable for you. Everyone's learning curve is different and make sure you don't compare your journey to anyone else's.
5. Make a time table and stick to it. This is probably the most important thing. Come what may, complete the target you set for the day. If you couldn't due to something not in your control, try compensating it the next day. Don't take a break too long. If you feel it's been a hectic week, study something light, solve OG quizzes but make it a habit to do something in a day for sure.
5. Mocks are indispensable in this whole preparation. They'll help you build a strategy and identify your mistake patterns. If there's anything which would tell you where you're going wrong and what to improve upon, it's mocks! Although, I wouldn't suggest attempting a full-length mock until you're done with your prep as that wouldn't correctly judge your performance.
6. You learn as much from reviewing as from solving a question. Reviewing the questions that you even got correct is very important. This exercise helps you to learn new ways of solving a question and allows you to check whether you got the question correct because of right reasons. Although there are many ways to solve a question, there is just one which is the fastest. So, focus on that and be open to try new approaches.
7. Don't fret about critical reasoning questions! They are based on something that is inherent in you - the ability to reason. You can always improve on that with practice.
8. Trust your gut. Gut or instinct or intuition, is a sum total of your knowledge and experience. If you’ve put in the work, your instincts will most likely guide you well. On the GMAT, when there’s no time to second guess, trusting your instincts helps you save valuable time.
Resources that I used
1. e-GMAT:
Highly recommended for "learning” the concepts. I would suggest going for the entire thing which includes Quant and Verbal. It covers exceptionally important yet often overlooked skills such as reading (in its Master Comprehension tutorials) that are absolutely critical on all the GMAT sections and helps you hone specific skills with its endlessly customizable quiz builder (Scholaranium). It's easily the most well thought-out and one of the most comprehensive online courses out there and is well worth the investment.
The prompt doubt solving and the sigma mocks were simply amazing. Ask anything you want on the forum and you'd get an apt and detailed reply within the day. It never took me longer than that to reach them for any issues I had. The interactive user experience is one of the bests I've seen and it would facilitate your learning for sure!
2. OGs:
Well don't use it to learn concepts, but use it as a question bank to solve problems once you’re familiar with the techniques. I would suggest to use the online version though, as solving questions that are on a screen would be better! Full disclosure though, I didn't solve more than 50% of the material as the questions on e-GMAT were more than sufficient.
3. GMAT Club Tests: The Quant tests are just amazing. The questions are much harder than anything you’ll ever find on the GMAT, but are still representative of the GMAT style.
So, I guess that's it. This has already been lengthier than I thought. So, I'd just close by saying that be patient and perseverant and you'll crack it for sure
So, the topic name is something that could easily sum up my journey of getting a GMAT 710. It's been 2 days since my GMAT online score came out and the only problem I have right now is worrying about the deadlines of the B-schools to apply to. But then again, that is a good problem to have. The debriefs here helped me a lot in picking myself back up after a failed GMAT attempt (640 Q48, V33) which really knocked me off my boots, and in a way I feel obligated to share my experience on how I could achieve this modest feat after a 6-month long tiresome journey. Now I'm no GMAT expert or someone who knows exactly how to go about this process but I'll just let you know what worked for me and what would never work for anyone.
My Background
So, I was a software engineer working a somewhat decent IT job in a giant networking company. While I was in my final year in college, I was almost certain that a typical 9-5 coding job is something I cannot and would not do. But then life happened and even though I had a few admits from some decent Indian B-schools, I decided to gather some experience in the industry in which I someday wanted to be in a managerial role. Well frankly it also had something to do with putting this engineering education to practical use or I'd just feel like a schmuck to go the typical Science->Engineering->MBA route which is quite prevalent in our country.
Anyway, the job wasn't that bad and somehow, I loved the work culture and the type of work I was getting. It had its own challenges and opportunities to grow both professionally and personally. I still maintain that having that corporate environment around you changes you as a person and a professional for the better, simply because of the fact that you have a more practical knowledge about what kind of a role and responsibilities you'd have after you're done with your MBA. Soon enough, this passion started fading and even with that amazing view outside the window next to my desk, all I could see was that same monitor flashing that same kind of morbid work I was doing for months. I started having some serious medical issues too and decided to quit in the next couple of months. That's when I started with my GMAT prep so that I can get over with my GMAT as early in the year as I can.
How to go about it?
Well, the first thing I would suggest is to have a target score in mind. Do your research well on which colleges you want to apply to and what kind of scores would they require. Don't select a broad range of scores, instead try to zero in on a safe score that would definitely clear the cut-offs for the schools you want to get in. Of course, your GMAT score is just a part of the whole process, but it would give you a lot more confidence and peace to focus more on other parts of your application.
The second thing would be to give a mock. Just don't think, do it! It'll give you the best idea of where you stand and how much effort is required to get where you want to be. Take any free mock you can find online, it's mainly to familiarize you with what the exam is really about. The testing system in India places a disproportionate amount of focus on knowledge over application and this is what most of us are conditioned to. The GMAT is different. Application is king in the GMAT and you would genuinely feel how the test is adapting itself to test your true ability. I went with the Manhattan free mock and got a 600 (V27, Q45), which to be honest came as a shock. I was quite confident in verbal having gotten a 98 percentile in my CAT, but this V27 just made me question everything I knew. It was later that I realized that it's primarily because the type of questions and the areas the GMAT tests are very different from what we usually find in our standardized tests. I couldn't complete the exam on time which attracted penalties that were worse than answering the question wrong. So, try to finish it off always to get a proper evaluation of where you stand.
The third thing would be DON'T OVERTHINK. I made a mistake of judging both my ability and scope in this exam based on this score, but believe me you're more than that. It's just the first thing you did, unprepared and with no practice. In most cases, it can only go uphill from here. Study thoroughly about what kind of questions appear in GMAT- DS, PS in Quant and CR, RC and SC in Verbal. Just peruse over your attempts and analyse what kind of questions you got right and what kind were generally wrong.
The fourth thing would be to make a plan, something that involves when you'll study what and how you're gonna be studying it. Have a date in mind, or like a week in mind when you plan to give your GMAT and start tailoring a plan so that you're done studying at least 7 days before D-day. After having discussed with people who had completed their exams and people who were on the same boat as me, I decided to go with the e-GMAT course for both Quant and Verbal.
Verbal
As the general consensus goes, Verbal is generally more difficult for people with an engineering background when compared to Quant. Well....yes, it is somewhat true I guess though I believed that verbal would be my stronger area. There's nothing wrong with admitting that effort is required and the sooner you accept reality, the better it is! So, e-GMAT was amazing when it comes to verbal. The user experience and the prompt doubt solving on their portal is simply awesome. Basically, you've got to revise a lot of stuff that we take for granted, stuff that we learned in primary school such as Nouns, modifiers, idioms and their correct usage etc.
There are NO SHORTCUTS in GMAT and please don't rely on them solely to ace the verbal section. They may have a fairly good success rate in determining the answer, but in ALL the questions, it is your understanding of the core concepts which will definitely help you arrive at the right answer.
I would suggest to do SC and CR before RC as these learnings would help in understanding and evaluating a RC better. Take tests of what you learnt in a week at the end of that week. These would help you retain those concepts longer in your head. Analysing your result is key and I can't emphasize on this enough. You have to have to know where you're going wrong as what you already know won't change but what you don't know, or to put it like what you know wrong would make the greatest impact. So, learn from your mistakes and keep a track of how often you repeat them in the following tests. Go back to that concept as many times as you want until you get it right and believe me it'll enhance your confidence like anything.
Try not to leave topics as we never know how much anything would be tested in your test. Make your personal notes on anything you've learnt that is new or basically anything that you deem important. The more personal it is, the more effective it would be. This would help in the last week/fortnight of your GMAT journey when you have to revise your stuff. Reading what you've written helps you recall those concepts the best in my opinion. Use different coloured pens, underline what you think is important, use references and examples to complete a concept understanding, use a pen or use a laptop- do it whatever way comes naturally to you!
Read the RC slowly! You have to know what it's talking about clearly before you start with the questions. You should focus on minimizing revisits to the passage as much as you can as this wastes your time like nothing else in this section. Try writing your own short notes, doodle it, maybe translate it into your native language and organize these informal notes which will give you an idea of what each passage is talking about and how the central idea is flowing along the passage. Try different strategies and stick with what works best for you. If you think making these notes is just wasting time and you can retain what it's about, don't do it. That's what these tests are for- hit and trial until you find a strategy that works best for you
Quant
Here too, the type of questions is quite different than what we are used to. I used to fear those Data Sufficiency questions as unlike the normal ones, you can't know for sure if you have the right answer. Well, all it takes is practice and you'd soon be confident enough to mark a 'Even using both the statements, you can't answer this'. Rely on your knowledge more and try not to find patterns. Just because you've noticed certain geometry questions generally 'require both statements to answer the question' doesn't make it a sure shot to mark it as your answer.
Don't spend absurd amounts of time on a question just because you know everything about that topic. You'll always be this close to an answer, but the clock's still ticking. Swallow your ego or whatever it is that's stopping you from clicking that "Next" button and move on. It's best that you learn this lesson sooner than later as it'd save you a lot of trouble.
One of the amazing things that e-GMAT did was get me into a habit of following their 3-step process to answer a question and maintain an error log. Again, know your weaknesses and work on them. The more things you ignore the bigger the pile will get and the more it will drag you down. Make your own formula sheet, bookmark the questions you think are unique/important and write down why you think so. Again, making your personal notes here would do wonders.
Some miscellaneous tips
1. Try to take the GMAT early. Yes, it would help as you're relieved from the stress it carries.
2. Speaking of stress, do whatever you can do avoid it on and before the D-day. Even though I scored as high as 750 in my mocks, the stress of what could happen got to me and made my first attempt go worse than I could ever imagine. A sleepless night before the exam and a troubled mind would take over all your prep and confidence to finally spoil it for you. Remember that the worst thing that could happen is probably not the worst thing that would happen.
3. In case of a retake, don't wait too long. In my experience, the longer you wait, the harder it gets. Also, don't hesitate in going for a retake. There could be a plethora of reasons behind why it didn't go the way you wanted in the first go, from bad luck to stress to anything you wouldn't even know exists.
4. Go at a pace that is comfortable for you. Everyone's learning curve is different and make sure you don't compare your journey to anyone else's.
5. Make a time table and stick to it. This is probably the most important thing. Come what may, complete the target you set for the day. If you couldn't due to something not in your control, try compensating it the next day. Don't take a break too long. If you feel it's been a hectic week, study something light, solve OG quizzes but make it a habit to do something in a day for sure.
5. Mocks are indispensable in this whole preparation. They'll help you build a strategy and identify your mistake patterns. If there's anything which would tell you where you're going wrong and what to improve upon, it's mocks! Although, I wouldn't suggest attempting a full-length mock until you're done with your prep as that wouldn't correctly judge your performance.
6. You learn as much from reviewing as from solving a question. Reviewing the questions that you even got correct is very important. This exercise helps you to learn new ways of solving a question and allows you to check whether you got the question correct because of right reasons. Although there are many ways to solve a question, there is just one which is the fastest. So, focus on that and be open to try new approaches.
7. Don't fret about critical reasoning questions! They are based on something that is inherent in you - the ability to reason. You can always improve on that with practice.
8. Trust your gut. Gut or instinct or intuition, is a sum total of your knowledge and experience. If you’ve put in the work, your instincts will most likely guide you well. On the GMAT, when there’s no time to second guess, trusting your instincts helps you save valuable time.
Resources that I used
1. e-GMAT:
Highly recommended for "learning” the concepts. I would suggest going for the entire thing which includes Quant and Verbal. It covers exceptionally important yet often overlooked skills such as reading (in its Master Comprehension tutorials) that are absolutely critical on all the GMAT sections and helps you hone specific skills with its endlessly customizable quiz builder (Scholaranium). It's easily the most well thought-out and one of the most comprehensive online courses out there and is well worth the investment.
The prompt doubt solving and the sigma mocks were simply amazing. Ask anything you want on the forum and you'd get an apt and detailed reply within the day. It never took me longer than that to reach them for any issues I had. The interactive user experience is one of the bests I've seen and it would facilitate your learning for sure!
2. OGs:
Well don't use it to learn concepts, but use it as a question bank to solve problems once you’re familiar with the techniques. I would suggest to use the online version though, as solving questions that are on a screen would be better! Full disclosure though, I didn't solve more than 50% of the material as the questions on e-GMAT were more than sufficient.
3. GMAT Club Tests: The Quant tests are just amazing. The questions are much harder than anything you’ll ever find on the GMAT, but are still representative of the GMAT style.
So, I guess that's it. This has already been lengthier than I thought. So, I'd just close by saying that be patient and perseverant and you'll crack it for sure
26 Dec 2020, 11:28
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Bookmarks
Congratulations on your score And thank you for a comprehensive debrief!
Posted from my mobile device
Posted from my mobile device
26 Dec 2020, 13:40
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Bookmarks
Hello, jnaman1094. I second what bb said above, and I feel the need to add that I read your post with a grin. I kid you not: I just finished writing a response in which I encouraged someone not to overthink, to go with that first thought, and earlier, I wrote at length in a PM about the importance of the review process in preparation. (Too many students make the mistake of taking on more and more questions without spending time with any of them, figuring out what makes them work, and what makes the wrong answers incorrect.)
Thank you for the thorough debrief, and good luck to you on the next step of your journey.
- Andrew
Thank you for the thorough debrief, and good luck to you on the next step of your journey.
- Andrew
And yes you're absolutely right. The biggest problem is not under-preparation, but stress and overthinking. 
