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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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Hi! I wanted to share my preparation and testing experience with everyone here. Hopefully at least one person finds some of the information helpful in their GMAT journey!
Some basic prep info:
Background: Engineering major, fairly interested in math, statistics and data science. Quant and DI come easy to me, so had to focus the majority of my prep on Verbal.
Prep provider: TTP, GMAT official guide (just the question bank), GMAT club forums and question of the day etc.
Prep time: About 2 months total; took me about a month and a half to complete the TTP accelerated study plan and spent the rest taking mocks and misc practice
Section order: Quant -> Verbal -> DI. I choose this order because quant is my strong point and gives me confidence for the rest of the test. I also that feel doing quant and verbal warms me up for the questions presented during the DI section. This, however, is individual to the test taker and I would not recommend copying any one test order from another test taker and to choose the one you are most comfortable with.
Mocks:
- Princeton diagnostic (before starting with TTP): 615. Butchered the DI on this one, ended up running out of time.
After TTP:
- Official mock 1 first attempt: 715
- Official mock 2 first attempt: 775
- Official mock 1 second attempt: 775
- Official mock 2 second attempt: 765
- GMAT club mock test: 725
Whiteboard: I used a whiteboard (1ft x 1ft) to practice the entire 2 months. I thought this would get me used to using a whiteboard and would be second nature to me during the test. Used up plenty of dry erase markers during this time! Used the same whiteboard and markers on the test.
Did not purchase any mocks, all the ones I did are available for free online. I also partially completed the London Business School free mock, but I don't count that as I did not do all the sections.
The actual test:
Date: 21st October 2024
Location: Online; decided to take it online instead of the center as I am usually a nervous wreck while taking tests and needed a familiar environment
Mental state pre-exam: Pretty nervous. I tried to listen to some music and did some deep breathing to calm myself before the test
Check-in: Smooth. Proctor was efficient and polite. Gave clear instructions and did not waste any time. Wished me good luck for the test (thank you!). In detail, I was asked to verify my government identification and was given instructions on test conduct and rules. I was then asked to show my desk and surroundings (under the desk, my side table, 360 view of the room, doorways etc) on the webcam. I was also asked to take pictures of my desk and surroundings. I then kept my phone right behind me on the floor as per the proctor's instructions. The proctor then proceeded to verify my blank whiteboard and started the test.
Starting the test: Fairly disruptive. Took me about 30 minutes to troubleshoot issues with the proctor before I started the exam because the secure browser kept crashing. Had to restart my PC and re-do the whole check-in process (with environment check etc) and then the secure browser finally started working. Proctor was fairly patient throughout the entire thing and helped to smoothen the process a bit, kudos to her.
Sidebar: To people taking the test online and experiencing any technical issues, please do not panic. These incidents are relatively common and the proctors are well equipped to handle different types of situations. If the issue is resolved, you can continue with the test as normal, the main thing here is to keep your nerves in check and know that these things do happen from time to time.
Quant: Quant section was fairly smooth, with no disruptions. I did get stuck on one question and had to come back to it at the end. Took me around 35 minutes to complete the section, and another 5 minutes or so to solve the bookmarked question (40 minutes total section time). Turns out I did get the bookmarked question correct as well. All questions correct, 1bookmarked, 90 score. I felt like I could have done better right after completing the section, but turns out I was incorrect to think this way.
Verbal: Smooth. I did get one very interesting question incorrect, which was of a format (weird question stem) I have never seen before (on TTP or even the official guide). I do not have the question memorized and will not post it here in-case I misremember a detail (which can potentially change the nature and outcome of the question completely). I did bookmark this and come back to it later but got it wrong anyway. I did end up with a 90 score even after getting this wrong. Whole section took about 44 minutes.
Break: Did not take a break. This is completely personal, and I find it better to continue the exam rather than sit there for 10 minutes dwelling on how I might have performed in the previous section(s). I would only take the break if I had to urgently use the washroom, which I did not have to do.
DI: 1 disruption. The test froze in the middle of an MSR question. I flagged this by raising my hand and the proctor took a few seconds to acknowledge. She took a look at the screen, and had to restart the test. This took about 3-4 minutes and I honestly did not notice if I lost any test time. I felt like I performed the best on this section and funnily ended up getting 4 questions wrong, (:)). I do not blame this on the disruption, and I do feel the result is fair. Took me about 43 minutes to complete this section. Received a score of 85 which happens to be 98th percentile.
Important disclaimers for online takers:
- PLEASE remember to turn anything off that might give you random notifications or disruptions during your test! This includes things like Windows Update, What sapp messenger etc for desktop.
- Turn off the pop-up blocker on your browser completely before the test (and then put it back on after if you want). This prevents any issues with launching the secure browser.
- Try launching the secure browser once before the test to see if it is properly installed and do the system check WELL in advance to prevent any last minute panic. I did a system check a week before the exam, once the day before and once just before connecting to the proctor on the day of the exam.
My tips for a good GMAT experience:
- Practice, practice and practice. I am a nervous wreck with tests. However, the more I practice, the more confident I get that my brain has seen enough to recognize patterns. There are TONS of free practice resources available, but I highly recommend the TTP course which has an extensive question bank and has almost no errors in terms of correct answers or explanations. Other test providers have good reputations as well, so pick one and stick to it.
- I found the official mocks to be extremely accurate in terms of representing my skill level fairly. I do not know enough about the exact statistic methods that GMAC uses to calculate question difficulty and scoring. However, after my whole experience I am confident that they do a good job in making sure to capture your aptitude fairly in each section. I also did find some of the 3rd party free diagnostic tests to be a lot harder (and different) in terms of both question selection and scoring.
- During the exam I felt that I was not doing as well as I performed in the mock exams. I did consider that it was just the nerves and it did turn out to be so. If you have prepared well, you will in all probably end up with a result that represents you fairly. Trust yourself!
EDIT 1: Please reach out to me personally for any questions! I can answer in much more detail
Some basic prep info:
Background: Engineering major, fairly interested in math, statistics and data science. Quant and DI come easy to me, so had to focus the majority of my prep on Verbal.
Prep provider: TTP, GMAT official guide (just the question bank), GMAT club forums and question of the day etc.
Prep time: About 2 months total; took me about a month and a half to complete the TTP accelerated study plan and spent the rest taking mocks and misc practice
Section order: Quant -> Verbal -> DI. I choose this order because quant is my strong point and gives me confidence for the rest of the test. I also that feel doing quant and verbal warms me up for the questions presented during the DI section. This, however, is individual to the test taker and I would not recommend copying any one test order from another test taker and to choose the one you are most comfortable with.
Mocks:
- Princeton diagnostic (before starting with TTP): 615. Butchered the DI on this one, ended up running out of time.
After TTP:
- Official mock 1 first attempt: 715
- Official mock 2 first attempt: 775
- Official mock 1 second attempt: 775
- Official mock 2 second attempt: 765
- GMAT club mock test: 725
Whiteboard: I used a whiteboard (1ft x 1ft) to practice the entire 2 months. I thought this would get me used to using a whiteboard and would be second nature to me during the test. Used up plenty of dry erase markers during this time! Used the same whiteboard and markers on the test.
Did not purchase any mocks, all the ones I did are available for free online. I also partially completed the London Business School free mock, but I don't count that as I did not do all the sections.
The actual test:
Date: 21st October 2024
Location: Online; decided to take it online instead of the center as I am usually a nervous wreck while taking tests and needed a familiar environment
Mental state pre-exam: Pretty nervous. I tried to listen to some music and did some deep breathing to calm myself before the test
Check-in: Smooth. Proctor was efficient and polite. Gave clear instructions and did not waste any time. Wished me good luck for the test (thank you!). In detail, I was asked to verify my government identification and was given instructions on test conduct and rules. I was then asked to show my desk and surroundings (under the desk, my side table, 360 view of the room, doorways etc) on the webcam. I was also asked to take pictures of my desk and surroundings. I then kept my phone right behind me on the floor as per the proctor's instructions. The proctor then proceeded to verify my blank whiteboard and started the test.
Starting the test: Fairly disruptive. Took me about 30 minutes to troubleshoot issues with the proctor before I started the exam because the secure browser kept crashing. Had to restart my PC and re-do the whole check-in process (with environment check etc) and then the secure browser finally started working. Proctor was fairly patient throughout the entire thing and helped to smoothen the process a bit, kudos to her.
Sidebar: To people taking the test online and experiencing any technical issues, please do not panic. These incidents are relatively common and the proctors are well equipped to handle different types of situations. If the issue is resolved, you can continue with the test as normal, the main thing here is to keep your nerves in check and know that these things do happen from time to time.
Quant: Quant section was fairly smooth, with no disruptions. I did get stuck on one question and had to come back to it at the end. Took me around 35 minutes to complete the section, and another 5 minutes or so to solve the bookmarked question (40 minutes total section time). Turns out I did get the bookmarked question correct as well. All questions correct, 1bookmarked, 90 score. I felt like I could have done better right after completing the section, but turns out I was incorrect to think this way.
Verbal: Smooth. I did get one very interesting question incorrect, which was of a format (weird question stem) I have never seen before (on TTP or even the official guide). I do not have the question memorized and will not post it here in-case I misremember a detail (which can potentially change the nature and outcome of the question completely). I did bookmark this and come back to it later but got it wrong anyway. I did end up with a 90 score even after getting this wrong. Whole section took about 44 minutes.
Break: Did not take a break. This is completely personal, and I find it better to continue the exam rather than sit there for 10 minutes dwelling on how I might have performed in the previous section(s). I would only take the break if I had to urgently use the washroom, which I did not have to do.
DI: 1 disruption. The test froze in the middle of an MSR question. I flagged this by raising my hand and the proctor took a few seconds to acknowledge. She took a look at the screen, and had to restart the test. This took about 3-4 minutes and I honestly did not notice if I lost any test time. I felt like I performed the best on this section and funnily ended up getting 4 questions wrong, (:)). I do not blame this on the disruption, and I do feel the result is fair. Took me about 43 minutes to complete this section. Received a score of 85 which happens to be 98th percentile.
Important disclaimers for online takers:
- PLEASE remember to turn anything off that might give you random notifications or disruptions during your test! This includes things like Windows Update, What sapp messenger etc for desktop.
- Turn off the pop-up blocker on your browser completely before the test (and then put it back on after if you want). This prevents any issues with launching the secure browser.
- Try launching the secure browser once before the test to see if it is properly installed and do the system check WELL in advance to prevent any last minute panic. I did a system check a week before the exam, once the day before and once just before connecting to the proctor on the day of the exam.
My tips for a good GMAT experience:
- Practice, practice and practice. I am a nervous wreck with tests. However, the more I practice, the more confident I get that my brain has seen enough to recognize patterns. There are TONS of free practice resources available, but I highly recommend the TTP course which has an extensive question bank and has almost no errors in terms of correct answers or explanations. Other test providers have good reputations as well, so pick one and stick to it.
- I found the official mocks to be extremely accurate in terms of representing my skill level fairly. I do not know enough about the exact statistic methods that GMAC uses to calculate question difficulty and scoring. However, after my whole experience I am confident that they do a good job in making sure to capture your aptitude fairly in each section. I also did find some of the 3rd party free diagnostic tests to be a lot harder (and different) in terms of both question selection and scoring.
- During the exam I felt that I was not doing as well as I performed in the mock exams. I did consider that it was just the nerves and it did turn out to be so. If you have prepared well, you will in all probably end up with a result that represents you fairly. Trust yourself!
EDIT 1: Please reach out to me personally for any questions! I can answer in much more detail
![775 GMAT FE [100th percentile] [First attempt] [Online]](/forum/styles/gmatclub_light/imageset/icon_post_target_unread.svg "775 GMAT FE [100th percentile] [First attempt] [Online]"){kind=icon}
23 Oct 2024, 19:35
Kudos
Bookmarks
🙌😮 That’s a crazy score! Taking to consideration your start that’s an amazing score!
And thank you for not posting the real question from the test. It doesn’t really help people anyway. Pretty awesome you were able to knock it out!
Very impressive for a 2-month run! 👍
Did you use just the main official guidebook or did you use the additional verbal and other supplements?
You did not buy any additional gmat prep tests?
And thank you for not posting the real question from the test. It doesn’t really help people anyway. Pretty awesome you were able to knock it out!
Very impressive for a 2-month run! 👍
Did you use just the main official guidebook or did you use the additional verbal and other supplements?
You did not buy any additional gmat prep tests?
23 Oct 2024, 19:42
Kudos
Bookmarks
bb
- I did use the main official guidebook as well as the supplement for data insights. I did not use the supplements for the quant and verbal sections.
- I did not buy any GMAT prep tests. I took the 2 free official mocks twice as I had heard that the question bank was quite large and there might not be significant overlap between re-takes. It did turn out to be the case, although I did have 1 or 2 repeat questions each take. I did also take the free test available on this very platform
(Kudos to Scott for making an excellent learning platform by the way)
