My GMAT Journey to 695 (V87, Q86, DI81)

Question

GMAT Journey:695 (V87, Q86, DI81)

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to share my GMAT journey with everyone here. After months of preparation, multiple mock tests, and honestly quite a few moments of doubt, I finally scored a 695 (V87,Q86,DI81). I'll be honest - I was more relieved than excited because I genuinely thought I had messed up the Data Insights section!

I've been working for the past three years in a finance role, but my heart has always been set on pivoting into marketing and advertising. That's what led me to consider an MBA, and naturally, the GMAT became a necessary step to cross. Initially, I kept putting off the prep because work was crazy and I wasn't taking it seriously enough. But this year, I finally decided to bite the bullet.

I started by just browsing GMAT Club and kept seeing the consistently positive reviews about e-GMAT. What caught my attention was that they had a free trial, so I figured why not give it a shot? The strategies I learned in just those free sessions were genuinely helpful, so I decided to invest in the full course.

The Verbal Transformation (My Biggest Win!)

Let me start with what became my strongest section - Verbal. I ended up with a V87, which honestly surprised even me.

The Game-Changer: Pre-thinking in CR

Before e-GMAT, my approach to Critical Reasoning was pretty much what most people do - read the stimulus, read the question, then go through all five answer choices hoping something clicks. It was basically a guessing game dressed up as strategy.

The pre-thinking approach completely changed how I tackled CR questions. Instead of jumping straight to the answer choices, I started taking those crucial few seconds after reading the question stem to actually think about what kind of answer I was looking for.

I remember when I first started working with my mentor Abha, she had me take some diagnostic quizzes and pointed out that my biggest weaknesses were in boldface and inference questions. I had never even realized there were different strategies for different question types! Once I learned to group similar question types (like assumption, strengthen, and weaken all having similar approaches), everything started falling into place.

RC: The Power of Actually Reading the Passage

I was so scared of time management that I would just scan passages and then try to hunt for answers when I got to the questions. Terrible strategy.

One thing that really helped in the e-GMAT drills was this exercise where they'd hide the passage and test your understanding - it forced me to actually comprehend what I was reading. I realized that spending 2-3 minutes upfront to properly understand the passage meant I could answer most questions in under a minute. The time investment upfront pays off massively.

Quant: Overcoming the "I Can Do This" Trap

Quant was interesting for me. Coming from a tech background, I always assumed this would be my strongest section. And content-wise, I could solve most questions correctly - if I had unlimited time.

My biggest enemy in Quant wasn't the math - it was my own stubbornness. I'd see a question and think "I know I can solve this, I just need a few more minutes." Then I'd spend 4-5 minutes on one question and end up scrambling through the last few questions, making silly mistakes on problems I could have easily solved.

Learning to bookmark questions and move on was probably the hardest mental shift I had to make. Abha and I had multiple conversations about this, and honestly, it took several sectional tests for me to finally accept that I could come back to difficult questions if I managed my time well.

Data Insights: The Section That Almost Broke Me

Let me be real with you - I walked out of that test thinking I had bombed DI completely. Time management was brutal, and some of those graphs and tables questions were just monsters.

Graphs and Tables Analysis and Two-Part Analysis were my main pain points. The TPA questions especially threw me off because they seemed easy but were actually quite tricky. And don't get me started on those hybrid questions that combined CR with data sufficiency - my brain just couldn't switch gears fast enough.

The key realization for DI was knowing which battles to pick. Not every question is worth the time investment. Some of those complex graphs can easily eat up 3-4 minutes just to understand, let alone solve. I learned to quickly assess whether a question was worth my time or if I should make an educated guess and move on.

The non-math DI questions were particularly tricky because they combined my verbal skills with quantitative reasoning. Once I started applying my CR pre-thinking approach to these questions, they became much more manageable.

The Last Mile Push Experience

I can't stress enough how valuable the Last Mile Push program was for my prep. When I joined e-GMAT, I had already taken a couple of mocks and was scoring in the mid-600s, so I was onboarded directly into LMP.

Having Abha as my mentor was game-changing, and not just for the study strategy. Yes, she helped me create a personalized schedule and constantly checked in to make sure I wasn't slipping, but the emotional support was equally important.

There were definitely moments when my mock scores would dip unexpectedly (I remember one Sigma-X mock where my score suddenly dropped), and I'd start questioning everything. Having someone who could objectively analyze what went wrong and reassure me that one bad mock doesn't define my ability was invaluable.

She also taught me practical things like doing warm-up questions before main tests. Sounds simple, but when you're jumping into GMAT mode straight from work, those 2-3 easy questions help get your brain in the right space.

Mock Test Journey

I took several mocks throughout my prep, including both Sigma-X and official GMAT tests. My scores were generally in the 685+ range, but there were definitely fluctuations that stressed me out.

There was one Sigma-X mock where my score unexpectedly dropped, and I genuinely thought I was moving backward in my prep. That's when having a mentor really helped - we analyzed what went wrong, adjusted the strategy, and within a few days, I was back on track with my next mock.

The most important thing I learned from mocks was that one bad performance doesn't mean you're not ready. Sometimes you're just having an off day, or maybe one section doesn't go as planned. The key is learning from each mock and not letting temporary setbacks derail your confidence.

Test Day: When DI Almost Gave Me a Heart Attack

Test day was... interesting. I felt pretty good about Quant and Verbal, but as I was working through the DI section, I kept thinking "This is not going well." The timing felt off, some questions seemed harder than expected, and by the end, I was convinced I'd have to retake the test.

I actually did bookmark a few questions during the Quant section and had time to come back to them. I managed to change at least one answer from incorrect to correct, which probably made a difference in my final score.

The mental strategies I'd practiced during mocks really helped. When I felt panic creeping in during DI, I took those 10-second pauses Abha had taught me - take a deep breath, remind yourself that everything is okay, and focus on the next question.

Final Thoughts

Looking back, this journey taught me as much about mental resilience as it did about test-taking strategies. There were definitely moments when I questioned whether I could actually achieve my target score, especially when mock results fluctuated.

The support system matters - whether it's a mentor, study group, or even this GMAT Club community. Having people who understand the struggle and can provide both technical and emotional support makes a huge difference.

For anyone currently in the middle of their prep: trust the process, stay consistent, and don't let temporary setbacks define your journey. That 695 on my screen felt surreal after months of preparation, but every practice question, every mock test, and every conversation with my mentor contributed to that moment.

Good luck to everyone still on this journey - you've got this!

Best,

Preksha

Mrc00ool · Answer

Thanks for penning this down, I myself is using some of these strategies. Can I ask, how much time did you prep before giving the final exam and what was your average weekly study time. Thanks in advance.

Archit3110 · Answer

Congratulations for score... all the best with applications

Msamin · Answer

Congrats you did a great job, thank you for sharing.

Ajul3421 · Answer

Awesome score, so jealous! Hope everything goes smoothly with admissions

Ayeka · Answer

Congrats and all the best going ahead!

sahiti220620 · Answer

What was your score in sigma mocks?

yc168 · Answer

Nicely said.
 
Does e-gmat have dedicated content materials (concept, strategy, etc) for non-math DI?

Congrats on the great score!

lawyeroffduty · Answer

congrats on the score, how much time did you take to get your desired score?

egmat · Answer

preksha99

Your journey from finance to pursuing marketing through an MBA is inspiring, but what particularly struck me was your candid reflection about the Quant section -   "My biggest enemy wasn't the math, it was my own stubbornness."

This is such a powerful realization that I see echoing across so many high-achieving students! You knew the content but still scored Q86 rather than Q90+ because of that mental trap of "I know I can solve this." The fact that you needed  multiple conversations  with Abha and several sectional tests to finally accept the  "bookmark-and-move-on strategy"  shows just how deeply ingrained these habits can be.

I'm curious - when you finally made that mental shift, was there a specific moment or mock test where it "clicked"? And for those questions you bookmarked and returned to, how did you decide in those final seconds whether to stick with your original approach or try something completely different?

The Hidden Cost of Perfectionism in GMAT Quant

Your experience highlights something I've observed across hundreds of students: content knowledge and strategic execution are completely different skills. Many test-takers with strong math backgrounds actually struggle  more  with time management because they're used to solving every problem to completion. The GMAT deliberately exploits this tendency with questions designed to be solvable but time-consuming.

For everyone reading this who recognizes themselves in Preksha's Quant struggle  - what mental tricks have you developed to overcome that "just one more minute" temptation?

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My GMAT Journey to 695 (V87, Q86, DI81)

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