645 to 745 in GMAT FE

Question

Phase 1: Initial Assessment & The Consulting Conundrum  (Starting Point 1st Mock Score: 645)  
As a working professional with an engineering background, my foundation in Quant was strong. However, my challenge was balancing a consulting schedule, characterized by periods of high workload and intermittent low-activity, with focused study. I learned to leverage my time "on the bench" for maximum study hours. Initially, the volume of material available on GMAT Club and YouTube was helpful individually, but led to information overload, and I struggled to structure an effective study plan for Verbal and Data Insights (DI). My first mock score was 645.

Phase 2: Structured approach with TTP  (2nd Mock Score: 715)  
Recognizing that general studying would not suffice, I purchased a 6-month Target Test Prep course. TTP solved my structure problem by offering a  structured, chapter-by-chapter approach  that built my confidence in Verbal and Data Insights. It had detailed lessons and comprehensive practice questions solidified my foundation and improved accuracy across verbal and DI, bringing my mock score up to  715 .

Phase 3: The Setback and Strategic Pivot  (August Attempt: 675)  
Despite the high mock score, my first official attempt in August resulted in a score of 675. While respectable, I aimed for a higher score given my competitive candidate profile (male, engineer, Indian, consulting work experience) and high aspirations for the top schools. My downfall was poor time management in the actual exam, especially mismanaging the guess-and-return functionality in the DI section. For the re-take, I shifted focus from content to timing strategies. I prepared specific pacing plans, defining exactly when to effectively guess and return in DI, and establishing strict cut-off points for difficult Quant questions.

Result: Final Success and 100-Point Improvement  (October Attempt: 745)  
This strategic fine-tuning yielded significant results. My subsequent mock scores ranged consistently between 725-775 (mocks 3 and 4, and re-taking mock 1), confirming the new approach. I successfully retook the exam in October and achieved my target score of 745, a 100-point total improvement from my start.

TTP's depth of content was the strong foundation, in addition to taking multiple official mock exams helped hone my timing strategy. That allowed me to build the necessary strategic framework for success on test day.

Edits: based on feedback, I’ve made some language changes and adding the following:

Key takeaways and actionable strategies for other candidates:

1) Follow a structured approach to build accuracy - know all the types of questions, the theory, ways that questions trap you. I used TTP and found it extremely useful and easy to use at this stage, feel free to find other resources or DIY as you seem fit. 
2) Once you have the accuracy, then work on strategy, for me this was primarily 2 things- 
A) Order of the paper - I believe that doing your strongest subject in the middle and weakest in the end helped. Hence I chose verbal (strong but not as much as quant) -> quant (strongest) -> DI (weakest). This way I can push my brain in verbal, relax slightly in quant (numbers come naturally to me), and then again push in DI. 
B) Timing - shared the timing approach below in one of the responses but goal was to not leave any question that I know I can solve unattempted, so adopt the guess and return strategy, especially DI

ankushsambare · Answer

Congratulations on your score

AdarshSambare · Answer

Congratulations on your score

Archit3110 · Answer

Congratulations for score all the best with applications

yc168 · Answer

Would you mind elaborating a bit more on these points - pacing plan, when to effectively guess and return, and cut-off points for difficult Quant?

Congratulations on the outstanding score!

paragw · Answer

I’m finding it difficult to trust some of the recent reviews on GMAT Club for TTP and e-GMAT. Many of them appear overly detailed and promotional, which makes them seem AI-generated or possibly posted by the coaching teams themselves. Additionally, most of these reviews come from newly created profiles with only a single post. Just wanted to share this observation.

bb · Answer

I agree. It does not seem to help... I think we need a solution for this influx of "how this   gave me  "

P.S. I can see that the IP address is unique so it is not a fake account but that does not make this any more relatable or believable.

Anujchopra15 · Answer

So goal of my timing strategy was simple, do not miss out on giving time to the questions you know you can solve in a timely manner. Here was my timing strategy:

1) If pure quant/ verbal type: attempt it.
2) If a paragraph type question with a lot of conditions with a time consuming path to solution, and I’m running above 2 mins per question- guess and return later

For quant: identify time consuming questions usually within first 15-20 seconds and guess and return to it later (for example 4 variables 4 equations, or multiple cases in probability/ P&C, or a confusing word problem). Generally I didn’t face a problem where I spent 4 mins on a question and there is no end in sight. In one of my mocks, I did all questions except 1 which I had skipped within 36 mins. And spent 7 mins on that last question and was able to solve it correctly (later found a much quicker way to solve it of course)

ritzysharma · Answer

Hi Anuj, I saw that you have a V90, any tips for improving Verbal, facing issues with it.

Anujchopra15 · Answer

Fair observations, so I'll address your concerns one by one. I'm not vary of other cases, but just sharing my own. 1) After my exam, I had shared the result with TTP, and they had asked me to share feedback for them on GMAT club, that's when I had created the account, hence it is only a few days old. 2) You're right in your observation, I had used Gemini to form a polished article, but that was based on a very detailed prompt, this was only to save time and improve the quality of the post (and was quite happy about the results). Apologies if that is not a suitable thing. Here is the raw prompt I'd used (of course, it would be filled with imperfect language), to ensure that my post is not a made up story

"Write a review of target test prep, facts - I am working professional, engineering background, strong quant, needed help with verbal and DI, and lot of practice, bought the 6 month course, had an initial score of 645 in first mock, final score in paper was 745. TTP has structured approach, abundance of questions and great lessons."

For more detailed journey: "write about my journey using previous info shared and additional facts, here are some facts: working in consulting, there are phases where workload is extremely high and then there are lull periods, so utilised those periods on bench the maximum. Initially struggled structuring my approach with so many sources available on GMAT club and Youtube, but TTP helped provide structure, after TTP, my mock exam score was 715, but mis managed my time in actual exam (august attempt), in DI so score was 675, respectable but i aspired for a higher score given the candidate pool i come from (male, engineer, Indian, consulting work ex), prepared timing strategies for all three sections, especially how to guess and return back to those questions in DI and when to give up on a question in quant. Got my mock scores up to 725-775 across, and re took the exam in october"

Anujchopra15 · Answer

What’s the issue you’re facing? Inaccuracy or shortage of time?

If inaccuracy - would suggest you refer to some course that gives you the different types of questions, traps and incorrect options and how to eliminate them (TTP worked for me, GMAT ninja videos are also a good resource), and then it’s just about practice.

If timing - initially I used to spend quite a bit of time trying to understand the entire RC, even the most difficult ones, and used to re-read sentences that were difficult to comprehend. Later, I changed that approach and still tried to understand the entire RC, but now if I found myself not understanding a couple of sentences, I used to move on instead of re-reading them multiple times. Many a times, the question did not even ask about those specific sentences, if they did, I’d return and only then spend time re-reading that section.

This way worked for me getting from 83-84 to 87-89 or so in verbal in mocks and the final paper, I’d say the luck was in my favour.

paragw · Answer

Hi @Anujchopra ,
 
 Thank you for addressing my concerns. I agree that most of us use AI tools to write these days, but the real issue here is  trust . There’s always a possibility that someone could be a TTP representative or a paid user, which can mislead people on GMAT Club.
GMAT Club has long been one of the most trusted platforms for GMAT aspirants — I’ve personally recommended it to many in my network. I mean no disrespect, but I find it difficult to fully trust your post at this point.

Check the comment section of GMAT Ninja RC Ep 3 by yashvashist7140

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irk3bbVAIQo

AdarshSambare · Answer

I completely agree with  paragw . The possibility that someone could be a TTP representative or a paid user — and thus potentially mislead people on GMAT Club — seems quite high. Misleading users into purchasing courses from certain coaching providers undermines the trust that makes this platform valuable.
I’ve been extensively using GMAT Club throughout my GMAT preparation and have always relied on genuine advice from the community. However, I find it difficult to fully trust your post at this point.

hr1212 · Answer

Hi  Anujchopra15 ,

First of all congrats on the great score! And all the best for your applications!

Thanks for taking the time to share your debrief. And yes, there’s absolutely no restriction on using AI tools to fine-tune your content. Our only suggestion is to avoid making the post sound too promotional, as that can take away from the value these debriefs provide to others in the community.

For instance, your post reads more like a quick summary of the prep course you enrolled in leading to score gains, followed by a timing adjustment that helped you reach your target score. However, it’s a bit unclear what role the prep company played during the later stages, whether you made any independent changes, or what specific strategies helped you close that gap.

What we really appreciate in debriefs are actionable insights, the kind of takeaways that help others learn from your experience. Right now, the post feels a bit brief and high-level, which can make it harder for others to connect with or benefit from your journey.

Anujchopra15 · Answer

Appreciate the feedback, I have made some edits to my post based on that, hopefully it is better now. Happy to add more depth to any specific questions.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Congrats on the 745 and on the huge score increase!! I'm happy to hear our course played a role in your prep, and I wish you all the best with your applications.

HarshavardhanR · Answer

Congrats! Awesome score increase. All the best with the next steps!

notyarb · Answer

CONGRATS!! all the best for your future

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