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LeonGalhardo
Current Student
Joined: 26 Mar 2020
Last visit: 29 Jul 2021
Posts: 5
Schools: Anderson '23 (A)
GMAT 1: 730 Q49 V40
GPA: 3.01
Products:
Hey guys!
It feels really good to be posting my own story here! This forum is absolutely awesome, and I wish I was a lot more active here (I'll definitely work on that from now on).
Before I start, let me tell you something: whenever you get demotivated (we all do at some point), just read a debrief, or watch a video sucess story from GMAT Club, e-GMAT or any other channel. You'll see people who were in the same position as you and me: challenging job/little time to study/having trouble improving, all of that, and they all made it! So why wouldn't we?
Anyway guys, my name is Leon. I am a Brazilian Mechanical Engineer with a dream of having an outstanding MBA and an outstanding career.
I started thinking about GMAT in January/2020 and enrolled in an in-person course here in Brazil, called TotalPrep, to which I also owe many thanks (especially to my great quant Tutor called Vinicius Capelloto). In February I took a couple of official mocks, but I wil be absolutely honest with you: I really didn't actually put myself into those. I say this because I was focused on work, so I paused them, when I had too much work to do, I'd leave the rest for the other day, so I don't really count those ones.
March was when I actually thought to myself "I should really start to focus on this test if I want to go to the schools I do", so I came to GMAT Club and came across the guys from e-GMAT. I chose them because I saw so many nice reviews and so many good answers to some posts, so I figured I just might give their course a shot. Honestly, best decision ever.
First thing I did, after the introductory videos, was take their diagnostic test. For real this time, and it went(you guessed it) bad.
I ran out of time on both sections, but quant was worse. I think I might have guessed like 12 questions and ended up scoring a Q36. Verbal was a V33.
Upon review, though, I realized that my problem was not that I didn't know the math, but I didn't have a strategy. What I needed was a structured approach.
So I built my study plan with e-GMAT, but followed it my own way: I alternated between Verbal and Quant topics, and focused 100% on the learning and left the practice for a later time. Now, when I say focus on learning, I mean really focus. I like to write stuff down, so I wrote absolutely everything I felt I needed to review. I'd write down the sentences in different colors for each part, draw arrows from the modifiers and pronouns to the words they referred to. Anyway, as detailed as I could. And I would review my notes every single night.
After almost two months I was still not done with the course and felt guilty for not doing anything questions or practice, so I decided to take another mock, just to see how I had improved. Bad idea... I knew I was not going to ace it, but seeing that 620 in the screen was a real bummer. So I convinced myself that if I studied diligently for the rest of the course, I would surprise myself with my own improvement. And that I did.
After diligently going through each and every topic of e-GMAT's course and with a high accuracy on the practice files, I decided I was ready for some real practice.
Even though the Scholaranium was very good, I focused on the OG. 2 to 3 hours/day of practice and then review. Built an error log. Watched a debrief every day for motivation.
In about mid June I felt ready to actually take an official mock for real. The result was what I was hoping for: 710 (Q50 V36). Ok, still room for improvement in verbal, but MAN, Q50 !!!!
10 days later, I took another one: 720 Q49 V38. All right, way to go! I felt like I really passed that 700 barrier.
So I scheduled my Online GMAT for June 24th and took a final mock 2 days before: 720 again (Q50 V38) seems like that 1 point improvement from the last mock was not enough to go up to 730, but oh well...
Anyway, I took my online GMAT on June 24th and it went smoothly. I even finished with a couple of minutes left, which is unusual, I always try to use as much of the time as I can.
I was ready to wait the full 7 days for my results, but they came just 2 days after the test:
730 !! (Q49 V40)
AWESOME!! My best score so far, and best Verbal score as well !!
I was (and still am) really excited with this result, but maybe I'll give it just one extra shot to try and pump those numbers up just a little.
Anyway, my GMAT journey has not been that long but it sure as hell has been intense. I have a very demanding job with no regular daily routine, so I just have to study whenever I can find some time.
But I'll tell you one thing, the GMAT is all about strategy, and there are some folks out there who can really teach good ones! If you want some names:
- e-GMAT
- GMAT Ninja
- Erika John (I literally watched every single video I could find from here, she is absolutely great)
Also, I'd like to invite you guys to on e-GMATs youtube channel and look up my online debrief (I still don't have enough posts to post a link here), but the video is called GMAT 730: 160-point improvement in 90 days.
And last thing, I would like to give a shout out to a group on whatsapp that I am a part of called Active GMAT with POE. These guys are the real deal, non-stop 24/7 question solving, sharing insights and experience. I advise you guys to do the same: gather a bunch of interested people and form a WhatsApp group. It may seem silly, but it has been a great practice and motivation tool for me.
Anyways guys, I hope my story motivates some of you, just like your stories have motivated me. I really hope to meet some of you in B-School!
And I've heard so many times in my course: Happy Learning!
Leon Galhardo.
It feels really good to be posting my own story here! This forum is absolutely awesome, and I wish I was a lot more active here (I'll definitely work on that from now on).
Before I start, let me tell you something: whenever you get demotivated (we all do at some point), just read a debrief, or watch a video sucess story from GMAT Club, e-GMAT or any other channel. You'll see people who were in the same position as you and me: challenging job/little time to study/having trouble improving, all of that, and they all made it! So why wouldn't we?
Anyway guys, my name is Leon. I am a Brazilian Mechanical Engineer with a dream of having an outstanding MBA and an outstanding career.
I started thinking about GMAT in January/2020 and enrolled in an in-person course here in Brazil, called TotalPrep, to which I also owe many thanks (especially to my great quant Tutor called Vinicius Capelloto). In February I took a couple of official mocks, but I wil be absolutely honest with you: I really didn't actually put myself into those. I say this because I was focused on work, so I paused them, when I had too much work to do, I'd leave the rest for the other day, so I don't really count those ones.
March was when I actually thought to myself "I should really start to focus on this test if I want to go to the schools I do", so I came to GMAT Club and came across the guys from e-GMAT. I chose them because I saw so many nice reviews and so many good answers to some posts, so I figured I just might give their course a shot. Honestly, best decision ever.
First thing I did, after the introductory videos, was take their diagnostic test. For real this time, and it went(you guessed it) bad.
I ran out of time on both sections, but quant was worse. I think I might have guessed like 12 questions and ended up scoring a Q36. Verbal was a V33.
Upon review, though, I realized that my problem was not that I didn't know the math, but I didn't have a strategy. What I needed was a structured approach.
So I built my study plan with e-GMAT, but followed it my own way: I alternated between Verbal and Quant topics, and focused 100% on the learning and left the practice for a later time. Now, when I say focus on learning, I mean really focus. I like to write stuff down, so I wrote absolutely everything I felt I needed to review. I'd write down the sentences in different colors for each part, draw arrows from the modifiers and pronouns to the words they referred to. Anyway, as detailed as I could. And I would review my notes every single night.
After almost two months I was still not done with the course and felt guilty for not doing anything questions or practice, so I decided to take another mock, just to see how I had improved. Bad idea... I knew I was not going to ace it, but seeing that 620 in the screen was a real bummer. So I convinced myself that if I studied diligently for the rest of the course, I would surprise myself with my own improvement. And that I did.
After diligently going through each and every topic of e-GMAT's course and with a high accuracy on the practice files, I decided I was ready for some real practice.
Even though the Scholaranium was very good, I focused on the OG. 2 to 3 hours/day of practice and then review. Built an error log. Watched a debrief every day for motivation.
In about mid June I felt ready to actually take an official mock for real. The result was what I was hoping for: 710 (Q50 V36). Ok, still room for improvement in verbal, but MAN, Q50 !!!!
10 days later, I took another one: 720 Q49 V38. All right, way to go! I felt like I really passed that 700 barrier.
So I scheduled my Online GMAT for June 24th and took a final mock 2 days before: 720 again (Q50 V38) seems like that 1 point improvement from the last mock was not enough to go up to 730, but oh well...
Anyway, I took my online GMAT on June 24th and it went smoothly. I even finished with a couple of minutes left, which is unusual, I always try to use as much of the time as I can.
I was ready to wait the full 7 days for my results, but they came just 2 days after the test:
730 !! (Q49 V40)
AWESOME!! My best score so far, and best Verbal score as well !!
I was (and still am) really excited with this result, but maybe I'll give it just one extra shot to try and pump those numbers up just a little.
Anyway, my GMAT journey has not been that long but it sure as hell has been intense. I have a very demanding job with no regular daily routine, so I just have to study whenever I can find some time.
But I'll tell you one thing, the GMAT is all about strategy, and there are some folks out there who can really teach good ones! If you want some names:
- e-GMAT
- GMAT Ninja
- Erika John (I literally watched every single video I could find from here, she is absolutely great)
Also, I'd like to invite you guys to on e-GMATs youtube channel and look up my online debrief (I still don't have enough posts to post a link here), but the video is called GMAT 730: 160-point improvement in 90 days.
And last thing, I would like to give a shout out to a group on whatsapp that I am a part of called Active GMAT with POE. These guys are the real deal, non-stop 24/7 question solving, sharing insights and experience. I advise you guys to do the same: gather a bunch of interested people and form a WhatsApp group. It may seem silly, but it has been a great practice and motivation tool for me.
Anyways guys, I hope my story motivates some of you, just like your stories have motivated me. I really hope to meet some of you in B-School!
And I've heard so many times in my course: Happy Learning!
Leon Galhardo.
ScottTargetTestPrep
Expert
Target Test Prep Representative
Joined: 14 Oct 2015
Last visit: 15 Sep 2026
Posts: 22,740
Status:Founder & CEO
Affiliations: Target Test Prep
Location: United States (CA)
Expert reply
Posts: 22,740
Hi RedArrow9,
First off congrats on a great GMAT score! Regarding whether to retake what were the scores of your official practice exams? If you were scoring above 740 (close to your score goal) then I don’t see any reason not to give the GMAT one more shot. If you decide to retake and need some advice, feel free to reach out.
_________________
First off congrats on a great GMAT score! Regarding whether to retake what were the scores of your official practice exams? If you were scoring above 740 (close to your score goal) then I don’t see any reason not to give the GMAT one more shot. If you decide to retake and need some advice, feel free to reach out.
_________________
Scott Woodbury-Stewart | Founder and
CEO |
[email protected]
See why Target Test Prep is the top rated GMAT course on GMAT Club. Read Our Reviews
VERBAL1
Joined: 17 Jun 2020
Last visit: 10 Jul 2022
Posts: 174
Location: India
Concentration: Marketing, Sustainability
Schools: Cass '21 LBS '22 Cambridge '22
Schools: Cass '21 LBS '22 Cambridge '22
Posts: 174
Dear LeonGalhardo ,
Congratulations on your marvelous score!
I must tell you I was feeling really low with my preparation heading no where. Felt motivated after reading your post.
Good luck for the future!
Congratulations on your marvelous score!
I must tell you I was feeling really low with my preparation heading no where. Felt motivated after reading your post.
Good luck for the future!
Posts: 234
LeonGalhardo
Hi,
Congrats on your great score. Would like to know the strategy you used to boost up your quant score to Q50 or Q49. Your insights would be really helpful.
Thanks.
LeonGalhardo
Current Student
Joined: 26 Mar 2020
Last visit: 29 Jul 2021
Posts: 5
Schools: Anderson '23 (A)
GMAT 1: 730 Q49 V40
GPA: 3.01
Products:
ScottTargetTestPrep
Hi Scott, thank you for the congrats!
After the test I took a couple of mocks and scored another 730 and a 750. I'm planning on taking one more before scheduling.
Plan to work on my weaker areas in both quant and verbal.
LeonGalhardo
Current Student
Joined: 26 Mar 2020
Last visit: 29 Jul 2021
Posts: 5
Schools: Anderson '23 (A)
GMAT 1: 730 Q49 V40
GPA: 3.01
Products:
VERBAL1
That's so good to know!!
I'm really happy my debrief motivated someone!
Best of luck to you!
LeonGalhardo
Current Student
Joined: 26 Mar 2020
Last visit: 29 Jul 2021
Posts: 5
Schools: Anderson '23 (A)
GMAT 1: 730 Q49 V40
GPA: 3.01
Products:
monikakumar
Hey monikakumar,
Thank you for the congrats!
I first went through every single concept in detail. I think that's the most important part. I used e-GMAT, but there are many other great courses around, like Target Test Prep, Magoosh and Manhattan, so you should choose the one that suits you better.
I went through my error log every other day to practice my weaker areas.
Also, I had in the back of my mind the types of questions that I did worst on, so if I was too short on time and came across one of those, I would probably guess.
Best of luck in your prep!
GMATCoachBen
Expert
Tutor
Joined: 21 Mar 2017
Last visit: 09 Sep 2026
Posts: 462
Status:Professional GMAT Trainer
Affiliations: GMAT Coach
Location: United States (WA)
GMAT Focus 1: 775 Q87 V90 DI88 (Online) 
GMAT 1: 760 Q50 V44
GMAT 2: 770 Q51 V44
GMAT 3: 770 Q50 V44
GMAT 4: 770 Q50 V45 (Online)
GMAT 5: 780 Q51 V48
Expert reply
LeonGalhardo Congrats on the awesome score and rapid improvement! Thanks for sharing your story, and best wishes with everything going forward!
_________________
_________________
I offer a limited number of free strategy sessions for students considering personalized GMAT or GRE coaching. Apply here: GMATcoach.com/trial
We’ll pinpoint your biggest score barriers and map out a clear plan to reach your target score.
I've been a full-time GMAT / GRE tutor since 2016.
We’ll pinpoint your biggest score barriers and map out a clear plan to reach your target score.
I've been a full-time GMAT / GRE tutor since 2016.
Abi1995
Joined: 23 May 2020
Last visit: 12 Jun 2022
Posts: 201
Location: India
Schools: IIMA PGPX "21 INSEAD Jan '20 ISB '21 Booth '22 Kellogg '24 (II) LBS '24 HEC Sept 23 Intake (A)
GMAT 1: 710 Q49 V37
GPA: 4
Products:
Schools: IIMA PGPX "21 INSEAD Jan '20 ISB '21 Booth '22 Kellogg '24 (II) LBS '24 HEC Sept 23 Intake (A)
GMAT 1: 710 Q49 V37
Posts: 201
I needed this, Thank you so much for sharing. This is really helpful
Posted from my mobile device
Posted from my mobile device
ScottTargetTestPrep
Expert
Target Test Prep Representative
Joined: 14 Oct 2015
Last visit: 15 Sep 2026
Posts: 22,740
Status:Founder & CEO
Affiliations: Target Test Prep
Location: United States (CA)
Expert reply
Posts: 22,740
LeonGalhardo
Awesome! I'm here if you need me.
_________________
Scott Woodbury-Stewart | Founder and
CEO |
[email protected]
See why Target Test Prep is the top rated GMAT course on GMAT Club. Read Our Reviews
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