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A journey of 3 years and 6 months, 3 failed attempts and countless disappointments. I finally scored a 730 (Q48, V42) in my 4th attempt. This debrief is about providing hope to people who are currently struggling to get to their target score.
1st attempt
I started with my journey back in 2018. I joined an in-person coaching class for my first attempt. I never felt confident during the entire preparation. There was no personalization and I could not spend sufficient time on topics I used to struggle in (SC and RC). Before the first attempt, I took all the 6 official mocks and scored in the range of 650-680 with quant around Q47 and verbal around V34.
Resources used for preparation- Official guide 2018 and the books provided by the coaching centre.
Official score- I scored a 600 (Q47, V26). I was shocked and devastated. I had never scored that low in verbal. I expected to score around the 650 mark.
2nd attempt
I took a break for about two years and 4 months. This time I went the self- study route using the same resources. This time, I was feeling more confident about my preparation. I took the free mocks provided by various companies such as Manhattan Prep, Kaplan, Veritas, etc. I was scoring in the range of 690-730 this time around. However, the last mock I took 3 days before the official attempt, I scored a 670 and it shattered my confidence. The memories of my previous attempt came rolling back.
Official score 2- I scored a 650 (Q47, V33). Another attempt wasted. I was not at all happy with the score as it was below par for any top 20 program in the US.
3rd attempt
One year later, I started preparing for the third time. After underperforming in the first two attempts, I realized that I would need to change my approach in verbal and start from scratch. I researched for good verbal courses and came across e-GMAT on GMAT Club. I signed up for the free trial. I learned so much from the free modules that signing up for the course was a no-brainer.
e-GMAT course worked wonders for me. Their verbal modules are absolutely top notch and I improved my accuracy in SC from 50% to 90% after completing all the modules. RC saw a similar rise from 50% to 80%. After the verbal course, I was quite confident in my ability to cross the V40 threshold. I took 2 sigma-X mocks one month before my official test. My scores were:
Sigma-X Mock 1: 750 (Q44, V47)
Sigma-X Mock 2: 750 (Q48, V46)
After these mocks, I realized that quant became my weaker section. I enrolled into the Last Mile Program provided by e-GMAT and got Dhananjay (DJ) as my mentor. DJ shared a well-defined plan to improve my quant score in one month. He took the onus of deciding what I should practice and saved me valuable time. After completing the plan, I took two more Sigma-X mocks and scored:
Sigma-X Mock 3: 750 (Q49, V42)
Sigma-X Mock 4: 680 (Q46, V37)
I was taken aback by the 680 three days before my exam. I walked into the test centre full of anxiety.
Official score 3- I scored a 690 (Q45, V39). It is a decent score but I knew I could do so much better, especially in quant. I was mentally tired of the exam and did not want to take it again.
4th attempt
Immediately after the 3rd attempt, DJ and the people around me motivated for one final attempt. I woke up the next day thinking about the same and booked a test date for a month later. I was not ready to give up and it was a nothing to lose situation. I had already managed a decent score. I re-did the quant modules of the e-GMAT course and did not take a lot of pressure this time. I also took the last mock and scored 750 (Q49, V42). I slept better the night before the exam than in any of my previous attempts.
Official score 4- 15th December 2021, the day I was finally content with my GMAT score. I scored 730 (Q48, V42).
My journey from 600 to 730 has not been an easy one but surely a fulfilling one; one filled with stress, anxiety but more importantly hard work and resilience. I don’t know how business schools would look at my four attempts but I am happy that my scores improved with every attempt and that I did not give up and broke the 720 barrier.
Some key takeaways:
1. If you feel your accuracy is not improving over a long time, say a month or so, trying changing your approach to answering the questions. I used to use the splits strategy in SC for my first two attempts and changed to the meaning-based approach for my last two attempts.
2. Never get complacent about your stronger section, it will be the one that will help you cross the 720 hurdle. I worked equally hard on verbal after the third attempt.
3. Make sure you personalize your preparation as early as possible. Figure out the topics you struggle in the most and prepare a plan to overcome those weaknesses.
1st attempt
I started with my journey back in 2018. I joined an in-person coaching class for my first attempt. I never felt confident during the entire preparation. There was no personalization and I could not spend sufficient time on topics I used to struggle in (SC and RC). Before the first attempt, I took all the 6 official mocks and scored in the range of 650-680 with quant around Q47 and verbal around V34.
Resources used for preparation- Official guide 2018 and the books provided by the coaching centre.
Official score- I scored a 600 (Q47, V26). I was shocked and devastated. I had never scored that low in verbal. I expected to score around the 650 mark.
2nd attempt
I took a break for about two years and 4 months. This time I went the self- study route using the same resources. This time, I was feeling more confident about my preparation. I took the free mocks provided by various companies such as Manhattan Prep, Kaplan, Veritas, etc. I was scoring in the range of 690-730 this time around. However, the last mock I took 3 days before the official attempt, I scored a 670 and it shattered my confidence. The memories of my previous attempt came rolling back.
Official score 2- I scored a 650 (Q47, V33). Another attempt wasted. I was not at all happy with the score as it was below par for any top 20 program in the US.
3rd attempt
One year later, I started preparing for the third time. After underperforming in the first two attempts, I realized that I would need to change my approach in verbal and start from scratch. I researched for good verbal courses and came across e-GMAT on GMAT Club. I signed up for the free trial. I learned so much from the free modules that signing up for the course was a no-brainer.
e-GMAT course worked wonders for me. Their verbal modules are absolutely top notch and I improved my accuracy in SC from 50% to 90% after completing all the modules. RC saw a similar rise from 50% to 80%. After the verbal course, I was quite confident in my ability to cross the V40 threshold. I took 2 sigma-X mocks one month before my official test. My scores were:
Sigma-X Mock 1: 750 (Q44, V47)
Sigma-X Mock 2: 750 (Q48, V46)
After these mocks, I realized that quant became my weaker section. I enrolled into the Last Mile Program provided by e-GMAT and got Dhananjay (DJ) as my mentor. DJ shared a well-defined plan to improve my quant score in one month. He took the onus of deciding what I should practice and saved me valuable time. After completing the plan, I took two more Sigma-X mocks and scored:
Sigma-X Mock 3: 750 (Q49, V42)
Sigma-X Mock 4: 680 (Q46, V37)
I was taken aback by the 680 three days before my exam. I walked into the test centre full of anxiety.
Official score 3- I scored a 690 (Q45, V39). It is a decent score but I knew I could do so much better, especially in quant. I was mentally tired of the exam and did not want to take it again.
4th attempt
Immediately after the 3rd attempt, DJ and the people around me motivated for one final attempt. I woke up the next day thinking about the same and booked a test date for a month later. I was not ready to give up and it was a nothing to lose situation. I had already managed a decent score. I re-did the quant modules of the e-GMAT course and did not take a lot of pressure this time. I also took the last mock and scored 750 (Q49, V42). I slept better the night before the exam than in any of my previous attempts.
Official score 4- 15th December 2021, the day I was finally content with my GMAT score. I scored 730 (Q48, V42).
My journey from 600 to 730 has not been an easy one but surely a fulfilling one; one filled with stress, anxiety but more importantly hard work and resilience. I don’t know how business schools would look at my four attempts but I am happy that my scores improved with every attempt and that I did not give up and broke the 720 barrier.
Some key takeaways:
1. If you feel your accuracy is not improving over a long time, say a month or so, trying changing your approach to answering the questions. I used to use the splits strategy in SC for my first two attempts and changed to the meaning-based approach for my last two attempts.
2. Never get complacent about your stronger section, it will be the one that will help you cross the 720 hurdle. I worked equally hard on verbal after the third attempt.
3. Make sure you personalize your preparation as early as possible. Figure out the topics you struggle in the most and prepare a plan to overcome those weaknesses.
30 Dec 2021, 00:11
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hey @AS1997,
I still remember the day you told me you scored a 730, it totally made my day because when we worked together the first time I saw the potential of such a result but when it did not work out, I was probably even more disheartened than you were. (Confession)
It's not easy to spot potential in a student but with all the tools at my disposal @e-gmat, it made my life simple and predictable. For anyone who wants to know what success looks like, you must watch the video below.
How I knew Aman will be successful: Watch here -
https://success.e-gmat.com/Account-Walkthrough-AS1997
I wanted to share our exchange when this happened too -
Your diligence, account metrics, and methodical approach told me one simple thing - YOU WILL BE SUCCESSFUL
, if not now then maybe slightly later. Thank you for believing in me and letting me be a part of your journey. I know I may have joined a year or two late, but better late than never right! 
When you took the test and scored a 45, working on your Quant became imperative since there seemed to be a functional disconnect there. I love how diligently you revised the NP, WP. ALG, GEO course (even though you had done it before) and the improvement was visible in your scores. The screenshot of your ESR below what we worked on to improve your scores -
ESR Stats:
I liked how you revised NP, WP, and some parts of GEO, ALG too. It was like going back to the drawing board but I think you will agree with me, it was worth the effort. However, it was a good thing that we kep working on Verbal too since in many cases when one score goes back up - the other goes down.
Quant Improvement Scores :
Your grit and perseverance allow me to instill confidence in so many others that reach out to me through the Last Mile Program and I cannot be any happier for your success.
More on your success story to follow soon!
Warm Regards,
Dhananjay(aka DJ)
I still remember the day you told me you scored a 730, it totally made my day because when we worked together the first time I saw the potential of such a result but when it did not work out, I was probably even more disheartened than you were. (Confession)
It's not easy to spot potential in a student but with all the tools at my disposal @e-gmat, it made my life simple and predictable. For anyone who wants to know what success looks like, you must watch the video below.
How I knew Aman will be successful: Watch here -
https://success.e-gmat.com/Account-Walkthrough-AS1997I wanted to share our exchange when this happened too -
Your diligence, account metrics, and methodical approach told me one simple thing - YOU WILL BE SUCCESSFUL
, if not now then maybe slightly later. Thank you for believing in me and letting me be a part of your journey. I know I may have joined a year or two late, but better late than never right! When you took the test and scored a 45, working on your Quant became imperative since there seemed to be a functional disconnect there. I love how diligently you revised the NP, WP. ALG, GEO course (even though you had done it before) and the improvement was visible in your scores. The screenshot of your ESR below what we worked on to improve your scores -
ESR Stats:
I liked how you revised NP, WP, and some parts of GEO, ALG too. It was like going back to the drawing board but I think you will agree with me, it was worth the effort. However, it was a good thing that we kep working on Verbal too since in many cases when one score goes back up - the other goes down.
Quant Improvement Scores :
Quote:
Your grit and perseverance allow me to instill confidence in so many others that reach out to me through the Last Mile Program and I cannot be any happier for your success.
More on your success story to follow soon!
Warm Regards,
Dhananjay(aka DJ)
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