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tusharmrigwani
Joined: 11 Jun 2021
Last visit: 22 May 2024
Posts: 8
Given Kudos: 9
Location: India
Schools: Darden '26 (M) Fuqua '26 (WL) Ross '26 (D) Marshall '26 (A$$) Tuck '26 (WL) Kellogg '26 (D)
GMAT Focus 1: 675 Q84 V85 DI81 
GMAT 1: 730 Q50 V38
GMAT 2: 740 Q50 V40
Products:
Schools: Darden '26 (M) Fuqua '26 (WL) Ross '26 (D) Marshall '26 (A$$) Tuck '26 (WL) Kellogg '26 (D)
GMAT Focus 1: 675 Q84 V85 DI81
GMAT 2: 740 Q50 V40
Posts: 8
15 Dec 2022, 12:03
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Bookmarks
Hi Reader,
Here is my crazy, twisted journey to a 740 GMAT score on the 5th attempt. Hope my experience helps anyone trying to figure out their journey and challenges.
Beginnings -
I started to become serious about the GMAT back in May 2021, and attempted the first free OG mock. I scored a 670 on the test and thought that I am at a pretty decent score, but I seriously underestimated how tough it would be to improve the score. Not knowing much about the GMAT Prep space, I took a Magoosh subscription but was not impressed with it in the first few days itself. I felt that the lessons were not comprehensive enough. When I gave the second free OG mock test in the end of June, I scored a 690. I felt this was not a good enough improvement.
So I began to look for other resources on GMAT Prep. I attended an e-GMAT strategy session and booked a free strategy call with one of the experts. I was convinced that e-GMAT are experts in the GMAT prep space and bought the GMAT Online focused subscription. I started with Verbal and was able to witness gradual improvement across all the subsections.Thanks to e-GMAT’s cementing process, I was able to track my progress in an efficient manner. Starting from August ’21 to May ’22, I was not able to focus my energies on the GMAT prep due to excessive work responsibilities. So I was on a constant cycle of freeze and subscription renewal during this period. Due to the extension policies set by e-GMAT (max. 90 days of account freeze allowed), I had to keep renewing the subscription for most of this time period as I did not want to miss out on my attempt statistics.
Focusing back on the GMAT
Attempt 1 -
Starting June ’22, I was able to refocus on the GMAT prep and started revising the Verbal modules I had previously completed. I was continuously scoring better on the mocks (700, 750, 740, 760) during this period. I gave my first GMAT Online attempt in early Aug and scored an underwhelming 680. I was unable to understand the reason because the mock tests had indicated my score to be in the mid 700s. This is when I reached out to e-GMAT seeking help to improve my score and understand where I am lacking. I also requested to be included in e-GMAT’s Last Mile Program (LMP), wherein one of the experts from e-GMAT works 1-1 with you to help you reach your target score.
Rida from e-GMAT’s strategy team got me enrolled into the LMP and we got to work immediately. She first helped me analyze what was wrong with my GMAT Online attempt, and then charted an intensive test-readiness plan for me to help my Verbal and Quant abilities. I was able to improve my abilities across the board and this was evident in my quizzes as well. She was very responsive to my queries and our regular connects to track the progress were of immense help to me. I was able to discuss any concerns or plan changes with her.
The mocks during this time period were of immense help as they helped me get into the mindset of continued focus for greater periods of time. However, there were times when I scored 680 on a particular mock, primarily due to a weak Verbal Score. To help overcome these, Rida sent some session recordings and document links that were helpful to overcome my shortcomings. I also attempted the SC ability booster sessions that were moderated by Payal, and they helped me understand my level and refine my SC ability to a great extent.
Attempt 2 -
I gave the second GMAT Online attempt in mid Sept with a whole lot of confidence, but the result was to my utter shock! I had scored a 660, even lower than my first attempt. I was in complete disbelief as to what had just happened. Rida helped me calm down, be positive and analyze the issues in the attempt. We found that I was feeling some level of performance anxiety during the attempts which was leading to suboptimal performance in the tests. We were confident on my abilities and just needed to build upon them to reach to a better score.
Attempt 3 -
After the second attempt, the work responsibilities increased which meant that I had lesser time to dedicate to prep. So Rida helped me with an appropriate test readiness plan that could be completed in the limited time I had. I only had 2 unattempted OG mocks left that I had to use judiciously. I scored 760 on both these tests, which was a huge confidence booster for me.
Apart from the test, I also worked on developing a detached mindset and did not focus much on the score. Discussions with Rida were instrumental in this regard. We decided to have an in-person attempt this time because of the reason that it would be a much better environment to build focus rather than attempting the test at home. And sure enough, it was a good experience at the center. I was able to score a 730 on the main test this time, but had gotten only 4 on the IR. I figured this would be seen as a weakness in the score.
Attempt 4 -
So I decided for another attempt. I wanted to maximize my opportunities and try to a better score. By this time, work responsibilites had increased to a level that I was able to study for only 5-6 hours per week, mostly on weekends. So I had to be extremely judicial with my time. But things didn't turn out to be as I wanted. I was back to a 660, mostly due to timing issues within verbal and performance anxiety. Confidence was shattered and I was not able to fully trust my abilities. Rida was instrumental in calming me down and gaining back confidence. We discussed on what we can do from here.
Attempt 5 -
The next one would be my final attempt in a rolling 12-month window. So it was additional pressure. But we decided to ignore this fact as much as possible. Since performance anxiety was a major factor, it was best to stay as calm as possible during this period. We focused on just being in touch with all sorts of questions, looking for the most efficient solving approaches and building on these improvements.Since timing was a major hurdle during my attempts, our focus was on test-readiness during this time.
Rida went above and beyond to provide me with additional resources and sessions. What was really very helpful was a 1-1 session with Harsha, one of the Verbal SMEs at e-GMAT. Harsha was kind enough to spend an extensive amount of time with me and identify gaos within my CR and RC sections. His suggestions for performing solid answer choice analysis and visualizing through examples have been of imeense benefit to me. I just went for one mock test 2 days before the test this time, primarily to get into the habit of sustained attention for 3.5 hours.
I scored a 740 in this attempt, and the IR and AWA scores are also good. Although this a mere 10-point improvement from my previous best score, I feel I was able to overcome major mental hurdles in this journey. This is a big win for me!
The last few months have been a journey completed through hard work and persistence. I can’t thank Rida and the e-GMAT team enough for helping me throughout this process. I am super confident that these are the best people in the business for anyone who wants to excel at GMAT.
Unique Aspects of e-GMAT that helped me in this journey:
1. PACE - PACE helped me in charting a streamlined Quant path by guiding me exactly where I need to spend my efforts.
2. Meaning-based approach for SC - Although I was already relying on the meaning before I saw this first-hand in e-GMAT, the SC modules in e-GMAT helped me use this approach along with identifying the correct grammar and this led to immense improvement of SC scores. I am also a lot quicker in solving questions.
3. Pre-thinking for RC and CR - The pre-thinking process has been a game changer for me. Earlier, I used to read the question and directly jump to the option choices. However, pre-thinking allows me to understand the question stem and get involved with the universe of the question. This helps me to understand what the option choices really mean. I am happy to state that my CR and RC scores have improved significantly by using this method.
4. Cementing - In my opinion, Cementing is a very unique strength of the e-GMAT program. It helps one truly gauge their ability in a particular subsection of Quant/ Verbal. It has been really helpful whenever I had to track my progress.
5. Error Log - For the first two attempts, I was not really keeeping an eror log as I thought it would be a cumbersome and useless exercise. I couldn't be more wrong. Error logs are one of the time-based investments you can make in this journey. I was able to monitor each and every aspect of my quizzes with error logs. Infact, I even created pivot tables on top to get an aggregated over view of the kind of mistakes I was making. This was very benefical in deciding the flow of the prep.
6. Expert support - What truly sets e-GMAT apart is that the team is relentlessly devoted to helping the students in the best way possible. These experts readily repspond to any student queries from a question doubt or strategy standpoint. I truly believe when I say that I wouldn't have been able to reach to a 740 without the support of Rida and other experts at e-GMAT.
7. Compassion towards the students - I was able to share the mental barriers that were affecting my GMAT prep with Rida, and she was instrumental in helping me navigate these barriers. The amount of time and dedication I observed within Rida and Harsha during our interactions reinforces my belief that e-GMAT is truly invested in student success.
8. Last Mile Program (LMP) - This program is a immensely beneficial for students who are already at a decent 650-700 ability. In my case, I was able to move through some of the topics in a swift manner. The test readiness quizzes that were integrated into my plan were really helpful in emulating the actual test questions. Also, Rida used to share some additional Verbal resources and recordings that helped me obtain that last push for the target scores.
9. Sigma-X mock tests - Although I have not attempted any other tests other than Sigma-X mock tests and OG mock tests, I found that the questions and scoring algorithm from Sigma-X mock tests are very similar to those of OG mock tests. These are the best testing resource alongside OG mocks.
Final thoughts -
I would recommend e-GMAT hands down to people who feel they need some support in their GMAT journey. I was able to overcome skill/ability and mental barriers due to support from e-GMAT. Just keep believing in yourself and continue trying to achive your ideal GMAT score. I want to close out this post in the same way that e-GMAT experts frequently close out their solution videos 😝 - "I hope this was helpful for you. Happy Learning!"
Here is my crazy, twisted journey to a 740 GMAT score on the 5th attempt. Hope my experience helps anyone trying to figure out their journey and challenges.
Beginnings -
I started to become serious about the GMAT back in May 2021, and attempted the first free OG mock. I scored a 670 on the test and thought that I am at a pretty decent score, but I seriously underestimated how tough it would be to improve the score. Not knowing much about the GMAT Prep space, I took a Magoosh subscription but was not impressed with it in the first few days itself. I felt that the lessons were not comprehensive enough. When I gave the second free OG mock test in the end of June, I scored a 690. I felt this was not a good enough improvement.
So I began to look for other resources on GMAT Prep. I attended an e-GMAT strategy session and booked a free strategy call with one of the experts. I was convinced that e-GMAT are experts in the GMAT prep space and bought the GMAT Online focused subscription. I started with Verbal and was able to witness gradual improvement across all the subsections.Thanks to e-GMAT’s cementing process, I was able to track my progress in an efficient manner. Starting from August ’21 to May ’22, I was not able to focus my energies on the GMAT prep due to excessive work responsibilities. So I was on a constant cycle of freeze and subscription renewal during this period. Due to the extension policies set by e-GMAT (max. 90 days of account freeze allowed), I had to keep renewing the subscription for most of this time period as I did not want to miss out on my attempt statistics.
Focusing back on the GMAT
Attempt 1 -
Starting June ’22, I was able to refocus on the GMAT prep and started revising the Verbal modules I had previously completed. I was continuously scoring better on the mocks (700, 750, 740, 760) during this period. I gave my first GMAT Online attempt in early Aug and scored an underwhelming 680. I was unable to understand the reason because the mock tests had indicated my score to be in the mid 700s. This is when I reached out to e-GMAT seeking help to improve my score and understand where I am lacking. I also requested to be included in e-GMAT’s Last Mile Program (LMP), wherein one of the experts from e-GMAT works 1-1 with you to help you reach your target score.
Rida from e-GMAT’s strategy team got me enrolled into the LMP and we got to work immediately. She first helped me analyze what was wrong with my GMAT Online attempt, and then charted an intensive test-readiness plan for me to help my Verbal and Quant abilities. I was able to improve my abilities across the board and this was evident in my quizzes as well. She was very responsive to my queries and our regular connects to track the progress were of immense help to me. I was able to discuss any concerns or plan changes with her.
The mocks during this time period were of immense help as they helped me get into the mindset of continued focus for greater periods of time. However, there were times when I scored 680 on a particular mock, primarily due to a weak Verbal Score. To help overcome these, Rida sent some session recordings and document links that were helpful to overcome my shortcomings. I also attempted the SC ability booster sessions that were moderated by Payal, and they helped me understand my level and refine my SC ability to a great extent.
Attempt 2 -
I gave the second GMAT Online attempt in mid Sept with a whole lot of confidence, but the result was to my utter shock! I had scored a 660, even lower than my first attempt. I was in complete disbelief as to what had just happened. Rida helped me calm down, be positive and analyze the issues in the attempt. We found that I was feeling some level of performance anxiety during the attempts which was leading to suboptimal performance in the tests. We were confident on my abilities and just needed to build upon them to reach to a better score.
Attempt 3 -
After the second attempt, the work responsibilities increased which meant that I had lesser time to dedicate to prep. So Rida helped me with an appropriate test readiness plan that could be completed in the limited time I had. I only had 2 unattempted OG mocks left that I had to use judiciously. I scored 760 on both these tests, which was a huge confidence booster for me.
Apart from the test, I also worked on developing a detached mindset and did not focus much on the score. Discussions with Rida were instrumental in this regard. We decided to have an in-person attempt this time because of the reason that it would be a much better environment to build focus rather than attempting the test at home. And sure enough, it was a good experience at the center. I was able to score a 730 on the main test this time, but had gotten only 4 on the IR. I figured this would be seen as a weakness in the score.
Attempt 4 -
So I decided for another attempt. I wanted to maximize my opportunities and try to a better score. By this time, work responsibilites had increased to a level that I was able to study for only 5-6 hours per week, mostly on weekends. So I had to be extremely judicial with my time. But things didn't turn out to be as I wanted. I was back to a 660, mostly due to timing issues within verbal and performance anxiety. Confidence was shattered and I was not able to fully trust my abilities. Rida was instrumental in calming me down and gaining back confidence. We discussed on what we can do from here.
Attempt 5 -
The next one would be my final attempt in a rolling 12-month window. So it was additional pressure. But we decided to ignore this fact as much as possible. Since performance anxiety was a major factor, it was best to stay as calm as possible during this period. We focused on just being in touch with all sorts of questions, looking for the most efficient solving approaches and building on these improvements.Since timing was a major hurdle during my attempts, our focus was on test-readiness during this time.
Rida went above and beyond to provide me with additional resources and sessions. What was really very helpful was a 1-1 session with Harsha, one of the Verbal SMEs at e-GMAT. Harsha was kind enough to spend an extensive amount of time with me and identify gaos within my CR and RC sections. His suggestions for performing solid answer choice analysis and visualizing through examples have been of imeense benefit to me. I just went for one mock test 2 days before the test this time, primarily to get into the habit of sustained attention for 3.5 hours.
I scored a 740 in this attempt, and the IR and AWA scores are also good. Although this a mere 10-point improvement from my previous best score, I feel I was able to overcome major mental hurdles in this journey. This is a big win for me!
The last few months have been a journey completed through hard work and persistence. I can’t thank Rida and the e-GMAT team enough for helping me throughout this process. I am super confident that these are the best people in the business for anyone who wants to excel at GMAT.
Unique Aspects of e-GMAT that helped me in this journey:
1. PACE - PACE helped me in charting a streamlined Quant path by guiding me exactly where I need to spend my efforts.
2. Meaning-based approach for SC - Although I was already relying on the meaning before I saw this first-hand in e-GMAT, the SC modules in e-GMAT helped me use this approach along with identifying the correct grammar and this led to immense improvement of SC scores. I am also a lot quicker in solving questions.
3. Pre-thinking for RC and CR - The pre-thinking process has been a game changer for me. Earlier, I used to read the question and directly jump to the option choices. However, pre-thinking allows me to understand the question stem and get involved with the universe of the question. This helps me to understand what the option choices really mean. I am happy to state that my CR and RC scores have improved significantly by using this method.
4. Cementing - In my opinion, Cementing is a very unique strength of the e-GMAT program. It helps one truly gauge their ability in a particular subsection of Quant/ Verbal. It has been really helpful whenever I had to track my progress.
5. Error Log - For the first two attempts, I was not really keeeping an eror log as I thought it would be a cumbersome and useless exercise. I couldn't be more wrong. Error logs are one of the time-based investments you can make in this journey. I was able to monitor each and every aspect of my quizzes with error logs. Infact, I even created pivot tables on top to get an aggregated over view of the kind of mistakes I was making. This was very benefical in deciding the flow of the prep.
6. Expert support - What truly sets e-GMAT apart is that the team is relentlessly devoted to helping the students in the best way possible. These experts readily repspond to any student queries from a question doubt or strategy standpoint. I truly believe when I say that I wouldn't have been able to reach to a 740 without the support of Rida and other experts at e-GMAT.
7. Compassion towards the students - I was able to share the mental barriers that were affecting my GMAT prep with Rida, and she was instrumental in helping me navigate these barriers. The amount of time and dedication I observed within Rida and Harsha during our interactions reinforces my belief that e-GMAT is truly invested in student success.
8. Last Mile Program (LMP) - This program is a immensely beneficial for students who are already at a decent 650-700 ability. In my case, I was able to move through some of the topics in a swift manner. The test readiness quizzes that were integrated into my plan were really helpful in emulating the actual test questions. Also, Rida used to share some additional Verbal resources and recordings that helped me obtain that last push for the target scores.
9. Sigma-X mock tests - Although I have not attempted any other tests other than Sigma-X mock tests and OG mock tests, I found that the questions and scoring algorithm from Sigma-X mock tests are very similar to those of OG mock tests. These are the best testing resource alongside OG mocks.
Final thoughts -
I would recommend e-GMAT hands down to people who feel they need some support in their GMAT journey. I was able to overcome skill/ability and mental barriers due to support from e-GMAT. Just keep believing in yourself and continue trying to achive your ideal GMAT score. I want to close out this post in the same way that e-GMAT experts frequently close out their solution videos 😝 - "I hope this was helpful for you. Happy Learning!"
17 Dec 2022, 05:52
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hey tusharmrigwani,
Congratulations on scoring a 740! This is Rida, your mentor. What a journey it has been!
I am so glad that you persevered throughout your prep- your diligence and never say die attitude are some of the main hallmarks of your success.
When I look back on your journey, there are some key aspects that show how you primed yourself for success
Covering all your Bases
From the beginning of your preparation journey, you were focused on identifying and rooting out all your weak areas. You understood after your first attempt that even the smallest weakness can spell disaster and that it was necessary to equip yourself to handle each and every type of question in order to reach your target score.
You then worked on your skills by internalising the approaches needed, revisiting the necessary files and using data to figure out exactly where and why you were making mistakes. The outcome of this is that you were able to put
Making Data work for you
Two key pieces were vital to cover all your bases-
1.Data from Scholaranium
2.Your Error log
You understood the value of using analytics to target and eliminate weak areas. You dug deep into the why of your mistakes and developed a feedback-driven system that allowed you to improve quiz on quiz. I really commend the efforts that you put into perfecting the process, as it truly requires perseverance and a sharp eye. In RC, the work that you put in has allowed you to bring your accuracy in questions to over 90!
Realising the Importance of Test Readiness
You realised that the biggest roadblock holding you back from performing on the test was a lack of proper time management and the right test mentality. Once of the biggest points that we worked on was developing and maintaining the right mindset in order to ace it on the test day.
You also used the right combination of quizzes to consciously build and perfect this mindset. As you can see below, these smaller, mini mock type quizzes allowed you to harness the right aggressiveness, skipping strategy and confidence that you needed to kill it in the actual test.
Overall, tusharmrigwani, I am so happy to see your improvement and your growth. The way you improved to 740 is an odyssey that will inspire many and encourage even those who are on the cusp of giving up to believe that success is possible.
All the very best!
Regards,
Rida
Congratulations on scoring a 740! This is Rida, your mentor. What a journey it has been!
I am so glad that you persevered throughout your prep- your diligence and never say die attitude are some of the main hallmarks of your success.
When I look back on your journey, there are some key aspects that show how you primed yourself for success
Covering all your Bases
From the beginning of your preparation journey, you were focused on identifying and rooting out all your weak areas. You understood after your first attempt that even the smallest weakness can spell disaster and that it was necessary to equip yourself to handle each and every type of question in order to reach your target score.
You then worked on your skills by internalising the approaches needed, revisiting the necessary files and using data to figure out exactly where and why you were making mistakes. The outcome of this is that you were able to put
Making Data work for you
Two key pieces were vital to cover all your bases-
1.Data from Scholaranium
2.Your Error log
You understood the value of using analytics to target and eliminate weak areas. You dug deep into the why of your mistakes and developed a feedback-driven system that allowed you to improve quiz on quiz. I really commend the efforts that you put into perfecting the process, as it truly requires perseverance and a sharp eye. In RC, the work that you put in has allowed you to bring your accuracy in questions to over 90!
Realising the Importance of Test Readiness
You realised that the biggest roadblock holding you back from performing on the test was a lack of proper time management and the right test mentality. Once of the biggest points that we worked on was developing and maintaining the right mindset in order to ace it on the test day.
You also used the right combination of quizzes to consciously build and perfect this mindset. As you can see below, these smaller, mini mock type quizzes allowed you to harness the right aggressiveness, skipping strategy and confidence that you needed to kill it in the actual test.
Overall, tusharmrigwani, I am so happy to see your improvement and your growth. The way you improved to 740 is an odyssey that will inspire many and encourage even those who are on the cusp of giving up to believe that success is possible.
All the very best!
Regards,
Rida
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