770 (V51 Q48 IR8 AWA6): Discipline beats motivation

Question

Hi folks,

I’ve been a lurker on this forum since 2018 and I’d love to give something back to the community, so here’s my debrief.

TL;DR : a lot of studying, I couldn’t have done it without a ton of support from my wife and friends. TTP is a great resource for Quant. The GMAT Ninja CR/RC/SC YouTube series are not only the best free resources available on the web for Verbal but quite possibly the best resources available overall.

Resources (with brief review): 
 Quant: 
  Target Test Prep : The curriculum is comprehensive and delivered on its promise. It helped me build a solid foundation, especially in number properties where I had some gaps. I now feel capable of scoring Q50 on my best days.
 OG : GMAT-like questions. Perfect for practice
 GMAT Ninja Quant YouTube series : Although not as comprehensive as TTP, this series provides additional tips that were crucial (e.g., try to think of absolute values in terms of distances)

Verbal: 
   GMAT Ninja CR/RC/SC YouTube series  : These videos were the most valuable resource for my verbal prep and deserve most of the credit for my 770 score. INCREDIBLE value - and they are free!!! I don't think there's a better resource for verbal out there.
 OG : Only real resource available for SC, as test-prep companies can never be as precise as true GMAT questions
 LSAT Superep/Preptests : These were great additional resources for practicing RC and CR. They helped me fine-tune my accuracy, and I started to think more clearly in every question. 
 IR 
I didn't prepare for this section, as reading tables and graphs and understanding them is a big part of my job.
 AWA: 
I followed the GmatClub guide step-by-step and practiced writing 3-4 points for probably 10 essays.

Testing strategies: 
Quant:
 
Read the question twice, have a path forward, check your work as you go, and read the question again.
Be precise in your writing to avoid stupid mistakes.
Use AD/BCE for DS questions.
Let go of a question if you can't answer within 2.5/3 minutes (I'm guilty of messing up here; I spent 3.5 minutes on two questions I ended up missing, and it threw off my timing during my quant section).
 
Verbal:
 
I didn't write anything. I was laser-focused on each question and did not take my eyes off the screen for the whole hour.
Remember that you have to find four wrong answers; you don't have to find a correct answer. If you're torn between two answer choices, don't forget that you have to look for an error! There is something wrong with one of the two choices; find it.
Use your fingers to eliminate questions. For example, if you eliminated answer choice A, close your thumb; if you eliminated answer choice B, close your index finger, and so on.
Be very precise in your reading (e.g., if the passage says "SOME," it doesn't mean "ALL," etc.).
Be very precise in your reasoning (e.g., "main reasons" doesn't mean "only reasons," etc.).

Testing History: 
• Practice tests:
 o (Sep. 18, 2022): GmatPrep Test 1: 740 Q48 V45
 o (Oct. 15, 2022): GmatPrep Test 2: 760 Q49 V46
 o (Oct. 19, 2022): GmatPrep Test 3: 770 Q50 V47 IR8
 o (Oct. 23, 2022): GmatPrep Test 4: 720 Q47 V42 IR6
 o (Oct. 30, 2022): GmatPrep Test 5: 770 Q49 V47 IR8
 o (Nov. 02, 2022): GmatPrep Test 6: 710 Q48 V40 IR8
•  (Nov. 5, 2022): Official GMAT: 730 Q48 V41 IR7 AWA6 
• (Jan. 21, 2023):   GmatPrep Test 6: 770 Q51 V45
• (Feb. 05, 2023):   GmatPrep Test 4: 780 Q50 V47 IR8
•   (Feb 11, 2022) Official GMAT: 770 Q48 V51 IR8 AWA6

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

Gratz and all the best going forward.

bb · Answer

Congratulations on amazing score. GMAT is all about discipline. You can get away if you have a really good memory or if you are lucky, but usually to get to the top 1%, there’s no way around approaching this test very seriously in a very disciplined manner.

Congrats on a score.
PS. Very impressive formatting for the first post 👍

Posted from my mobile device

Congrats on a score. 
PS. Very impressive formatting for the first post 👍

Posted from my mobile device

joohwangie · Answer

I love your user name: ItaliantoUSA lol love it. Congratulations and hope you get an offer from your targeted school. Thanks for the 5 fingers tip.

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi ItalianToUSA.

Nice work!

Scoring in the top percentiles takes both solid prep and key insights, such as the following ones:

The TTP team is excited to have been able to play a role in your success, and may all go well for you going forward.

ItalianToUSA · Answer

Thank you all - it was a very long journey but I'm grateful to be done with this part of the process.

Thank you Marty - and thanks to the whole TTP team. Having the freedom of mind to just log in and be able to tackle the next mission was crucial in allowing me to keep making progress on the Quant section.

Bunuel · Answer

Your impressive GMAT score of 770 is a testament to the effectiveness of your approach. Congratulations and thank you for sharing your insights!

ItalianToUSA · Answer

Thanks Bunuel, I relied a lot on your explanations when I was solving OG questions - so big shoutout to you as well!

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Glad to hear the course was so helpful for you. Your commitment really paid off. Congratulations on the great score, and best of luck with your apps!

hugosroberts · Answer

Thanks for sharing this, excellent thread.

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770 (V51 Q48 IR8 AWA6): Discipline beats motivation

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