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08 Sep 2023, 09:18
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Hello everyone. I'd like to share my short but memorable journey to getting a 750(Q49 V42 IR 5) on the GMAT.
BACKGROUND:
I'm an engineer from India. I just turned 24 yesterday. Currently working at a MNC.
PLAN:
I had decided early this year that I wanted to pursue Masters in Management programs in Europe. I should have started to prepare for the GMAT a long time ago, but procrastination and my full time job got the better of me. I took my first cold mock on 16th August, scored a 620 (Q45, V31)
I had booked my GMAT for 6th of September, and this miserable score surely gave me a look into where I stood at that moment. I knew that I had to eventually prep and take the GMAT, but I had been procrastinating for months thinking that I would somehow manage it. I was targeting a score of 700+, and this miserable score in my first mock really jolted me back into action.
I decided to full send it, putting all my energy into this preparation over a span of one month.
Having a full time job and having to balance that along with your prep is not a very straightforward task, but it is something many of us have to deal with. I knew I would have to stay up late for many nights, and still show up at work the next morning. But it was something I knew I had to do, and that thought was enough to keep me going.
For anyone interested,
My most important tips and observations:
1. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE VALUE OF TIME MANAGEMENT
I took my mocks at the same time of day as my booked slot, with 4 minute breaks. I had struggled with time management on almost all of my 6-7 mocks. I always told myself that it would be fine on the actual day, and that I would somehow manage. Boy oh boy, what a mistake that was. On the day of the test, my mind blanked out once in each section. On the real exam, I was more careful answering each question and consequently a lot slower. At the end of the quant section I found myself at question 27 having 5 minutes left, and hence had to guess a few answers. Had I been more efficient at managing my time, my score would have probably been higher. The same issue happened with verbal. I cannot stress this enough, please practise proper time management techniques while taking your mocks. The real exam is only going to be tougher in this aspect.
2. MOCK SCORES:
My mock scores were as follows:
MGMAT: 620 Q45 V31 (16th Aug) (cold mock, made numerous calculation and other silly errors)
Princeton: 650 Q43 V38 (19th Aug) (this one really took a toll on me, as my target of 700 seemed really distant after this mock)
Experts Global: 720 Q49 V40 (24nd Aug) (This felt really good, hitting 700 for the first time just 12 days before my actual exam date)
GMAC Mock 1: 750 (Q50 V42) (26th Aug) (I was really surprised by this score, but I took this with a huge grain of salt since I had already seen a few of the questions earlier, and had really breezed through both sections)
GMAC Mock 2: 750 (Q49 V44) (31st Aug) (This gave a huge confidence boost, as I though that high scores in 2 back to back official mocks meant that my preparation was good enough)
Sigma-X/EGMAT: 680 (don't remember the individual scores) (3rd Sep) (My biggest mistake. Never should have taken this mock, that too just a couple of days before my actual exam. This absolutely shattered all the self confidence I had built up.)
Looking back, the Official Mocks provide the closest evaluation to the actual exam. Their scoring algorithm is surely the closest one to the original's. Although I have to say, the actual GMAT did feel a bit tougher especially in the quant section but hey, maybe that's just because of nerves and exam stress.
3. RESOURCES
This, I feel, is highly subjective. What I did worked for me (somehow) but that definitely doesn't mean it would work for you.
The Official Guide questions are a must. They give you an insight into question patterns and language, and are an invaluable resource. I didn't make use of too many other books.
Besides the OG, the resource I used the most was, by far, GMAT Club. Everything I needed was right here. This website is a treasure trove, and that too for free. Towards the end of my preparation, I resorted to solving higher difficulty level questions topic wise from GMAT Club question banks, and tried to maintain a rough mental note of which areas I was struggling with. I would recommend you to go with a tutor or a coaching plan if you have the time and can afford it financially. I had neither the time nor the money, so I had to do with self study.
Also, GMAT Ninja is amazing for verbal. Make sure you go through their YouTube playlists.
4. ACTUAL PRACTICE:
A critical mistake I made during my prep is ignoring the 600-650 level 'easier' questions. DO NOT IGNORE THE EASY QUESTIONS, especially in quant. These are the questions which will highlight gaps in your concepts, concepts which will be tested in some form on the GMAT. I would recommend taking your time in answering questions especially at the beginning of your prep journey, but towards the end PLEASE start timing yourself so you can properly manage your time in practice mocks and the actual exam.
Coming from an engineering background, I was more or less acquainted with quant topics and concepts beforehand. Verbal was my real challenge. For me, sentence correction was the easiest in verbal. Most questions come in a 3-2 format, but extensive practice is crucial for choosing the correct answer between the 2 close answer choices. There are numerous experts on this sub, giving out outsanding advice each day. Make use of it.
For AWA, the chineseburned strategy is the best way to go.
5. LACK OF CONFIDENCE:
This is something I struggled with A LOT towards the end of my preparation. I had been seeing posts all around the internet, saying that the original exam was much more difficult as compared to the official mocks, especially in the verbal section. This took a toll on me, and I started doubting the effectiveness of my preparation. Also, I don't know why people have been saying recently that the verbal section on the original is a lot tougher than the official mocks? I did not find this to be true in my case, so perhaps it could be due to test anxiety, or maybe I just got lucky. And yes, PLEASE don't take any mocks a week before your exam date. Just believe in yourself and continue preparing like you had been for the weeks before.
I would like to end by saying that your GMAT preparation journey is yours and yours alone. Don't compare yourself to others.
I am not the sharpest tool in the shed, and if I could get a 700+, you can too. GO GET IT!
BACKGROUND:
I'm an engineer from India. I just turned 24 yesterday. Currently working at a MNC.
PLAN:
I had decided early this year that I wanted to pursue Masters in Management programs in Europe. I should have started to prepare for the GMAT a long time ago, but procrastination and my full time job got the better of me. I took my first cold mock on 16th August, scored a 620 (Q45, V31)
I had booked my GMAT for 6th of September, and this miserable score surely gave me a look into where I stood at that moment. I knew that I had to eventually prep and take the GMAT, but I had been procrastinating for months thinking that I would somehow manage it. I was targeting a score of 700+, and this miserable score in my first mock really jolted me back into action.
I decided to full send it, putting all my energy into this preparation over a span of one month.
Having a full time job and having to balance that along with your prep is not a very straightforward task, but it is something many of us have to deal with. I knew I would have to stay up late for many nights, and still show up at work the next morning. But it was something I knew I had to do, and that thought was enough to keep me going.
For anyone interested,
My most important tips and observations:
1. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE VALUE OF TIME MANAGEMENT
I took my mocks at the same time of day as my booked slot, with 4 minute breaks. I had struggled with time management on almost all of my 6-7 mocks. I always told myself that it would be fine on the actual day, and that I would somehow manage. Boy oh boy, what a mistake that was. On the day of the test, my mind blanked out once in each section. On the real exam, I was more careful answering each question and consequently a lot slower. At the end of the quant section I found myself at question 27 having 5 minutes left, and hence had to guess a few answers. Had I been more efficient at managing my time, my score would have probably been higher. The same issue happened with verbal. I cannot stress this enough, please practise proper time management techniques while taking your mocks. The real exam is only going to be tougher in this aspect.
2. MOCK SCORES:
My mock scores were as follows:
MGMAT: 620 Q45 V31 (16th Aug) (cold mock, made numerous calculation and other silly errors)
Princeton: 650 Q43 V38 (19th Aug) (this one really took a toll on me, as my target of 700 seemed really distant after this mock)
Experts Global: 720 Q49 V40 (24nd Aug) (This felt really good, hitting 700 for the first time just 12 days before my actual exam date)
GMAC Mock 1: 750 (Q50 V42) (26th Aug) (I was really surprised by this score, but I took this with a huge grain of salt since I had already seen a few of the questions earlier, and had really breezed through both sections)
GMAC Mock 2: 750 (Q49 V44) (31st Aug) (This gave a huge confidence boost, as I though that high scores in 2 back to back official mocks meant that my preparation was good enough)
Sigma-X/EGMAT: 680 (don't remember the individual scores) (3rd Sep) (My biggest mistake. Never should have taken this mock, that too just a couple of days before my actual exam. This absolutely shattered all the self confidence I had built up.)
Looking back, the Official Mocks provide the closest evaluation to the actual exam. Their scoring algorithm is surely the closest one to the original's. Although I have to say, the actual GMAT did feel a bit tougher especially in the quant section but hey, maybe that's just because of nerves and exam stress.
3. RESOURCES
This, I feel, is highly subjective. What I did worked for me (somehow) but that definitely doesn't mean it would work for you.
The Official Guide questions are a must. They give you an insight into question patterns and language, and are an invaluable resource. I didn't make use of too many other books.
Besides the OG, the resource I used the most was, by far, GMAT Club. Everything I needed was right here. This website is a treasure trove, and that too for free. Towards the end of my preparation, I resorted to solving higher difficulty level questions topic wise from GMAT Club question banks, and tried to maintain a rough mental note of which areas I was struggling with. I would recommend you to go with a tutor or a coaching plan if you have the time and can afford it financially. I had neither the time nor the money, so I had to do with self study.
Also, GMAT Ninja is amazing for verbal. Make sure you go through their YouTube playlists.
4. ACTUAL PRACTICE:
A critical mistake I made during my prep is ignoring the 600-650 level 'easier' questions. DO NOT IGNORE THE EASY QUESTIONS, especially in quant. These are the questions which will highlight gaps in your concepts, concepts which will be tested in some form on the GMAT. I would recommend taking your time in answering questions especially at the beginning of your prep journey, but towards the end PLEASE start timing yourself so you can properly manage your time in practice mocks and the actual exam.
Coming from an engineering background, I was more or less acquainted with quant topics and concepts beforehand. Verbal was my real challenge. For me, sentence correction was the easiest in verbal. Most questions come in a 3-2 format, but extensive practice is crucial for choosing the correct answer between the 2 close answer choices. There are numerous experts on this sub, giving out outsanding advice each day. Make use of it.
For AWA, the chineseburned strategy is the best way to go.
5. LACK OF CONFIDENCE:
This is something I struggled with A LOT towards the end of my preparation. I had been seeing posts all around the internet, saying that the original exam was much more difficult as compared to the official mocks, especially in the verbal section. This took a toll on me, and I started doubting the effectiveness of my preparation. Also, I don't know why people have been saying recently that the verbal section on the original is a lot tougher than the official mocks? I did not find this to be true in my case, so perhaps it could be due to test anxiety, or maybe I just got lucky. And yes, PLEASE don't take any mocks a week before your exam date. Just believe in yourself and continue preparing like you had been for the weeks before.
I would like to end by saying that your GMAT preparation journey is yours and yours alone. Don't compare yourself to others.
I am not the sharpest tool in the shed, and if I could get a 700+, you can too. GO GET IT!
RenB
Joined: 13 Jul 2022
Last visit: 02 Mar 2026
Posts: 389
Given Kudos: 304
Location: India
Concentration: Finance, Nonprofit
Schools: Stanford '26 Wharton '26 (D) Booth '26 (D) Yale '26 (D) CBS '26 (A$$$) Darden '26 (WL) HBS '26 (D) Ross '26 (A$$$$) LBS '26 (D) Tuck '26 (A$$) Kellogg '26 (A)
GMAT Focus 1: 715 Q90 V84 DI82 
GPA: 3.74
WE:Corporate Finance (Consulting)
Schools: Stanford '26 Wharton '26 (D) Booth '26 (D) Yale '26 (D) CBS '26 (A$$$) Darden '26 (WL) HBS '26 (D) Ross '26 (A$$$$) LBS '26 (D) Tuck '26 (A$$) Kellogg '26 (A)
GMAT Focus 1: 715 Q90 V84 DI82
Posts: 389
08 Sep 2023, 17:48
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essen07
This is super amazing! Heartiest congratulations on your score and all the best for the applications!
08 Sep 2023, 17:54
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Bookmarks
Wow. This is an amazing improvement. That’s like three weeks of studying only…
I really appreciate you sharing some tips and recommending that people not skip medium and easier questions. Everyone wants to run without crawling or walking and it’s important to understand why and I’m glad I’m not the only voice pointing to the direction…
Did you have to take the test for the round one deadline? 😬 it seems your GMAT plans have materialized less than a month ago so just wondering what the plan is 😇
Posted from my mobile device
I really appreciate you sharing some tips and recommending that people not skip medium and easier questions. Everyone wants to run without crawling or walking and it’s important to understand why and I’m glad I’m not the only voice pointing to the direction…
Did you have to take the test for the round one deadline? 😬 it seems your GMAT plans have materialized less than a month ago so just wondering what the plan is 😇
Posted from my mobile device
