Setting the Stage (March 2023)
In the realm of medicine, numbers often take a back seat to diagnoses and treatments. However, as a 29-year-old practicing resident physician in internal medicine, with growing experience in the world of healthcare management and innovation, I decided to venture into the uncharted territories of GMAT preparation in order to enrich my curriculum with an MBA. A decade had passed since I last grappled with mathematics, making the endeavor seem akin to starting anew. It was trivial to foresee that Quant (📌 the Mathematical section of the GMAT exam) would not have been my strongest side.
Armed with a notorious prep book, I embarked on my journey. I was confident enough, at least, to have the necessary skills required for success.
💡Key Lesson:
Acknowledging your limits is the first step towards overcoming them.The First Attempt (July 2023)
With my strategy in place, I diligently completed the prep book and started attempting some diagnostic quizzes, with encouraging results.
I wondered on the web, trying to figure out what the infamous questions of the GMAT could ever be. I tried some, and got almost none correct. Quant was humiliating, but Verbal (📌 the Reading/Logical/Grammar section of the GMAT exam) was not better off. My previously solid-appearing preparation program crumbled upon the realization that, before devising my strategy, understanding how high achievers navigated this challenging landscape was imperative.
I looked for the best online course available, based on a simple metric: the proportion of enrolled students achieving extraordinary results on official GMAT exams. Youtube interviews by e-GMAT alumni inspired me and convinced me their program must have been the right fit. I enrolled, I built my Personalized Study Plan (📌 a detailed daily study calendar to take you from Day 1 to Test Day), and - as suggested by the course - I approached my first Mock attempt.
My confidence was quickly shattered by a disheartening 550. Wow, that was lower than low. Business schools appeared very far on the horizon. It was a stark wake-up call. This setback, however, became the catalyst for a paradigm shift. The journey was not just about mastering the GMAT; it was about resilience in the face of adversity.
💡Key Lesson:
Failures are not roadblocks but the essential stepping stones to eventual success.Navigating the Challenge (Summer 2023)
Payal will expertly tell you that several stages of learning exist, for any discipline (📌 e-GMAT teaches 3 stages of learning, and provides the tool to acquire and master all such levels). In the case of the GMAT exam, these must not be ignored. In simple terms, Payal and e-GMAT ask you not to fool yourself thinking you have perfectly learned concepts which you barely grasped and cannot put to use in practice. They show you the immense distance between passive knowledge and skill mastery.
Such guidance proved invaluable. Embracing the structured learning approach became a cornerstone for navigating the intricate world of hard-level questions.
The pivotal moment arrived early in the Quant 2.0 course (📌 e-GMAT’s interactive learning modules that teach you Mathematical theory, topic by topic), at the first checkpoint after completing the Number Properties lessons (📌 the first section in the Quant course). August arrived, and I attempted and miserably failed all Cementing Quizzes (📌 a learning stage where targeted questions allow you to understand how effectively you acquired the concepts and skills taught in the course). A second blow to the ego. I purchased the right course, I followed all the lessons, I took all required practice questions: how was that possible?
As burnout loomed, I made a conscious decision to utilize the summer vacation for relaxation and not for studying more intensely, understanding that a well-balanced life was essential for sustained success.
💡Key Lesson:
Patience and a balanced approach are crucial in mastering complex subjects. Burnout does not bring you closer to top scoring, nor to a successful career. Learn to listen to yourself, keep your own pace, and achieve your own version of greatness.Resurgence (September 2023)
The resurgence began in September as I meticulously juggled work, study, and personal commitments. New rule in the game: no self-judgement and no more mock attempts before fully graduating from Scholaranium (📌 question bank and online quiz simulator, with thousands of Quant & Verbal questions, categorized by topic and difficulty level). Schol is the battleground where your fears, self-esteem, and progress are confronted. It became to me more than a question bank; it was a guidance system offering insights into correct problem-solving approaches. The realization dawned that success was not just about answering questions but learning from them.
Incredibly helpful were the discussions around the explanations and solutions provided by expert e-GMAT tutors.
💡Key Lesson:
Whenever you feel you are right in a question you answered incorrectly, you are not. (Somebody had the same thought process, the answer to your mistake is already posted in the comments. Go look for it, spend time on it. That is the way of mastery)
Mentorship and Transformation (December 2023)
Despite my efforts, my accuracy remained unsatisfactory. The e-GMAT team, led by Rajat, intervened, offering mentorship through the Last Mile Program (📌 expert coaching program offered in the last 35 days before test day). Rida Shafeek became my guide, offering invaluable feedback that fueled my progress.
Every imperfection was noted, saved as bookmark, analyzed in the
Error Log (📌 the detailed archive of your past mistakes, and the go-to tool to analyze your weaknesses and improve your performance), scrutinized to interpret its underlying causes and worked on for an effective and transformative learning. It is not the number of questions you attempt, but how much you learn from each question you miss or solve correctly but with imperfect process. Objective external feedback from Rida was my catalyst for improvement.
💡Key Lesson:
Process Skills are everything.Ebb and Flow (January 2024)
The journey became a rhythmic dance of successes and failures until Learning Stage 3 was completed. Second Mock attempt: 680. Big improvement from the first attempt, undoubtedly. Nothing compared with my expectations, though, and all hard work put in. The controlled environment of quizzes didn’t mirror the high-stakes scenario. The ebb and flow of progress marked the dynamic nature of my GMAT preparation.
💡Key Lesson:
Success is not linear; it's a process of continuous refinement.Verbal Reinvention (Closer and closer to Test Day)
A critical turning point arrived with the reevaluation of my verbal skills. I was hoping I could beat the Verbal section without too much effort, given the overwhelming struggle with Quant. Even this safer side had to be broken.
With e-GMAT, Pre-thinking skill (📌 a technique taught in the Verbal course, where the student learns how to dissect the logical structure of a question and sets up the strategy to find the correct answer), a crucial aspect to crack any RC and CR question, becomes second nature, as Harshavardhan and his colleagues are incredibly passionate teachers. This skill has astounding impact: it allows not only to excel at GMAT, but also to navigate your own world with clearer logical sight.
Managing anxiety, refining processes, and cultivating a strategic mindset propelled me to a remarkable third Mock: 760.
💡Key Lesson:
GMAT success translates into real-life skills with far-reaching positive impacts.The Reality Check (Two days before Test Day)
Third Mock was amazing, but what if luck played a part? It somewhat did, I thought, as I had guessed a few questions correctly. Rida asked me to avoid such reasoning to concentrate on methodology and process.
I concentrated again on the pattern of mistakes to understand where my process was not unbeatable, and how to strengthen it.
Fourth Mock: 780. That was it, I felt like a superhuman. GMAT was tamed and I felt I had everything under control.
The illusion of invincibility crumbles - two days before the test - with my fifth and last Mock, and a frightening drop to 690. Where did my skills go?
It was a crude reminder that skill alone is not enough. The final realization hit home: test day success requires a delicate balance of technical ability, calmness, focus, stamina, motivation, and resilience. Rida, again, proved also a very humane coach, prompting me to reflect on and aim to achieve such an equilibrium.
💡Key Lesson:
The final battle is not just about skill but a holistic approach to the test day.The Final Battle (Test Day)
On test day, the true challenge surfaced—facing inner enemies and overcoming unforeseen roadblocks.
It is a matter of fact: during the test you will find difficult questions that you struggle to solve. You will find questions you thought you solved correctly that will haunt you later on during the test, telling you you missed a tiny detail, and the answer you submitted was wrong.
💡Key Lesson:
To be a master of the GMAT exam is to be a master of your own self.EpilogueMy GMAT journey was a symphony of few triumphs, many failures, and uncountable lessons learned. As you embark on your own odyssey, remember that success is not just about conquering the GMAT; it's about conquering yourself. May your journey be marked by meaningful lessons and triumphant victories.