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20 Aug 2024, 23:03
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I took my 4th attempt at the GMAT today. Got 715 overall with Q90, V85, DI81
I was relieved, as I had 705-745 in mind, and this was my last attempt (a hard stop I had set myself).
My journey started in December’23 when I took my first attempt at GMAT Classic without much prep and got a reality check - 690 (Q50, V33). I knew my verbal prep wasn't that great, so it proved to be my Achilles heel.
After that, I learned about GMAT Focus, took the six official mocks with scores in the range of 655-695, and went for it in February—I scored 685 (Q90, DI82, V80). However, I knew I had underperformed in Verbal yet again.
Hence, I thought of taking one more attempt in July before finally applying for the Sept '24 first-round deadlines.
This time, I felt things were falling in place, given that I scored between 725 and 745 in 4 of the 6 mocks I took. I also took a lot of sectionals and practice tests through GMATClub to fine-tune my strategy.
Took GMAT Focus the 2nd time in July end. I started with DI, and I messed it up royally - I got a really hard MSR set within the first five questions - I panicked and couldn't understand or solve it despite giving it 13 odd minutes, which really negatively hit my score (even though overall I got 13 questions right). Scored 645 overall (Q87, V82, DI76).
This attempt made me realize the importance of getting the initial few questions right. My hypothesis was that if I did very well in the first half of the sections, I could score pretty high even if the second half didn't go that well.
With this hypothesis, I decided to take my last final shot, tweaking my strategy a bit. I decided to take as much time as possible in the first 12-13 questions of each section to reach a high score in the middle of the test itself. It was a high-risk strategy, but I didn't have much to lose, as I already had a 740 equivalent score.
Took my final attempt yesterday. Again, I started out with DI and again found myself in a similar situation with a tough MSR within the 1st 5 questions - but this time, I kept my calm and powered through it. However, I encountered some lengthy and challenging questions in the middle part of the DI section, which I took my time on. When the last 6 questions were left I just had 4 mins - I quickly solved 2 of them and guessed the rest. I didn't exactly know how the DI section went, but I was happy that I was able to stick to the strategy I decided to go in with. Took a similar approach in Verbal as well but fortunately, I was able to solve 21 questions properly and was more confident about the verbal section (compared to DI). In case of Quants the first 7-8 questions were a breeze and I was able to get through them within the first 10 mins - post that I started getting the tougher ones but the time I had saved before came in handy. I felt like I was in a comfortable position but again found myself in a spot of bother in the last 5 questions as I over-spent my time on 1 question and fatigue also kicked in. But I was again able to power through in the last 4 with just guessing the last 1.
As I anxiously waited for the score after the test I was happy that I was able to execute my strategy but was uncertain whether it would bear any fruits. To my absolute joy I saw a 715 (Q90, V85, DI81) on the screen.
Here are a few takeaways I think worked in my favor:
1. The GMAT is not just an aptitude test—it's a test of how well you know your strengths and weaknesses, how smart you are with your time and whether you can do what is required at the right time, i.e., Adapt according to the needs.
2. The first few questions (7-10, depending on the section) are super critical - so I feel it's ok to spend a bit more time there and get those right
3. Having a high-level strategy for each section is super important, and to figure out your strategy, get to know your strengths and weaknesses very well - this is where practice, continuous analysis, and good mentors come into play
4. Though the official mocks are the closest replicas, you cannot take them at face value as the pool of questions is not that big. So adaptiveness, I feel, does suffer. So it's essential to take the proper lessons from it and take the scores with a pinch of salt.
5. Take as much rest as you can before the test—it helps to have a clear mind. I didn't practice even a question in the last seven days before the exam, and it really helped me stay in a good frame of mind and steer clear of any expectations about the exam.
Sharing the test score and charts below for the benefit of forum members:
Quant:
DI:
Verbal:
GMAT-Club-Forum-3hlkhbyl.png [ 143.25 KiB | Viewed 427 times ]
GMAT-Club-Forum-dbj289zh.png [ 119.39 KiB | Viewed 437 times ]
GMAT-Club-Forum-ppdn1dxa.png [ 123.73 KiB | Viewed 432 times ]
GMAT-Club-Forum-qq22kevc.png [ 143.85 KiB | Viewed 427 times ]
I was relieved, as I had 705-745 in mind, and this was my last attempt (a hard stop I had set myself).
My journey started in December’23 when I took my first attempt at GMAT Classic without much prep and got a reality check - 690 (Q50, V33). I knew my verbal prep wasn't that great, so it proved to be my Achilles heel.
After that, I learned about GMAT Focus, took the six official mocks with scores in the range of 655-695, and went for it in February—I scored 685 (Q90, DI82, V80). However, I knew I had underperformed in Verbal yet again.
Hence, I thought of taking one more attempt in July before finally applying for the Sept '24 first-round deadlines.
This time, I felt things were falling in place, given that I scored between 725 and 745 in 4 of the 6 mocks I took. I also took a lot of sectionals and practice tests through GMATClub to fine-tune my strategy.
Took GMAT Focus the 2nd time in July end. I started with DI, and I messed it up royally - I got a really hard MSR set within the first five questions - I panicked and couldn't understand or solve it despite giving it 13 odd minutes, which really negatively hit my score (even though overall I got 13 questions right). Scored 645 overall (Q87, V82, DI76).
This attempt made me realize the importance of getting the initial few questions right. My hypothesis was that if I did very well in the first half of the sections, I could score pretty high even if the second half didn't go that well.
With this hypothesis, I decided to take my last final shot, tweaking my strategy a bit. I decided to take as much time as possible in the first 12-13 questions of each section to reach a high score in the middle of the test itself. It was a high-risk strategy, but I didn't have much to lose, as I already had a 740 equivalent score.
Took my final attempt yesterday. Again, I started out with DI and again found myself in a similar situation with a tough MSR within the 1st 5 questions - but this time, I kept my calm and powered through it. However, I encountered some lengthy and challenging questions in the middle part of the DI section, which I took my time on. When the last 6 questions were left I just had 4 mins - I quickly solved 2 of them and guessed the rest. I didn't exactly know how the DI section went, but I was happy that I was able to stick to the strategy I decided to go in with. Took a similar approach in Verbal as well but fortunately, I was able to solve 21 questions properly and was more confident about the verbal section (compared to DI). In case of Quants the first 7-8 questions were a breeze and I was able to get through them within the first 10 mins - post that I started getting the tougher ones but the time I had saved before came in handy. I felt like I was in a comfortable position but again found myself in a spot of bother in the last 5 questions as I over-spent my time on 1 question and fatigue also kicked in. But I was again able to power through in the last 4 with just guessing the last 1.
As I anxiously waited for the score after the test I was happy that I was able to execute my strategy but was uncertain whether it would bear any fruits. To my absolute joy I saw a 715 (Q90, V85, DI81) on the screen.
Here are a few takeaways I think worked in my favor:
1. The GMAT is not just an aptitude test—it's a test of how well you know your strengths and weaknesses, how smart you are with your time and whether you can do what is required at the right time, i.e., Adapt according to the needs.
2. The first few questions (7-10, depending on the section) are super critical - so I feel it's ok to spend a bit more time there and get those right
3. Having a high-level strategy for each section is super important, and to figure out your strategy, get to know your strengths and weaknesses very well - this is where practice, continuous analysis, and good mentors come into play
4. Though the official mocks are the closest replicas, you cannot take them at face value as the pool of questions is not that big. So adaptiveness, I feel, does suffer. So it's essential to take the proper lessons from it and take the scores with a pinch of salt.
5. Take as much rest as you can before the test—it helps to have a clear mind. I didn't practice even a question in the last seven days before the exam, and it really helped me stay in a good frame of mind and steer clear of any expectations about the exam.
Sharing the test score and charts below for the benefit of forum members:
Quant:
DI:
Verbal:
Attachment:
GMAT-Club-Forum-3hlkhbyl.png [ 143.25 KiB | Viewed 427 times ]
Attachment:
GMAT-Club-Forum-dbj289zh.png [ 119.39 KiB | Viewed 437 times ]
Attachment:
GMAT-Club-Forum-ppdn1dxa.png [ 123.73 KiB | Viewed 432 times ]
Attachment:
GMAT-Club-Forum-qq22kevc.png [ 143.85 KiB | Viewed 427 times ]
20 Aug 2024, 23:07
Kudos
Bookmarks
All the best going forward. Nice Q90. Consider writing a profile-review. You could include your scoring info, the types of schools you're targeting, and any queries you may have.
captain0612
Joined: 10 Apr 2020
Last visit: 20 Apr 2026
Posts: 110
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 128
Location: India
Schools: Ross '26 (WL) IESE '26 (D)
GMAT Focus 1: 675 Q90 V82 DI78 
GMAT 1: 690 Q48 V35
GPA: 7
Products:
Schools: Ross '26 (WL) IESE '26 (D)
GMAT Focus 1: 675 Q90 V82 DI78
GMAT 1: 690 Q48 V35
Posts: 110
Kudos:
124
20 Aug 2024, 23:24
Kudos
Bookmarks
Congratulations cric_fan on your impressive score!Big takeaway for me is that the first few questions set the tone and can make a difference in achieving a high score.
If you don't mind sharing, I'd love to hear how you utilised the bookmark feature.
All the best for your applications!
If you don't mind sharing, I'd love to hear how you utilised the bookmark feature.
All the best for your applications!
