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Apr 2610:00 AM EDT
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The Target Test Prep course represents a quantum leap forward in GMAT preparation, a radical reinterpretation of the way that students should study. Try before you buy with a 5-day, full-access trial of the course for FREE!
Apr 2601:30 AM EDT
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Learn how Keshav, a Chartered Accountant, scored an impressive 705 on GMAT in just 30 days with GMATWhiz's expert guidance. In this video, he shares preparation tips and strategies that worked for him, including the mock, time management, and more.
Apr 2711:00 AM EDT
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Prefer video-based learning? The Target Test Prep OnDemand course is a one-of-a-kind video masterclass featuring 400 hours of lecture-style teaching by Scott Woodbury-Stewart, founder of Target Test Prep and one of the most accomplished GMAT instructors
Apr 2808:00 AM PDT
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Whether you are just beginning your MBA journey or fine-tuning your path to a 700+ score, GMAT Day is designed to give you a competitive edge.
Apr 2912:30 AM EDT
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Learn how Kamakshi achieved a GMAT 675 with an impressive 96th %ile in Data Insights. Discover the unique methods and exam strategies that helped her excel in DI along with other sections for a balanced and high score.
May 0111:00 AM PDT
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Free- full-length test + 15 concept videos + 150+ short videos + study plan!
May 0306:30 AM PDT
-08:30 AM PDT
Verbal trouble on GMAT? Fix it NOW! Join Sunita Singhvi for a focused webinar on actionable strategies to boost your Verbal score and take your performance to the next level.
28 Sep 2024, 03:22
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From 585 to 715: My GMAT Focus Edition Journey
Hey GMAT Club! I recently scored a 715 (99th percentile) on the GMAT Focus Edition. I want to share my journey with you, hoping it might inspire and help some of you out there.
A bit about me: I graduated with a Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering from Bangalore, in 2019. Since then, I've worked in strategy roles for startups and managed a couple of business ventures. MBA had been on my mind for a while, but I wanted to gain the right level of experience before taking the plunge.
My GMAT scores: Initial diagnostic: 585 (V83, Q79, DI79) Final score: 715 (V87, Q86, DI83)
My GMAT Journey
When I first decided to take the GMAT, I was overwhelmed by the options and information available. It took me about three months to fully commit to the exam. After extensive research and talking to friends who had taken the test, I settled on e-GMAT as my primary resource. Their structured approach and emphasis on data-driven learning resonated with my engineering background.
My preparation lasted about four months, and it was quite a roller coaster. I faced numerous challenges, had moments of doubt, but also experienced breakthroughs that kept me going.
Overcoming My Challenges
Verbal: Starting at V83, I knew I had a decent foundation, but pushing to V87 (99th percentile) was no easy feat.
For Critical Reasoning, my biggest hurdle was unlearning some of my intuitive approaches that weren't effective for harder questions. Through e-GMAT's CR course, I developed a pre-thinking strategy that, while unnatural at first, became my secret weapon for tackling tough CR questions. By the end of my prep, I was consistently scoring 80% accuracy on hard CR questions in Scholaranium.
In Reading Comprehension, my main struggle was retaining important details. The e-GMAT course introduced me to visualization techniques that dramatically improved my comprehension and recall. I made it a habit to read the first word of each new passage with intense focus, kickstarting my mental imagery. This approach helped me boost my accuracy on hard RC questions to 75%.
Quant: Surprisingly, as an engineer, Quant was initially my weakest area. Starting at Q79 was a humbling experience. I realized I needed to build a solid process for harder questions, rather than relying on mental math shortcuts.
e-GMAT's PACE engine was a game-changer for me as it helped me not waste priceless hours on Quant concepts I was already strong at. This way I could target my weaker areas and work on them with complete focus and confidence. I developed a strategy of doing a set number of questions in each topic before moving on, regardless of my accuracy. This helped me identify patterns and create mental frameworks for different question types. It was tough, but seeing my progress was incredibly motivating. By the end of my prep, I was consistently scoring 70% on hard quant questions in Scholaranium.
Data Insights: The DI section was a unique challenge. I improved from DI79 to DI83 (96th percentile), but I believe I could have done even better with a few tweaks to my approach.
Time management was my biggest hurdle, especially with multi-source reasoning (MSR) questions. e-GMAT's DI course helped me develop strategies for each question type. For MSR, I learned to quickly skim all sources before diving into questions, which saved me precious time. My accuracy on hard DI questions reached 65% by test day.
My Study Approach
Error logs were my secret weapon. They helped me identify patterns in my mistakes and track my improvement over time. It was tedious at first, but the insights I gained were invaluable.
For practice, I primarily used e-GMAT's Scholaranium. After solving about 1000 questions, I could start predicting question types just by reading the first few lines. This pattern recognition was crucial on test day.
Mentorship and Last Mile Push Program
Enrolling in e-GMAT's Last Mile Push Program was a turning point in my preparation. My mentor, Dhruv, provided personalized strategies and consistent feedback that helped me push through plateaus.
One key insight Dhruv gave me was to focus on my strengths while strategically improving my weaknesses. This balanced approach helped me maintain confidence while still making progress in challenging areas.
Mock Tests and Final Preparation
My mock scores ranged from 665 to 695, with a couple of outliers. I started taking two mocks in a day (morning and evening) to get a more accurate picture of my performance. The variability in my last two mocks (655 and 695) was nerve-wracking, but it taught me to focus on the process, not just the scores.
Test Day Experience
Test day brought its own set of challenges. I had a minor panic when I realized I didn't have all the required documents. Pro tip: Double-check all emails from both GMAC and Pearson!
I also regret not practicing more with an official-style scratch pad and marker. The unfamiliar writing surface threw me off initially.
Despite these hiccups (and some unexpected background noise during my RC passages - not kidding), I managed to stay focused. The countless hours of practice and the strategies I'd internalized kicked in, and I achieved my target score.
Key Takeaways
1. Start mock tests earlier than you think you should.
2. Use error logs religiously - they're game-changers.
3. Invest in a structured course (e-GMAT worked wonders for me) and utilize all available resources.
4. Don't underestimate any section, even if you think it's your strength.
5. Time management is crucial - know when to move on from tough questions.
6. A good mentor can make a world of difference in your preparation.
7. Stay calm on test day - you've prepared for this!
Conclusion
This journey tested me in ways I never expected, but it also showed me what I'm capable of. Standing on the other side with a 715, I can say every late night and frustrating practice session was worth it.
To those of you still on this path: keep pushing. Remember, it's not just about the score, but the growth you experience along the way. With the right resources and mindset, you can achieve your GMAT goals. You've got this!
Feel free to reach out if you have any questions. Good luck on your GMAT journey!
Hey GMAT Club! I recently scored a 715 (99th percentile) on the GMAT Focus Edition. I want to share my journey with you, hoping it might inspire and help some of you out there.
A bit about me: I graduated with a Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering from Bangalore, in 2019. Since then, I've worked in strategy roles for startups and managed a couple of business ventures. MBA had been on my mind for a while, but I wanted to gain the right level of experience before taking the plunge.
My GMAT scores: Initial diagnostic: 585 (V83, Q79, DI79) Final score: 715 (V87, Q86, DI83)
My GMAT Journey
When I first decided to take the GMAT, I was overwhelmed by the options and information available. It took me about three months to fully commit to the exam. After extensive research and talking to friends who had taken the test, I settled on e-GMAT as my primary resource. Their structured approach and emphasis on data-driven learning resonated with my engineering background.
My preparation lasted about four months, and it was quite a roller coaster. I faced numerous challenges, had moments of doubt, but also experienced breakthroughs that kept me going.
Overcoming My Challenges
Verbal: Starting at V83, I knew I had a decent foundation, but pushing to V87 (99th percentile) was no easy feat.
For Critical Reasoning, my biggest hurdle was unlearning some of my intuitive approaches that weren't effective for harder questions. Through e-GMAT's CR course, I developed a pre-thinking strategy that, while unnatural at first, became my secret weapon for tackling tough CR questions. By the end of my prep, I was consistently scoring 80% accuracy on hard CR questions in Scholaranium.
In Reading Comprehension, my main struggle was retaining important details. The e-GMAT course introduced me to visualization techniques that dramatically improved my comprehension and recall. I made it a habit to read the first word of each new passage with intense focus, kickstarting my mental imagery. This approach helped me boost my accuracy on hard RC questions to 75%.
Quant: Surprisingly, as an engineer, Quant was initially my weakest area. Starting at Q79 was a humbling experience. I realized I needed to build a solid process for harder questions, rather than relying on mental math shortcuts.
e-GMAT's PACE engine was a game-changer for me as it helped me not waste priceless hours on Quant concepts I was already strong at. This way I could target my weaker areas and work on them with complete focus and confidence. I developed a strategy of doing a set number of questions in each topic before moving on, regardless of my accuracy. This helped me identify patterns and create mental frameworks for different question types. It was tough, but seeing my progress was incredibly motivating. By the end of my prep, I was consistently scoring 70% on hard quant questions in Scholaranium.
Data Insights: The DI section was a unique challenge. I improved from DI79 to DI83 (96th percentile), but I believe I could have done even better with a few tweaks to my approach.
Time management was my biggest hurdle, especially with multi-source reasoning (MSR) questions. e-GMAT's DI course helped me develop strategies for each question type. For MSR, I learned to quickly skim all sources before diving into questions, which saved me precious time. My accuracy on hard DI questions reached 65% by test day.
My Study Approach
Error logs were my secret weapon. They helped me identify patterns in my mistakes and track my improvement over time. It was tedious at first, but the insights I gained were invaluable.
For practice, I primarily used e-GMAT's Scholaranium. After solving about 1000 questions, I could start predicting question types just by reading the first few lines. This pattern recognition was crucial on test day.
Mentorship and Last Mile Push Program
Enrolling in e-GMAT's Last Mile Push Program was a turning point in my preparation. My mentor, Dhruv, provided personalized strategies and consistent feedback that helped me push through plateaus.
One key insight Dhruv gave me was to focus on my strengths while strategically improving my weaknesses. This balanced approach helped me maintain confidence while still making progress in challenging areas.
Mock Tests and Final Preparation
My mock scores ranged from 665 to 695, with a couple of outliers. I started taking two mocks in a day (morning and evening) to get a more accurate picture of my performance. The variability in my last two mocks (655 and 695) was nerve-wracking, but it taught me to focus on the process, not just the scores.
Test Day Experience
Test day brought its own set of challenges. I had a minor panic when I realized I didn't have all the required documents. Pro tip: Double-check all emails from both GMAC and Pearson!
I also regret not practicing more with an official-style scratch pad and marker. The unfamiliar writing surface threw me off initially.
Despite these hiccups (and some unexpected background noise during my RC passages - not kidding), I managed to stay focused. The countless hours of practice and the strategies I'd internalized kicked in, and I achieved my target score.
Key Takeaways
1. Start mock tests earlier than you think you should.
2. Use error logs religiously - they're game-changers.
3. Invest in a structured course (e-GMAT worked wonders for me) and utilize all available resources.
4. Don't underestimate any section, even if you think it's your strength.
5. Time management is crucial - know when to move on from tough questions.
6. A good mentor can make a world of difference in your preparation.
7. Stay calm on test day - you've prepared for this!
Conclusion
This journey tested me in ways I never expected, but it also showed me what I'm capable of. Standing on the other side with a 715, I can say every late night and frustrating practice session was worth it.
To those of you still on this path: keep pushing. Remember, it's not just about the score, but the growth you experience along the way. With the right resources and mindset, you can achieve your GMAT goals. You've got this!
Feel free to reach out if you have any questions. Good luck on your GMAT journey!
28 Sep 2024, 04:02
Kudos
Bookmarks
Congrats for the score
All the best for applications
Posted from my mobile device
All the best for applications
Posted from my mobile device
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