To get the TL;DR out the way, TTP helped me raise my GMAT focus score from a 625 (Q78, V84, D81) to a 705 (Q86, V86, D83). As you can see, the area I needed help in the most was the quant section, and TTP broke down that section into its basic components and topics. I am very confident that I would not have gotten the score I did were it not for this software, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking to get an M7 competitive score. It's well worth the price.
My Before: I came into my initial GMAT prep pretty confident and admittedly cocky because I was normally an extremely good test taker who didn't need to study all that much to get good scores. I started to realize pretty quickly that the GMAT might be a bit different when I took my first practice test and scored a 615. The math isn't quite straightforward and there were a few types of math that I was out of practice with. I couldn't really understand what I was doing wrong because the official GMAT website only really explains how to solve a particular problem and doesn't really give a framework for solving
types of problems, which is what I was sorely missing. After taking a second practice exam and scoring a 625, I told myself that I would score better on the day. Unsurprisingly, I scored exactly what my practice exams told me I would. I didn't intend to apply until next year, so I decided to take a few months to mentally rest and recover. I had been studying for around 3 months and just needed to reflect on what I needed to do better. I tried to tell myself that I may still be able to get into my top schools with my score, but that just wasn't realistic thinking given the rest of my profile. Around December of 2024, I promised myself I'd give it another try, and this time I would get a truly competitive score.
Deciding on TTP: I knew I needed a software to help me study because I had tried for months to study on my own and found that I was stuck in this weird zone of having a good score, but not a good enough score to be truly competitive. I needed to push myself. I wanted a software that would give me a broad framework and method for tackling question types/categories. I heard about TTP through rareliquid and decided to give it a try. They had a free trial as well as a discount code through him so I gave it a try. I chose to study at my own pace and as soon as I saw the lessons I knew it was exactly what I was looking for.
Studying with TTP: The area I needed help with the most was quant, and so that was the primary area of focus for me. Thankfully, TTP is extremely quant heavy and I focused more on the areas I knew I needed help with, while simply brushing up on the areas i was already pretty confident in. No matter what though, the lessons taught me helpful shortcuts to make my calculations snappier. I actually started to find my love for math again. Personally, I found the lessons on factors/factor
ing, combinatorics, and FOIL to be the most helpful mostly because I encountered some variation of those problems the most often across my actual attempts and practice tests. TTP is particularly known for its quant prep, but I think there is a lot to be learned from its reading and data insights as well. If you're someone who needs help in those areas, but has a solid lock on quant, you'll still find a great deal of good tips and tricks to increase your score. For me, I only did some minor studying and review.The Test: Eventually I was confident enough to take a practice exam, the first one in months. I got a 665, which gave me the confidence I needed to study harder and lock in on where I was soft. Then came the second practice exam: a 695. At that point I was ready to take the actual exam. As you know from the title, I got a 705, and I have to admit that the reason for that score was TTP. Not only did it provide literally hundreds of practice problems, but a comprehensive framework for tackling the problems I needed help with the most. I'd recommend it to anyone who's serious about getting a truly competitive score.