My GMAT FE 675 debrief

Question

1. Background & challenges
 
 I started GMAT prep at least  3 years ago , but always tried to manage it alongside a full-time, extremely hectic work schedule. 
 I have significant family obligations that require my  physical presence , plus weeks (especially June to September) when I can’t even spare Sundays. 
 Academically, I don’t come from an engineering background, so quantitative fundamentals weren’t strong.

2. Early prep & failures
 
 My first class was with a  local coach using the old‐edition GMAT . The focus was mostly “sums / drills,” which felt disconnected from real GMAT style. 
 Quant was “okay-ish,” but  Verbal was terrible  — especially sentence correction, critical reasoning, etc. 
 Because of work and family pressures, I procrastinated a lot. At one point, I gave a free mock, got demoralized, and realized I lacked  confidence  and clarity on how to progress. 
 By then, GMAT (Focus / new edition) had shifted, which meant previous prep was less relevant.  
Then, I joined another local class. This time, Verbal improved somewhat, but Quant became weak again. The class style was still too mechanical and lacked depth for problem-solving surprises. Meanwhile, I practiced questions on GMAT Club in a scattered, unplanned way — not following a structured roadmap.

3. Turning point / pivot

I started watching quant videos on YouTube and found an  outstanding quant professor . I reached out to him, and he recommended  Target Test Prep (TTP)  for quant as a complete, rigorous system. He said “you won’t need anything else.” 
 Although TTP was expensive and intensive, I decided to commit fully — it turned out to be the best decision of my GMAT journey.

4. Deep dive with TTP & structured study
 
 TTP is  very extensive . It is not something you can begin 1–2 months before your test and expect full coverage; ideally, you should begin 5–6+ months out so you can go deep. 
 I used it  topic by topic : theory, example walkthroughs, and then sets of easy / medium / hard practice for each topic. 
 During the TTP phase, I didn’t divide my attention too much — I mostly stayed focused on TTP plus selective mock exams. 
 As soon as I was comfortable with portions, I began taking mocks from  Experts’ Global  and  GMAT Official . In total, I took ~ 15 Experts’ Global mocks  and  6 Official mocks ×2 (i.e. 12 official mock attempts) , reserving 5–6 mocks for the final stretch. 
 After finishing the TTP curriculum, I transitioned to practicing  GMAT Club “difficult” questions , but I also followed advice from peers:  don’t only do 700+ level problems . The sweet spot was practicing many 655-level problems, solidifying consistency before pushing difficulty higher.

5. Disruptions & setbacks
 
 During prep, there were periods when  family health issues  demanded time and mental bandwidth, which disrupted consistency. 
 In some phases, I couldn’t maintain my ideal mock schedule or study intensity. 
 These interruptions likely prevented me from achieving my “peak” potential on the first attempt.

6. Attempts, test day, result
 
 I made a couple of attempts (the score gap was 30 points in the first and last). 
 On my final attempt, I brought all my learnings together. 
 My final score:  675  (Quant / Verbal breakdown as per your result). 
 Though not perfect, this result reflected steady growth, resilience, and incremental gains.

7. What worked vs what didn’t & advice
 What worked / strengths: 
 
 TTP’s structured, topic-wise approach helped me build solid fundamentals and cover “corner cases.” 
 Using mocks from both official and third-party sources forced me to adapt to variability. 
 Gradually transitioning from easier to tougher questions (rather than diving into only hardest ones) helped avoid burnout and cement consistency. 
 Staying persistent despite life’s disruptions.  
 What didn’t work / mistakes: 
 
 Starting too early in fragmented way without a clear plan led to slow progress. 
 Doing random GMAT Club problems without integration (i.e. without linking back to weaknesses) was low yield. 
 Underestimating the time needed for full coverage of TTP. 
 Not treating mocks early on as checkpoints — sometimes I delayed mocks due to fear of low score. 
 The disruptions in consistency (due to life events) hurt performance.  
 Advice for those in similar shoes (job + family constraints + non-quant background): 
 
  Plan a long runway  — aim for 5–6+ (minimum) months of structured prep if possible. 
 Choose a strong, structured system (like TTP) early, and use it as your backbone. 
 Allocate mocks early and often to calibrate. 
 Resist the temptation to “jump into hardest problems” too soon — build consistency first. 
 During disruption periods, maintain at least minimal touch (e.g. 30 minutes review) to avoid backsliding. 
 Use forums like GMAT Club to align your arrangement of problem difficulty, share challenges, and maintain accountability.  
 
8. Closing thoughts & encouragement
 This journey was far from smooth. I had multiple setbacks, doubts, and plateaus. But reaching 675 (from Verbal being my weak spot and life constraints) taught me that steady, consistent effort + the right framework can move mountains.
 If you’re juggling work, family, or not a quant kid, know this: your path may be longer, but you can reach your target. I’m happy to answer any questions, share my study logs, or help anyone in a similar spot.
 Best of luck to all - persistence + structure is your secret weapon.

ExpertsGlobal5 · Answer

Congratulations, Vishva!

I'm glad that all the hard work eventually paid off!

All the best for applications!

PS: as you are our GMAT student, you are eligible for certain offers on admission consulting; you may want to inquire for a free strategy session -- https://www.expertsglobal.com/mba-admissions-consulting

Missinga · Answer

Congrats and all the best going forward!

Asishkancherla · Answer

Congratulations on a great score and a fruitful journey!!

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi VishvaT,

What an incredible story of resilience and perseverance. Balancing work, family, and GMAT prep over several years is no small feat and your journey truly shows how structure and determination pay off.

Target Test Prep clearly gave you the backbone and confidence you needed to rebuild your quant fundamentals and achieve a solid 675, which proves that with the right system and mindset, steady progress always wins.

Congrats again, and good luck with things moving forward.

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