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Nov 1912:30 PM EST
-01:30 PM EST
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
Nov 1811:00 AM PST
-12:00 PM PST
Join us in a live GMAT practice session and solve 30 challenging GMAT questions with other test takers in timed conditions, covering GMAT Quant, Data Sufficiency, Data Insights, Reading Comprehension, and Critical Reasoning questions.
Nov 2001:30 PM EST
-02:30 PM IST
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.
Nov 2211:00 AM IST
-01:00 PM IST
Do RC/MSR passages scare you? e-GMAT is conducting a masterclass to help you learn – Learn effective reading strategies Tackle difficult RC & MSR with confidence Excel in timed test environment- Nov 23
11:00 AM IST
-01:00 PM IST
Attend this free GMAT Algebra Webinar and learn how to master the most challenging Inequalities and Absolute Value problems with ease. 
Nov 2407:00 PM PST
-08:00 PM PST
Full-length FE mock with insightful analytics, weakness diagnosis, and video explanations!
Nov 2510:00 AM EST
-11:00 AM EST
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.
04 Nov 2025, 01:49
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One of the most underestimated aspects of GMAT preparation is the amount of time it truly takes to achieve mastery. Many students begin their studies believing that a month or two of focused effort will be enough to reach their target scores. They may have read stories of people who studied for six weeks and saw dramatic results, or they may have been told that a few hours of study each day for a few weeks is all it takes.
But once they begin, reality sets in. The material feels more complex than expected. Progress comes slower. Practice test scores fluctuate. What seemed like a quick project starts to feel like a long-term commitment.
That moment of realization can be discouraging. When expectations collide with reality, it is natural to question your ability or motivation. You might begin to wonder whether you are “bad at standardized tests” or simply not cut out for the GMAT. In truth, these doubts rarely reflect your potential. More often, they reflect a mismatch between initial expectations and the actual nature of deep learning.
Real GMAT progress happens over time. It is not a straight line, and it rarely fits neatly into a 4- or 6-week plan. If you want to perform at your best, it helps to plan for a longer, steadier process. A timeline of four to six months gives you space to learn, reinforce, and refine. It allows time to review missed questions, revisit challenging concepts, and strengthen weak areas without feeling rushed. It also gives you the flexibility to retake practice tests, learn from them, and grow steadily more confident.
When you give yourself that time, test day stops feeling like a high-stakes finish line and becomes part of a broader learning journey. You begin to see each week of study as an investment in your performance, not a countdown to a deadline.
Another key factor in long-term success is consistency. Studying every day, even briefly, makes a measurable difference. Regular exposure keeps concepts fresh and reinforces the habits that drive improvement. When you take long breaks, your skills cool off, and you spend valuable time reviewing old ground instead of building new strength.
Even short study sessions matter. Ten minutes of flashcards during a lunch break or a quick review of data sufficiency questions before bed might not feel like much, but these moments compound. Over time, they build fluency, confidence, and endurance. Cramming for the GMAT the way you might cram for a college exam simply does not work, because the GMAT tests reasoning, precision, and stamina—skills that develop only through repetition and reflection.
So if you are deep into your prep and feeling like progress is slow, take heart. That is what progress looks like. Improvement in GMAT performance is often invisible in the short term but unmistakable in the long term. Stay patient, stay consistent, and give yourself time to grow into the score you want. The students who succeed are not always the fastest learners, but they are almost always the most persistent.
Reach out to me with any questions about your GMAT prep. Happy studying!
Warmest regards,
Scott Woodbury-Stewart
Founder & CEO, Target Test Prep
Why GMAT Prep Takes Longer Than You Think
One of the most underestimated aspects of GMAT preparation is the amount of time it truly takes to achieve mastery. Many students begin their studies believing that a month or two of focused effort will be enough to reach their target scores. They may have read stories of people who studied for six weeks and saw dramatic results, or they may have been told that a few hours of study each day for a few weeks is all it takes.
But once they begin, reality sets in. The material feels more complex than expected. Progress comes slower. Practice test scores fluctuate. What seemed like a quick project starts to feel like a long-term commitment.
That moment of realization can be discouraging. When expectations collide with reality, it is natural to question your ability or motivation. You might begin to wonder whether you are “bad at standardized tests” or simply not cut out for the GMAT. In truth, these doubts rarely reflect your potential. More often, they reflect a mismatch between initial expectations and the actual nature of deep learning.
Real GMAT progress happens over time. It is not a straight line, and it rarely fits neatly into a 4- or 6-week plan. If you want to perform at your best, it helps to plan for a longer, steadier process. A timeline of four to six months gives you space to learn, reinforce, and refine. It allows time to review missed questions, revisit challenging concepts, and strengthen weak areas without feeling rushed. It also gives you the flexibility to retake practice tests, learn from them, and grow steadily more confident.
When you give yourself that time, test day stops feeling like a high-stakes finish line and becomes part of a broader learning journey. You begin to see each week of study as an investment in your performance, not a countdown to a deadline.
Another key factor in long-term success is consistency. Studying every day, even briefly, makes a measurable difference. Regular exposure keeps concepts fresh and reinforces the habits that drive improvement. When you take long breaks, your skills cool off, and you spend valuable time reviewing old ground instead of building new strength.
Even short study sessions matter. Ten minutes of flashcards during a lunch break or a quick review of data sufficiency questions before bed might not feel like much, but these moments compound. Over time, they build fluency, confidence, and endurance. Cramming for the GMAT the way you might cram for a college exam simply does not work, because the GMAT tests reasoning, precision, and stamina—skills that develop only through repetition and reflection.
So if you are deep into your prep and feeling like progress is slow, take heart. That is what progress looks like. Improvement in GMAT performance is often invisible in the short term but unmistakable in the long term. Stay patient, stay consistent, and give yourself time to grow into the score you want. The students who succeed are not always the fastest learners, but they are almost always the most persistent.
Reach out to me with any questions about your GMAT prep. Happy studying!
Warmest regards,
Scott Woodbury-Stewart
Founder & CEO, Target Test Prep
06 Nov 2025, 06:56
Kudos
Bookmarks
GMAT Verbal question writers are highly skilled at designing answer choices that appear correct on the surface but are not. Their goal is to make wrong answers feel right and correct answers less obvious. One of the ways they accomplish this is through language manipulation. They often make incorrect options echo key words or phrases from the passage or argument, while correct answers are phrased differently.
This approach works because our brains are naturally drawn to familiarity. When we see a choice that uses the same language as the passage, it feels comfortable and accurate. Conversely, when we see an answer written in new wording, we may instinctively distrust it, assuming that it must differ in meaning. However, this kind of superficial reading is exactly what the test writers are counting on.
The GMAT still tests whether you can think critically, evaluate arguments, and understand written material precisely. Success depends on more than recognizing familiar language. It depends on your ability to assess meaning and logic. Choosing an answer simply because it sounds right or uses familiar phrases will lead you directly into traps designed for that very purpose. Many incorrect answers mirror the text but introduce subtle logical flaws or shifts in meaning. You might find that a choice seems aligned with the passage but actually reverses cause and effect, adds unsupported assumptions, or distorts the author’s intent.
At the same time, correct answers often restate key ideas in new language. They paraphrase or reframe the logic without changing the underlying meaning. Recognizing this requires flexibility and a deeper level of comprehension. The GMAT rewards those who can identify the logical relationship between ideas, even when the wording looks unfamiliar.
To perform well, make logic and meaning your focus. When reviewing answer choices, ask yourself what each one actually says, not what it sounds like. Determine whether the reasoning aligns with the passage or argument and whether it satisfies the specific question task. If a choice feels right only because it uses familiar words, examine it more closely. If it expresses the correct logic in different terms, that may be the correct answer.
The key to excelling on the GMAT Verbal section is to resist the temptation of surface-level similarity. Your goal is not to find the choice that looks right, but the one that makes sense logically. Once you begin to evaluate answer choices through that lens, you will avoid common traps, improve your accuracy, and develop the kind of reasoning skill that the GMAT is designed to measure.
Reach out to me with any questions about your GMAT prep. Happy studying!
Warmest regards,
Scott Woodbury-Stewart
Founder & CEO, Target Test Prep
GMAT Verbal question writers are highly skilled at designing answer choices that appear correct on the surface but are not. Their goal is to make wrong answers feel right and correct answers less obvious. One of the ways they accomplish this is through language manipulation. They often make incorrect options echo key words or phrases from the passage or argument, while correct answers are phrased differently.
This approach works because our brains are naturally drawn to familiarity. When we see a choice that uses the same language as the passage, it feels comfortable and accurate. Conversely, when we see an answer written in new wording, we may instinctively distrust it, assuming that it must differ in meaning. However, this kind of superficial reading is exactly what the test writers are counting on.
The GMAT still tests whether you can think critically, evaluate arguments, and understand written material precisely. Success depends on more than recognizing familiar language. It depends on your ability to assess meaning and logic. Choosing an answer simply because it sounds right or uses familiar phrases will lead you directly into traps designed for that very purpose. Many incorrect answers mirror the text but introduce subtle logical flaws or shifts in meaning. You might find that a choice seems aligned with the passage but actually reverses cause and effect, adds unsupported assumptions, or distorts the author’s intent.
At the same time, correct answers often restate key ideas in new language. They paraphrase or reframe the logic without changing the underlying meaning. Recognizing this requires flexibility and a deeper level of comprehension. The GMAT rewards those who can identify the logical relationship between ideas, even when the wording looks unfamiliar.
To perform well, make logic and meaning your focus. When reviewing answer choices, ask yourself what each one actually says, not what it sounds like. Determine whether the reasoning aligns with the passage or argument and whether it satisfies the specific question task. If a choice feels right only because it uses familiar words, examine it more closely. If it expresses the correct logic in different terms, that may be the correct answer.
The key to excelling on the GMAT Verbal section is to resist the temptation of surface-level similarity. Your goal is not to find the choice that looks right, but the one that makes sense logically. Once you begin to evaluate answer choices through that lens, you will avoid common traps, improve your accuracy, and develop the kind of reasoning skill that the GMAT is designed to measure.
Reach out to me with any questions about your GMAT prep. Happy studying!
Warmest regards,
Scott Woodbury-Stewart
Founder & CEO, Target Test Prep
