It's been a long GMAT journey, but I just scored a 770 Q51 V42 and it has all been worth it. Hopefully you can learn from my mistakes and get there faster. First note, I've been in your exact shoes before, looking at wildly high scores and GMAT posts, thinking: "there's seriously no way I'll get to that level". But it comes, you'll find your way.

My prep started 16 months ago right as I finished undergrad. I had 2-3 months before my job started and no money, so I decided to study for the GMAT. I used the MGMAT books and the online course over those months. Here's my scores:

GMAT Prep 1: 590 Q37 V35 (April 17 2019)
GMAT Prep 2: 690 Q46 V39 (After GMAT Course)
GMAT Prep 3: 710 Q47 V41 (1 week before first test)
GMAT #1: 690 Q47 V38 (June 29 2019)
GMAT Prep 3: 680 Q46 V38
GMAT #2: 700 Q44 V41 (July 27 2019)

I was burnt out and started my first post-grad job.

**** 10 month break ****

I started to get serious about prepping again once I decided I wanted to apply to business school this year. I knew I needed a high score to because I am a white male engineer with only a couple years of work experience. My friend referred me to Target Test Prep, and I didn't look back.

TTP is great. I did everything they told me to do, even though I had achieved a Q47 before, I wanted to build a solid foundation and that was exactly what TTP Quant did. Since TTP hadn't built out it's verbal offering yet, I supplemented with e-GMAT for verbal, although I only used it for sentence correction and I would advise MGMAT verbal or just OG Verbal questions, especially for native speakers.

After completing the TTP course, things didn't go exactly as planned.
Here's my scores:

GMAT Prep 5: 740 Q49 V41
GMAT Prep 6: 730 Q49 V40
GMAT #3: 710 Q47 V41 (August 4th 2020)

At this point, I was frustrated. I didn't know what to do. I purchased the enhanced score report, and sent it to Scott at TTP and Jeff at TTP. I had emailed them both before, and they had gotten back to me with advice and been very helpful. This time, Jeff gave me a phone call and we discussed the exam and what we thought went wrong. No other company will do this unless you hire a private tutor. Jeff talked me through a plan, then sent me a detailed 7 day prep plan that included a mix of TTP and OG questions. Then, 10 days after GMAT #3:

GMAT #4: 770 Q51 V42 (August 14th 2020, online)

How did I make that jump? Well, according to my ESR I was scoring 99th percentile and 96th percentile on DS and SC respectively, the two most difficult parts of the test for students (typically). I had focused so much of my prep on that, I ignored the rest. I spent those 7 days doing questions from all sorts of difficulty ranges and really perfecting the process.

Biggest takeaway: Drill OG questions, all the OG questions, especially the medium level questions if you are trying to get a 720+ score, because perfection on those questions will give you the opportunity to answer the hard questions. Keep working, it just takes time and a well-balanced study plan. I am certainly not a genius (I got B's and C's in calculus in college).

Another tip: TTP provides a strategy chapter that you read throughout the course. Take notes on it and follow it, go back to it, review it, and take it seriously. The GMAT is more than just questions, it takes a mindset and an attitude but you will get there. I had post-it notes with 770 written on it in my apartment and on my computer, having that mindset helps when things get tough.

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Target Test Prep is by far the best resource I encountered for building up GMAT test skills and knowledge from the ground up. I first began preparing for the GMAT by checking out some Kaplan guide books from prior years from my local library. After slogging my way through some practice problems without increasing my accuracy I switched to using the Manhattan GMAT app on my cell phone. Again I was lacking the rudimentary knowledge in how I was supposed to attack GMAT problems.

I made the decision to reset and purchased the TTP Maximum Learning subscription in January. I ended up having to renew for two additional months using the Flexible month to month plan, just because being busy working a full time job I hadn't been able to complete the course.

I scored a 660 on my first official GMAT only being about 30% done with the TTP course. I scheduled another attempt a month out and redoubled my efforts to finish the course. I was able to do so and scored a 700 just 29 days later.

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Summary:

If you can afford the program, do it. Target Test Prep is hands-down the reason I was able to score a 740 with a Q50.

Review:

My GMAT experience started in 2017. I was considering grad school and used self-study to take the GMAT, employing the typical resources such as the OG guides and Manhattan Prep guides. Score: 650 - Q46 / V34

I took a few years to work on my career and round out my profile. The GMAT loomed over my head until 2020 when I decided to give it another shot. Utilizing the same self-study techniques, the information I learned from my previous attempt came back relatively quickly, but after completing an initial practice test, I was disappointed to see an overall score of 640. My quant had dropped from a 46 to a 42. I knew I had to find a new way to study.

I consulted a colleague who pointed me to Target Test Prep. I was a little hesitant, but I knew I needed to shake things up. So, I signed up for the free trial. Within the first week, I was learning techniques that I had never seen before. Specifically, on rate / work problems, overlapping sets, and my nemesis at the time, combinations and permutations. I decided then to commit to the full course.

One thing you should know, is that the course requires a decent amount of time to thoroughly complete. In my case, I studied approximately 1 - 2 hours per night on most weeknights, and then 4 - 6 hours per day on the weekends. At that rate it took me approximately 2 – 3 months to finish. But I have to say, at no point did it feel that long. Target Test Prep does a fantastic job of structuring the course to keep it interesting and to keep you motivated to dive into the next subject. Every study session has opportunities to accomplish something and this, in my mind, was key to keeping me motivated.

At the end of the course, you are instructed to take the official GMAT practice exams. I committed to all 6 exams and immediately saw success. My tests ranged from 680 – 750 and my quant held steady at Q48. I improved my quant by 6 points!

Test Experience:

Test 1: 700 – Q45 / V40

I finally broke the 700 barrier! A huge accomplishment. The Q45 was a little disappointing, but I noticed the questions were particularly difficult. So, I scheduled another exam.

Test 2: 710 – Q48 / V39

Q48. Finally, back to where I expected it to be. Still, I was disappointed that I had not performed my best on both subjects on the same test. I knew I was capable of a higher verbal score, so I scheduled another exam.

Test 3: 740 – Q50 / V40

Q50 and V40. I still can’t believe it. I remember during the quant section that I saw questions whose strategy was specifically called out in my TTP studies. Seriously, I finished multiple questions within SECONDS because of the TTP strategies.

Conclusion:

Using Target Test Prep, I was able to increase my GMAT score from a 650 to a 740, obtaining a quant score of 50. 50!!!! I firmly believe that Target Test Prep had a major influence on my success. I cannot recommend it enough, and now that they are adding verbal practice, it is likely going to be the only test prep guide you will need.

One final thought, if you can, take the test multiple times. I noticed a high degree of variability in the questions that were asked. Don’t get discouraged. Put in the time, believe in yourself, and you’ll be successful.

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TTP is the service when you've got a good score but want to make it great. Helps you take your fundamentals and master the elite concepts. I was using a different service previously which helped me understand what's required for the GMAT, but it didn't help me get to the range I was looking for. There's a lot of work needed for Target Test Prep, don't get me wrong, but it's abundantly clear that anyone who puts in the time can get their target score. I was very impressed with the (new?) verbal section as I tend to overthink verbal questions. The pattern recognition TTP gives you makes it truly an elite service.

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TTP was a god send. I was really nervous taking the GMAT and only wanted to take it once so I put my all into studying (studied for about 2 months, 4-6 hours each day). I was also working at the time. Everything with TTP was incredibly helpful, well laid out, and easy to understand. I could take it at my own pace and had everything mapped out for me. seeing my analytics also helped me understand where I normally make mistakes.

The staff answered my questions quickly and politely regardless of how many dumb questions I asked. Would also recommend their verbal section (which is still in beta testing). It was invaluable for me in sentence correction.

Couldn't have gotten my 760 without TTP verbal / quant.

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I used the TTP accelerated plan to specifically work on my quant preparation between my first and second test sittings. The program is well-planned and thorough, and allowed me to hone in on the types of questions that had been giving me trouble. The program includes plenty of unique topic and section quizzes to help simulate the test environment, along with detailed topic explanations and shortcuts to help save time and maximize efficiency on the exam. All in all, TTP was exactly what I was looking for to improve my quant score, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for an effective self-prep program.

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This course was highly effective at providing what I needed, which was a comprehensive self-study overview of GMAT content. The material is taught in an order that makes sense, and you can go at your own pace. Although I started from a high base score (740 on my first official MBA.com practice exam with no real studying), I felt that TTP helped me fill the gaps in my skills to ensure that I would get a 770+ on test day. My last three practice exams (taken over the course of 5 weeks prior to my exam) were all 770, with verbal scores ranging from 45-47 and quant scores between 49-51. Test day was a bit stressful, but I was able to pull a 780 (Q49, V51, IR8).

Marty was extremely helpful in motivating me and providing targeted advice for how I should structure my prep. I didn't need to or want to chat with him on a weekly basis about my prep, but he was extremely responsive when I needed advice.

The only downside about this course is that the verbal questions (especially CR) are really, really hard (almost demoralizingly so). But they prepare you well, and I got a V51 on test day, so I can't complain. The quant questions are tricky but cover just about every concept you could reasonably expect to see - I found their quant material to be representative of the test material.

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TTP did a great job of refreshing all the math foundations necessary for the GMAT. I found all the quizzes helpful prior to doing the GMAC practice exams, and I liked that I had the option to delve deeper into subjects I was not as comfortable with (but did not have to do so for every single subject). TTP also provides regular webinars on different subjects which you can choose to attend or replay, which were helpful. I am also glad that TTP rolled out the critical reasoning section, which was helpful also for foundations, especially for an international student like myself.

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As someone who enjoys self-study programs, I initially joined the Target Test Prep free trial but was quickly converted into a flexible plan customer. Target Test Prep offers detailed lessons and thorough explanations on Quant (and recently, Verbal too). The layout of the website is user-friendly, and its study plan, easy to navigate. Furthermore, during my few months as a TTP user, Scott, Jeffrey, and Marty were quick to answer any questions that I had (and I definitely had my fair share of questions haha). I felt prepared to tackle the GMAT after completing my study plan, and Target Test Prep helped me reach my 99th percentile GMAT score goals! :)

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Target Test Prep is really amazing. It helped me to learn quant, getting quant 50 after going through the program. The systematic way of learning and reviewing quant is really efficient. They are also adding verbal review contents, so hopefully one day it will cover all areas of GMAT.
Target Test Prep is amazing!

P.S. Why do we need 100 words review? Stop wasting your time reading long reviews and GO STUDY!

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