I just Beat The GMAT!

I'm the kind of test taker who gets in my own head and puts way too much weight to an exam. I've learned through my past testing experiences that the best way for me to perform well is to over-prepare. TTP was an incredible resource for my GMAT study journey. There was such an abundance of material that it was hard not to over-prepare.

I started studying for the GMAT in March 2021, when someone I knew was selling GMAT prep books (Manhattan Prep, Kaplan) for cheap. Ten years ago, when I was studying for the SAT, books might've sufficed. Nowadays, online resources are much more thorough and adaptive, and are much more efficient resources for exam preparation. I worked through those books, but at 60% effort. It was a few hours here and there, with a haphazard study plan. I was planning to apply to business school the following year, so I felt that I had time. That was a terrible method. The only positive is that I got a general feel for what the exam content will be. But since the GMAT is an adaptive test, the lack of distinction between difficulty levels in the books made it difficult to gauge my skill. By the time I finished the books, it was May. I thought, "I need to find more internal drive and study for real." I also thought, "I need a better resource that will help me structure my time."

I read a bunch of reviews on GMAT prep materials on Google. The top rated one was almost always Target Test Prep. The price seemed reasonable, but because I was also sensitive to price, I started with one month. Because TTP's site is so structured, and breaks down each section into key topics, it helped me structure my study plan. You would be shocked, but I didn't take a single mock exam before this. I like that TTP started with a mock so I can gauge my skill level. I don't remember exactly what I got, but I think it was ~650. This was key because it made me realize that I needed to take studying more seriously since my goal was ~750.

I carved out 3 hours most weekdays and 5 hours every Sat/Sun to work through the Quant first. I went in chronological order, and started with the intention of answering every single question on TTP. Don't do that; there is way too much to get through! I recognized this by month 2 and instead shifted to: working through 1-2 Easy modules, 2-3 Medium modules, and spend extra time on the Difficult modules. For questions I got wrong and wanted to review prior to test day, I bookmarked. Once I got through 40% of Quant, I started incorporating Verbal. The Difficult modules for Verbal are TRULY difficult. I consistently scored ~40-60% (ie. fail) for Difficult modules and thought I must end up doing miserably on Verbal on the real exam.

I originally scheduled my exam for July, but had to take a month pause in studying late June for personal reasons. I also started to feel a bit burnt out. Eventually, I rescheduled to September. I really wanted to take it once and be done, and I knew that I wouldn't be doing my best if I went ahead with July.

The two weeks before the exam, I reviewed all my bookmarks in TTP, worked through a few problem sets in each topic that I felt weakest in, and took 2 mock exams from the official MBA site. All the AWA and IR prep I got through the two MBA mock exams. I got 720 and 750.

The day of the exam, I definitely got in my head a bit, especially when I got stuck on a couple of questions on Quant. I ended up with a 730 and did better in Verbal than expected. I was on the fence about retaking for a couple of weeks, and ultimately decided that the additional study wasn't worth the risk of getting the same or lower score.

If I were to go back and re-do the experience, I would've taken more mock exams and been more strategic about my study plan with TTP from the start. Studying for the GMAT is a long and grueling experience, but the relief you get when you see a score you're happy with on the screen is SO worth it. I hope everyone the best of luck with their exam journey!!