610 (diagnostic) to 760 (47Q/73%, 49V/99%, 99% overall)

Hi,

I took the GMAT this past week and wanted to relay my story because I relied heavily on other members' stories as confidence boosters when my journey wasn't going according to plan.

I started my GMAT journey in mid-July of this year, when I registered for a 3-week Kaplan intensive course (6 on-site classes and 5 virtual classes). I had registered for a Sept 1 test, so I didn't have much time to prepare. I took my first Kaplan Diagnostic CAT and scored a 610 (my goal score was 720). I was really disappointed because I didn't finish either section in time and Data Sufficiency destroyed me. In many ways, I am thankful for the low diagnostic score because it forced me to take the studying process very seriously.

I was using the Kaplan materials, which I found to be useful as a review/overview of the topics, but I found the "hard" test questions on the CATs to be much harder than anything in the book. I had also purchased the OG, but because I was putting my faith in Kaplan, I didn't touch it for the first month.

After the first two weeks, I started taking two Kaplan CATs per week (arguably one too many) and was incredibly frustrated with my progress. Despite feeling like I had a grasp on the material, I was getting very rattled during practice tests, having a hard time with the time limits, and not seeing much improvement in my scores. My score log is at the end if you want details.

I must say, for all my frustration with the Kaplan CAT scores, the instructors were amazing. I sent my teacher an email after every CAT with my feedback on the experience, and he would help me break down what went wrong and how to focus my efforts for the next week. One of the most important insights he had for me, which is obvious but took me a while to truly internalize, was that the test should feel difficult for EVERYONE. It sounds obvious and you read it in every prep book you pick up, but this was the first time I had encountered an adaptive test and the idea of perpetually feeling challenged was seriously undermining my confidence despite my rational awareness that it was supposed to feel this way. Once I let that really sink in, things started to turn around and I started finishing the sections within the time limits and stopped trying to guess how I was doing mid-test.

With two weeks left to test day, I hadn't come close to breaking the 700 barrier on the Kaplan CATs. It was at that point a friend mentioned to me that she had had a similar experience and that when she took the GMAT Prep CATs, her scores were much higher (and much closer to her final score). I took the GMAT Prep CAT 1 for my next practice test and broke the 700 barrier. I was so relieved, and my long-lost confidence had returned.

At this point, I had finished all the Kaplan practice problems, so I started in on the OG problem sets. While I wouldn't necessarily say that the OG problems are easier than Kaplan problems, they are written in a slightly different style and it made a difference for me. Kaplan can't use old GMAT problems due to the proprietary nature, so they do their best to mimic GMAT problems but they aren't identical. I think for some people, the official GMAT writing is just easier to parse through, especially on the Verbal sections. Also, the other test prep companies don't have the GMAT's exact scoring algorithm, so the scores aren't completely accurate. This is why Kaplan (and I think most prep companies) tell you to focus on trends in your scores, not the actual numbers. I had a hard time believing it when facing an unsatisfactory number, but it's true.

The OG is obviously a great tool because it is the closest you can get to the questions you will see on test day. Since Quant was my weakness, I did every Quant problem in the book, and reviewed every problem that I either got wrong or took over two minutes to solve. I also did all the Sentence Correction questions because that was my greatest area of opportunity to pick up points in the Verbal section.

One thing that is great about the Kaplan class is that you are given the opportunity to take a practice test in the test-center. I can't stress how valuable this was for me. I showed up to Pearson Vue a week before my "real" test and let me nerves get the best of me, which resulted in a score lower than any prior score except my Diagnostic.

I had read on this forum over and over (and over) again that confidence is what will make or break your test-day experience. So instead of focusing on my low test score, I went out to dinner with friends that night and toasted the fact that I had gotten all of the nervous energy out of my system so there was none left for the following weekend.

Two days later, I took another GMAT Prep CAT and did much better than I expected (and higher than my goal score), so I decided that with only five days until the test, I was going to make that my last practice CAT, end on a high note, and only do enough practice problems to keep me in the rhythm until test day.

The day before the test I did not touch any study materials and only did things that were either fun or relaxing (or both). I calculated that I had spent over 150 hours studying in the past six weeks, so I told myself that I had put in the work and now it was time to reap the rewards. Again, confidence is everything.

Test day brought no surprises and the test felt just like the two GMAT Prep CATs. I took both breaks and used them as opportunities to stretch, shake out any tension in my body, and eat a quick snack (Pearson VUE now has a recording of me jumping up and down and shaking out my limbs like a weirdo). The moment before hitting the button to reveal my score, my heart rate skyrocketed. Given that I was never able to break the 700 barrier on my Kaplan CATs, I was in a state of disbelief when I saw my score. I think my hand was still shaking as I gave my palm print for checkout. My section specific percentiles obviously have a big gap between them, and my strong Verbal performance definitely boosted my overall percentile more than a strong Quant performance would have. I had learned early on that this would be the case due to the large number of non-native English speakers from Quant heavy backgrounds who take the test, so I made sure my Verbal skills were top notch since Quant was still giving me some problems.

I know this has been a lengthy post, but I appreciate you sticking it out. Here are a few parting thoughts:

--Put in the time and trust the process. Don't fight the "game" of the test, it's a waste of energy. Instead, spend that energy coming up with a strategy to beat the game.

--Identify your strengths and weaknesses. Work on the weaknesses while maintaining mastery of your strengths. Don't neglect your strengths because those are points you will want to guarantee yourself on test day.

--Understand that many of the best test-takers still have to make educated guesses now and then or "let go" of a problem that is costing them too much time. Due to time constraints, perfection is not the name of this game, successfully executing your test-day strategy is.

--Don't get hung up on the actual scores of your practice CATs. A general trend upward is what matters most, and understand that the only company with the exact GMAT scoring algorithm is the one that created it, so the GMAT Prep CATs are the only (somewhat) realistic indicators of actual score.

--Confidence is everything. Do whatever you must to feel good going into test day. Treat the test as a challenge that you will dominate instead of something that could dominate you.

--Recognize that a GMAT score does not define you, and that this process is not life-or-death. A little perspective can help when an unsatisfactory practice score has you in a tizzy.

I hope this is helpful to at least one person, as it would be nice to pay forward the insight that I gained from this community.

Now for my score log:

Kaplan Diagnostic: 610
Kaplan CAT 2: 630
Kaplan CAT 3: 630
Kaplan CAT 4: 650
Kaplan CAT 5: 640
Kaplan CAT 6: 660
GMAT Prep CAT 1: 720
Kaplan CAT 7: 660
Kaplan CAT 8 @ Pearson Vue: 630
GMAT Prep CAT 2: 750

Actual GMAT: 760 (47Q, 49V)

This topic has expert replies