I am currently a second-year MBA student. I wanted to retake the GMAT to get a higher score for my PhD program application.

Two years ago I got a 650 - it was enough to get me into the MBA program.

I decided to retake the GMAT and spent 4 month preparing for it. Result in September - 670 (Q-39; V-42). I decided to retake it a month later, because I scored 740 on a GMAT Prep a week prior to the actual test.

Result in October - 650 (Q-42; V-38). Was I frustrated? Oh, yes. But I still decided to take the GMAT one more time. One knowledgeable guy told me that it is very unlikely to significantly improve the score in one month. But I just did not want to give up.

Result on the 4 of Dec - 710 (Q-44; V-42). The Quant is a little low, but I am still happy about the overall result.

So, never give up, even if you have to take the GMAT three or four times.

GMAT is like a sports competition. You have to get to a certain level and then you have to work hard just to stay on that level. The mistake I made between Sep and Oct tests was that I did not work hard enough.

Things I did differently between Oct and Dec:

1. I worked hard to get on a high level and stay on it. I put in about 4-5 hours a day.

2. I used different materials (I added Kaplan Math Workbook and Grockit games to Manhattan GMAT, Kaplan 800, and OGs)

3. I stayed positive and focused on the test. Do not let any thoughts distract you. Try to not think about anything except for the question you see on the screen.

4. I studied hard till the last day. I did not take a day off before the test, although many people say that it is a good idea to not study the day before the test. But that is just me.

I also wanted to thank all the members of BTG for inspiring stories.