Finding TTP: My GMAT journey began in a similar fashion to how many of your own GMAT journeys might begin. I had recently obtained my undergraduate degree and several mentors of mine began pushing me to think about continuing to further my education. While a PHD seemed like a stretch, business school had always been appealing. Thus, I began my research on what it would take to be admitted into top MBA programs. I read and watched all the information I could on the subject and realized that while I was already in a good spot with the majority of my application, I would still need to do quite well on the GMAT to have a shot at my target schools. Like many of you on this forum, I proceeded to dive deeper on which platform to use to prepare for the GMAT. After scouring through forums, perusing Reddit, and reaching out to friends and mentors, I narrowed down my search to three options. Those options included Target Test Prep (TTP), Magoosh, and textbooks. Based on my research it seemed as though TTP was the most robust and exhaustive program, Magoosh was a solid 80/20 option, and textbooks would be less efficient l but more cost effective. Given that I had recently graduated from university and my start date for my job was not for another few months (and therefore had time to spare), I elected to go with TTP - the most exhaustive and robust of the choices.
General studying philosophy: Given that I had 3 months until my start date for work, I decided that I would give myself a 2 month run-way to study til I took my first GMAT (this would allow me to retake the exam once before starting should I have not liked the score I received on my first go). While some people advise taking periodic GMAT practice tests while studying, I opted to refrain from taking them until 2 weeks before the exam. I figured that when I was at school I wouldn’t take a practice test without first learning and studying all of the material - so why would the GMAT be any different? While TTP asks for your desired test date and sets a study schedule for you based on that date, I elected to not follow that schedule and instead study for ~4 hours per weekday (no matter if I got through more or less than TTP advised). Based on my research, the average test taker needs ~100 hours of studying to achieve a score of 700+ and this schedule got me to ~180 (my target score was a 730). Personally, I liked the 4-hour per day approach better than following TTP’s schedule as TTP’s schedule seemed to inadvertently make some days super light, and others super heavy. That said, either approach would have led me to finishing the curriculum at about the same time. The final (and perhaps most important) piece of my studying philosophy was emphasizing content mastery as opposed to learning GMAT test taking tips and tricks. While learning tips and tricks can certainly help in a pinch, I found that mastery leads to consistently great results. TTP does a great job of teaching mastery.
Tactical tips to navigating TTP: The main reason why TTP is so effective is because TTP does a best-in-class job organizing the curriculum so that each chapter builds on the last. This allows for continuous learning and progression while also empowering prospective GMAT takers to focus solely on the task at hand and not worry about what their next move should be. While I opted to not follow TTP’s study schedule with exactness (see above), I still followed TTP’s curriculum to a tee. I began by first taking TTP’s diagnostic GMAT test. While TTP does not throw an actual GMAT score onto the results, I did poorly enough to where I was quite discouraged. Nevertheless, I put my head down and worked through all of the chapters and practice problems TTP had to offer. Given that TTP is so robust, some of the concepts taught felt very standard and basic, while others were new and complex. While it is tempting to skip learning the foundational concepts and instead focus on the more complex problems, TTP does an excellent job of explaining the GMAT test mechanics that make it extra important to build on a strong foundation. As such, I made a concerted effort to do take notes on every page, create a chapter-by-chapter study guide with all major concepts covered , and review each of my chapter study guides about once per week. This particular study strategy did a great job hammering home both the most foundational and complex concepts taught by TTP.
Practice exams: I had planned to take all 6 practice exams but only ended up taking the first 2. I took my first practice exam about 7 weeks into studying and got a 770. I had been doing really well in my TTP studying, yet I was very surprised. I took my second practice GMAT at the 8 week mark fully expecting my score to plummet. I got a 770 again. So, I booked my GMAT for about a week later.
Final thoughts: I ended up getting a 760 (50 Q / 42 V) on my first official GMAT exam. While I considered retaking the exam to see if I could match my practice exam scores, I ultimately decided against it. TTP’s curriculum, along with hours upon hours of drilling the material, taught me to solve even the most complex problems with relative ease. TTP is an exceptional course for anyone studying for the GMAT. I truly believe that anyone can get a great score if they put in the requisite effort and use TTP. That said, while TTP is the best-in-class study tool, it is important to note that there is no “silver bullet” to studying for the GMAT. No matter which study platform you use, there is no substitute for hours and hours of hard work.
General studying philosophy: Given that I had 3 months until my start date for work, I decided that I would give myself a 2 month run-way to study til I took my first GMAT (this would allow me to retake the exam once before starting should I have not liked the score I received on my first go). While some people advise taking periodic GMAT practice tests while studying, I opted to refrain from taking them until 2 weeks before the exam. I figured that when I was at school I wouldn’t take a practice test without first learning and studying all of the material - so why would the GMAT be any different? While TTP asks for your desired test date and sets a study schedule for you based on that date, I elected to not follow that schedule and instead study for ~4 hours per weekday (no matter if I got through more or less than TTP advised). Based on my research, the average test taker needs ~100 hours of studying to achieve a score of 700+ and this schedule got me to ~180 (my target score was a 730). Personally, I liked the 4-hour per day approach better than following TTP’s schedule as TTP’s schedule seemed to inadvertently make some days super light, and others super heavy. That said, either approach would have led me to finishing the curriculum at about the same time. The final (and perhaps most important) piece of my studying philosophy was emphasizing content mastery as opposed to learning GMAT test taking tips and tricks. While learning tips and tricks can certainly help in a pinch, I found that mastery leads to consistently great results. TTP does a great job of teaching mastery.
Tactical tips to navigating TTP: The main reason why TTP is so effective is because TTP does a best-in-class job organizing the curriculum so that each chapter builds on the last. This allows for continuous learning and progression while also empowering prospective GMAT takers to focus solely on the task at hand and not worry about what their next move should be. While I opted to not follow TTP’s study schedule with exactness (see above), I still followed TTP’s curriculum to a tee. I began by first taking TTP’s diagnostic GMAT test. While TTP does not throw an actual GMAT score onto the results, I did poorly enough to where I was quite discouraged. Nevertheless, I put my head down and worked through all of the chapters and practice problems TTP had to offer. Given that TTP is so robust, some of the concepts taught felt very standard and basic, while others were new and complex. While it is tempting to skip learning the foundational concepts and instead focus on the more complex problems, TTP does an excellent job of explaining the GMAT test mechanics that make it extra important to build on a strong foundation. As such, I made a concerted effort to do take notes on every page, create a chapter-by-chapter study guide with all major concepts covered , and review each of my chapter study guides about once per week. This particular study strategy did a great job hammering home both the most foundational and complex concepts taught by TTP.
Practice exams: I had planned to take all 6 practice exams but only ended up taking the first 2. I took my first practice exam about 7 weeks into studying and got a 770. I had been doing really well in my TTP studying, yet I was very surprised. I took my second practice GMAT at the 8 week mark fully expecting my score to plummet. I got a 770 again. So, I booked my GMAT for about a week later.
Final thoughts: I ended up getting a 760 (50 Q / 42 V) on my first official GMAT exam. While I considered retaking the exam to see if I could match my practice exam scores, I ultimately decided against it. TTP’s curriculum, along with hours upon hours of drilling the material, taught me to solve even the most complex problems with relative ease. TTP is an exceptional course for anyone studying for the GMAT. I truly believe that anyone can get a great score if they put in the requisite effort and use TTP. That said, while TTP is the best-in-class study tool, it is important to note that there is no “silver bullet” to studying for the GMAT. No matter which study platform you use, there is no substitute for hours and hours of hard work.
