I just Beat The GMAT!

I had been studying for the GRE (yes, I started with the GRE) on and off for about 2 years, but could never really stick to a schedule that worked for me. I was missing structure and didn’t even really know what to study. Also it was hard to memorize all those words. After a tough 6 months at work, I finally decided that I wanted to go back to school and that if I was super serious about it, I should take the GMAT. After shopping around for test prep companies, I finally decided on Target Test Prep because of all the glowing reviews for their math course. I decided to give it a try and see what all the hype was about, so I started my TTP journey in Jan 2022 - kind of as a new years resolution.

The first thing I noticed when I logged on, was that it was SUPER easy to use and very data-driven. Literally EVERYTHING was tracked. All the modules/missions were laid out nicely and you could even see what percentage of the course you had completed which was super helpful since I’m a goal-oriented person. I also noticed that there was SO MUCH to cover, especially for Quant. That’s another thing about TTP - it’s very, very, very thorough. Everything you need to learn to ace GMAT Quant was included in the course. I hadn’t touched any of those topics since high school, so it was great to go step by step through how to calculate the mean, what the definition of standard deviation really means and how to set up an overlapping sets problem (these were actually very fun). The tests at the end of each mission also really helped give me a sense of the time pressure that I’d be working under for the real thing. The chatbox was also super helpful if I had any questions about a module or a similar problem to a TTP problem that I had found online. Jeff and Marty were very helpful and responsive which made the course feel a little more personable even though it was self-driven.

I found myself actually enjoying waking up at 5am everyday before work to study for the GMAT. TTP actually made it enjoyable and easy because I didn’t have to research what was going to be on the test and then watch random Youtube videos online to try to teach myself the material. I had done this before when I was trying to study for the GRE (10/10 would not recommend this method). TTP had everything that was going to be covered and explained all the topics in depth so that I actually understood the problems instead of just memorizing formulas. This really makes all the difference.

I had a goal of 730 because a guy I knew who went to undergrad with me got that score and was also in the engineering school. So I told myself if he could do it, so could I. After 4 months of studying, taking ONE official practice exam (700 48Q, 38V) and NOT finishing the course, I decided to get a feel for the real thing - because hey why not? I ended up getting the same exact score that I received on the practice exam - so yea, they are a pretty good predictor. I ended up accepting the score and walked out of the testing center feeling like I could get much higher.

Full transparency, the next time around, I ended up getting a 660 (50Q 29V). Why? Because I slept 2 hours the night before, and switched my test order and did verbal first for some reason, when I had always done quant first. (Don’t switch your usual test order the day of the test and get plenty of sleep the night before). I still felt okay, because I had locked in the 700 already and did you see that Quant score? So I knew I had what it took, I just needed to sleep.

Over the next two months after my second attempt, I finished all the missions in the Quant course, completed all the official practice exams and actually started using the Official books which cannot be understated especially for Verbal. I also started reading some of the articles and tips that Scott publishes on the TTP GMAT blog for some extra motivation. My 3rd and final attempt ended up being a 740 (Q49 V41). So my scores balanced out a little bit from my second attempt. There’s no way my Quant scores would have been that high all 3 times if it wasn’t for TTP’s extremely comprehensive and thorough course. I always recommend TTP to anyone who asks me what to use to start studying!