8 attempts later and I finally hit my target score.

[tisrar02]

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to share my experience with my fellow GMAT writers. I know its not a 700+ story but my 650 will suffice for my needs. My only recommendation to all those test takers not hitting their goals at the moment is, DO NOT GIVE UP! I went 8 rounds with this beast of a test and it beat me up the first 7 times!

I honestly thought this test was going to be a walk in the park after doing so well in University. Man how I was wrong! The first 3 times I wrote the test, I had myself thinking I could study here and there and get what I wanted while in University and working part-time. Big mistake! All 3 attempts were in the 400 range (460, 410 and 400 respectively). I was scoring 550+ on my mocks so I have no clue what happened!

Finally I settled down and went head on with this test. My 4th attempt, I was able to score a 530. I was somewhat happy because I seen improvement but my practice tests were all 580+. Not willing to give up, I went at it again, studying with full-time work at this point as University was finished. I managed to score a 470 on my 5th attempt. I had a couple of WTF moments here and there but nonetheless, the next day I was back at it studying like a mad man.

My 6th attempt, I realized that I needed verbal help so I signed up for E-GMAT. I think I honestly rushed this course but it did help out somewhat. I was able to score 550(Q41V25)with a 6 point increase on my verbal portion. Not willing to give up and desperately looking for new material, I signed up for MASTERGMAT aka GMAT Tutor. For me, this course was on the spot. I was able to up my verbal and my Quant. I was studying passively for a month while practicing with the Grockit program you get when you sign up for E-GMAT. That seriously paid off! My 7th attempt was a bit better as I scored a 610 (Q47V26).

I knew I needed one month of solid verbal prep to get up to at least a V30. At this point, I just answered 10 Quant questions in the morning (OG and Grockit) and did Verbal the rest of the time I had. I would do about 2-3 hours of verbal on the weekdays and about 5-6 hours with breaks on the weekends. Finally on April 12th, I was able to hit a 650 (Q47V33).

I am finally happy with my score and have applied to the schools I want. Thank you BTG forum and users. I really appreciate the helpful advice I could get on here.

For those users not scoring their target as of yet, PLEASE do not lose hope. I know you can get there.. It just takes a bit of practice. Trust me, I am you average guy that had to start from scratch. If I can hit my target, you can too, just have patience..

I will be lurking the forums for the next couple of weeks so please do not hesitate to message me if you have any questions. As for now, I feel a well-deserved break with the patient girlfriend is needed!

Goodluck all!

[Gugandra]

Congratulations!!!

What schools are thinking to apply to? When did you take your first test? How long have you been preparing for the test? Wish you good luck with the rest of your application!

[fulltapori]

Congratulations tisrar02, your tenacity is commendable. Best of luck for coming stages .

Regards,
Fulltapori

[thevenus]

You are awesome !

[sleepy208]

Wow! Congratulations!! Yes, that's an awesome story to tell. Thank you for that! Good luck with your applications!

[kaka46]

Can't hold back from congratulating and appreciating your patience. Respect. Giving the same exam time and again, overcoming the stress, pressure, disappointment, anger, frustration and yet you did not give up and finally got a score that you're happy with.

Does require loads of perseverance. I'm not sure how many people would have patiently waited, tried until they got the score they desired. Congratulations once again and great job

[startgmat]

Really inspiring...When I scored badly in my first attempt to give or not to give it took 3 months ...i was frustrated ...thought i am not meant for GMAT...but this post is amazing...U tried tried and U conquered...I think U gonna rock in your career...So determined...salutes to you!!!!!!!!!!!!

[tisrar02]

Thank you everyone. I did think from time to time when I was actually going to get the score I desired. It was a grueling experience but I did not want a test to kill my dreams. Honestly, if you try hard enough and dedicate yourself to the cause, anything is possible. It was truly painful coming home every time I tried to another failing score. I just kept my head up and thought to myself, the time will eventually come. Nothing in life is easy right??

I'm targeting Schulich School of Business, Richard Ivey and Rotman Scool of business. I have been admitted to Schulich and most likely will accept the offer. I want to stay in Canada so it works out.

I know this story is not your typical story and most of the success stories on here are done in 1 or 2 attempts.... Kudos to you users who always motivated me! But I wanted to share my experience to those who try and do not achieve their target score. I really hope no one does have to go through what I did though! But if you do, remember, this test can be conquered with adequate preparation.

Once again thank you all for the kind words!

[hutch27]

Congrats man, I admire what you did. Hopefully I can do the same. I hear you when you said in the beginning (although this isn't another 700+ story). I liked how it was a story of dedication.. that's real important im my eyes. Nevertheless 650 is great and the verbal improvement was clutch. Any advice on how you focused on verbal?

[tisrar02]

I would honestly say that for verbal, it's a matter of practice on your weak areas. Ron says it best; there are no learning techniques for CR. When I was somewhat passive about the GMAT, I would look for short-cuts as to how to tackle CR but I realized that sufficient knowledge on how to break the passage down to its premise and conclusion usually helps you get the answer. For SC, a lot of my time afterwards was spent memorizing the OG guide idioms and improving on time. Stacy from Manhattan GMAT has some great techniques about how to tackle the SC section so you do not waste too much time. At times, even on the actual test, I found myself with two options and had no idea what to do. At that point I would just choose what sounded better to me. Lastly, for RC, I would highly suggest reading about topics that bore you to gain that stamina. What I would do is read science and history articles from scholarly sources and summarize them to myself daily. I found myself more active when reading RC passages on the mock tests and the real test.

Hope this helps!