I started my GMAT journey more than a year ago and after postponing my preparation for multiple times, I finally took the test last week. I was happy to see the score on my screen. 720, Q50. V37, IR 3. (though I was a little worried about the low score on IR). My AWA score is 5. Here is my de-brief:

1. Pre-Preparation Phase!:-

I joined the CV classes at Koramangala in July 2015. However, I could not practice what was taught in the classes at home due to work and family commitments. I kept on postponing my preparation for a year and could not finish attending all the classes. I finally completed the classes in July 2016. I started doing the Official guide around that time and realized that I had completely forgotten the basics of the Verbal section. I was again at Square 1!. The guys at CV understood my problem and suggested that I retake some verbal modules or listen to the video recordings at their lab depending upon my convenience.

As I was finding it difficult to do Sentence Correction questions, I watched the recordings of Arun’s classes on Sentence Correction at their lab.  Again I was getting busy at work, and had little time for preparation. But this time, I knew that if I postpone my preparation, I would be wasting time trying to remember the basics. So I booked my GMAT date in August.

2. Preparation Phase: –

I requested CV for a study plan and sent them my diagnostic test scores. Aditya suggested to give more time to Quants preparation, as he felt I could improve a lot in that section, he also advised me on managing time on the test. I followed his advice and it paid off really well!

As August was nearing, I felt that my preparation was incomplete and postponed the test to September. This time I was pretty serious and decided not to do it again. I realized that it’s not possible to perfectly balance home , work and GMAT. (I am a working mom!). So I requested help from family and took some time off from work just before the exam.

I started analyzing my mistakes and observed a pattern in them. I started dedicating more time to my weak areas and my scores on the mock tests started to improve from 680 to 740.

3. GMAT Experience:-

On the day of the GMAT, I reached the exam center on time.  With a cool mind, I entered the exam and finished the AWA and IR. The IR section was difficult compared to the mock tests, and I found that managing time was becoming an issue. I guessed some questions in between. I had decided on not wasting my energy on IR. The result as you can see is a low score of 3.

The Quantitative Section was easier than I had expected it to be and I finished the section 5 minutes in advance. I just sat at my seat taking the additional 5 minute break I had earned and relaxed. I made some grid lines with A,B,C,D,E for the verbal section in the break time. The verbal section was difficult compared to the GMAT preps, but nevertheless I finished it on time. Finally I was happy to see the score of 720 on the screen.

4.Take away

1.Do not postpone your preparation. If you decide to take GMAT just do it. Book a       date and it will compel you to make time for your preparation. What I did last month, I could have done it an year ago too!

2. Follow only Official Guides. I observed that some usages which are supposed to be correct in General English and not correct on GMAT. So just stick to the official material.
3. Make the best use of Crack Verbal resources. The advanced docs are a great source for difficult questions. Do not take GMAT preps, after doing advanced docs as it tends to inflate your score. Whenever you are struck, ask help from CV, they can help you fine tune your preparation strategy and offer solutions that work!
4. Use GMAT like scratchpads while doing mock tests. It helps you in familiarizing with the test environment, and makes you feel comfortable on the real GMAT. You can also practice on how to organize your scratchpad, so that you don’t waste time asking for new one in the middle of the exam.

Though my score is not an exceptional one, I feel the lessons learnt can be useful to others. Hope this post is of some help to you all. All the best!