GMAT marks the gateway to the famous abroad B-schools as well as renowned Indian ones. GMAT is that one mandatory admission requirement without which obtaining a seat is impossible. GMAT tends to be such an important entrance exam that many students retake it just to secure a place in their dream B-school. GMAT retakes are also common with candidates who are not satisfied with their scores, and after analyzing see the scope of possibilities. Indian B-schools like IIM, IMT Ghaziabad, ISB, and more accept GMAT scores higher than 700. We hear numerous challenging stories of how an aspirant’s score leaps from 650 to 750 when they retake the exam. Like that, we recently came across Dhruv Chopra’s successful attempt at scoring a 740 in his second attempt and securing a place in the renowned Great Lakes Institute of Management.
Dhruv being an engineering student has always excelled in maths, and expectedly in the GMAT quant section. That is exactly what happened during his first attempt when he thought scoring above 700 would not be an uphill battle for him. But he ended up with a 670 that is when he realized how mistaken he was with the assumption. Dhruv pursued a B.Tech degree, followed by a job in sales to amp up the learning process of management. He wanted to be accustomed to the measures, principles, and methods running the sales and marketing departments.
Dhruv always had an inclination towards studying abroad alongside waiting to take the GMAT. According to him, it was always GMAT and no other exam. He favored how GMAT had adaptable test dates that kept him away to juggle between his work and preparation. Furthermore, he cherished the fact that GMAT exam pattern offers test-takers the liberty to start with the section they wanted. But somehow the plan to study abroad was held off. The altered plan resulted in him pursuing a degree in the Great Lakes Institute of Management (GLIM). Dhruv always wanted to pursue Business Analytics, and he was decisive about joining GLIM.
Dhruv’s Evolution of Score from 670 to 740:
He was confident about scoring well in both GMAT verbal and quant sections but that didn’t happen. It is from the first attempt that he comprehended his need for rigorous practice for the verbal section. He stated how his coming from an engineering background made him competent in the quant and stats. During the mock tests, Dhruv noticed a drop in the verbal score and realized certain facts:
- He was reading the GMAT RC passages way too fast and that made his answers go wrong. He was concerned about the time constraint and that made him speed up his reading. This eventually made him miss out on the facts needed for answers. He engaged in more mock tests, focused on creating the balance between time and paced-up reading.
- Dhruv mistook the GMAT verbal section to be more accessible during the 1st attempt, which made him spend more time on GMAT quant preparation. But by the 2nd attempt, he understood the weight of the verbal section and spend more time practicing GMAT verbal sample questions. Out of say, 60 questions 40 were verbal.
- His GMAT verbal preparation books consisted of the Official GMAC Guide and Manhattan Prep.
- He advises spending 2 - 3 minutes for GMAT RC, 1 minute for GMAT SC
- When asked about time management, he has asked to devote to a GMAT 3 Month’s Study Plan
or maybe 4. He has also stated how he was able to carve out around 2 to 3 hours time after a 9 to 5 job.
Check GMAT Study Plan for Working Professionals
- For the GMAT AWA and GMAT IR sections, he spent a couple of weeks and not much
- He practiced a total of 5 mock tests which included the GMAC mock tests. He has stated how the official ones are the most authentic ones.
- The first mock test resulted in a 680 with which he was pretty disappointed but knew there was a long way to go. In the last mock test, he ended with a 760 GMAT score.
- He stated how studying only during the weekends was just not adequate. The weekends can be perfect for mock tests but daily preparation was very much required during the weekdays.
- Forums were pretty beneficial for his preparation like GMAC Club, and GMAT Prep.
For the first-timers, Dhruv shares a solid prep tip: Don’t be fazed by the whole thing. Focus on accuracy, time, speed, consistency, and analytical approach, and strengths and weaknesses. Staying calm on the test day is another prerequisite.
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