Hi everyone,

I’m sharing my journey here because I’m trying to understand where I went wrong with my GMAT preparation and how I can make a much stronger comeback for Round 2 MBA application.

1. My background

- Undergraduate degree: BA (Hons.) in Economics, with around 70%.

- Postgraduate degree: MA, with approximately 68–69%.

- Work experience: Around 4 years in school operations and finance management, with responsibilities relating to the operational and financial aspects of a school.

- UPSC preparation: Approximately 3 years preparing for the UPSC Civil Services Examination. I consistently cleared the CSAT paper during my attempts.

- Additional learning: IIM Rohtak Business Intelligence and Data Analytics certificate, Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate, and other professional development programmes.

- Social impact: I also completed a social entrepreneurship internship with an NGO, contributing to a digital-access initiative.

After spending years preparing for competitive examinations, I decided to shift my focus towards an MBA, with long-term interests in business strategy, management and finance.

1. My GMAT experience

I prepared for around 3 months using the MentorMe platform and the GMAT materials available to me. I completed the sectional tests and attempted around 7–8 mocks, where I was consistently scoring 650+.

However, my actual GMAT score was 455.

This was a huge disappointment because I expected to perform significantly better after months of preparation.

My official score report highlighted some serious weaknesses:

- Critical Reasoning: 1st percentile

- Reading Comprehension: 12th percentile

- Quant: 23rd percentile

- Data Insights: Relatively stronger in certain question types, particularly maths-based DI

My biggest mistake was underestimating Verbal, especially Critical Reasoning. I spent a considerable amount of time on Quant and Data Insights, assuming that Verbal would be manageable. In the actual examination, I struggled with analysing arguments, identifying assumptions and evaluating answer choices under time pressure.

I also felt that some of the older Manhattan Prep materials I used were not fully aligned with the question styles I encountered.

I now realise that my preparation strategy needs a complete rethink rather than simply solving more questions from the same sources.

1. My retake and Round 2 plan

I’m considering retaking the GMAT after approximately 2–2.5 months of focused preparation and applying in Round 2.

My target is to improve my score substantially, ideally to 700+, although I understand that moving from 455 to that range is a significant challenge.

I want to prioritise Verbal, particularly CR and RC, while continuing to practise Quant and DI. This time, I want to use a smaller set of reliable, current-GMAT resources and follow a structured plan with regular timed practice and error analysis.

1. My MBA goals: US Top 30 programmes

My aspiration is to target US Top 30 MBA programmes, provided I can make my application competitive through a stronger GMAT score and a well-presented professional profile.

I’m interested in programmes with strong career opportunities in strategy, management and finance. Scholarships and overall return on investment are also important considerations for me as an international applicant.

I understand that my current GMAT score is not competitive for these schools, and I would not apply with the expectation that my existing profile alone will compensate for it. My plan is to improve my score first and then build a sensible school list.

1. I would really appreciate your advice on the following

GMAT preparation

1. Which current GMAT resources would you recommend for CR and RC? I’m looking for high-quality practice questions and detailed explanations, not just basic concept videos.

2. What would be the best official and third-party question banks for Quant, Verbal and DI?

3. Would you recommend a personal tutor or a structured course after a 455, particularly given the gap between my mock scores and actual result?

4. How should I structure the next 8–10 weeks to maximise improvement without neglecting Quant and DI?

MBA admissions and school selection

1. If I improve my GMAT substantially, which US Top 30 MBA programmes would be worth researching for my profile? Which schools should I consider ambitious, and which might offer a more balanced set of options?

2. How should admissions committees view school operations and finance management experience when it is not traditional corporate experience? What evidence of leadership, responsibility and measurable impact should I emphasise?

3. Would applying in Round 2 after a stronger GMAT attempt be a sensible strategy, or would delaying to a later intake be worth considering if my score does not improve enough?

4. Which programmes might offer meaningful merit scholarships to international applicants, and how should I balance school reputation, employment outcomes, scholarship potential and total cost?

I’m not expecting anyone to guarantee admission or tell me that a particular score will get me into a particular school. I’m looking for realistic advice on building a strong application and creating a balanced school list.

I’m open to honest criticism of my profile and preparation strategy. I know that the 455 is a serious setback, but I want to use it as a diagnostic rather than repeat the same mistakes.

If you have faced a similar situation, improved significantly on a retake, or applied to US MBA programmes with a non-traditional background, I would genuinely appreciate your advice.

Thank you!

The same wrong answer can feel like progress or like failure. Which one it feels like depends on why you're practicing.

If your objective in a practice session is to learn, a wrong answer serves that objective: it shows you something you didn't understand. If your objective is to find out whether you're good enough, the same wrong answer fails it: it tells you you're not there yet.

Many students mix the two. They sit down to learn, but they also use every question to check how far they are from their target. So a session full of useful mistakes leaves them feeling they've failed.

One of my students was doing exactly this. Each wrong answer made her doubt whether she would ever reach her target, and she lost hours, sometimes days, to that doubt. I suggested she separate the two objectives: check where she stood after three weeks, and until then, treat every wrong answer as something to learn from.

Separating them helps for two reasons. You already know you're not at your target yet, which is why you're practicing, so checking after every question only repeats that answer. And once checking has a date, the question of whether you're good enough gets answered then, so you can set it aside until that day.

To separate the two:

1. Schedule an evaluation every 2–3 weeks to check where you stand.

2. Between evaluations, end each session by writing down what you learned, not how many questions you got right.

Hey GMAT folks and experts out there!

I am seeking your help on achieving the goal for a good GMAT score, 675+. My score currently hovers around 555-575 on OG mock and the major challenge is time management in all the sections. I have around 3 weeks before my exam. I can take a retake later if needed.

I gave OG Mock 2 around a month back and OG Mock 3 recently both being a month apart with quite a bit of prep involved in the month.

Mock 3 Analysis

Sequence: Quant - Verbal - DI

Quant(A detailed one):

Q3 - Permutations Question, I am weak at P&C but will improve soon.

https://gmatclub.com/forum/the-manager-of-a-certain-advertising-agency-must-divide-the-group-of-424458.html#p3335939

Q5 - Careless mistake - question asked the largest difference between couple of numbers which was in % but it was written as "percent" so i missed it. My answer was 0.65 and but as the input was %, the actual answer was 0.0065. This can be improved.

https://gmatclub.com/forum/four-banks-offered-home-equity-loans-at-the-rates-of-4-7-8-percent-425133.html#p3343771

Q7 - I couldn't figure out how to solve it as I misread the question a bit, in this Qn, one transaction is one lot sell and one lot buy separately for each but I though one transaction for both. Also, while solving again untimed, I observed it and made a linear equation but failed to get the right answer as I was using a Diophantine eqn approach in Ax-By=C instead of Ax+By=C. So this was more of a capability issue I would say.

https://gmatclub.com/forum/an-automobile-rental-agency-purchases-new-cars-from-the-manufacturer-420798.html#p3290257

Q14 - This felt super hard and I had to let it go, but the bad part was that it might have taken me 2 mins to decode the Qn and additional 2 mins working on it to realise I can't solve it.

https://gmatclub.com/forum/two-machines-x-and-y-working-together-at-their-repsective-constant-r-420817.html#p3287036

Q15- solvable but included quite a bit of calc, I went through longer approach maybe and from here the downfall started.

https://gmatclub.com/forum/a-store-sold-60-percent-of-the-hats-from-a-shipment-of-hats-at-a-414476.html

Q16- Something that I was able to solve in <1.5 min while resolving it, it was pure anxiety due to less time left.

https://gmatclub.com/forum/if-xyz-0-and-w-x-x-y-y-z-then-w-z-must-be-equal-to-which-of-the-420518.html#p3288255

And then it was screwed up completely.

Verbal:

I was able to only do 15 Qn, Infact, I couldn't even complete all the question and hence I didn't see the 19th to 23rd question, I know this is a big problem and we should never leave blank, but I lost a track of time as I was on the 14,15 the Qn of RC.

I don't know what's wrong but I am doing the process right to my knowledge. One thing, I might be wasting time in making notes, like in CR, I will write down conclusion and Premise, for RC, I will write down the summary of all the Para. What I realised yesterday that I don't go back much to the notes but if I take a pause write stuff down, it helps me process in my mind, Else if I just read, I lose the argument. Also, I generally take a bit of time to read Qn compared to maybe what others are taking. If I go too fast, I miss the Qn, If I go slow, I miss the time, I am in this loop now.

For RC, I used to struggle with topics like Art and Archeology as I am a science student but I have started reading like 2 articles a day on Scientific American and now I can read topics which I am even uncomfortable with but still I take a lot of time to read RC as you see..

In the OG Mock 3 of Verbal, I got 2 RC Question wrong and one CR Question wrong.

RC Qn - I read the wrong Qn again after the exam and it felt like I might have not understood the RC properly.

https://gmatclub.com/forum/in-1860-in-the-united-states-of-all-employees-only-state-judges-in-s-425355.html#p3347140

CR Qn - I couldn't comprehend and connect the choice to the Qn and hence selected the wrong one, for a sec I felt to select the right one but the reason I reject is because I was not properly infer how would it make a change in the argument.

https://gmatclub.com/forum/absolute-or-perfect-pitch-the-ability-to-identify-the-pitch-of-an-426973.html#p3364259

Overall in Verbal I didn't get a feeling of I not being able to solve it.

Data Insight

I haven't practiced this section a lot but I have been able to solve DS in general, I while overwhelmed but questions which need 3 answers correct, I end up taking a lot of time like the below:

So TPA and MSR is where I feel like I have to do a lot of calc, and I end up spending a lot of time.

For Graphs and Tables, I feel I am good at understanding them( I work in management) but somehow I do the mental math that easily, like if they are asking which qtr had the max % increase, I have to calculate couple of them but I see a lot of people end up observing the chart pattern and quickly see stuff.

Maybe I am uncomfortable with the three Qn because I haven't practiced these? I felt I'll get them once I learn Quant and Verbal but this doesn't come close.

Thanks for reading till the end. I wanted to give my complete prospective so you can respond properly after looking at Data. Any help is really appreciated!!!

~Just another guy struggling at GMAT

Hi everyone,

I prepared for GMAT for almost 6 months and scored 645 (V86, Q83, DI79). Gave it again after some more prep but ended up scoring 645 again.

I was scoring around 675-695 in mocks, so maybe exam day nerves affected my score.

After that I took a 6 month break and now thinking of starting prep again. My target is 695+.

I'm confused whether I should stick with GMAT since I've already spent so much time preparing for it or switch to GRE.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? Is it realistic to improve from 645 to 695+ or would GRE be a better option? Also how do you deal with exam day pressure when your mock scores are much higher?

Would really appreciate some advice. Thanks!

I'm preparing for my third GMAT attempt and it's booked for 25 days from now.

My first was 535 and second 615. But for some reason, I just can't get myself to study. I actually feel dumb. Like I just can't break the barrier anymore.

any advice on how to motivate myself?

I've taken days/weeks off and it's just not working. I need 645 for college application but it just feels so hard rn

My sectional breakdown last time q79, v83, di80

Hi guys i took my GMAT yesterday, in DI i saw 4 non math related DS questions - i never really came across them during practice in gmat club so i just guessed them....
any practice material related to these?

I scored a 685 on the GMAT Focus recently.
I am an Indian male (23 Y) working in IT for a top MNC, working with clients across the world in a cross functional team across different timezones. I graduated from a Tier-1 Engineering college with a 3.9 GPA.
I’m currently working on some side projects for class 11 and 12 students and I have started volunteering in NGOs and I do CrossFit on the weekends.
I have a lot of extracurricular experience from my college life as well, I was heading a fest team for a Double ISO certified fest and I was the president of a Product Management club

I am planning on selectively applying only to a few of the top European MBA Programs, preferably INSEAD, LBS and HEC Paris.

I have decided to apply once I have around 4 years of work exp, could someone please give me some honest feedback of where I stand? Whether I would have to boost my GMAT score as well because I don’t know if a 685 would be sufficient considering I come from an oversaturated pool of applicants.

Hello guys! First time posting on reddit and just wanted to get some insights since I’m honestly feeling at a loss. I just took the GMAT exam and got a 615 and my target is 655-675+.

I prepped for 1.5 months on GMAT club questions and Mocks 1-4 (mainly 3 and 4). My mocks were around the 615-655 range as well but I took them when I still hadn’t figured verbal out, consistently got 77-78 there. But to my surprise I got 85 during the actual exam, quite the shocker quite frankly was the DI part. Which I don’t know why I struggled… I feel like I kept second-guessing myself and spent too much time redoing some calculations, and in doing so, ended up missing 1-2 questions. I want to retake since I feel like I could’ve done a whole lot better. But, at the same time I’m not sure if it’s still worth it🥲.

I’m planning on applying for masters in Hong Kong, R2 deadlines I believe are December 1st. I want to try to apply earlier as well for a better chance. Just not sure if it’s worth it to retake and try getting a higher score since I’m not sure as well how much it can help me with admission or scholarships.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Extra:
My sectionals if I recall correctly were Q83, V85, and DI 74.

Target schools are HKU, HKUST, and CUHK.

Hey everyone,

I'm currently preparing for the GMAT and have already finished Practice Tests 1 and 2. I'm looking to take Practice Tests 3 through 6 to keep my preparation going.

Would anyone help with these tests? Thanks in advance!

Est ce que quelqu'un à un avis sur la prepa du site reussirlegmat.com?

The scores y'all post here are the new format, right? GMAT FE?

Or do I have everything understood wrong?

Forgot many formulas or knew what they wanted but not how. Time was imo a big surprise/issue in VR and DI. Always guessed at the end to avoid getting penalty points for not having something answered. I am taking the GMAT at the end of December and would appreciate any guidance I could get on how to study from now on, having all the books with me. My target GMAT would be like a 675/680, but idk if that's realistic or not. Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone,

I would like to share my experience with the GMAT.
I’m 34, with 8+ years of work experience, including 4 years of international experience, and I already have a Master’s degree in engineering. I’ve moved into running my own businesses over the past 4-5 years, so getting back to studying for the GMAT after all these years wasn’t easy.

I went all in and prepared for 4-5 months. My one and only GMAT attempt got me a 565. I was disappointed, but I also realised that maybe I wasn’t a trained test-taker who could ace the GMAT. I had to balance family, multiple businesses, and all the curveballs that life throws at you from time to time.

Since my target school accepts the Executive Assessment (EA) as well, I switched tracks and took the EA just 10 days after the GMAT. I ended up scoring 162, and I’m satisfied because I feel all the work I put in paid off.

If you’re someone with decent work experience and your target school accepts both the GMAT and EA, I’d recommend considering the EA as an alternative. The exams have considerable overlap in the skills they test, although there are differences in question types and format. You can look up the exact differences.

Personally, I found the EA less mentally fatiguing, at least in terms of the overall volume of the exam.
My preparation and the resources I used
I had the Official Guide (OG) books and bought a 6-month Magoosh subscription for the concept videos. I finished all the Magoosh videos within 2 weeks and scored 535 on my first mock.

I would attribute most of my learning after that to the video lectures from these sources:

GMAT Club: Aditya Kumar’s videos
Manhattan Prep: Whitney Garner’s videos
GMAT Ninja: Charles and the other instructors
These were the resources that phenomenally helped me master the concepts.

During this phase, I also bought the monthly GMAT Club Forum Quiz subscription ($29 per month). I used GMAT Club almost exclusively for the last 3 months of my preparation.

I’ve grinded enough questions on GMAT Club to know that a huge number of OG-style questions and concepts are covered in its forum quiz. If I were starting again, I’d seriously consider getting the Forum Quiz early rather than spending extra money on multiple question banks. The question bank is massive and covers questions from many popular sources.

I also bought the 6 official practice exams from mba.com and took them over the last 2 months of my preparation, spacing them out evenly.

Switching to the EA

After scoring 565 on the GMAT, I immediately switched tracks to the EA. I didn’t have to redo my preparation from scratch. Most of my GMAT preparation carried over.

For Sentence Correction, I used the trial offered by TTP. Since I had only 10 days between my GMAT and EA, I couldn’t cover its intensive Verbal section in full. However, I used what was available in the trial, and it helped me solidify a lot of grammar rules.

I later switched to GMAT Ninja’s YouTube series on Sentence Correction, with videos from a few years ago, and those worked best for me.

I felt TTP would be great for people early in their careers who are still in a student mindset and want an orderly, structured path from level zero. TTP is great at establishing a solid foundation, provided you have the time to cover every nook and corner and make your preparation bulletproof.

What I would have done differently

If I knew then what I know now, here’s what I’d change:

1. I would have started with the GMAT Club video series.
I’d have watched all their YouTube video series covering Quant, Verbal, and Data Insights. It’s a true treasure trove! For some concepts, I even used videos from the Physics Wallah YouTube channel.

2. I would still have bought Magoosh.
I would still recommend Magoosh as a budget-friendly option. It gives you a structure for learning and helps you figure out which concepts you need to work on.

3. I would have bought the GMAT Club Forum Quiz subscription from month 2.
I would have started grinding questions regularly from the second month, using the streaks method by Marty Murray. Google it, and you’ll find what I’m talking about.

Final thoughts

Anyway, I’m no expert. I’m just like one of you in this quest, and I’m sharing what worked for me.

I know a 565 GMAT Focus score isn’t something to brag about, but I’m happy that I managed to get a 162 on the EA 10 days later, using the preparation I’d already done.

If you have decent work experience and are considering the EA, I hope my experience helps you make a more informed decision. Just make sure your target school accepts it and check how it evaluates the two tests.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to reach out, and I’ll answer them to the best of my knowledge.
Good luck with your preparation, everyone!

Hello everyone,

I’m looking for some genuine advice on what to do next because I’m feeling quite devastated after my GMAT attempt yesterday.

I’ve been preparing for the GMAT for the last 3 months. My scores in the official mocks were around 595 (Q82, V81, DI75), with my best performance.

However, I took the actual exam yesterday and scored 555 (Q78, V77, DI77). The score was significantly lower than my mock performances, and I’m struggling to figure out what went wrong and what I should do next.

My target is 645, as I’m aiming for a one-year MBA programme at the IIMs.

Right now, I’m confused between two options:

1. Give up on this goal for now and explore other options.
2. Give the GMAT one more attempt next month, with a more structured preparation strategy.

I have a deadline coming up in November, so if I decide to retake the exam, I have limited time. I’m also willing to invest in a good private tutor if that would genuinely help me improve.

I’d really appreciate advice on a few things:

• Is it realistic to improve from 555 to 645 in about a month, considering my mock scores?
• Should I work with a private tutor? If yes, how do I identify a good GMAT tutor who can help diagnose my weaknesses rather than just teach concepts?
• How would you structure preparation for the next 3–4 weeks?
• For anyone who has experienced a similar score drop, what did you change before your next attempt?

I understand that a 645 is not guaranteed, and I’m not expecting any shortcuts. I just want to make an informed decision about whether another attempt is worth the time, money, and effort.

If you were in my position, would you give it one more shot?

Thanks in advance. Any honest advice or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Hi,

I just gave my GMAT today. Got a score of 645 (Q84, V83, DI79).

Really disappointed with my Q and DI scores as my Q has always been around 87-88 (with a 90 once) and my average mock scores were 675.

Felt the actual exam to be tougher. 
I am not complaining. I actually want to be able to tackle these questions. 

However, the official mocks are relatively less difficult. 

How do I practise these difficult questions in a test kind of a format. What should be my strategy going forward. 

Planning to give the GMAT again in 2 months.

Thanks in advance !!

Just took my third gmat attempt and scored an underwhelming 595.

Best score yet: 615, superscore 635.

official mocks: 625, 655, 675, 635, 615, 655. So I was hoping for at least 655.

Profile - Indian F, 5 yoe, AI/consumer tech PM, worked at the same place for 5 years, switching internal products, started as an intern, got 3 promos.

10th 96%, 12th 88%, Bachelors btech GPA 8.9

Intl exp: have some exp volunteering in Latin America during college.

Recs: will get recs from my company's senior execs whom I've reported to.

Question - given my profile should I apply to INSEAD in R2 with 615 gmat? since R2 also has better scholarship pool.

Or should I retake in hopes of scoring 655+ & apply in R3 to increase my chances?

Please help!!!

im depressed

Word problems involving ratios, percentages, and overlapping conditions are taking around 3 minutes to solve, even when the final answer is correct. The main issue seems to be translating the wording into equations without repeatedly rereading the question.

For those who improved their Quant timing, was the biggest improvement from learning specific shortcuts, practising equation formation, or reviewing mistakes after each session?

The tags used in GMAT club RC are they difficult because even the easy RC I am not being able to achieve 90 percent accuracy. My AIM is to score 85+ in verbal and for CR I am doing well even the hard ones but for RC I am not being able to achieve accuracy.

I am working on my reading skills and comprehension but apart from that are the GMAT CLUB RC ( Official Questions) filter in easy section are medium level questions? and medium questions tagged are actually hard ones?

You may understand that criticising yourself after a wrong answer doesn't help, yet you still do it after the next one. That's expected, because self-criticism is a habit. What changes it is awareness, patience, and clarity about how you want to treat yourself.

You get a question wrong in practice, and the old reaction comes: "How could I get this wrong?" Then a second thought follows: "I know this doesn't help. Why am I still doing it?"

The reaction comes before you decide anything. Understanding that it doesn't help is necessary, but a habit you've had for years can take a long time to change.

Three things help.

1. Awareness. Midway through a practice set, you catch yourself thinking, "How could I get this wrong?" You don't have to stop the thought or argue with it. You just notice it: "There it is." Until you notice the reaction, there's nothing to choose.

2. Patience. The next day, you catch it again, and with it comes "I know this doesn't help, and I'm still doing it." That second thought is also self-criticism. First you criticized yourself for the mistake, and now you're criticizing yourself for still reacting that way. Patience means recognizing this and not criticizing yourself for it. Slipping back is part of changing a habit, not a sign that you're failing to change it.

3. Clarity about how you want to treat yourself. When you catch the old reaction, you need somewhere to go. Decide in advance what you want to say to yourself after a mistake, something like "Okay, what did I miss here?", so it's ready when you need it.

Over time, this can change how you meet your mistakes. A student once told me, "Earlier, whenever I made mistakes, I'd get irritated. Now, when I make mistakes, I get curious."

For your next week of practice:

- Each time you catch yourself criticizing yourself, make a small mark beside the question.

- Don't try to reduce the number of marks. The marks are there to help you notice. If you try to get fewer, a high count becomes another reason to criticise yourself, and more marks may just mean you're noticing more often.

- After each mark, say the sentence you chose.

I'm 29 and work as a civil engineer, mostly on bridges, highways and water treatment facilities,i've gotten more interested in VC through climate tech and cleantech, especially companies working on infrastructure and construction. The thing is i don't have a finance degree or an MBA. I went to a state school for engineering and every VC job listing I look at seems to mention a top MBA or HBS, GSB, Wharton somewhere in the requirements

Part of me thinks my background could actually be useful. I understand how infrastructure projects work, why municipal procurement can take forever and why a technology that looks great in a pitch deck might fall apart when you try to use it at scale but I don't know how much funds actually value that kind of experience when hiring. Has anyone made the move from engineering into climate tech or infrastructure investing without the usual finance background? What helped you get your foot in the door?