After scoring a 690 (Q51, V31) in his fourth attempt, Arjun made some drastic changes to his GMAT preparation strategy that finally helped him to achieve a 740 on his final attempt. He was able to cross the 700-score barrier in his second attempt, but his aim was bigger, which led him to retake the GMAT. He scored 680 and 690 for his first and third attempts.
What went wrong?
Read this article to know more!
This article highlights GMAT strategies that Arjun incorporated in his GMAT prep to score a 740 in his fifth attempt. You can also watch this video debrief to know what led to his targeted score.
- 00:00 – Scores for 5 attempts
- 00:44 – GMAT ESR Analysis and e-GMAT team’s Advice
- 08:05 – What went wrong in his first four attempts
- 10:10 – a meaning-based approach for SC
- 11:22 – GMAT RC preparation
- 13:55 – Arjun’s feeling after taking the exam for the 5th time
- 20:15 – Why INSEAD?
- 23:00 – Rajat’s advice to Arjun on the way forward
Here is an outline of the article:
- What went wrong in his first four attempts?
- GMAT 740 – Key Strategies and Preparation Tips
- GMAT 740 powers admit to INSEAD and ISB
What went wrong in his first four attempts?
Arjun: Initially, I think I got lost in the resource available for GMAT Prep. There is so much information in the market that you feel like doing everything to achieve your targeted score. I tried classroom learning, got a subscription from different online courses, and watched various video lessons.
Later, after I scored a 690 for my third and fourth attempt, I realized that GMAT preparation is all about structured study. Once I realized that I started to research on GMAT Club and Quora for a targeted study plan and came across the e-GMAT course.
The e-GMAT course offers you analytical tools to understand where you lack, and they have this tool called Scholaranium, where you can practice. So, I started with the one-week free trial and ended up buying the course.
Try out our Free Trial as Arjun did. We are the most reviewed GMAT Preparation company on the GMAT Club with more than 1950 reviews.
GMAT 740 – Key Strategies and Preparation Tips
After enrolling with the e-GMAT, Arjun realized the importance of ESR and how it can help you achieve your targeted GMAT score.
Here is how Arjun was able to increase his score from 690 to 740 on the GMAT:
- Analysing ESR and e-GMAT support team Advice
- Mastering 700-level Sentence Correction Questions by following a meaning-based approach
- Comprehensive Reading to ace the GMAT RC
Analysing ESR and e-GMAT Support Team Advice
Arjun: I was speaking to a consultant from the e-GMAT (Ashutosh), and he pointed out that I should get an ESR first to help him understand my pain points.
Here is a break-up of Arjun’s ESR report for his fourth attempt:
| GMAT Verbal section | Percentile |
| Reading comprehension | 41st |
| Critical Reasoning | 57th |
| Sentence correction | 91st |
ESR Analyses: September – 690 on the GMAT
Arjun: Once I knew my weaknesses, I made sure that focus on RC and CR sections. I took at least two to three quizzes after learning the concepts. With the e-GMAT course, I was able to implement a targeted study plan. The course gives you the flexibility to pick a section and practice that until you get it right.
Ashutosh, an e-GMAT consultant, pointed out that I was decent in the Sentence correction section and advised me to start with quizzes and understand where I was lacking. However, I did not take his advice. I started SC from scratch cause I wanted to make sure that I score above the 90th percentile.
He also pointed out that in my Critical reasoning section, I sometimes took two and a half minutes to answer a question correctly, leading to a timing issue. So, I started to maintain an excel sheet to check my accuracy and realized that the accuracy was falling if I cut downtime under 1.8 minutes. Thus, I had to focus on my timing too.
Are you aware of your Takt Time in GMAT? Takt Time is the average time required to solve questions of a particular type correctly. Learn about the importance of knowing your Takt time and how it can help with your GMAT Exam.
Learn how to analyze your GMAT ESR in three steps and who should buy it in 2020.
Mastering 700-level Sentence Correction Questions by following Meaning-based Approach
Arjun: I started my GMAT prep with the Sentence correction section for my fourth attempt. I had a good score in the SC section, but I followed the elimination approach to solving questions. The elimination approach works well; however, when you solve 700-level questions, you need to understand the meaning to eliminate the remaining options. Once I understood the meaning-based approach, I improved my accuracy in the GMAT SC section.
Take a look at how the meaning-based approach helped our other students:
Comprehensive Reading to ace the GMAT
Arjun: I did not change the way I solve RC questions for my fifth attempt. However, I targeted topics where I knew I was lagging. For example, if there is a topic on humanities or politics, I started to get bored. So, I focused on practicing those topics and was surprised to see that I am getting immersed in the passages.
I also used to read a few lines of the paragraph and paused for a bit, which helped me register its meaning in my head rather than making summary notes. Thus, I focused on comprehending the passage to crack the RC section.
GMAT 740 powers admit to INSEAD and ISB
After scoring a 740 on the GMAT, Arjun was able to get an admit from INSEAD and ISB. He will be joining INSEAD 2022 MBA batch.
Why INSEAD?
Arjun: I decided to pursue my MBA at INSEAD while reading an article somewhere that stated that INSEAD has such a diverse class that they will make sure that your study group will not have a guy or a girl from your nationality. That gave me goosebumps in terms of the kind of perspective I am going to have. It was one of the things that fascinated me about INSEAD and still does.
Aspiring to pursue your MBA at INSEAD. Here are few articles that can help you research the INSEAD MBA Program and entry requirements – INSEAD Class profile and Employment, GMAT score required for INSEAD and INSEAD MBA Essay 2021 intake.
Rajat’s suggestion on things Arjun can focus on before joining INSEAD
Rajat: There are two ways you can go about it:
- You can learn about the academic courses that are going to be there—for instance, learning micro and macroeconomics and understanding accounting. Also, brushing up on your Excel skills and make sure you know pivot tables well.
- The other side is the business side of things. You can start reading a few books that are related to your interest. Some of the books that you can read are:
- Michael Potter – What is strategy?
- Professor Clayton Christensen’s book on disruptive innovation
- Books by current venture capitalist such as Peter Thiel
- Every business is a growth business by Ram Charan
- Heart and mind of negotiation which talks about 3D negotiation
- If you into organizational behavior HBS Review has two series – on managing teams and leadership
The whole process is about opening your mind, researching, getting some clarity, and putting your thoughts together.
Did you know the average GMAT score for INSEAD MBA incoming class is 700+? We can help you achieve that score. Why don’t you try out our FREE Trial? We are the most reviewed Online GMAT Prep company with more than 2160 reviews on the GMATClub.
Here is a list of few related articles on INSEAD and ISB MBA Program:
- How to get into INSEAD? INSEAD MBA Admissions Decoded
- How to approach the INSEAD MBA Application?
- ISB interview – How to prepare and most commonly asked questions for 2020-2021 admissions
- 8 Step guide to get into the Indian School of Business (ISB) MBA program
- How to write ISB Essay for 2021 Intake – Essay analysis from an ex-ISB admissions officer
- What is a good GMAT score for ISB?
- ISB PGP class profile, placement report, and notable alumni
- Importance of GMAT score in ISB admissions process
