Farman started his GMAT preparation with GMAT Official Guide. After taking a few mock tests he was able to pinpoint his weakness and work on them one by one. His Quant was strong but he needed to focus on the Verbal section.
He focused on one topic at a time, nailed its concepts, and then practiced it to make it perfect!
“One way to practice is one step at a time, one breath at a time.” – Shunryu Suzuki
By following this strategy, he was able to increase his GMAT score from 680 (Q49, V33) to 760 (Q51, V41) and got admit from Tuck and Ross School of business with a scholarship!
Check out what is a good GMAT score for Tuck and Ross School of business.
In this video, Farman Singh Garcha talks about how he was able to score 760 on the GMAT by taking one step at a time and following the right GMAT preparation strategy. You can even read this article to get an idea about the same.
Did you know the average GMAT score range for the top MBA colleges in the USA ranges from 634-734? We can help you achieve that. Why don’t you start your GMAT Preparation by trying out our FREE Trial? We are the most reviewed online GMAT Prep company on the GMATClub with more than 1870 reviews.
- 00:42 – GMAT Preparation Journey
- 3:02 – What went wrong in the first attempt?
- 4:01 – Focusing on Meaning-based Approach for SC
- 6:39 – Strategy for CR and RC section
- 7:55 – Final attempt
- 9:39 – First vs. Second attempt
- 11:29 – Key takeaways to score high on the GMAT
- 13:22 – How he got into Tuck (Interview Tips)
Here is the outline of the article:
Key Milestones in GMAT preparation
Farman’s target score was to achieve 730-740 on the GMAT Exam. From the Mock tests he took, it was pretty evident that his GMAT Verbal section was weak as compared to Quant. Thus, he started the e-GMAT verbal course as it had good reviews online.
In the GMAT Verbal section, his primary focus was on sentence correction.
First Attempt: What Went Wrong?
After focusing on improving his Verbal section, his verbal score was similar to the mock test scores. He was able to understand the overall concept but was not able to use the meaning-based approach. Moreover, his Quant score also went down because of the lack of preparation.
He scored 680 on the GMAT with Q49 and V33.
After realizing his mistake in the first attempt, he was able to target areas in which he can improve his score.
The Turning Point in GMAT Preparation
For his second attempt, he gave himself time to understand the meaning before answering the question, rather than just solving it. He was able to identify:
- Which sentence is wrong in the meaning?
- Which meanings were making sense?
Farman was also able to improve his Quant score by regularly practicing through his e-GMAT account.
You might think that a meaning-based approach will take more time to solve each question. However, once you start practicing, you will be able to implement this approach quickly to a problem.
After continuous practice, Farman was able to reduce his timing to solve a question, while following the meaning-based approach. He was able to get to the meaning as soon as he read a sentence, which also helped him in improving his CR and RC score.
From 680 to 760 on the GMAT
A couple of months before his second attempt, Farman gave mock tests where he scored around 730. But he was still not confident enough to take the test.
However, he took the exam to check how he is performing in the real-time exam environment.
Before taking the GMAT, he had a positive mindset. He wanted to test his performance and took the GMAT exam as a practice test.
Besides, having a positive mindset got him an extra 30 points on the GMAT!
He scored 760 (Q51, V41) in his second attempt.
Are you having GMAT anxiety? Here are 10 tips for tackling it.
Getting into Dartmouth Tuck MBA Program
Farman had applied to five business schools:
- Columbia Business School
- Chicago Booth School of Business
- Kellogg School of Management
- Ross School of Business
- Dartmouth Tuck School of Business
Based on his MBA application, he got interview calls from – Kellogg, Tuck, and Ross. There was a considerable gap between each interview, which gave him time to improve his interview skills.
Avoid these MBA application mistakes and make it to your dream business school
For his first interview with the Kellogg School of Management, he did not have much practice and faced difficulties in answering the behavioral questions. For example, tell us about a time where you had a conflict with your co-worker, and how did you resolve it?
He did have a set of stories in his mind but was not able to structure it properly during the Kellogg interview.
Practice Makes you perfect!
After his Kellogg interview, he jotted down the questions asked and was able to figure out where he went wrong while answering those questions.
He did almost 10-12 video recordings to analyze and improve on his answer delivery. He paid attention to:
- Maintaining his body language while answering
- Practicing the most common interview questions
- Delivering Structured answers
By analyzing his weakness and improving on it, Farman was able to crack both Dartmouth Tuck and Michigan Ross interviews.
Here are 5 MBA interview tips and most common questions that you can prepare for before your interview.
Why Tuck over Ross?
Finding a business school fit is essential, and that’s how Farman was able to choose Tuck over Ross. His post-MBA goal is to get into management consulting, and both Tuck and Ross were a great fit for it.
However, Farman felt more connected to the Tuck School of Business environment after talking to its Admissions committee and Alumni. Besides, he is into hiking, and Tuck’s location is an excellent place for it.
Here are six steps to find your business school fit?
Key Takeaways:
- Do not take tension. Focus on the question given rather than worrying about the test
- Know your weaknesses and work on them one by one.
- Follow the right approach (CR- pre-thinking approach, SC – meaning-based approach)
Did you know the average GMAT score range for the top MBA colleges in the USA ranges from 634-734? We can help you achieve that. Why don’t you start your GMAT Preparation by trying out our FREE Trial? We are the most reviewed online GMAT Prep company on the GMATClub with more than 1870 reviews.
FAQs – GMAT Success Story: Admit from Tuck and Ross School of Business
The average GMAT score for the class of 2021 is 719.
The average GMAT score for the Class of 2021 is 700.
The average cost of an MBA degree from top business schools can range from $91,687 – $237,636. Check out this article to know the MBA cost for top b-schools and how to reduce it?
A good GMAT score is the one that will help you get an admit from your dream business school. Check out our article where we highlight 5 step guideline to know a good GMAT score
