The test center was familiar territory for Sayam – this was his seventh time sitting in that same chair. Just 30 days earlier, he had walked out with a 675, a respectable score by any standard. But as the final screen appeared, displaying his results, time seemed to stop.
745. V90. D86. Q86. The perfect 100th percentile score stared back at him.
“I didn’t get up my seat for 60 odd seconds and then the examiner has to come and say okay sir you have to end the exam,” Sayam recalls, his voice still carrying the disbelief of that moment.
Sayam’s incredible journey to V90 – perfect verbal score
This wasn’t just another success story. This was the culmination of a remarkable transformation – from a V32 (77th percentile) in the classic GMAT to a perfect V90 in the Focus Edition. For a civil engineer who had spent the better part of a decade building infrastructure, this journey of building verbal excellence would prove to be his most challenging construction project yet.
The Unlikely Verbal Champion – Sayam’s Background
Sayam’s credentials read like a typical engineer’s success story: an MNIT Allahabad graduate from 2015, currently employed as a civil engineer at L&T (Larsen & Toubro Limited). But his impact extends far beyond typical engineering metrics. As part of the Clean Ganga mission, he helped reduce wastewater flowing into the river by 200 million liters per day. His current project aims to transform water supply in Kuchaman City, Rajasthan – from a mere 45 minutes of water every two days to 24/7 supply for this water-stressed town.
Yet this accomplished engineer faced a peculiar challenge when it came to the GMAT. His journey through multiple attempts told a story of persistence: 680 in the classic edition (2016-17), followed by 655 and 675 in the Focus Edition, before his triumphant 745.
The contrast was stark – here was someone who could engineer solutions to complex infrastructure problems affecting millions, yet initially struggled to break through the verbal ceiling. His V32 in the classic edition seemed to confirm what many engineers fear: that verbal excellence might be out of reach.
How did a civil engineer, trained to think in concrete terms and mathematical precision, crack the code to achieve a perfect verbal score?
Cracking the Verbal Code – The V90 Strategy
A. The Reading Renaissance
Sayam’s transformation began with a fundamental shift in how he approached GMAT passages. Rather than viewing them as test content to endure, he began treating them as opportunities for knowledge gain.
“When I read a passage in the GMAT it really gives some kind of information they are really relevant passages,” he explains, his enthusiasm evident. “It’s just matter of interest you have to create your interest in reading what you’re reading. They’ll help you in some regard not just for the test – I believe they are helping me in the general life as well.”
But here’s where his approach became counterintuitive: instead of gravitating toward topics he enjoyed, Sayam deliberately sought out uninteresting material. “Read whatever interests you and mostly whatever does not interest you,” he advises. “Because you’ll get on the GMAT the things that you are not really interested in but you have to go through them with the same perseverance and same interest.”
This willingness to invest time showed in his test-day approach: “I read one question three times in the GMAT right in the verbal section. I even read a paragraph twice which is a small paragraph – I had to read that twice to understand it completely.”
B. The Time Investment Principle
While most engineers try to save time on verbal questions to focus on their quantitative strengths, Sayam discovered a paradox that would transform his performance.
“You cannot save time on the question at which you are average, you have to save time on the question which you are good at,” he realized. This insight flew in the face of conventional test-taking wisdom, but the logic was sound – GMAT doesn’t care about your natural abilities; it tests all skills equally.
His morning ritual became sacred: a minimum of 10 questions every day, sometimes extending to 13 or even 23 depending on available time. “Every morning I took 10 questions or 11 questions – I was trying to replicate the scenario of the GMAT test,” he explains. The key was mixing the questions strategically: “Half of the RC CR questions… both RC and CR… to give me a taste of the real test.”
This consistent practice built something more valuable than knowledge – it built comfort with discomfort.
C. Avoiding the Verbal Traps
Sayam’s understanding of GMAT’s sophistication became a crucial element of his success. “They know what you are looking at,” he warns, describing GMAC’s deliberate strategy to mislead test-takers.
“They’ll use similar language from the text in the answer choices and you’ll be tricked to go with that choice,” he explains. The trap is elegant in its simplicity – test-takers often find themselves down to two choices, believing they have a 50% chance of success. But as Sayam discovered, “They know the similar language they’ll use… but ultimately the answer choice will be some entirely different from what the language in the context of the passage was.”
His solution was uncompromising: “Guessing and moving on never works in the GMAT as simple as that. You have to give thorough analysis of the question… you have to understand it… comprehend it and answer it the way that it requires to be answered.”
D. Practice Statistics that Predicted Success
The numbers told the story before test day arrived. Sayam’s practice statistics revealed a 70th percentile accuracy on hard questions, translating to 90th percentile ability. His Reading Comprehension performance was even more impressive, showing “beyond 95th percentile ability” in practice sessions.
These weren’t random achievements – they were the result of methodical daily practice that created familiarity with every question type and difficulty level. The consistency in his practice metrics became a predictor of test-day excellence.
The 30-Day Sprint – From 675 to 745
The transformation from 675 to 745 in just 30 days might seem miraculous, but Sayam’s perspective reveals a different truth.
“When you are at 675 you already know all the basic stuff,” he explains matter-of-factly. “You just want to improve on that… you have to do the best to the best of your ability.”
The shift wasn’t about learning new concepts – it was about execution. His focus turned to three critical elements: vigilance, avoiding silly mistakes, and maintaining composure. “You have to be vigilant, you have to be cautious, and you cannot err on silly mistakes,” he emphasizes.
The percentile perspective put this improvement in context: “675 is a 95 or 96 percentile, 745 is 100 percentile… only 4 percentile improvement that you need to bring.” This reframing made the impossible seem achievable.
But perhaps the most underrated factor in his final push was sleep. “You should be sleeping just fine or better than you sleep normally just before the test day,” he insists. This focus on physical and mental wellness became as important as any test strategy.
His conviction is absolute: “If a person is scoring a 675, in my opinion can score a 745 or 785 if he’s just vigilant enough or cautious enough.”
Data Insights Mastery – The D86 Achievement
Sayam’s approach to Data Insights revealed strategic thinking that leveraged his strengths while acknowledging the section’s unique challenges.
His primary focus was on Data Sufficiency questions, recognizing them as time-savers in a time-pressured section. “You can answer data sufficiency questions in less than two minutes and sometimes even less than a minute if you’re getting the right thought,” he notes.
The results validated this strategy: “I scored 100% on data sufficiency in my 655 and 675 attempt.” Interestingly, on his 745 attempt, he scored around 50-60% on DS but achieved 100% on other question categories, demonstrating the adaptive nature of GMAT scoring.
A crucial insight was recognizing the verbal component within DI: “You will at least have 5 to 6 non-verbal non-math related questions that are based on your verbal reasoning.” This integration of skills across sections became a key advantage.
The MSR (Multi-Source Reasoning) questions presented particular challenges due to their time-consuming nature. “After I finished my MSR I was really short on time,” he admits. But his solution was mental discipline: “I was focusing on the question which was there on my screen at the moment.”
He also warned about common traps in graphical data: “They’ll trick you with the graphs… they’ll not start the x-axis with zero… they’ll trick you with small components.”
Quant Precision – The Q86 Foundation
Despite his engineering background, Sayam’s initial Quant performance was surprisingly modest – scoring at the 70th percentile in both his 655 and 675 attempts. The Enhanced Score Report revealed a shocking truth: “I erred on six questions and five questions on my attempts.”
His test-day reality check was humbling: “On my 745 also I erred on my third question… that must be the easiest question that I erred on.”
The breakthrough came from abandoning engineer’s pride. He shares a specific example that illustrates the trap: encountering a profit question where “20% profit on the selling price” was given instead of the typical cost price calculation engineers are familiar with. “You have to go back to the equation: selling price equals cost price plus profit… create your own new equation which has not been taught in any of your books.”
His most crucial advice challenges engineering instinct: “Use your pad and pen that is given to you. You cannot rely on your mental math at least not on the test.” Mental math, he discovered, was “the enemy of accuracy on test day.”
The Error Log Revolution
Sayam’s philosophy on error logging was simple but profound: “If you want to improve you need to know where you are erroring.”
He drew a parallel to life itself: “In life also if you are making a mistake you should know your mistake.” The error log became more than a study tool – it was a mirror reflecting patterns of thinking that needed correction.
The real value emerged in identifying repetitive errors. “You’ll be missing the negative terms and once you miss it okay… but when you are doing it on a repetitive basis then you’ll acknowledge that this can make you err on the real thing.”
The connection to test-day performance was direct: “How you perform on the stress environment really depends on how you make yourself accustomed to that kind of environment.” The error log became a bridge between practice comfort and test-day pressure.
Test Day Execution
Sayam’s test day preparation began four days before the exam with a precise routine: mock tests at the exact exam time, full test-day simulation including section sequences, and mental preparation rituals.
“It is all about having no surprises on the last day,” he emphasizes. “A small surprise can also take you off track.”
His mental approach treated the actual exam as his “seventh mock,” maintaining familiar section sequences and implementing strategic breaks. When his traditionally strong Quant section didn’t go as planned, his systematic preparation proved its worth.
“During that break, I was definitely not so confident about my score,” he admits candidly. “But those ten minutes, I just tried to restart myself… kept telling myself that this is just a mock.”
The central discipline that carried him through: “Focusing on the question which was there on my screen at the moment” – not thinking about questions that had left the screen or ones to come.
Key Takeaways
For Verbal Excellence:
- “Create interest in reading what you’re reading” – treat passages as knowledge opportunities
- Invest MORE time in verbal if you’re an engineer, not less
- “Guessing and moving on never works in the GMAT” – thorough analysis is non-negotiable
- Practice 10+ verbal questions every morning to build test-day familiarity
For Score Improvement:
- From 675 to 745: “You already know all the basic stuff” – focus on vigilance and execution
- “Sleep just fine or better than you sleep normally” before test day
- The jump from 95th to 100th percentile is only 4 percentile points – it’s achievable
For Test Day Success:
- “Focusing on the question which was on my screen at the moment” – don’t carry baggage
- Use your pad and pen – “mental math is the enemy of accuracy”
- Maintain an error log: “You need to know your mistakes to improve”
For Working Professionals:
- “You have to carve out time from your professional life” – consistency matters more than duration
- Morning practice sessions (even just 10 questions) build momentum
- Age and experience aren’t barriers – “experienced professionals can definitely score their dream score”
Closing – The Journey Continues
Sayam’s parting wisdom puts the GMAT in its proper context: “GMAT is just one part of the entire journey.” His message to experienced professionals resonates with hope – at 9+ years of experience, three years above the typical MBA “sweet spot,” he proved that age is not a barrier to excellence.
His seven attempts weren’t failures – they were iterations in a continuous improvement process. The Kaizen philosophy he embraced in 2021, which helped him lose 18 kg and transform his lifestyle, became the foundation of his GMAT success. “Minimal improvements make you see drastic changes over a period of time,” he reflects.
For those standing where he once stood, perhaps intimidated by the verbal section or discouraged by previous attempts, Sayam’s journey offers proof that transformation is possible. Multiple attempts don’t mean failure; they mean learning. Engineering background doesn’t preclude verbal excellence. And with the right approach – one that embraces consistent improvement, strategic preparation, and unwavering focus – a perfect verbal score and GMAT excellence are within reach.
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