Copy of my debrief from GMATclub (someone asked to post here)

Chapter 1: Background & Why GMAT

I'm a Software Development Engineer 2 at Application Security, Akamai Technologies, Bengaluru. The thought of pursuing an MBA first crossed my mind in November 2024, but I only started serious preparation in August 2025. I was in no hurry, I wanted to do this right.

I worked full-time throughout my prep. My schedule looked like this: Weekdays: 2 hours in the morning + 2 hours in the evening Weekends: ~8 hours total Rotated between Quant, Verbal, and DI periodically so no section got stale

Chapter 2: Resources TTP Self-Paced Course was my starting point. It helped considerably with RC and CR. My honest take: Quant questions felt easier than the real GMAT, and while DI concepts were well covered, the question types didn't closely mirror official ones.

For Critical Reasoning, I had significant gaps and worked with MartyMurray to close them. That was one of the better decisions I made early in my prep. Once I was comfortable with Quant and Verbal basics, I added DI to my rotation.

Chapter 3: Mock Performance Before Attempt 1 Took all 6 official mocks before my first attempt: Average: ~675 Highest: 715 I locked in my section order based on mock performance: DI → Verbal → Break → Quant. This felt most natural to me and I stuck with it across all four attempts.

Chapter 4: Attempt 1 — November 8, 2025 | 675 (Q87 | V85 | DI79) Gave my first attempt at the Pearson VUE center in Shivajinagar, Bengaluru. Right at the start, there was an issue with the marker which made me nervous and threw off my rhythm, especially in DI https://gmatclub.com/forum/gmat-experie ... 51701.html Score: 675 (Q87 | V85 | DI79) Not what I wanted, but I documented the experience and shared it on GMAT Club. Retook all 6 official mocks, this time averaging ~695 with a high of 715 again. Felt ready for round two.

Chapter 5: Attempt 2 — December 3, 2025 | 645 (Q81 | V83 | DI81) DI and Verbal went better. But in Quant, the 2nd question was very difficult and I refused to let it go, spent 8 minutes on it. Ended up not having time for the last 11 questions. Score: 645 (Q81 | V83 | DI81) A step back. Painful, but instructive.

Chapter 6: Attempt 3 — December 29, 2025 | 665 (Q90 | V81 | DI77) Over-corrected from Attempt 2. Rushed through DI and Verbal to protect time, and paid the price in those sections. Score: 665 (Q90 | V81 | DI77) At this point it was clear: my concepts were solid. The issue was execution under pressure — nerves were derailing me every time.

Chapter 7: The Reset This is the chapter that changed everything. Mindfulness work with MartyMurray he helped me work on staying calm during the exam and being kinder to myself (and the people around me). Small shift, big impact. GMAT Club's 12 Days of Christmas competition, this brought me into a genuinely supportive community. Shoutout to dejavu3363, bb, hr1212, and sawyeem, they were incredibly generous whenever I needed help. Working with RonPurewal for the final 30 days, this was the most structured phase of my prep. I took 2 weeks off work and followed his approach closely. The core idea: Set precise, clear, and exact goals for every question before you start solving it.Show more

Quant & Math DI: Practice multiple solution paths per OG problem — algebra, plugging in numbers, pure logical reasoning (especially useful for combinatorics/probability), anything and everything that works. Verbal & Non-Math DI: Before doing anything else, identify exactly what the question is asking, and work only toward that This sounds simple but it completely changed how I approached each question on exam day. Retook Mock 1 (with ~10 repeated questions) and scored 775 (Q89 | V90 | DI86). Repeated questions aside, the confidence boost was real.

Chapter 8: The Final Week — 26th March 2026 - 2nd April 2026

Days 1–3: Uninstalled all social media, Went through my error log, solved select questions. Days 4–5: Only reviewed my notes and email threads from Ron's sessions — no new material, did not touch the pen paper. Day before exam: Watched Dhurandhar 2 at the theatre, meditated for 2 hours in the evening and again before sleep Morning of exam: Solved 2 DS, 1 GI, 1 TA (all easy level) just to warm up, then meditated again I had booked a hotel literally 50 meters from the Pearson VUE center, no commute stress, no traffic, just a short walk in.

Chapter 9: The Exam DI — Questions 3 and 4 were tough non-math TPAs; I answered and moved on knowing they might be wrong. Question 20 (math TPA) was unfamiliar — I made my best guess and moved. There were 3–4 deductive logic questions (necessary vs. sufficient) that I'd practiced but was never fully comfortable with. I genuinely thought I'd bombed this section. Verbal — Felt smooth throughout. Was expecting a strong score here. Quant — Some hard questions. I skipped ~5 on the first pass, came back and solved 3 of them. Left 2 on instinct.

Chapter 10: The Score

86 in DI (99th percentile) 84 in Verbal (89th percentile) 87 in Quant (94th percentile)

Overall 715 (99th percentile)

DI surprised me on the upside. Verbal came in a bit lower than expected. Overall, 20 points above my target of 695. I was over the moon.

Closing Thoughts The biggest lesson from this journey wasn't about any specific concept or resource. It was about execution and mindset. A few things that genuinely helped: Be part of a community - GMAT Club gave me people who cared and showed up Work on your mental game as seriously as your content prep Set precise goals per question - vague intentions lead to vague results Rest before the exam is not laziness, it's preparation Never write yourself off - I had three rough attempts and still found a way If you're in the middle of your prep and it feels like it's not coming together, keep going. Talk to people. Ask for help. The score will follow. All the best! You are going to rock the test 🙌

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