Shift Your Mindset, Gain Skills, Beat the Score

Seeing students’ scores improve is rewarding, but what truly makes me happy is witnessing their growth in critical thinking and their approach to tasks. One student’s journey stands out as particularly memorable and touching.

This student was in my GMAT class in Taichung. Throughout their preparation, they frequently emailed me with questions about practice problems, study direction, and planning, accumulating dozens of messages. Through these exchanges, we could gradually see their progress:

The First Email Received

Initially, the student’s emails were quite careless. Here’s an excerpt, shared with their permission:

My Reaction…

My initial response was quite stern:

To be blunt, your explanations are useless. I can’t follow your review process. Please rewrite everything.

For example: Is “misplaced modifier” an error? What kind of error? “A comparison is implied but then lost” – so what? What type of error is that? “The core sentence structure is also altered” – so what? Why is altering it an error?

Are you trying to salvage this question’s options, or are you just rushing through? The article on my blog, “In-depth Summaries,” which I mentioned in class, was meant to help you stop deceiving yourselves. Seeing this kind of work makes me feel like everything I’ve emphasized in class has been for nothing. This isn’t just being lazy with yourself; it’s being lazy with me too.

Also, there are typos in your email. I hope you didn’t just hastily type and send it without proofreading. If you did, please stop that. You can imagine how I felt reading this.

Please provide a complete and clear response addressing the mindset issues I’ve raised, and tell me specifically how you plan to adjust.

Asking Questions: Think from the Other Person’s Perspective

In my principles, when someone asks a question via email, they should consider the “recipient’s feelings.” How to make the other person understand the question efficiently and logically, and how to make it easy for them to read – these are crucial lessons in business school and the workplace.

Before writing an email, I always ask myself, “Has this already been covered?” I try to approach things with a “I’ll do my best first” mindset, rather than “It’s just easier to ask.” Your convenience comes at the cost of someone else’s time.

A Person with Potential

However, the student’s reply later showed me that they were a person with great potential:

1. The typos in my email show a lack of attention to detail, which could impact my overall attitude toward GMAT preparation. Overlooking small errors might be like missing key testing points; details often determine success. Since I aim for investment banking, I need to be even more meticulous, especially with numbers.

2. Inaccurate review: I realized this was a problem during practice. My accuracy rate isn’t bad when I’m doing specific question types, but when mixed together, my reviews aren’t thorough enough. This leads to imprecise judgments and disrupts my pace.

不確定自己現在幾分？

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Solution:
I will pay close attention to proper email etiquette moving forward. When reviewing questions, I’ll group similar types and problems, use my resources to compare them with my own test points, and only then ask questions after eliminating many possibilities. Once I identify an incorrect testing point, I will clearly explain why it’s wrong and categorize similar concept questions.

I could see a deep level of reflection and the student actively seeking solutions. I immediately felt much better. XD

Efficient Discussion and Growth

Later, the emails from this student clearly showed they had thought things through thoroughly, communicating their questions and potential solutions specifically and clearly. Our discussions became increasingly efficient, and they even started summarizing questions themselves, offering me new insights.

Of course, when they prepared for too long and started getting complacent, I would gently (but with a hint of warning) remind them: “The quality of your questions has consistently declined, so I’m adjusting the quality of my answers accordingly. Please pay more attention.”

A Thank You Email After a Year and a Half

Finally, after a year and a half of intermittent correspondence, I received this email:

Hi Dustin,

This is likely my last email regarding the GMAT. Thank you so much for patiently answering my questions since my first class in July 2017. It’s been 1 year and 5 months. Although I only scored 640 (V27 Q49) in the end, thanks to your translation exercises and video tutorials, my understanding of meaning and reading speed have greatly improved. I’ve also become much better at discerning the author’s tone and have developed more critical thinking skills. This logical training has been incredibly helpful when preparing my SOP, Essay, and CV. Thank you again for your support.

Lastly, I hope you can pass on my advice to fellow students still battling the GMAT: no matter how familiar you are with the test points, the most crucial element in the actual exam is meaning. The meaning, structure, and difficult vocabulary in the real exam are definitely harder than GWD or PP; Manhattan Prep is probably the closest comparison. I hope students still preparing will actively cultivate their ability to understand meaning, in addition to mastering the basic test points!

I hope this is the last GMAT email, but not the last email to you, D. My classmates grew up watching your videos and asked me to express their deepest gratitude. I hope you will continue to empower Taiwanese students to be seen on the world stage.

Thanks, A2 GMAT.

My Heart Filled with Emotion

Throughout my correspondence with this student, I witnessed their growth. They went from casually asking questions and being called out, to seriously considering their own issues, and then engaging in logical thinking, analysis, and anticipating solutions. This transformation was astonishing.

This exam is just a brief stop on your journey. Whether it’s preparing for applications, interviews, studying abroad, or even working, each subsequent step will be more complex. In the many mountains you’ll climb ahead, only one thing will consistently accompany you: the logic and willpower to analyze and solve problems.

Looking back, you might feel you didn’t achieve the score you boldly aimed for. However, you’ve cultivated a better attitude, stronger logic, and universal English reading skills. The returns these will bring you in the future will far exceed the benefits of a higher GMAT score. Don’t view 640 as a regret. As long as you dedicate yourself seriously to something, the ultimate rewards will quietly embed themselves within you, helping you at unexpected moments.

Conclusion

As an educator, I initially focused solely on students’ score improvements. Now, I realize that growth in abilities and attitude is the most precious. The GMAT is temporary, but in your future careers, using the right attitude and thinking habits will be far more valuable than a high GMAT score. This student’s transformation is what moved me the most.

I hope all of you can also adopt the right mindset and grow throughout your preparation journey.