Dustin’s 720 GMAT: My 6-Attempt Journey

January 2020 (eiicc) GMAT 720 V35 Q51 Study Experience (7-Week Elite Training Program) (Dustin’s Terminator)

(Posted on behalf of a student) This article shares a student’s GMAT 720 study experience. After multiple GMAT attempts, she not only successfully achieved her target score but also gained valuable GMAT test strategies and mindset adjustments. Let’s take a look at her GMAT study experience and how she found a breakthrough in Dustin’s Terminator Program, ultimately achieving her GMAT 720 goal.

Exam Scores

• First attempt 620 Q48 V27 IR:5 2018/10/25 (Canceled)
• Second attempt 660 Q49 V31 IR:8 2019/01/02 (Canceled)
• Third attempt 650 Q50 V28 IR:8 2019/04/18 (Canceled)
• Fourth attempt 650 Q51 V27 IR:6 2019/07/12 (Canceled)
• Fifth attempt 680 Q51 V29 IR:3 2019/12/19 (Canceled)
• Sixth attempt 720 Q51 V35 IR:7 AWA:6 2020/01/09

Educational Background:

Graduated from National Chengchi University with a degree in Economics and National Taiwan University with a Master’s in Economics. For students aspiring to top-tier institutions, the GMAT exam is an essential path.

Preparation Time:

August 2018 ~ January 2020, approximately 1.5 years in total. This long period of GMAT preparation time testifies to the student’s persistence and effort in aiming for a GMAT 720 score.

Preparation Materials:

OG, OV, PP, GWD, A2 Training Program + Advanced Program materials, Dustin’s Terminator Program materials. These abundant GMAT preparation materials were indispensable cornerstones in her GMAT 720 study experience.

Foreword:

Around early 2018, the idea of pursuing a Ph.D. in the United States gradually emerged. At that time, I did some research online and found that U.S. Ph.D. programs require significantly higher scores on standardized tests than Master’s and MBA programs. Given the high standards of the GMAT exam, this GMAT 720 study experience will delve into her preparation journey. I also tried self-studying for the GMAT, but found that the questions were ever-changing, and I didn’t know how to effectively summarize and organize the test points, making my study very inefficient. Later, I felt this approach wasn’t working, so I found A2GMAT online, which had very positive reviews. I decided to enroll in the A2 Training Program in August 2018, officially beginning my GMAT preparation journey.

SC Preparation Method:

In the GMAT exam, SC is a section many test-takers find tricky. Honestly, this was my most troublesome subject @@. The tricky part about this subject is that many test points aren’t strictly right or wrong; rather, you need to see if there’s a relatively better-phrased answer among the options. So, often, a certain phrasing that is correct in one question might become incorrect in another.

To master the SC section of GMAT Verbal, this GMAT 720 study experience emphasizes the importance of systematic learning. To address this challenge, A2’s training program handouts comprehensively and clearly organized important GMAT test points, explicitly listing possible test point patterns and judgment criteria. I also highly recommend referring to the SC problem-solving process demonstrated by Dustin in the Terminator Program (Dustin also shares this process on his blog), especially the distinction between what are absolute test points, what are relative test points, and what are false test points; as Dustin says, only with a clear SOP can you identify at which step you eliminated the correct answer and at which step you kept an incorrect answer.

I believe that if one can follow Dustin’s SOP to standardize their problem-solving process and combine it with A2’s test point organization to improve their ability to identify question patterns in actual tests, SC should see a certain degree of improvement.

CR Preparation Method:

Honestly, because I was good at math previously, I mistakenly thought my logic would also be good (obviously, there’s a disconnect between being good at math and being good at logic XD). It wasn’t until I started doing questions myself that I realized my logic wasn’t as strong as I imagined.

Regarding Critical Reasoning in the GMAT exam, this GMAT 720 study experience points out that logical thinking is key to solving problems. Compared to SC, which focuses more on fundamental English ability, I believe CR is more like a test of more fundamental logical thinking skills. Therefore, if you merely use tactics like “topic irrelevant” or “subject irrelevant” to solve problems without truly thinking about the underlying logical issues the question tests, it’s very easy to pick distracting options.

Dustin’s teaching method is the secret to many GMAT test-takers achieving high scores in the CR section. To fundamentally improve logical thinking skills, I recommend learning Dustin’s approach taught in the Terminator Program: first, treat each CR question as an essay question, firmly grasp the premise, and then think of 2 to 4 possible answers. The advantage of doing this is that you can preemptively consider all possible answers, so when you look at the options, you won’t feel lost. This step of pre-thinking answers helps your brain adjust to the perspective of the main subject in the question’s scenario, naturally making it easier to spot logical gaps and where the answer might lie.

Of course, when looking at the options, you inevitably need to filter them. But if you already have your own answer in mind, combined with the horizontal summarization method taught by A2 and Kory in the Training and Advanced Programs, problem-solving becomes much faster. As for times when you often have no ideas during the pre-thinking step, I believe you can leverage Kory’s vertical summarization method taught in class to help identify what logical concept the question is testing, thus pinpointing where the logical gap is. These GMAT preparation techniques collectively formed the student’s GMAT 720 study experience.

Therefore, if you can combine Kory’s vertical summarization, effectively pre-think answers as Dustin suggests, and use A2’s horizontal summarization method to filter options, I believe you will eventually be able to handle GMAT CR questions with ease.

RC Preparation Method:

Although the RC section of the GMAT exam may seem familiar, its depth and skill requirements far exceed general English reading. Since English exams for high school and university entrance both include reading comprehension, RC is a relatively familiar question type for everyone. However, familiarity aside, it’s probably not easy to talk about systematic problem-solving methods. When I used to do English reading comprehension, I would just read the article straight through, then answer the questions, and re-read parts I wasn’t clear on.

This provided immense help for GMAT preparation, especially for RC question types. It wasn’t until I enrolled in A2’s training program that I began to encounter what is known as structural reading and active reading. In the training program handouts, A2 organizes common GMAT article patterns and teaches students how an article is likely to progress. I found that after learning structural reading and active reading, my efficiency in understanding articles significantly improved, and I could more quickly locate the corresponding sentences when answering questions.

Furthermore, Dustin also taught a more generalized reading framework in the Terminator class that can be used for over 90% of GMAT articles, significantly reducing the time spent identifying article patterns. In addition, Dustin also taught common distracting option patterns in class, which helped me filter out the correct options more quickly. These GMAT reading strategies were key elements in her GMAT 720 study experience.

Quant Preparation Method:

In the GMAT exam, Quant is often an advantage for Asian students, but achieving a perfect Q51 still requires precise GMAT preparation strategies. Although I personally considered my math skills not too bad, my scores in the first and second attempts still didn’t exceed 50. In light of this, I enrolled in KH’s Advanced Math Program before my third attempt. I highly recommend KH’s Advanced Math Program because in this course, KH delves into specific difficult GMAT question types (such as number theory, word problems, etc.) and provides students with fixed methods (similar to an SOP concept) for each type. I found that after solidifying my math problem-solving process, not only did my solving speed improve, but my accuracy also significantly increased. What I learned in this course allowed me to score at least 50 without using Jijing, and with Jijing, I could achieve a perfect score of 51. Therefore, I believe the Advanced Math Program is an excellent choice for those looking to boost their score through Quant. This GMAT 720 study experience also demonstrates the value of the Advanced Math Program.

Jijing:

For GMAT test-takers, Jijing is an indispensable resource for pre-exam sprints. Here, I must commend Dustin and KH’s skill in organizing question banks. Whenever other test-takers could only see partial Jijing questions, Dustin and KH had already provided the complete, organized question bank to students, which felt like a reassurance for test-takers before the exam.

I highly recommend KH’s organized Quant Jijing. If possible, try to complete all the questions in KH’s question bank before the exam. On test day, you should encounter a significant number of Jijing questions. As for Dustin’s RC Jijing, if reading Chinese RC articles doesn’t hinder your ability to read English articles in the exam, I also recommend reading all the RC Jijing articles. On test day, there’s a chance to encounter 2 or even 4 passages, which can significantly reduce the panic of reading an article for the first time. Effectively utilizing these GMAT Jijing is a common thread in many people’s GMAT 720 study experiences.

Dustin’s Terminator Program:

Among numerous GMAT courses, Dustin’s Terminator Program is undoubtedly key for many GMAT test-takers aiming for a GMAT 720 score. Here, I’d like to recommend Dustin’s Terminator Program.

This GMAT 720 study experience also specifically highlights the Terminator Program’s role in elevating GMAT test-taking mindset. This course is specifically designed for GMAT test-takers who have attempted the exam multiple times without success. In this course, beyond test preparation knowledge, I learned more about elevating my thinking process. For SC, previously, I would typically solve by looking at one point at a time, and if I couldn’t figure it out, I’d guess based on which sentence sounded smoother.

Since joining the Terminator Program, I’ve better understood that SC teaches us to compare options in pairs, reducing the complexity of problem-solving, and to evaluate them sequentially based on absolute and relative test points, rather than trying to solve every point as it appears. I found that when I applied the two major concepts from the SC problem-solving process mentioned above—breaking down problems and setting priorities—to my daily life, I became more efficient than before. This problem-solving approach is crucial for breakthroughs in GMAT SC.

Furthermore, the CR pre-thinking answer training helped me focus more on discussion content when talking with others and provide more pertinent answers to questions; when analyzing issues, I could better identify the crux of the problem instead of getting bogged down in irrelevant news commentary. The GMAT CR training in the Terminator Program not only improved test scores but also cultivated practical critical thinking.

The structural reading and active prediction for RC further helped me easily navigate reading newspapers or academic papers, allowing me to quickly grasp the main points of an article and discuss them with others. These GMAT RC techniques allowed the student to navigate the GMAT exam with ease.

Although the days in the Terminator Program were very tough, requiring daily rigorous preparation; Dustin, in addition to strictly supervising everyone, also constantly checked on students’ progress and confirmed with “every single” student whether they had grasped the concepts taught in class and if their problem-solving processes were flawless. His level of care was truly meticulous.

Dustin’s dedication to his students is a strong backing for many GMAT test-takers who successfully achieve a GMAT 720 score. Furthermore, what impressed me most was that even on the day before the exam, Dustin didn’t forget to send private messages to encourage students preparing for the test. For those who hadn’t scored well yet, he offered encouragement and enthusiastically helped them review their ESRs and provided consultations (whether for the exam or career planning), steadfastly supporting students until they received their scores. Sometimes I truly admire Dustin; his dedication to helping students who want to excel in the GMAT, almost 24/7 online, is truly rare. It’s a craftsman’s spirit, almost as if he’s dedicating his life to GMAT instruction. This craftsman’s spirit is also one of the success factors behind this GMAT 720 study experience.

I genuinely feel that if you, like me, struggle with GMAT Verbal, you should consider joining Dustin’s Terminator Program. Besides learning the GMAT test philosophy and techniques and achieving your target score, what’s even better is getting to know a passionate mentor and finding a clear path in your pursuit of dreams. If you also want to achieve a breakthrough in the GMAT exam, you might consider this GMAT 720 study experience and Dustin’s courses.

Conclusion:

This GMAT 720 study experience not only chronicles the student’s struggles in the GMAT exam but also showcases a spirit of perseverance. I must say that studying abroad is a challenging path; just preparing for the GMAT was an arduous and difficult journey for me. Fortunately, A2GMAT has a group of very enthusiastic teachers who are willing to help students achieve their desired scores step by step. I am fortunate to have achieved a good score, and I am very grateful to the teachers here for not giving up on me (as I had taken the exam too many times without a good score, it was a bit awkward to consult them XD, but fortunately, the teachers were all very kind and patiently helped me analyze my problems each time). I also thank my family for their support, which allowed me to take another step forward in my pursuit of dreams. I hope this GMAT study experience can inspire all GMAT test-takers.

Related posts:

GMAT 710: Breaking the 630 Plateau & Boosting Verbal from 25 to 35 GMAT 720 High Score Story: Never Give Up Until Your Dream is Achieved – How I Succeeded on My Fifth Attempt GMAT 710 High Score Tips: A Working Professional’s 580-to-710 Comeback on Second Attempt, and A2 & Dustin Terminator Course Review My GMAT Journey to 700 in 7 Attempts: High-Score Tips from a Mature, Working Test-Taker on How I Improved from 540 to 700