From V20 to V32: My GMAT Verbal Journey
GMAT V20 to V32 Experience: Highly Recommend A2! Strongly Recommend the Terminator!
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Background and Materials
- Academic Background: Feng Chia University, Department of Finance (College Entrance English Score: Level 11)
- Preparation Time: Approximately one year (June 2020 – March 2021, June 2021 – November 2021, with a 3-4 month break in between)
- Preparation Materials: A2 GMAT Online Comprehensive Course, Dustin’s Terminator, OG, OV, PP124, GWD, Advanced Questions, Math JJ, KH Snake Game, Dustin’s Blog
Foreword
I’d always heard the GMAT was the hardest exam imaginable. Back then, I don’t know where I got the nerve to think, “Hard? How hard can it really be?” Fueled by my strong desire to study abroad, I dove headfirst into my GMAT journey. Before signing up, I spent hours scouring online articles and consistently saw A2 GMAT recommended. Luckily, they offered an online course, which was perfect since I wasn’t living in Taipei. So, I chose A2 GMAT without a second thought.
First Attempt
I remember putting off my first attempt for ages, constantly worried I wouldn’t perform well. Looking back, I was incredibly lazy. From starting classes in late May to taking the exam the following January, I spent the summer on vacation in Yilan and Penghu, completely lacking the right mindset. I’d casually do OG questions – maybe three SC and CR questions a day – watch the explanation videos, and call it a day. (For RC, I might tackle one passage a week). It wasn’t until November, when the pressure really mounted, that I started studying seriously. Before the first attempt, I finished and summarized about half of PP1 and PP2. (My summarization method back then involved browsing online forums. This was a huge risk; I picked up a lot of incorrect problem-solving strategies, some completely useless on the real exam.) In the final week, I bizarrely decided to shift my focus to IR and AWA, having ignored them completely. (Seriously, don’t do this. Focus on Verbal and Quant – that’s what matters.) The result? A score of 560. I thought, “560 isn’t too far off; maybe I can hit 650 next time!”
Second Attempt
After my first attempt, I took a month off (again, not recommended; returning to GMAT after a month felt like starting all over). I also consulted with A2, who reviewed my ESR and pointed out my problem of not focusing on the meaning when solving questions, relying solely on identifying “good” or “bad” options. Feeling RC was my biggest weak spot, I signed up for a question bank class. With so many RC question banks available, I spent three days before the exam just reviewing them all. During those three days, I completely neglected fundamental practice and just crammed the question banks. Not long after, I took my second attempt. I felt the exam was going smoothly, even seeing four RC passages I recognized from the question banks. I zipped through them, barely reading the passages before picking answers. After the Verbal section, I was sure I’d see a big improvement. But the scores? Exactly the same. Even the VQ scores were identical. My strongest section, CR, plummeted from a PR of 66 to PR 18. Even with those familiar RC passages, my RC PR was only in the low 30s. I was crushed, even considered ditching the whole GMAT thing.
Third Attempt
About three months crawled by between my second attempt and finding the motivation to try again. During this time, I reconnected with A2. They told me I still wasn’t truly focusing on meaning when answering questions. Honestly, I felt pretty defensive; I really thought I was paying attention to meaning. It wasn’t until later that I realized I was just fooling myself. This period of reflection solidified my desire to study abroad, so I committed to one more GMAT attempt. Around June, Dustin happened to be offering an online Q&A session. Since I had always considered joining the Terminator class, I asked him if the s14 Terminator class was online or in-person. He confirmed it had been changed to online, so I immediately registered for the Terminator class. Before the course started, Dustin held one-on-one consultations. He zeroed in on my slow reading speed and insufficient vocabulary. He told me to memorize all the high-frequency GMAT, TOEFL, and IELTS words. After doing that, GMAT passages suddenly clicked. Stuff that was gibberish before suddenly made sense. The Terminator class was a game-changer for breaking my habit of ignoring meaning and my generally disorganized approach to problems. In the Terminator class, Dustin reviewed students’ homework weekly, identifying issues in their problem-solving processes. He also emphasized that before tackling SC questions, we must first understand the author’s intended meaning before looking at the options. This was the most valuable training for me, as it corrected my previous reliance on simply identifying “good” or “bad” options in SC. For my third attempt prep, I basically lived by Dustin’s study plan. In the final week, I took a mock test every single day. Because China’s National Day holiday fell right before my exam, there weren’t many question bank materials available (I think only seven). I went into the exam not relying on them much. When the scores popped up, I couldn’t believe my V score: 32! It had jumped from 20 to 32! My CR score also shot up from PR 18 to PR 88! I just stared at the screen for a full minute, convinced it was a mistake. As I walked out, I immediately texted Dustin the good news. However, despite the Verbal win, my overall score wasn’t where I wanted it. Oddly, my Q score tanked to 45. I completely mismanaged my time, guessing on the last nine questions. I’d underestimated the Quant section, thinking my usual 48 would just show up again.
Fourth Attempt
My Quantitative score bounced back to 49! But my Verbal score dipped. Still, I have to give KH huge credit before this exam. During our pre-exam chat, I mentioned the question types I was struggling with. KH patiently broke down my errors and showed me more efficient ways to tackle them. My college entrance math score was a measly 5, so math has always been a battle. Yet, KH’s constant encouragement helped me push through. I’d told KH I was aiming for a miracle Q50, but 49 was fantastic! XD Breaking my previous score felt amazing!
Preparation Strategies for Each Section
SC (Sentence Correction)
Before you even start solving problems, PLEASE, PLEASE focus on the meaning. And don’t just read the underlined part; read the whole sentence! It makes a massive difference. You need to grasp what the author is trying to say to pick the best answer. Is the author talking about the past, present, or future? Is there a cause-and-effect relationship? These are critical details, and understanding the meaning is non-negotiable. Plus, you’ll often find parallel structures outside the underlined section. If you’re only looking at the underlined part, you’ll miss key test points. As you practice more SC, you’ll start to develop an ear for the language. Combine that with A2’s foundational knowledge and techniques, and picking the right answer becomes much easier. Also, you don’t need to blast through tons of SC questions daily (I did maybe 5-10), but you absolutely must summarize each one thoroughly. I even reviewed the OG explanations for correct answers to make sure my thought process was solid. That’s the only way to truly level up.
CR (Critical Reasoning)
CR has always been pretty straightforward for me, so I didn’t spend a ton of time on it. The most important thing in CR? Understand the question. If you’re struggling to get the gist or only understand about 80%, you need to boost your vocabulary and reading comprehension. The secret to CR is identifying the conclusion, nailing the core premise, and anticipating the answer’s direction. This leads you straight to the solution. Getting the core premise right is vital. Many students, myself included initially, see “support” and think the question wants support, but it might actually be a “refer” question. Misidentifying the premise means you’ll never find the right answer. When reviewing, try mapping out the logic. It really helps your CR game.
RC (Reading Comprehension)
RC is genuinely the toughest part of Verbal for me. Sometimes, even when I understood the passage, the answer choices would still trip me up. But there’s no magic bullet for RC; you just have to improve your reading ability and vocabulary. You really need to grasp what the passage is trying to say. Learning to spot the passage’s structure, tone, and logic becomes key. When tackling questions, I find it’s best to understand the question, then form a potential answer by referencing the text. This helps avoid those tricky, misleading options. Another crucial point: don’t bring in your own assumptions for RC. Stick strictly to what the text says; avoid over-inferring. To get better at reading, read more. Publications like The Economist, Scientific American, and Science Daily are goldmines. Pick topics you’re unfamiliar with and actively learn the vocabulary (for example, I used to dread astronomy passages. For a while, I read astronomy articles on Science Daily every day). Naturally, you’ll feel much more comfortable when astronomy pops up on the exam.
Q (Quantitative)
My math foundation isn’t the strongest, so even though many say Quant is easy, I never took it lightly. Before my first attempt, I worked through KH’s USB study plan. For my second attempt, I kept practicing with PP and GWD. After my third attempt, I enrolled in the Snake Game course. But I totally messed up my time management and neglected Quant during my third attempt. I didn’t even finish the Snake Game problems sometimes. I only started practicing math pacing a few days before the exam, which tanked my overall score. So, listen up everyone: don’t underestimate math! It’s crucial. Don’t end up like me, with a solid Verbal score and a disastrous Quant score. (Especially since real GMAT Quant questions are way harder than OG, GWD, and PP. Treat it with serious respect, haha. I highly recommend the Snake Game! The problems there are much closer to the actual exam.) For my fourth attempt, with KH’s guidance, I ground through GWD and did a set number of Snake Game problems daily. Luckily, many questions from JJ also showed up, and my math score got back to where it should be.
IR & AWA
I didn’t practice these much. Except for that weird week before my first attempt when I suddenly crammed them, I barely touched them for my second, third, and fourth tries. I’d usually do a few IR questions and memorize AWA templates and the “seven deadly sins” before heading into the exam.
Conclusion
My English proficiency is quite average, but if your level isn’t as high as others, you must work harder. The GMAT is indeed a difficult exam, and you need immense willpower to conquer it. From enrolling in the Terminator class until after my third attempt, my life was basically just studying. I vividly remember Dustin telling me, about a month and a half before the exam, that my reading comprehension was severely lacking. He had me take a test, and my reading level turned out to be equivalent to a U.S. sixth grader. That news hit me like a ton of bricks. I thought, “Do I really have to give up on studying abroad?” Thankfully, Dustin reworked my study plan, and I eventually nailed my Verbal score. All that effort paid off. My Verbal score is pretty average compared to many on the forum, and my overall score didn’t even break 700. But I hope by sharing my journey and the mistakes I made, I can help others avoid the same traps. Finally, I’m incredibly grateful to Dustin, KH, and A2 for their support. I also want to thank my parents, friends, and my fellow s14 Terminator classmates (especially Richard, who patiently answered all my last-minute questions). Lastly, I want to promote the Terminator class: if you are determined to improve your score and can endure hardship (because it is truly tough), enroll in the Terminator class! Don’t hesitate! In the Terminator class, Dustin will create a comprehensive study plan for you, and there are group discussions where you can gain correct problem-solving concepts (Dustin corrects incorrect problem-solving concepts within 24 hours). Group discussions played a significant role in my Verbal improvement. In all my years of taking various courses, I’ve never encountered a teacher as dedicated as Dustin, who is even more committed than his students!
