GMAT Hurdles: Breaking a Two-Year Plateau for a 730 Score

September 2023 GMAT 730 V38 Q50 (Evening Class + Dustin’s Terminator Course)

Exam Scores

• Nov 29, 2021 (First Attempt): 580 (V:21 Q:49 IR:4 AWA:C)
• Feb 10, 2022 (Second Attempt): 630 (V:28 Q:48 IR:5 AWA:C)
• Mar 29, 2022 (Third Attempt): 670 (V:33 Q:49 IR:6 AWA:3)
• Jun 2, 2022 (Fourth Attempt): 630 (V:27 Q:49 IR:6 AWA:C)
• Dec 1, 2022 (Fifth Attempt): 660 (V:34 Q:47 IR:4 AWA:C)
• Aug 29, 2023 (Sixth Attempt): 730 (V:38 Q:50 IR:7 AWA:4)

Academic Background

Bachelor’s Degree in International Business and Management, Tunghai University

Preparation Time

July 2021 – August 2023 (Intermittent preparation over two years)

Preparation Materials

Verbal: 2022 OG, 2022 OV, PP1-4, GWD, A2 Online Comprehensive Course, Dustin’s Terminator Course, Jing Ji

Quantitative: Math Greedy Snake, KH Lecture Notes, Practice Plan Problems, Jing Ji

English Proficiency Before the Exam

College Entrance Examination (XueZheng) Score: 13 out of 15, TOEIC Score: 760 (during high school)

Introduction

During my sophomore year, I suddenly decided I wanted to pursue graduate studies abroad. With no prior knowledge about studying abroad, I started researching what was needed. I discovered that most top-ranked business schools require not only IELTS and academic transcripts but also a GMAT score.

What I didn’t anticipate was that this exam would become a nightmare for the latter half of my university life. Following the advice of many who had gone before me, I decided to start preparing for the GMAT early and enrolled in a prep course during the summer before my junior year. Since few people around me were taking this exam, I had to search online for prep courses and discovered A2 GMAT through Dustin’s YouTube channel. After some research, I found that A2 GMAT had the best reputation in the industry, both for its teaching style and the instructors’ qualifications. Importantly, many students from private schools like myself had achieved their target scores after attending A2 GMAT. Without much hesitation, I enrolled in A2’s comprehensive summer course for July and August.

First Attempt

Three months after finishing the course, I took my first GMAT exam. I approached it with a “test the waters” mindset. For some reason, I had this misplaced confidence, thinking that my accuracy on practice questions was quite high and that the exam might not be as difficult as I imagined. Perhaps I could conquer it in one go!

I even scored 710 on a practice test the day before, which further fueled my overconfidence. The result of my first attempt (580) left me stunned in front of the computer screen. I couldn’t believe it; I thought I was doing well in practice, so how could the actual score be so low?

After the exam, I used my ESR report to schedule a consultation with an A2 instructor. The instructor sent me a short RC passage and asked me to read it and explain its main idea within five minutes. To my surprise, I took ten minutes to read a short passage and struggled to explain it coherently. A2 then pointed out my significant weakness in reading comprehension and my mindset of relying solely on learned techniques rather than genuine understanding. I was advised to focus on improving my reading skills before practicing test-taking strategies.

Second Attempt

Taking the instructor’s advice, I regrouped and prepared for my second attempt, redoing all the OG, OV, and PP questions. I also made it a habit to read RC passages before bed, hoping to improve my reading ability. After two months of preparation, I took my second exam (630). Feeling that I had improved, I scheduled another consultation with A2, armed with my ESR. To my surprise, I received a stern lecture from the instructor. A2 pointed out that while my score had improved, my tendency to take shortcuts remained the same as in the first attempt. I was spending less than a minute per SC question and less than a minute and a half per CR question, indicating I wasn’t truly understanding the meaning and thinking critically, but rather skimming and guessing. Shocked by the feedback, I consulted with Kory, who agreed that such speeds were impossible even for experienced test-takers.

Third Attempt

After a few days of reflection, I decided to face my issues head-on. This time, I didn’t rush to complete a large volume of questions. Instead, I focused on thoroughly reviewing each question before moving on to the next. I also utilized Dustin’s RC framework shared on YouTube to clearly categorize the structure of each passage and understand the tone and arguments of different scholars. A month and a half later, I took my third exam (670).

This change in approach yielded positive results, but I was still a distance from my target score of 710. I scheduled my third consultation with A2, ESR in hand. This time, A2 was kinder, acknowledging my progress. He advised that if I could achieve a perfect score in Math and familiarize myself with SC test points, I should be able to reach my desired score.

Fourth Attempt

Although the previous consultation boosted my confidence, I was starting to feel fatigued after over eight months of preparation. I decided to take a longer break before my next attempt and scheduled my exam for late June. Unfortunately, my score dropped back to 630 in the fourth attempt, which was a significant blow to my confidence. I strongly advise everyone preparing for the GMAT to maintain momentum. Taking a break can lead to losing your rhythm and feel. Fortunately, I wasn’t ready to give up. I enrolled in Dustin’s Terminator Course two months later, determined to continue my GMAT journey.

Fifth Attempt

After completing Dustin’s Terminator Course and following his customized training plan, I felt a significant improvement in my abilities (I’ll share more detailed thoughts on the course later!). Following Dustin’s advice on scheduling, I registered for my fifth attempt. Full of confidence, I believed this was the one. I could clearly feel the difference in my skill level compared to previous attempts. However, the final score of 660 did not meet my expectations. With the application deadlines approaching, I decided to take the IELTS as per Dustin’s recommendation. Although this attempt didn’t meet my target score, I didn’t consider it a failure. Upon reviewing my preparation, I realized my Verbal score had indeed reached a new high (34), but my Math score, which I had neglected, had declined significantly, keeping my overall score around 650. Looking back, this outcome was somewhat predictable.

Side note: Thanks to the GMAT, preparing for the IELTS felt much easier, especially the Reading section. Without much preparation, I scored close to a perfect 8.5. I owe this to the rigorous training from GMAT RC.

Sixth Attempt

After taking the IELTS and graduating from university, I decided to go all-in for one last GMAT attempt. I told myself that if I couldn’t break 700 this time, I wouldn’t take it again and would use my previous score of 670 for applications. After discussing my preparation plan and exam date with Dustin, we decided to aim for my final GMAT attempt on August 29th, two months after graduation.

Compared to previous attempts, I felt much less pressure during this preparation period, and my attachment to the outcome was less intense. I reviewed the recordings from Dustin’s KH Math sessions and then followed the study plan from the Terminator Course, meticulously reviewing each question daily. I maintained my English reading practice and started intensive question drilling and mock tests a week before the exam. I felt my overall ability had only slightly improved from the previous attempt. To my surprise, after a frantic exam session, the score that appeared on the screen astonished me.

I remember sitting in front of the computer, tears welling up, in disbelief. I even suspected a system error, as I was unsure about many Math questions and didn’t have time to double-check. Yet, I ended up with a 50 in Math – I guess luck was truly on my side! As I rode the elevator down, reflecting on the past two years of preparation, I felt it was all worth it.
I have many people to thank on this journey, but most importantly, I thank myself for being willing to change and for never giving up.

SC

Scores: 72, 58, 49, 49, 43, 70th percentile

SC has always been my weakest subject within Verbal. Despite practicing it the most, it consistently yielded the lowest scores. However, I still have valuable insights to share about preparing for SC.

The most common issue in SC is failing to focus on the author’s intended meaning. When you encounter an SC question, the first step should always be to read the original sentence and form a clear, complete “intended meaning” in your mind before looking at the options. This “intended meaning” doesn’t have to be a verbatim translation but a concise phrase capturing the author’s core message. Grasping what the author truly wants to convey is often the key to answering SC questions correctly, yet it’s a point most students overlook.

Essentially, the A2 SC materials thoroughly cover all test points. If you can understand the sentence’s meaning and apply A2’s problem-solving process and test points, achieving a high score in SC is definitely within reach!

CR

Scores: 31, 48, 65, 56, 78, 84th percentile

CR began to show significant improvement only in my last two attempts after completing the Terminator Course. Personally, I believe that achieving a good score in CR requires a highly “precise” handling of the information provided. In fact, I think reading comprehension is even more critical in CR than in RC.

In a short CR passage, every piece of information, big or small, influences our approach to the question. If you can accurately grasp what the author is trying to prove and the evidence they use, you’ve essentially solved half the problem.

Here’s a small tip: when practicing CR, after identifying the author’s argument, try covering the options and thinking about any logical fallacies the argument might contain. Is it a hasty generalization? A false dichotomy? Once you have an idea, look for the option that matches your prediction.

This approach might feel challenging and time-consuming initially, but it’s not as difficult as it seems. With consistent practice, everyone can master it! Once you have a clear idea of what the correct answer should look like, determining relevance in the options becomes instantaneous. I recall that in my last high-scoring CR attempt, I could predict two or even three potential correct answers for each question. Actively predicting the answer truly trains our logical thinking, and persisting with this method leads to a noticeable improvement in logical reasoning skills.

RC

Scores: 5, 38, 78, 55, 79, 90th percentile

RC showed the most significant improvement among the three Verbal sections. I vividly remember my first consultation with A2 after receiving my ESR. A2 told me that a 5th percentile score meant I hadn’t answered a single question correctly, suggesting that sleeping for 60 minutes and guessing in the last five would yield a better result. I could only offer a sheepish smile at the time.

Unlike the Reading sections in IELTS or TOEFL, GMAT RC presents more complex information and trickier questions. RC passages often feature various scholars discussing their viewpoints on a topic, or scholars questioning specific arguments. Accurately capturing this information heavily relies on practicing logical diagrams. You need to distinguish between information that supports the main theme and information that challenges previous arguments. I highly recommend summarizing each paragraph of an RC passage with a single sentence, similar to Dustin’s Jing Ji method. You’ll soon realize that GMAT RC passages follow a pattern. If you can consistently grasp the main idea of each passage using this method, you’re well on your way to mastering RC.

Q

Honestly, I believe that with the mathematical background of Taiwanese students, handling this exam is more than sufficient. However, it’s crucial to get accustomed to reading questions in English as early as possible. In the actual exam, encountering a lengthy question might make it difficult to identify the core problem, leading to an inability to set up the correct equation. If you persist in struggling with the question instead of cutting your losses, you risk disrupting your entire Math pacing, which is the worst-case scenario.

Additionally, there’s a noticeable difference in difficulty between the actual exam questions and those in KH’s practice plan. Therefore, I strongly recommend not only working through the practice plan but also participating in KH’s “Math Greedy Snake” sessions. These sessions cover many challenging problems that have appeared on the actual GMAT and are highly beneficial for students aiming for a score of 50 or 51.

Jing Ji (Experience Sharing)

I used Jing Ji before my exams, but with a different mindset. I treated the Math Jing Ji as daily practice material, a tool to enhance my skills, rather than solely relying on memorizing formulas and answers to hit them on the exam. Since Jing Ji questions are typically from the higher score ranges, practicing them was more meaningful for me as I aimed for a perfect score.

For RC Jing Ji, I used it mainly for peace of mind. If a question appeared on the exam, it would help me get into the right mindset quickly. However, I must emphasize that in the week leading up to the exam, besides reviewing RC Jing Ji, it’s essential to continue practicing English reading and RC questions. Relying solely on Jing Ji can backfire!

Dustin’s Terminator Course

“If I had enrolled in the Terminator Course earlier, I might not have suffered for so long on this path.” I strongly recommend that students who are struggling with self-study enroll directly with Dustin! The Terminator Course comprehensively improved my abilities, both in reading comprehension and logical thinking.

The greatest value of this course lies in Dustin’s personalized study plans, tailored to whether you’re a working professional or a full-time student. This allows students to focus entirely on improving their skills without worry. Dustin acts like a coach, motivating you and providing the necessary materials or strategies to overcome any obstacles.

I must say, Dustin is the most flexible and creative educator I’ve encountered in my academic life. However, to maximize the benefits of the Terminator Course, actively engage with fellow students in the discussion forum and with Dustin himself. This interaction yields the greatest results. So, don’t hesitate; if your scores aren’t improving, the Terminator Course is the solution.

Conclusion

“The GMAT gave me more than just a 730 score; it taught me an attitude towards facing challenges.” I am grateful to A2 for his willingness to push me when he identified my shortcut-taking habits, to Kory for sharing valuable preparation techniques, to KH for patiently analyzing my ESRs and pinpointing my weaknesses, and to Dustin for offering such a high-quality course. Thank you to A2 GMAT and Dustin’s Terminator Course for helping me achieve my first significant victory in over a decade of academic pursuits.

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From V20 to V32: My GMAT Verbal Journey 730 on the Third Attempt: GMAT Official Guide is Truly the Ultimate Guide to Simplicity GMAT 685 (PR97) Insights: How Dustin GMAT Helped Me Build a Strong Foundation and Reshape RC and DI Problem-Solving Strategies My GMAT Comeback: From 500s to 700 with A2+Dustin