My GMAT Comeback: From 500s to 700 with A2+Dustin

December 2023 GMAT 700 V35 Q50 (Online Comprehensive Course + Dustin’s Terminator Course)

My Five-Attempt Journey to 700: A Tale of Tears and Gratitude for the Tutoring Team

Exam Scores: First three attempts were below 550. Fourth attempt: 590 (V27 Q44). Fifth attempt: 700 (V35 Q50).

Academic Background: Graduated from National Taiwan University with a degree in Political Science. (Years after graduation, my work didn’t involve much English.)

Preparation Time: Over 1 year (with the last 4 months being the main intensive preparation period).

Preparation Materials: A2GMAT Online Comprehensive Course materials, Dustin’s Terminator Course materials, OG, OV, GWD, Chasedream forum resources, Yang Peng’s “Long Sentence Mastery,” etc.

【Introduction】

After working for many years, I hadn’t planned to study abroad, and my job didn’t require English. So, years after graduation, my English skills had deteriorated to perhaps a junior high level(?). I knew I needed help, so I looked for a tutoring center. Many people on PTT recommended A2GMAT, so I enrolled in their online comprehensive course.

【First Two Attempts】

I must admit I was very lazy at first. I enrolled in the course without even fully understanding what the GMAT was, or what the exam entailed, let alone its different sections. Initially, when listening to A2’s SC lectures, I found it fascinating. Concepts like connecting clauses, which I hadn’t mastered in middle or high school, suddenly made sense. It made me wonder what I was even doing in those English classes. My grasp of grammar was very weak.

Later, I learned A2’s structured reading approach for RC. It was incredibly effective! I remember A2 using an article about water snakes and another on plate tectonics as examples. At that moment, I thought, “Wow, this analytical method clearly breaks down RC.”

CR was particularly challenging because my reading comprehension was truly poor. I often had to look up words, or I wouldn’t understand the question after reading it. A2’s materials clearly organized different question types (Strengthen, Weaken, Evaluate, Bold Face, etc.). So, in the beginning, I was fortunate to gain a certain level of understanding of the exam through A2’s system. However, without a clear grasp of my actual level, I decided to take the test. The result was a dismal 530, and I couldn’t even finish the exam. At that time, my study attitude was terrible; I thought a quick review of the materials would be enough for a 700. Getting a 530 was quite a shock.

In between, I checked out Dustin’s blog and discovered his method of using the New York Times to train reading speed. I figured my biggest problem was the time crunch during the exam, leading to unfinished sections and low scores. So, I spent a month training with Dustin’s method. When I took the test again, the score was still similar. Looking back, I was truly just throwing money away because I took the test without understanding its essence. The second attempt was a wake-up call; I realized this exam is genuinely difficult…

【Third Attempt】

I then enrolled in Dustin’s Terminator Course. The biggest advantage of this course was the one-on-one consultation with Dustin, who helped me create a study plan. It suddenly dawned on me how structured a top student’s study plan could be, covering specific items daily without being overwhelming. Furthermore, I learned many exam preparation methods and techniques from Dustin that I had forgotten since my student days. For example, Dustin pointed out that if my reading comprehension scores weren’t high, simply practicing test points intensely might not be effective because I could run out of time due to slow reading speed.

Under Dustin’s guidance, I also dedicated time to reading articles from the New York Times and The Economist to build my fundamental reading ability. It’s true that someone with strong skills can achieve a high score using test-taking strategies, but for someone like me with a weak foundation (who didn’t realize it), building fundamental reading skills was crucial.

Once I became comfortable reading English articles, I finally understood the difference between reading slowly and quickly. Dustin taught me many other things, such as the importance of taking mock exams and implementing dynamic stop-loss strategies (which I hadn’t done in my first two attempts). The core concept of the Terminator Course was providing a standard problem-solving process and training students to gradually reduce their time using this standard approach. While I slightly modified Dustin’s steps during my actual exam, his core concepts were deeply ingrained in my mind. However, my English level after the course wasn’t yet sufficient, and I hadn’t practiced the problem-solving steps to Dustin’s required speed. Consequently, my third attempt was almost as bad as the first two… At that point, I felt like the GMAT and I were destined to be apart and considered taking the GRE, which I heard was easier. I started looking into Mason GRE’s introductory materials and even memorized some GRE vocabulary during my moments of doubt, thinking it might be useful if I eventually switched to the GRE.

【Fourth Attempt】

After the setbacks of the first three attempts, I continued preparing for the GMAT. I figured since I had completed the Terminator Course and still had A2’s comprehensive course materials, I had an abundance of resources. For the fourth attempt, in addition to the aforementioned resources, I added Yang Peng’s “Long Sentence Mastery” to my study regimen. My reasoning was that complex sentence structures in RC or CR sometimes still tripped me up, significantly increasing my problem-solving time. By this point, I had internalized the lessons learned from Dustin, such as how to plan for each section, continuously train my reading ability, memorize vocabulary, and apply the problem-solving methods taught by the tutoring center. I also started to become conscious of the time spent on each question, timing myself on almost every problem and making choices within the allotted time.

Scoring 590 on the fourth attempt still made me want to cry. I found myself researching Mason GRE’s courses again… reading experiences of people switching to the GRE… wondering if I could score 320 on the GRE. I went through a period of feeling lost, even though I was preparing for the GMAT, I was inwardly afraid of getting hurt again. However, besides the sunk cost, one factor motivated me to try again: on the fourth attempt, my Verbal score improved from the teens/low 20s to V27, and IR went from 4 to 6. While still low, it was a significant encouragement for me, indicating I had started to understand what the test was about. (Plus, listening to Dustin’s YouTube explanations about how IR is also related to reading ability – if you can understand it, you’re more likely to get it right – was helpful.)

【Fifth Attempt】

Before the exam, I could manage my time within the limits set by Dustin and A2 for each section: SC around 1 minute 40 seconds, CR 2 minutes, and RC around 1 minute 40 seconds. I also learned from Dustin that focusing on mastering easy and medium questions could get me to V3X. While I tended to spend a bit too much time on some hard questions or struggled with immediate comprehension or complex options, my accuracy and time management for easy and medium questions were quite good. I felt I was in a good rhythm. During the exam, I encountered an RC passage that felt very similar to one from the OG. I was devastated, thinking it would lead to another low score, and prepared myself for another 5XX. However, I had completed the “Chicken McNugget” (Jijing) math questions and about 80% of the GWD math problems, so I only had 1-2 math questions I wasn’t sure about. I figured my score would be around the low 600s. In the last few questions, I noticed some RC questions that seemed like Jijing, but I wasn’t sure if they were difficult ones. By the time I reached the IR section, I was completely exhausted and just went through the motions (so I advise everyone to try to finish within 3 attempts, otherwise, the trauma is real…). My IR score dropped from 6 to 5. Before the results came out, I was already feeling quite down, wondering if it would be 5XX or 600. I really didn’t want to take it again. When the score of 700 appeared, I was stunned.

【Preparation Tips for Each Section】

Since this is for the new GMAT Focus Edition, these tips are for reference only. I’ll keep them brief.

SC

A2’s materials cover all the test points. I was foolish not to study them thoroughly. Later, in Dustin’s Terminator Course, I followed his step-by-step process. For some questions, understanding the sentence meaning immediately led to the correct answer. (I later combined methods from both.)

RC

A2’s and Dustin’s methods are slightly different but both very effective. Dustin teaches you to read less important parts faster, identifying author’s tone and viewpoint, and to read crucial parts more precisely (he guides you on predicting where questions might appear, like at transition points or where the author expresses opinions, with great detail for various question types). A2 teaches you to create reading summaries, which I also found very useful. Sometimes, even if I didn’t understand the whole passage, organizing it myself helped me grasp it better.

CR

I adopted a hybrid approach using methods from both A2 and Dustin. I found that if I understood the question directly, I could usually find the direction and achieve a decent accuracy rate (I used A2’s method of analyzing answer choices more, while Dustin’s powerful technique of predicting options was something I never fully mastered, though I heard it’s very effective). The key is to be familiar with various question types, such as understanding what kinds of scenarios appear in options for Strengthen and Weaken questions. A2’s materials categorize question types, which is helpful. For types you struggle with, focus on intensive practice (I personally found Bold Face the most challenging).

Quantitative

I briefly took KH’s “Greedy Snake” course. I found KH’s teaching extremely clear, and his problem-solving process was simple (my own solutions sometimes became overly complicated). Combined with the “Chicken McNugget” (Jijing) materials, achieving a score above 49 should not be too difficult. (I didn’t prepare much for math in my earlier attempts.)

【Conclusion】

The journey of preparing for the GMAT was painful. I am grateful for the assistance from A2GMAT tutoring, which finally helped me achieve my target score. Overall, I’m thankful for the tutoring and incredibly relieved. I feel I was truly lucky to get the score I wanted on my final attempt. During the process, I often adopted an ostrich mentality, fearing criticism for poor performance, which prevented me from seeking consultations with A2. However, I eventually came to truly understand the meaning of attitude that A2 emphasizes. Only with the right attitude is success possible. I now realize that many times, the issue isn’t a lack of aptitude but a lack of the right attitude. I also thank Dustin for sharing many exam preparation methods and techniques, allowing me to continue using his principles even after the Terminator Course ended.

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