My 7-Year Journey as a Working Professional: How I Went From Giving Up on GMAT to Scoring 675 (PR96) on the GMAT Focus Edition

January 2024 GMAT Focus Edition 675(PR96) V79 Q90 DI81 (Evening Training Class + Dustin GMAT Terminator)

[Test Scores]

• First Attempt (Old Format) 590 Q50 V21 IR2 Canceled (2017/06)
• Second Attempt (Old Format) 600 Q47 V25 IR6 Canceled (2023/06)
• Third Attempt (New Format) 645(PR89) Q86(PR92) V82(PR79) DI:78(PR73) (2023/12)
• Fourth Attempt (New Format) 675(PR96) Q90(PR100) V79(PR51) DI:81(PR90) (2024/01)

[Educational Background]

NTNU Business Administration

[Preparation Status]

Working professional for 4.5 years, studying while working

[English Proficiency]

College Entrance Exam 88 / TOEIC 980

[Preparation Time]

2017/01 ~ 2017/06, 2023/01 ~ 2024/01

[Preparation Materials]

OG, OV, PP1~6, GWD, A2 Training Class + Dustin Terminator, Math Snake

【Foreword】

I had the idea of studying abroad during college. At first, I thought I only needed to prepare for the TOEFL, but later I learned that most business schools also require GMAT scores, so I started looking for cram schools online. Almost all reviews said that A2 was the way to go for GMAT preparation, so I signed up without hesitation.

After taking the classes, it was indeed as the online reviews said; the comprehensive categorization method allowed me to quickly grasp the key points of the exam. However, at that time, I was about to go on an exchange program and didn’t have much focus on exam preparation. I didn’t review the handouts after class and even held the mindset that my English was pretty good, treating the GMAT as a language test where I could easily score high by just memorizing vocabulary and reviewing grammar. Especially after seeing many testimonials from people who successfully broke 700 in just one month, I thought I could definitely do it too. Clearly, I hadn’t learned CR well back then and didn’t realize that people’s experiences aren’t always comparable. I even went to take the exam without finishing the OG before my first attempt. I really don’t know if I borrowed courage from Liang Jingru back then. After the test, I consoled myself, thinking, “This exam is so difficult, how could anyone score over 700? Those who do must be native speakers.” Plus, in 2017, the review resources weren’t as abundant as they are now. The thought of figuring out the archaic explanations in the back of the OG question by question, or sifting through Ron’s answers on Manhattan Prep, exhausted me. So, I quickly convinced myself to give up on the GMAT path, thinking that maybe after graduation, I could find a good job in Taiwan and would no longer want to study abroad.

However, after working for several years, I became more aware of my shortcomings and yearned for another opportunity to study abroad, hoping to develop my career differently through overseas experience. Therefore, I knew I shouldn’t approach the GMAT with the same mindset. Because of my previous failure, this time I decided to give myself a year to prepare. And this time, starting anew, I again chose A2 GMAT without hesitation. From my past experience in their classes, I felt the richness of their teaching resources. Not only could it quickly save me from the initial struggle of self-preparation, but it also helped me quickly grasp the key points of the exam. Moreover, now there are online consultations and online review videos available, significantly enhancing the overall exam resources compared to before. Furthermore, after starting the classes, I found that while many questions were still topics covered in previous classes, the test points developed now are far more numerous than when I first attended. This further convinced me that choosing A2 GMAT this time was the right decision.

【General Timeline】

Second Attempt:

Although I was determined to give myself a year to prepare for the GMAT, I still underestimated the difficulty of preparing while working. Since I chose the weekday evening training class, I often didn’t review the handouts after class and didn’t complete the homework assigned by A2 on time. At the same time, my mindset hadn’t fully adjusted. I often wondered why I was torturing myself like this after work every day, and I couldn’t understand what I was working so hard for. Because of this state, I probably only spent 1-2 hours studying on weekdays, and no more than half a day on weekends. Four months passed in a daze after finishing classes in February. During this time, I only reviewed the handouts and completed one pass of the OG. However, the only correct decision I made was to decide in April that I would take the test by the end of June, no matter what. Although I didn’t study very diligently, at least I touched the handouts or did some OG practice every day. Before the test, I held onto the hope that I might get lucky and score 700, but it turned out that I must have done too many bad things, ending up with only a 600. SC, in particular, was the subject I spent the most effort on during this period, yet I only got PR15, which almost made me vomit blood.

Third Attempt: (Focus will be on how the Terminator class helped me later)

After the test, I scheduled a consultation with A2. I couldn’t grasp the test points for SC and wasn’t seriously reading for meaning, so I was naturally criticized. Therefore, I went back and started to reflect deeply. I realized that continuing this way wouldn’t work. If I continued with the same preparation method as the past six months, I might not even pass the GMAT in three years, let alone one. So, I decided to seriously address my problems. I believe the first step to solving a problem is admitting you have one and then figuring out what it is. I found that my problem was insufficient vocabulary; I was completely relying on my high school vocabulary. Additionally, I lacked self-discipline. I needed a good, adaptable study plan, not one that always fell behind schedule and then got abandoned.

It was at this time that I happened to see Dustin’s Terminator class. Before the class, it included a pre-interview to tailor a study plan for each student and a vocabulary level test, providing vocabulary of different difficulties for students to memorize. I felt that this course perfectly addressed my pain points, so I decisively signed up for the August and September classes. Although the classes started in August and September, there were pre-class assignments starting in July, and Dustin began arranging my study plan during the pre-class interview: 4 hours of study on weekdays and 10 hours on weekends. This study plan seemed daunting, but if half a year of hard work could lead to a good outcome, I was willing to give it my all without hesitation.

Furthermore, during the interview, we also discussed that since my SC was only PR15, but my IR was 6 even without any preparation, Dustin suggested I switch to the new format. At the same time, I adjusted my mindset, admitting that I wasn’t one of those genius students who could score high in a month, so we needed to trade time for space.

Dustin divided the entire course into three stages. The first stage, which I call establishing the correct problem-solving process, was somewhat like an SOP. However, because I was unfamiliar with it at first, I could only complete 2 CR questions in an hour during this stage, and an RC passage might take me an hour to an hour and a half to process. But after learning Dustin’s method, I realized how shallow my previous understanding of GMAT questions was. The second stage involved gradually adding time limits after establishing the correct problem-solving process. After all, the GMAT also tests how students make correct decisions under time pressure, especially with the new format’s penalty for unfinished questions, making time management exceptionally important. The final stage was to practice a large number of questions after successfully reducing the time spent on each question. I remember that by the time I reached this stage, it was around November. So, after estimating the time I needed to complete PP and GWD, I registered for the mid-December exam, thinking it was time to test my efforts over the past six months. I believed that even with my efforts during this period, my score would unlikely be lower than my second attempt. Ultimately, hard work paid off, and I finally achieved a score of 645 (PR89).

Fourth Attempt:

Actually, on the day I finished my third attempt, I registered for my fourth attempt a month later. My thinking at the time was simple: it wasn’t because I was dissatisfied with my third attempt score, but because since I had already worked hard for half a year, spending a little more time to take the test once or twice more seemed fine. Plus, I knew very well that if I didn’t register that day, I probably wouldn’t take it again. Sure enough, a few days after registering, I regretted it every day and asked myself why I was torturing myself. But I thought, since I’ve already registered, I might as well review the questions I got wrong and practice a few more mock tests. This time, I went into the exam with a calm mind, thinking that I had done my best during this period, and if I didn’t get a higher score this time, I would accept it. Unexpectedly, I finally scored 675, successfully putting an end to this not-so-easy journey.

【Subject-Specific Insights】

SC:

Honestly, I think SC is the biggest treasure here at A2. The instructor has developed so many test points, it’s truly amazing. At the same time, I believe SC is indeed the foundation for CR and RC. Without a solid SC foundation, it’s often difficult to understand questions in the other two sections. Although I decided to switch to the new format after my second attempt, if I had the chance, I would still hope to re-listen to the SC course recordings, as mastering SC is genuinely helpful for English writing.

CR:

What truly mind-blew me about CR was Dustin’s course. First, he made me realize the importance of the question stem, that it’s not just simply Weaken or Support. He also taught me how to quickly grasp the key points of a question and form a clear logical chain in my mind, clearly knowing whether it’s the argument, conclusion, or reasoning that needs to be weakened or supported. Furthermore, he required us to go into the options with our own pre-thinking, which was incredibly helpful for me. Although learning this method from scratch was quite challenging, it became very effective once I became proficient.

RC:

For RC, the Terminator course also helped me a lot. First, it taught me what a GMAT passage structure is and how to identify the main points of an article, so I didn’t have to be afraid even when facing unfamiliar topics. It also taught me to think about the author’s intention behind each sentence as I read. Because I wasn’t just passively reading, I could often quickly pinpoint which part of the passage a question was testing. When answering questions, I also went into the options with my own pre-thinking, which allowed me to quickly eliminate incorrect answers, as if the correct answer was waving at me.

Q:

Actually, after my second attempt, my Q score was only 47. I believe many Taiwanese people score higher than me on math even without preparation. I was even ridiculed that my math score would make people think an American taught me math. But after my second attempt, I clearly felt that the math was much harder than when I took it in 2017. This was later confirmed by KH. Therefore, I thought simply completing the 8-week training for working professionals wasn’t enough. So, before the Terminator course started, I signed up for another session of Math Snake. The challenging problems in Math Snake were very helpful to me. Besides familiarizing me with the difficulty of tough problems, it also taught me not to be afraid when encountering them, as long as I understood the concepts, I could solve them. Afterward, since the Terminator course also included a math component, I practiced the Terminator course problems daily after Math Snake ended. I believe there are no shortcuts to preparing for math; one can only compensate for not being good enough at math through extensive practice. It was later proven that even I, a “waste” who scored 9 on the college entrance math exam, could eventually get a perfect score in math.

DI:

Honestly, for my second and third attempts, I had no preparation for IR. Only after my third attempt did I get the past PP practice questions from A2 and diligently completed the entire book. I also made good use of the online videos to review incorrect questions. Therefore, I believe diligently working through the handout questions is definitely effective.

【Conclusion】

Actually, the GMAT shouldn’t be an exam that takes a long time to prepare for, because preparing for too long can easily lead to burnout and giving up. I think all working professionals who are studying are great. Besides their busy work schedules, they also have to use their rest time to prepare for this not-so-easy exam while their friends are having fun. I really want to say, “You’ve worked hard!”

But I think this is a process where you constantly strengthen your resolve and continuously think about what you truly want, clearly knowing what you are striving for. Only with a strong enough belief can we sustain ourselves through this journey. Although passing the GMAT is just a small goal completed before studying abroad, everyone who is willing to sacrifice immediate pleasures and work hard to create a potentially better future for themselves deserves respect. So please don’t give up easily; you are not alone on this path. Everyone goes through this, so keep going! Finally, a huge thank you to A2 GMAT and Dustin for their help, which allowed me to successfully achieve my score and finally declare that I didn’t give up halfway, successfully completing the exam that troubled me for nearly 7 years!!

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