Ace Your Exam: 635 in 2 Months

Extreme Preparation: 2.5 Months to a GMAT Score of 635: Background and Motivation

Test Taker’s Background and Preparation Timeline

• Academic Background: Soochow University, International Trade
• English Proficiency: College Entrance Exam Score 84, IELTS 7.5
• Preparation Time: Mid-February 2025 to Early May 2025 (including one month of self-study for the first attempt and the Terminator course for the second attempt)
• Study Materials: OG 24-25, OV 24-25, PP1-4, GMAT club, Dustin’s YouTube channel

Why Choose the Terminator Course? Saying Goodbye to Ineffective Self-Study

I chose the Terminator course because it’s convenient, customizable, and packed with preparation resources. Being fully online meant no commute, so I could focus all my energy on Dustin’s study plan, which was personalized based on my score report data. The detailed solution videos were also a huge draw. They let me review my mistakes by comparing my process to the correct one. This was a game-changer, as My biggest struggle with self-study was understanding how to review Verbal errors.

After over a month of self-study for my first attempt, where I only reviewed notes borrowed from classmates and watched Dustin’s YouTube tutorials and blog posts, I blindly practiced questions without a clear problem-solving process. Consequently, after my first attempt in late March, I felt that continuing to invest time in self-study was no longer yielding results, and I needed expert guidance. This led me to choose the Terminator course, which is ideal for short-term intensive preparation, and I focused all my efforts on it for about 5 weeks before my second exam.

My Five-Week Sprint Plan: Preparation Strategies for Each Section

Quantitative: Maintaining Daily Touch and Utilizing Exam Experience

The GMAT Quantitative concepts aren’t that hard; the real challenge is accuracy and speed. For me, relying on calculators for four years of university had turned my mental math skills back to elementary school level. It was tough at first. So, practicing math daily to keep that feel is essential!

I worked through one set of KH basic exercises every day, plus focused practice on my weak spots identified by Dustin. That was usually enough. Controlling your pace during the actual exam makes hitting a high score very manageable. Also, buying A2’s exam experience (機經) is a must. I saw many tough questions from it on both my attempts, which really calmed my nerves, especially since I tend to get anxious.

CR (Critical Reasoning): Developing a Mindset Where Options Answer You

This section has always been my weakest. My biggest issue with self-study was the lack of a consistent approach; I just went with my gut and picked answers randomly. I often found online explanations confusing, making my review process really inefficient.

A key part of the Terminator course is training in problem-solving processes. For many tough questions, using a logical chain or role-playing, along with the pre-thinking strategy, helped me find the right answer without falling for the traps. The biggest lesson I learned from practicing logical reasoning was to let the options answer you, instead of you trying to answer the options. My accuracy jumped from under 50% during self-study to about 70% after I refined my problem-solving process.

RC (Reading Comprehension): Reading Techniques to Predict Article Direction

GMAT Reading Comprehension isn’t like IELTS; you can’t just read and find answers. You need to process the information. That’s why Dustin stresses pre-thinking. Anticipating the article’s direction, the author’s stance, and the function of sentences really helps. I think this reading technique is incredibly useful and will stick with me for reading long texts in grad school.

Since my reading speed is relatively slow, I also engaged in additional reading exercises, particularly focusing on areas I found challenging (like astrophysics). I found this very helpful; during the actual exam, I encountered an article about black holes and felt very comfortable with it. Also, sometimes RC exam experience questions overlap with actual exam questions. Even if they don’t, they’re still great extra practice.

DI (Data Insights): Pace Control and Familiarity with Question Types are Key

My DI performance in the first attempt was abysmal, primarily due to poor pace control and unfamiliarity with question types, which led me to guess on most Multi-Source Reasoning (MSR) questions because I ran out of time. Consequently, Dustin’s study plan for me focused heavily on DI training, progressing from easier to more difficult questions and from untimed to timed practice. This led to significant improvement in my DI score in the second attempt, especially in MSR, where I achieved a percentile rank of 100.

DI is basically a mix of Quant and Verbal, but with more emphasis on synthesizing information (like when a math problem throws a lot of text at you). The question types are super diverse, so controlling your pace is even more crucial. If you’re unsure about a question, it’s better to skip it and focus on the easier ones. I also highly recommend GMAT club’s platform; its testing interface feels really realistic, and you can find solutions from top international test-takers.

Two Powerful Tools for Accelerated Preparation: AI Tools and One-on-One Sessions

AI Toolkit: Significantly Reducing Review Time

Dustin developed several ChatGPT-based tools that really helped my prep. I used the CR logic chain and the RC Preparatory Answer Trainer a lot. These AI tools give you answers based on Dustin’s methods and can create similar practice questions, which drastically cut down my review time.

One-on-One Sessions: Precisely Targeting Weaknesses

Dustin meticulously goes through every incorrect or time-consuming question on the score report, discussing why I made the errors or struggled with reading comprehension. Then, he focuses our practice on my weakest question types. Our scheduled hour-long sessions often ran over to 90 minutes, which just shows how committed he is to helping each student hit their target score.

Three Key Pieces of Advice for Future Test Takers: Timeline, Mindset, and Exam Order

The GMAT preparation timeline doesn’t need to be excessively long; extending it too far can lead to mental and physical exhaustion, and there aren’t an abundance of official practice questions. You risk running out of quality material. Dustin advises against using non-official questions for practice, as they can lead you astray. Personally, I believe that with the Terminator course, 2 to 3 months is more than sufficient (especially if you’re studying full-time).

Furthermore, mindset is crucial. Don’t get overly anxious even if your practice tests yield poor scores (I’ve seen scores as low as 525, and trust me, don’t put too much faith in them^^). It might be that the exam order doesn’t suit you, or it could simply be a matter of not adjusting your pace correctly.

Dustin explains in one of his videos how the exam order affects difficulty and how sections are interconnected. My math foundation isn’t super strong, and the tough questions in the higher score ranges for DI can really throw me off, making me want to skip them. If I do Quant first, and it’s typically in a higher range, the DI section afterward could become way too hard. So, I settled on the order: Quantitative – Verbal – Data Insights. Verbal helps bring the difficulty of the DI section back down to a normal level. So, try different orders during your practice tests to see what clicks for you.

Finally, as someone studying full-time, I really recommend taking one or two days off each week. It’s okay to cut back on practice (as long as you don’t stop completely), because rest is crucial for making progress long-term!

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