From 550 to 730 with personalized mentorship from DJ

In my opinion, E-gmat is the best possible tool you need to tackle GMAT and reach your target score. Initially, when I decided to take GMAT, I took a "cold test" in which I got 550. I was worried about how to best tackle the massive amount of information that I needed to look at (in my case: basically everything), while working very long hours (~12 hs a day). It was a colleague of mine that recommended E-GMAT, as the best way to study focused on the areas that you need to improve and also structure your test taking methodology.

My weakest area was Verbal and E-GMAT taught me how to tackle Verbal questions in a structured manner and save time. The course is focused on teaching techniques that, once you incorporate, help you solve questions faster and efficiently. For me, that was mostly "pre-thinking" (trying to guess a few ideas that would answer the question, so that you don't select deceiving choices) and Reading Comprehension reading strategies. Also, what I loved is that most questions have a detailed video explanations which cover why correct choice is correct, but also why incorrect choices are incorrect (including descriptions of "common traps"). The quality of these explanations and level of insights were really helpful. Actually, they helped me identify some patterns that appear on GMAT questions frequently, something that increased my confidence on exam day.

I would also recommend doing the Quant course, even if you come from technical background. The quant course has a feature that assesses your previous knowledge through diagnostic quizes and then adapts the course so that you make best use of your time. For example, you might know some circle and triangles concepts very well, while you may need to work on your 3D solids concepts. Or you may even know all the geometry concepts perfectly, but need to practice GMAT level excercises. The course will be tailored to you to optimize the time invested. Additionally, I personally found Scholaranium excercises even harder than real GMAT, which I found very useful to feel well prepared!

Apart from the course, you get access to Scholaranium tool. Here, you can tailor quizes to your specific needs, in terms of types of questions, difficulty and timing. Personally, I found this tool particularly helpful to train myself to do exercises in shorter time! Also, I used it a lot to go back to "incorrect questions" and make sure I had incorporated all learnings from them.

In Scholaranium, you also get access to 5 Sigma X mocks. These exams replicate GMAT exam conditions, in terms of questions, difficulty, and even breaks between sections. I found the exams to be in a very similar difficulty level than real GMAT exam on Verbal, and even slightly more difficult in Quant. Results are actually very accurate, and after each exam you get a very detailed and insightful summary of your strenghts and weaknesses in terms of accuracy and also time. This is crucial so that you focus your preparation on where you need to improve the most.

If you also add the help from a tutor/coach that guides you and helps you understand root causes of your weaknesses across sections, you have got an unbeatable strategy! In my case, that person was DJ and I couldn't be more grateful for his help. First, he's very approachable and knowledgable about GMAT. He made a tailored study plan based on my mocks, which was key for my success. Secondly, he makes sure to be available for you when you need it the most: he responded some emails on weekends, which is something I didn't expect at all. In fact, I know from friends that instructor availability is a major issue when using other GMAT tools/options. Last but not least, he helped me gain confidence I needed to actually take the exam. When I first contacted him, I had been studying on and off (mostly off) for many months, and in around 3-4 weeks, we did the prep I needed to take the exam and get to my target score. What helped me get the confidence? DJ's personalized plan focused the preparation on my weak areas. DJ: thank you very much for your help! I couldn't have done it without you.

Overall, if you want to make the most out of your time, I would definitely recommend using E-gmat tool from day 1!