740 on my 1st attempt!

I started my GMAT journey by going through the Official Guide and rummaging through GMAT content on the Internet. I watched many videos online and read countless articles and blog posts to learn more about the exam structure, what resources are necessary and how to approach the exam. This primary research informed me that going to a local GMAT prep provider or trying to do this on my own probably would not be good. So, I searched for online GMAT prep providers who could help me through the process of tackling the GMAT and came across a webinar hosted by Rajat from E-GMAT on Critical Reasoning. It was the first time I was introduced to the idea of ''pre-thinking''. I went through some of the SC videos that one can access for free - I was hooked. I then proceeded to buy the entire E-GMAT course.

I first sat for a Sigma X mock (E-GMAT's own set of mock exams) to assess where I stand and what areas I need to improve. I scored a 580 (Q41, V29) and contacted the E-GMAT strategy team to provide me with a plan moving forward. The E-GMAT course also has a neat feature that allows you to personalize your study based on your target score, hours you can put in each weekday/weekend, and when you wish to sit for the exam. I sat down with Dhruv over a Zoom call to discuss my Sigma X mock, and after the call received an email with clear guidelines on what to do next in my preparation. The Master Comprehension course provided a solid introduction to the Verbal section. At the same time, the cementing quizzes that I took after completing SC, CR, and RC helped me identify problem areas.

The modules that helped me the most were the Sentence Correction and Critical Reasoning modules and Quant 2.0. The ''meaning-based approach'' helped me understand SC questions more clearly and look beyond grammatical errors - this helped me solve 700-level questions more confidently. I initially struggled to understand the nuances in CR questions. However, as I understood "Pre-thinking'' and tried to implement it in questions, I got a good grasp on more challenging CR questions.

Quant 2.0 covers every Quant topic and sub-section with great depth. The focus is on learning the process skills to help you solve GMAT questions. A diagnostic quiz at the start of each module assesses your initial ability. In addition, every part of the E-GMAT learning module (both Quant and Verbal) is now equipped with P.A.C.E (Personalized, Adaptive, Course Engine) that allows you to skip portions of each module based on your score in the diagnostic quiz. This feature can save students time that they can use elsewhere.

Scholaranium 2.0 is where you go from learning to implementation. It is a robust platform that provides you with hundreds of questions in each section. In addition, you get access to a whole range of data analytics on Scholaranium 2.0 - you can pinpoint weak areas, time taken on questions, and what level (easy/medium/hard) questions you are struggling on. You can also take customized quizzes based on your preferences. The question bank in Scholaranium has more than enough questions to provide you with solid preparation. I found the Quant Scholaranium questions more challenging than OG questions or the actual exam, which helps you prepare better when you sit for the GMAT. In addition, the detailed explanations provided after each question and the query threads where students can clear any doubts help you get a clear understanding.

While the GMATPrep mocks are the closest thing to the actual exam in terms of algorithm and difficulty level, they do not provide detailed feedback on your mock performance. What is the point of sitting for mocks if you cannot understand where you are lacking, right? This is where Sigma-X mocks help you with a complete debrief of your performance. The time taken on each question, performance on each sub-section, and detailed explanations are provided for each question. As you get closer to the actual exam, the scores on your Sigma-X mock will reflect your actual score. My scores on the Sigma-X mocks were within 20 points of my final score.

Finally, I would like to talk about how I went from scoring around 700 on my 2nd/3rd Sigma-X mocks to scoring 740 on the actual exam. After I scored a 710 on my 3rd Sigma-X mock, I reached out to the E-GMAT strategy team as I did not know what else I could possibly do to improve. I also had two and a half weeks left before my exam. The Strategy team informed me about the Last Mile Pledge program at E-GMAT. The Last Mile Pledge initiative provides students with a mentor who guides them through the final stages of preparation and a holistic plan leading up to the exam. I got in touch with Rida, who sat down on a call with me and patiently listened to all my concerns. She then shared a hyper-specific plan with personalized videos that catered to my weak points. She pointed out that I did not take enough cementing quizzes or quizzes that mimicked each section of the exam (31 Verbal/36 quant question quizzes). I took her feedback on board and stayed in touch over the next two weeks as she continued to share more plans with me to improve in problem areas.

Rida's best piece of advice was not to take too many mock exams. Many people on online forums suggest taking as many mocks as possible. However, I believe it is better to take fewer mocks and focus on the problems you are making rather than keep taking one after the other - something that I learned from Rida. I took just six mocks leading up to the exam, and I felt it was adequate. I would like to thank Rida for taking the time to listen to my endless questions, prepare a plan based on my performance in Scholaranium and Sigma-X mocks, and provide me with a clear path to getting a good score.

If you are reading this review and have made it this far, I would like to thank you for taking the time. If you are preparing for the GMAT, E-GMAT is the best support you can get out there. However, please do your own research before deciding since you will be investing a lot of time, money, and effort once you select a prep provider. Having said that, you cannot go wrong with E-GMAT.

The E-GMAT course and analytics are continuously improved, and more modules are added every few months. For example, the P.A.C.E feature was not there when I started the course but was later introduced. Overall, E-GMAT is one of the best GMAT prep providers, and my 160 point score improvement is a testament to their credentials!