One Month with Target Prep = +11 Quant

I got waitlisted at Tepper, and I knew my GMAT score was the weak point of my application, so I decided to give it one more try before the final waitlist decisions were made. My previous scores were:
620: 40V/35Q - Nov 2017
550: 38V/27Q - Dec 2016

After 1 month with Target Test Prep:
720: 46V/44Q - June 2018

I wanted a program that focused exclusively on Quant, and started at a fairly basic level with enough practice problems to make me feel comfortable. I found that and more in Target Test Prep. I did spend about 60 hours studying in this time - I took a 2-week vacation and spent several hours studying every day.

Firstly, I loved the "gamified" format of the program. I like tracking my analytics and seeing improvement, as well as seeing the areas of strength and weakness. TTP gives you a ton of useful feedback in the form of data, that really helped me hone in on what I needed to work on. The two real game-changers for me about this program are: 1) you can set the question timing to whatever you want to work on your pacing and 2) every question is tagged by topic. So whenever I got one wrong and felt shaky on the concept, I would review the chapter again. In the past, I've wasted a ton of time trying to find the right lesson to understand what I did wrong.

Timing: I saw my pace improve dramatically over the 4 weeks I was using the program because I was practicing with a 2 minute timer per question, so I felt very comfortable walking into the test that I was able to easily solve most problems in under 2 minutes. Last time I took the GMAT, I was worried about timing and rushed through the first problems, guessing too many times, only to end up with extra time at the end.

The explanations given were in-depth and helpful. Many of them are in the form of a video, Khan Academy style, and are also written out in steps. The program also allows you to create your own custom tests, selecting the topics, the difficulty level, and the time per question. This enabled me to work selectively on topics I was weak on and to test myself on the hardest questions. When I faced easier ones on the real GMAT, I felt very confident in solving them.

This program made all the difference to me. I don't view myself as a "math person" and my background is social science. I was truly worried I would never be able to master the GMAT quant section. But this program boosted me from a 35Q to a 46Q in four weeks.

Within 2 weeks of taking the text, I got accepted to Tepper's part-time program starting this fall. My only regret is that it took me so long to try Target Test Prep. It's very inexpensive for the value - I hope it gains the name recognition it deserves.