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I really cannot thank Scott enough for turning my MBA dreams from a distant dream into reality.
My story with TTP starts out with my score of 550. I will forewarn you, I am NOT a good test taker and this is NOT a quick fix post/review (although TTP can surely help you in 2-3 months). I am successful in business, went to a good college, a driven person and willing to do whatever it takes. However, I am not someone who just studied for a little bit and got the score I needed. This post and review is more for people who really have done everything they can and still need a better score. My journey was 2 years from start to finish filled with an emotional roller coaster and lots of money.
Any who, I did not just randomly take the GMAT and get a 550 either. I studied hard, worked with another tutor and took classes at Manhattan Prep. For some people, Manhattan's traditional way of teaching is exactly what you need. Not for me. The classroom set up did not really dig into my weak areas. I knew I needed some help so I decided to get a tutor from Manhattan. The tutor assigned me problem from the Official Guide as well as lessons from the Manhattan Books across both Verbal and Quant. I don't want to go too much in Manhattan because this post is about TTP, but the tutoring did not help. The tutor never checked-in and was always "busy" to meet so it was very hard to find time to work together. He did not take the time to understand my weak areas, and I felt like he sort of gave up on me. Needless to say, I bombed the test and got the 550 (can't remember the exact breakout but let me tell you Quant was reaaaaaaaaaal rough).
One year into my journey, I was devastated but did not want to give up, especially in Quant. I did research here on Beat the GMAT and found TTP. The night I reached out, Scott (the owner) immediately emailed me back and told me he could do tutoring. I took an analysis test on TTP and pretty much bombed it. Scott was very, very honest with me on my road ahead. He told me I needed to study 3-4 hours a night (no joke) and 6 hours on the weekends to get the score above 700+ in three months. I also needed to be extremely dedicated to our sessions (2-3 per week for 2 hours each) and the lessons on TTP. Finally, someone who was honest with me in what I actually needed to do.
For 3 months, our tutoring sessions were grueling. I felt like I needed a nap after. I thoroughly did all of the sessions on the TTP website too (which are amazing by the way). When the time came around to take the test, I felt ready, but extremely nervous because I had already bombed this test. Well, unfortunately, I bombed it again, 590 (again Quant way lower than verbal). I realized that it wasn't just the knowledge. I also struggled hard with anxiety. Scott had prepared me like crazy but my anxiety was getting in the way.
I went into to a real sad hole for a while. Scott was there every step of the way. We decided to give it another try because we thought over preparation would help with anxiety. 3 more months of studying and tutoring. I was ready this time and felt prepared. However, my score came in at 650 (Q46, V33). Definitely not high enough for a top school.
Scott, again, was there for me and worked with me on a next step plan. I knew my story wasn't over (or that I was the most stubborn person in the entire world) and needed to get that 700+ score because I knew I could and that I was smart enough. I worked on my anxiety on the side, and Scott set me up with a verbal tutor he knew. If I was going to break through 700, I needed to get my verbal score up. He actually turned down tutoring me in Quant this time around because he knew that I fully capable of getting a good Quant score. I worked my butt off and did a million practice tests on TTP while studying with the verbal tutor.
My last and final test, I got a 730 (Q49 V41)!!! I will never forget that feeling. I applied for full time shortly after and got into a top 5 business school.
Scott became more than just more tutor. He became my friend and my mentor throughout this entire process. Even though he doesn't tutor me anymore, we still stay in touch. Scott is THE reason I finally got the score I deserved.
If you read this ENTIRE thing here are a few tips:
-If you don't have a ton of money for tutoring, do the TTP regular course. it's a very cheap option for Quant and honestly, it's the best out there. I would know, I have literally tried almost every other option (don't want to list them all out because it's embarrassingly long). I have sent countless people who thank me as soon as they start. It is SO thorough for Quant, intuitive and easy to digest.
-If you are on your 3rd, 4th, 5th time taking the test. DO NOT GIVE UP!! Try something new like TTP. I swear if you put the work in, the outcome will come.
-If you feel like you've done everything you possibly can, look at trying to balance your mental health. Sometimes anxiety is what is holding you back.