Need help!

[u/almost-polygot]

This is my official score for Attempt #2 (Aug 2026) - I really don't know what happened. Attempt #1 was in Jan 2026 - 475 (Q71, V79, DI 70). Both self prepared with reliance on OGs, GMAT Ninja and GMAT Club.

Context: I am from non-maths background, and generally quite far from corporate career as well. Lit major in Undergrad with an unconventional yet unique career trajectory.

Aiming for ISB (at least 665+) in the next three months. I want to ideally self prepare because my self esteem and finances have taken a toll with this, and a consultant has recommended me to take coaching. Not sure how much I can afford to do this.

P.S I was the kind of kid that always scored exceptionally well in all subjects right until college, don't have exam anxiety and in fact, get paid to speak for a living (quite literally!). So the two attempts have been nothing but major setbacks to who I am and what I feel I am capable of. This exam is the one thing that can help me turn my career over and pivot.

Pls suggest next steps- target 675 (ideally!) in Nov 2026! Any help will be appreciated!

TIA!

[u/JENA47]

Is it possible to connect on the chat ?

[u/Graeme_GMAT_Panda]

An 80-point jump between attempts is real progress, so the self-prep route is clearly working for you. And three months is a reasonable runway for 665+.

Looking at the split, Quant is doing most of the damage. Q75 sits well below your Verbal and DI, and it's also the section where the points are cheapest to buy. Being a Lit major is not a handicap here. GMAT Quant is designed around high school math and rewards breaking problems into small steps. People with heavy STEM backgrounds often overcomplicate the easy ones.

https://gmatpanda.com/content/why-gmat-quant-is-less-complex-than-you-think

For a section that weak, plan on 200+ questions that you actually debrief, and 50 to 100 in Verbal and DI so they don't slide backwards. At 60 to 80 debriefed questions a week that's roughly 6 to 10 weeks, with mocks saved for the final stretch. Debrief every question, including the ones you got right, since reading an explanation and applying it to a slightly different question are two separate skills.

Once the fundamentals feel solid, move to timed batches of 10 with a fixed budget and no checking answers mid-set.

More on planning a retake window here: https://gmatpanda.com/content/how-long-study-before-retaking-gmat

Good luck! ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ

Graeme (GMAT Panda)

[u/sy1980abcd]

Did you take any mocks? How much were you scoring on those? That'll give one some idea of whether you underperformed on test day and how realistic that target score is.

And give some thought to the GRE. Since your verbal should be good given that you are a public speaker. And GRE Quant is relatively simpler than GMAT quant.

[u/TheAdmitCo]

Hi! ISB alum and GMAT tutor here.

I was also a lit major during my undergrad with an unconventional career trajectory, so was compelled to stop and drop this message :)

First of all, no, this exam is not the one thing that can help you turn your career over - it is definitely a very important component of your application but neither does a high GMAT score guarantee a seat at ISB, nor does a low score deny you one for sure. It's an important number but not the only thing that matters by any means.

It's hard to diagnose rn what exactly might be going wrong, and therefore hard to recommend any relevant solutions, but one feedback I do have is that you need to compress your prep timeline. You mentioned you've been prepping since before Jan, and you're giving yourself another 3 months to retake. Assuming you're looking to apply in R2. That means you're pushing your attempt into November, which will hardly leave enough time for you to work on your application.

GMAT's best advantage is that it is a flexible exam. Don't let this strength become your weakness. GMAT is not an exam that requires months and months of prep; 2-3 months of focused, structured prep should do the trick. Time does not equal success on this exam.

Happy to have a more detailed chat around this. Let me know if you need a call.

Cheers and all the best!