GMAT with CJ

“The best way to ensure success is to deserve it.” One of the best quotes I’ve read lately. I think it’s applicable not only to careers and test preparation but also to other domains of life, including relationships. Build yourself so that you deserve what you seek.

The Difference Between Knowing Techniques and Understanding Concepts During a recent session with a student who had been preparing for the GMAT for 5 years, this conversation unfolded: Me: How do you check whether a statement is an assumption? Student: Through negation. Me: Why does that work? Student: I'm not sure. That's what I learned. When I asked for the definition of an assumption, he said: "New information that is relevant to the argument." After a few more questions, it became clear he defined "relevant information" as "something already stated in the argument" – essentially saying an assumption is new information that's already given. The contradiction was obvious, yet he'd been using the negation technique for years without understanding why it works. This reminded me of another student who confidently cited "contrapositive" to support his reasoning. When I asked what contrapositive means and why it's valid, he knew the definition but had no idea why the logical principle actually worked. Here's my question: Are we truly learning when we prepare for standardized tests, or are we just memorizing techniques that "seem to work"? The GMAT isn't just testing your ability to apply shortcuts – it's evaluating your analytical thinking. If top business schools could be consistently fooled by technique-driven approaches without genuine understanding, wouldn't they have abandoned the GMAT long ago? These institutions aren't looking for masters of test-taking tricks. They're seeking candidates who can think critically, understand underlying principles, and apply sound reasoning to complex problems. The takeaway: Techniques are tools, but understanding is the foundation. Build both, but never mistake one for the other.

For GMAT Aspirants (and other test-takers too! 😄) Here are 5 mindset shifts that can transform your prep journey: 1. TIME SCARCITY ≠ PANIC MODE When time is limited, resist the urge to panic. Instead, maximize every moment. Focus on learning efficiently rather than cramming frantically. Quality over quantity always wins. 2. ACTIONS OVER OUTCOMES Caught yourself thinking "What if I don't hit my target score?" or "What will happen if I fail?" That's outcome-focused thinking—and it delivers exactly zero benefits. Shift to action-oriented thinking: What can I do today to improve? Which weak areas need attention? What practice problems should I tackle? Remember: Your actions are 100% in your control. Outcomes? Not so much. Quote to remember: "In trying to control what is not in your hands (outcomes), you lose what you can control—your actions." 3. PLAN SMART, EXECUTE CONSISTENTLY Create a macro study plan, then break it into weekly chunks. This eliminates daily decision fatigue and keeps you focused on execution. 4. DON'T OVERTHINK THE ALGORITHM The GMAT algorithm rewards correct answers and penalizes wrong ones. That's it. Focus on solving each question accurately rather than gaming the system. 5. YOUR JOURNEY IS UNIQUE While others might reach their target scores quickly, you might need more time and effort. That's perfectly okay. Choose to approach your journey with patience and peace of mind.

One of my students wrote to me recently, sharing a struggle that felt very familiar. He said he tries to give his best every day, but by the end of the day, he sees that he hasn’t. The reason? YouTube. Even after cutting down his viewing time, his mind keeps drifting back to the videos, making it hard to focus on RC and Quant questions. I asked him just one question: “Do you not expect your mind to take some time to get used to not watching a lot of videos?” He paused and replied, “I never thought about it, Sir. Probably giving time to adjust may be the way to go.” That’s the thing. Many changes in life take time to bear fruit. We often expect immediate results, but the mind—like a seed—needs time to adjust, settle, and grow in a new direction. Understanding this brings patience. And patience makes the struggle feel less like failure and more like a natural part of the process.

Two GMAT students. Same study plan. Same practice scores. Only one improves. Why does this happen so often? Most test prep assumes you already have the underlying skills and just need GMAT-specific knowledge. But what if that's wrong for you? I wrote about the two types of GMAT learners and why traditional prep fails one of them completely. The coding analogy in this post finally explains why some brilliant people stay stuck despite endless practice. If you've ever wondered why your study efforts aren't translating to score improvements, this might be the missing piece. https://gmatwithcj.com/how-to-prepare/why-some-gmat-students-struggle-despite-endless-practice-the-two-types-of-learners/ https://gmatwithcj.com/how-to-prepare/why-some-gmat-students-struggle-despite-endless-practice-the-two-types-of-learners/

You look at my 735 (out of 805 on the GMAT). You think I must be fulfilled. I look at my missing 70. I feel lacking. You see what I have. I see what I don’t. The GMAT is just an analogy. Life works the same way.

If you're solving hundreds of GMAT questions but your score isn't improving, read this. Your study goals are probably sabotaging you. Yes, those same goals you're proud of hitting every day: "Completed 30 questions" ✓ "Finished Chapter 5" ✓ "Studied for 4 hours" ✓ Here's the uncomfortable truth: quantity without quality is worthless. Would a superficial understanding of 10 chapters help you on test day? Would solving 500 questions without addressing WHY you got them wrong improve your score? Of course not. Yet that's exactly what quantity-based goals encourage. The alternative isn't easy to hear: some topics will take you 5x longer than others to master. Learning can't be scheduled. It happens when it happens. But accepting this reality—and adjusting your goals accordingly—is the difference between spinning your wheels and actual progress. I've detailed the complete approach here: https://gmatwithcj.com/how-to-prepare/the-gmat-goal-trap-why-counting-hours-and-questions-fails-and-what-to-track-instead/ https://gmatwithcj.com/how-to-prepare/the-gmat-goal-trap-why-counting-hours-and-questions-fails-and-what-to-track-instead/

What happened to my classmates who initially solved questions faster than me? During my CAT prep, many classmates relied on shortcuts taught in class. They could solve questions in 30–40 seconds while I often took 150–200 seconds. At first, it looked like I was at a disadvantage. But as time passed, something became clear: shortcuts don’t scale. The more complex the course became, the more shortcuts piled up. Students had to remember dozens, even hundreds of tricks—each with its own conditions. They began to hesitate: “Which shortcut applies here?” Accuracy fell, scores stagnated. Meanwhile, I focused on concepts. I didn’t worry about speed—I worried about clarity. With practice, my process naturally became faster. Eventually, I was solving just as quickly, but without the mental burden of recalling endless rules. In the exam, this difference showed. I reached 99.9+ %ile. Many of those who once raced ahead struggled to cross 90. The insight for me was simple: - Shortcuts create the illusion of progress but rarely build lasting competence. - Understanding builds a foundation that not only sustains accuracy but also improves speed over time. Shortcuts may win the sprint. Understanding wins the marathon.

Imagine prepping for months, only to have your GMAT dreams crushed… not by Quant, not by Verbal, but by your cousin’s memory. Yes, that actually happened. A student booked the exam using his cousin’s credit card. The cousin, forgetting all about it, raised a dispute with the bank. Result? Exam cancelled. Account blocked. And now the poor student has to wait over 60 days for the payment to clear before being allowed to book again. (The story is on Reddit.) So instead of stressing over R1 deadlines, he’s stressing over bank cycles. Instead of tackling Critical Reasoning, he’s tackling customer support emails. The point? GMAT prep isn’t always derailed by concepts—it can just as easily be tripped up by life’s little comedies. So if you feel your prep going off-track sometimes, don’t be too harsh on yourself. Take the GMAT seriously, but don’t take yourself too seriously. Because trust me—no OG problem set will ever be as absurd as real life. Pro tip: Never book your GMAT using the credit card of someone with a bad memory… or slightly evil intentions. :P

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From GMAT 405 to 575 to 615 to 515 to .... This is a real story of my student. He came to me, having scored 405 on the GMAT after preparing for 4 months. We worked for 10 months. He scored 575. Prepared for another 2 months. Scored 615. He desired to breach the 645-mark. Prepared for another 2 months. Scored 515 - A drop from 78 %ile to 32 %ile. He was filled with self-doubt, wondering whether 615 was a fluke.😟 Prepared for 3 more months. His 5th attempt began. The first 5 questions. He struggled. ""This time, it would be lower than 515, perhaps 405,” he thought As he was about to get lost in those defeating thoughts, he collected himself, saying to himself, ""Even if I score the lowest possible 205 in this exam, it doesn't matter. I'll still give it my best.""💪 He regained his motivation and energy. He got into his Punjabi mode ""Aisi ki taisi""🏋️ What score did he get in this attempt? 655! The exam that could have turned out to be his biggest defeat if he had let his negative thoughts run amok turned out to be his biggest victory. For me, this story serves as an example of what can happen if we give our best even though a part of us is sure that we'll end up defeated. This story is about seeing defeat in the eyes, refusing to be afraid of it, and giving our best to succeed. ❤️

"You can improve your score from 535 to 625 within a week," I told a student on a call yesterday. No, this wasn't a joke or sarcasm. Nor was it an empty promise to lure him into signing up for my tutoring. In fact, I told him he could achieve this improvement entirely on his own. How is such a massive improvement possible in just one week, without any tutoring? Because in his case, the significant problem—and thus the significant opportunity—lay purely at the test-taking level. Test preparation has two distinct aspects: skill-building and test-taking. Skill-building is about building clarity of thought. Test-taking is the art of translating those skills into a score. A person with a 535 skill level cannot score a 625 simply through excellent strategy, but they can easily plummet to a 425 if their test-taking is flawed. The student I'm talking about was screwing up his test-taking big time. He was spending 7−8 minutes on single questions and, on one section, ran out of time completely, leaving the last 3−4 questions unanswered. Fixing this doesn't take months. Implementing simple, firm rules—like never spending more than 3 minutes on a question and making sure you mark an answer for everything—is a behavioural change. It can be implemented within a week. That is how a 90-point improvement is possible. In general, test-taking problems can be solved in a much shorter time than skill-based problems. This is why sharp, rapid improvements are sometimes possible. However, it's critical to understand the source of the problem. A person who is faltering at the skill-level would be misled by such examples. Similarly, a student like the one I spoke with, who has the skills but poor strategy, could waste months studying content they already know instead of fixing the real problem. So, the first step is always to evaluate where your true problem lies. Give that problem the required time and attention it needs. If you do, it will be over. If you don't, it will stay with you. It's as simple as that.

During a recent session with a student, we were analyzing why he had gotten a particular question wrong. It turned out he had misunderstood what was being asked. When I asked why, he said he felt overwhelmed after reading the passage (it was a two-part analysis question). This struck me as odd—it was only a three-sentence paragraph. His comprehension skills were not so limited that such a short passage should exhaust him. Taking a shot in the dark, I asked, “How did you feel while reading it?” He replied, “I felt stiffness. I was trying to memorize the figures because I was afraid I’d misunderstand something.” That single statement solved the mystery. The stiffness wasn’t physical fatigue—it was fear. He wasn’t reading with a genuine desire to understand; he was reading out of fear of misunderstanding. The difference is profound. Reading with curiosity: relaxed, open, engaged. Reading with fear: tense, guarded, worried. Tension and worry can significantly reduce a person’s capability. That’s why he felt overwhelmed—not because his overall ability was low, but because fear was actively suppressing it. The second reason was his approach: driven by fear, he tried to memorize every figure in the paragraph. That inevitably led to information overload. We concluded that his real solution lay not in more memory tricks or extra practice, but in shifting his mindset—letting go of the fear of misunderstanding and reading with a desire to comprehend.

S: Every time I make a mistake or fail to follow my plan, I criticize myself harshly. CJ: Why do you think you do that? S: I’m not sure, but I don’t treat others that way. I’m much more compassionate with them. CJ: Is that because you feel compassion for them, or because you’re less invested in their success? S: Maybe the second one. I’m not as concerned about their success. CJ: Have you ever been strict with someone when you really wanted them to succeed? S: Yes, when I was teaching my brother, I was really tough on him. CJ: Because you cared about his success? S: Yes. CJ: So it sounds like when you care deeply—whether about someone else or yourself—you become more critical and demanding. S: That makes sense. CJ: But what’s the link, in your mind, between caring and criticizing? S: I’m not sure. CJ: Could it be that you believe criticism drives action? You’ve used it on others, and now you use it on yourself. S: That could be it. CJ: Does it actually work? Or does it have side effects? S: It does… it leaves me feeling demotivated and defeated. CJ: Then maybe the solution isn’t to push yourself harder, but to understand why the work isn’t getting done in the first place. Criticism tries to force you through the problem—but understanding might show you how to remove it entirely.

At the end of a session on Combinations, a student told me she made more silly mistakes in this topic than in any other quant area. Then she asked, “Is that normal?” I replied, even if others have the same problem, how does that help you? You’d still face the same mistakes. In fact, believing it’s common might even stop you from fixing it—because you’d see it as normal and, therefore, acceptable. But common doesn’t mean okay. If everyone around me is suffering, should I accept my suffering, too? Should I stop looking for solutions just because it’s considered normal? I don’t think so. I then asked why she thought she made more mistakes in Combinations. She said that since it’s her weak area, she rushes to check the answer—eager to see if she got it right—which leads to avoidable errors near the end of the solution. I asked, what’s the connection between it being a weak area and your hurry? She admitted she was seeking validation—that getting the answer right would reassure her she’s doing fine in the topic. I told her, this constant need for validation often comes from not accepting your weakness. You know Combinations is a challenge, but you haven’t fully made peace with that. When self-acceptance is low, weaknesses feel threatening, and you look for quick reassurance instead of steady improvement. But if you accept yourself with your weaknesses, you can focus on gradual growth. The goal shifts from proving you’re fine to actually becoming stronger.

Imagine working in a place where every mistake is met with: “You’re falling behind.” “You’ll never meet your deadlines.” “Something is wrong with you.” Would anyone grow in such an environment? Most likely, no. Yet this is the atmosphere many of us create inside our own minds. Our self-talk becomes our harshest manager. The problem isn’t that we lack ability — it’s that we haven’t built an inner environment where growth can thrive. Growth takes us beyond where we are. Only by moving beyond can we achieve what we haven’t yet achieved. Instead of questioning our worth, we can choose to build an inner space where mistakes teach us, setbacks guide us, and encouragement is abundant.

"Sir, I know I keep worrying about my target score. But I’m justified. Doing an MBA from a top B-school is my lifelong dream. If it doesn’t happen, I’ll regret it forever. Clearing the GMAT is life-and-death for me." We’d been in this loop for weeks — he worries, I say “focus on studying,” nothing changes. This time, I asked: "Does worrying help you?" – "No." "Does it harm you?" – (Reluctantly) "Yes, I study less." "Then why do you still do it?" Because he’s made the GMAT a life-and-death thing. And when something carries that much emotional charge, your mind will keep circling around it — good emotions or bad. Emotions are energy in motion. They drive your thoughts. To break the cycle: 1. Reduce the emotional charge — it’s not life-or-death; you can still do great things without an MBA. 2. Redirect focus whenever the outcome spiral starts. With practice, it gets easier. Shift the energy from worrying about the outcome to working on the process.

A tier-3 college graduate with a tier-1 mindset Yesterday, I had my first private GMAT tutoring session with a student who graduated from a tier-3 business school. He has been following my content for the last two years and began the session by expressing how grateful he was to finally have a session with me. By the end of the session, the roles had reversed — I told him I was inspired by his thoughts and grateful for the opportunity to teach him. Here’s why: 1. He knows he doesn’t yet have the skills — and is willing to spend 2–3 years building them. 2. That’s inspiring in itself, but the fact that he’s 33 and still ready to commit years to skill-building is extraordinary. 3. He said that even if he doesn’t get into an MBA program, he wants to master the skills tested on the GMAT for their value in his personal and professional life. 4. Even though taking just one session a month costs him a substantial portion of his income, he wasn’t looking for a discount. His commitment to building skills — despite the time and financial cost — left me in awe. If I were in his position, I might be focused on getting the next 10% raise or finding the fastest way to make more money. But here’s someone not chasing immediate results — instead, he’s working on *deserving* success. I told him, “You might be from a tier-3 college, but you have a tier-1 mindset. It’s only a matter of time before your life reflects it.” --- Many people ask: “How does it make sense to spend 2–3 years preparing for a test?” It doesn’t — if you’re just preparing for a test. But if you’re spending 2–3 years building your comprehension, critical thinking, and quantitative reasoning skills… that makes all the sense in the world.

"Why do you think that's the answer?" "That's what I've read." This exchange happened several times with a student before I realized something troubling: she had never questioned whether what she read actually made sense. When I asked her directly—"When you read a concept, do you ask yourself whether it makes sense to you?"—her confused expression told me everything. The idea of questioning what she read was completely foreign to her. That's when I shared something that changed our entire approach: "If you just accept what someone says without understanding why it works, you're accumulating knowledge, not building intellect. I want to know what you think about these concepts, not what you've memorized. Having your own understanding is completely different from borrowing someone else's." "From now on, don't accept anything at face value. Question everything—including everything I tell you. Because without questioning and making sense of it yourself, all I'm giving you is more knowledge to memorize."

Don’t seek motivation. Seek the source of your demotivation, and fix that. Often, the cause is wrong focus. We dwell on what we cannot do and cannot control, instead of what we can. Among ten factors, you may control only one. Give your best to that one, and more often than not, the other nine will shift in your favor. When you consistently do the best you can, the best possible outcomes tend to follow. The key to success is consistency. The key to consistency is motivation. And the key to motivation is the right focus: what you can do and what you can control.