GMAT with CJ

Your GMAT score is stuck. But it's not because you aren't working hard enough. The problem is often in how we learn from our mistakes. We diligently log our errors, but this ritual doesn't always lead to real learning. The key is to stop being a "librarian of your errors" and become an "engineer of your thinking process." In my latest article, I share a crucial insight from a student conversation that brings this shift to life. If you feel like you're spinning your wheels in your prep, this is for you. https://gmatwithcj.com/how-to-prepare/why-is-your-gmat-score-stuck-because-there-is-no-learning/ #GMAT #MBA #TestPrep #GMATPrep #Learning https://gmatwithcj.com/how-to-prepare/why-is-your-gmat-score-stuck-because-there-is-no-learning/

My heart sinks whenever I hear a student doubt whether they can 'ever' get the score they want. Yesterday, I spoke with a student who has been preparing for a long time. She consistently hits 655 in her mocks, but she's terrified of the actual GMAT. Her fear isn't unfounded; she underperformed on her first attempt and now worries that pressure will always get the best of her. It became clear that the test wasn't demanding more from her conceptually. It was demanding that she learn to handle herself under pressure. The doubt she felt came from treating this anxiety not as a temporary state, but as a permanent part of who she is. I suggested a shift in perspective. What if this isn't a fixed flaw, but simply the next skill the GMAT is asking you to learn? You've worked hard on quant and verbal. Why not work on mastering your own nerves with the same dedication? The ability to stay calm in a high-stakes moment is a skill that will serve you long after this test is over. Perhaps this final challenge isn't an obstacle at all, but the most valuable lesson the GMAT has to offer.

There's no fun in teaching to the test. When the only goal is a certain score, the process of learning becomes just a means to an end. The curiosity, the journey itself, gets lost. That was never how I saw learning. For me, it was always a source of fun and intellectual stimulation, not just a way to get a grade. It's why I find it impossible to teach it as a task to be completed. So, my goal is to spark a student's curiosity, help her build her skills, and show her that learning is a way of building herself—not just a box she has to check. William Butler Yeats said, "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire."

If you approach every test as an end in itself—trying to ace it with tricks and shortcuts—you may get through one, but every new test will feel like starting from scratch. But if you focus on building yourself—developing the core skills the test is actually designed to measure—you won’t just ace the immediate test. You’ll also find yourself better prepared for the next one. Why? Because new understanding builds on existing understanding. Each test is, in some sense, a retest of the skills you’ve already developed. So when we see people scoring very high, it’s easy to label them as “naturally intelligent.” But more often, they are people who have steadily built those core skills over time. The first perspective (born-intelligent) disempowers us, leaving little room for growth. The second (success through growth) empowers us and points the way forward.

This exchange from a recent session has stayed with me: Student: "I'm confused about my GMAT prep. Should I focus on learning the material, or just on getting it done as soon as possible?" Me: "Why the confusion? And why the rush to get it done?" Student: "So I can move on to other things." Me: "And why do you want to move on to other things?" Student: (Paused to think) Me: "So you can move on to still other things? Isn't the goal to get this done just to move to the next thing, and then the thing after that? But in all this moving on, are you enjoying any of it? Are you growing from it? If not, what is the point of a life spent just... moving on?" --- Alan Watts, the philosopher, often spoke about this, saying, "The meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so plain and so obvious and so simple. And yet, everybody rushes around in a great panic as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves."

A student's question made me pause: "Why do so many test prep companies teach just shortcuts and techniques?" My reflection on it went something like this. Tests were once the means. The goal was learning. They were simply a tool to see if that goal had been reached. But the roles have inverted. Now, clearing the exam is the goal, and learning has become just one of several means to achieve it. When that happens, you create a market for companies selling 'more efficient means'—shortcuts and techniques designed to get to the goal. And this isn't just about test prep. It's a reflection on our entire educational system.

A student came to our session looking discouraged. When I asked what was wrong, she shared that her continuing struggle with the Critical Reasoning (CR) section was weighing on her. I heard myself saying: "If CR is the biggest problem in your life, you don't have very big problems. In a way, that's a reason to be happy. While people out there are struggling with monumental issues, this is the one that occupies your mind." When we're entirely focused on a single problem, it can colour our whole experience of life. But it doesn't have to. Think about it: these kinds of challenges, or areas for growth, will always exist. After the GMAT, it'll be business school admissions. After admissions, it'll be getting the desired job. Then, on a personal level, finding a partner, and navigating the complexities of a shared life. This chain of uncertainty continues. So the question becomes, will you always be sad, overwhelmed by these problems? I suggested she see it this way: "If CR is the problem today, give it your best effort. It will be resolved in a few months. Give yourself time. Have patience. And enjoy this journey of continuous growth you've chosen to undertake."

I conducted a webinar yesterday on tackling GMAT's trickiest reading passages - those dense, abstract ones that leave you staring at the screen, wondering what you just read. The biggest insight: Stop trying to read entire paragraphs or sentences in one go. Break down complex text sentence by sentence, or even phrase by phrase when needed. Here's the counterintuitive part - slow down to speed up. Speed isn't something to chase, it's a natural result of better comprehension. Most test-takers rush, don't understand, then waste time re-reading. Think of it like lifting weights: you wouldn't try to lift 50kg all at once if you can only handle 25kg. Don't force your mind to process text beyond your current skill level. In the session, I demonstrated this live on a complex archaeology passage about primate diets and walked through a tricky disagreement question that many people get wrong. The bottom line: Reading comprehension isn't about speed-reading tricks. It's about building genuine understanding through deliberate analysis. The more you truly comprehend, the faster you become. Watch the full session to see this strategy in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5CeEoFYekk&t=5s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5CeEoFYekk&t=5s

A student struggling with the GMAT asked me a question I hear often: "Am I taking more time than a typical student takes?" My response was another question: "How would knowing that statistic help you?" I continued, "Yes, you are. But that's only because you're starting from a lower level. And where you start doesn't determine where you end up." I've seen students who started at the 60th percentile and only managed to reach the 80th. I've also seen a student go from the 5th percentile all the way to the 90th. Your starting point doesn't define you... unless you let it.

"Many days, I wake up in the middle of the night, worrying whether I'll be able to crack the GMAT. This built-up stress has started taking a toll on my body," a new student told me some time back. Here’s what I said: Think about it — you’re not actually worried about *whether* you’ll ever be able to crack the GMAT. Deep down, you know that if you put in consistent effort over 2 or 5 years, you’ll get there. The stress comes from wanting to hit your target score in just 2–3 months — a timeline no one can guarantee, because nobody knows how much time your learning will take. And here’s the irony: the more stressed you are, the less focus and energy you bring to your studies. Which means the whole process takes even longer. But what if you gave yourself 2 years as your timeline? The world isn’t going to fall apart if you take that long. And if you feel like it will…well, think again. Because if you keep showing up and giving your best every day, you’ll almost certainly need much less time. It could be 3 months, 6 months — we can’t know yet. What we do know is this: when you remove the pressure of an unrealistic deadline, you’ll study with focus, protect your health, and actually reach your goal in the shortest possible time.

For him, the GMAT isn’t just important—it feels like everything depends on it. And yet, in the last two months, he’s studied less than 20 hours. It turns out that caring too much about the GMAT is the very reason he avoids it. How can that be? The answer lies in human psychology. When the stakes feel too high, our emotional system hijacks our ability to engage productively. Psychologists call this anxiety-induced avoidance. The stronger our emotions around an outcome, the more our attention gets pulled toward worrying about results instead of focusing on the work itself. For this student, every confusion or mistake while solving GMAT questions triggers waves of anxiety, self-doubt, and fear of failure. To escape that discomfort, he avoids the core task—solving questions—altogether. Instead, he channels his nervous energy into outcome-focused activities: browsing forums, reading success stories, planning when to book the exam. All of which feel like “progress” but don’t actually move him closer to his goal. Three ways out of this trap: 1. Focus on process, not outcome. Replace “Ace the GMAT” with “Study quant for 45 minutes today.” 2. Develop a real Plan B (and C). Writing down attractive alternative paths transforms the GMAT from a necessity into a preference—and lowers the emotional stakes. 3. Practice self-compassion. When confusion triggers anxiety, acknowledge it without judgment: “This is hard, and it’s normal to feel anxious because this matters to me.” This separates self-worth from performance. The paradox of high-stakes goals is that caring too much can keep us from doing the very work that leads to success.

Many students become stressed when they get questions wrong since every mistake makes them doubt their capabilities. Then, they end up wasting hours and days indulging in self-doubt and negativity. I told one such student, You seem to be solving questions not to learn and grow but to continually assess yourself. The reason you are practicing is that you are not at the level where you want to be. Given this, how does continuous assessment help? Having understood that you need to improve considerably, be patient with yourself. If you want to assess yourself, do so after 3 months. However, for the next 3 months, whenever you get a question wrong, don't consider it yet another judgment of your capability but look at it as an avenue to learn and grow. Make growth your ONLY objective for the next 3 months. If this happens, every mistake or confusion will make you curious, not anxious.

I regularly hear from GMAT students who've spent months grinding through practice questions—1000, then 2000—with barely any score improvement. Yet they keep doing the exact same thing, hoping for different results. This got me thinking: How often do we apply this same flawed logic to our pursuit of happiness? We wake up each day making similar choices, following familiar patterns, living the same routine—all while expecting our lives to somehow become more fulfilling. We're practicing the wrong approach to joy, just like those students are practicing the wrong approach to problem-solving. Maybe the path to happiness isn't about doing more of what isn't working. Maybe it's about fundamentally shifting how we prioritize what matters, how we view our challenges, and how we define success. The students who break through don't just practice more—they practice differently. They change their strategy. What if we applied that same wisdom to life?

"CR is the worst section on the GMAT", one of the students remarked in an online classroom session. When I asked "why do you think so?", he replied that he always struggles with it. I replied: So, then, what are you doing to make it the best section on the GMAT? If your struggle with the section makes it the worst section, your fluency with it can make it the best section. So, let's learn step-by-step and remain aware that what's worst today may be the best in the future.

Yesterday, I had a session with a student who has been preparing for the GMAT for three years—his latest score: 545. The first session is usually an eye-opener. When he realized where he'd been going wrong all these years, he said, "Sir, this kind of thinking can't be developed through practice." I replied, "It will happen only through practice - just the right kind of practice." Many people lose faith in practice after failing to improve despite putting in hours. But practice isn't the problem. Mindless practice is. Practice leads to success only when it leads to learning and growth. In other words: Practice leads to success THROUGH learning. If your practice isn't creating greater clarity of thought or deeper understanding, it's just repetition. And repetition without learning won't make a difference. So keep practising. But practice with purpose—to learn, grow, and think more clearly. The difference between a 545 and a 700+ isn't quantity of practice. It's the quality of practice.

Someone on LinkedIn asked: "I'm unsure if I can crack GMAT. I feel too weak in both math and English, and my school scores are very low. What's your honest opinion?" My response: Can you crack GMAT in 6 months? Probably not, based on what you've shared. Can you crack it in 1-2 years with discipline, consistency, and proper guidance? Absolutely. The GMAT isn't about being naturally gifted. It's about being willing to put in the work and time needed to build strong foundations. Your starting point doesn't determine your ending point; your commitment does.

You have a 5-story house but want a 10-story one. Do you build on top of what exists, or start completely fresh from the foundation? The answer: It depends on whether your current foundation can handle the weight of 10 stories. If it can't, you must rebuild from scratch with stronger foundations, or your house will never be stable and keep crumbling. The same applies to students stuck at average GMAT scores (605-655). Not everyone has foundation issues, but many who've been stuck in this range for months do. Their current thinking patterns can only get them to that "5th floor" score. No amount of new concepts or techniques will work until they rebuild how they approach problems fundamentally. You can't build a skyscraper on a foundation meant for a cottage. The breakthrough happens when you stop adding floors and start digging deeper to strengthen what supports everything else.

Between you and your destination, there is a path. You can view the path as an obstacle or an enemy that stands between you and your goal. Or You can look at the path as a friend that takes you to your destination. Which way do you choose to look at your path? Many of us choose the former perspective. That's why I hear phrases such as "beat the GMAT", "conquered the GMAT" etc. Why not simply "mastered the GMAT"? If you look at the path as your enemy to conquer, you'll want to defeat it by hook or crook. That's why I see institutes selling the best 'shortcuts and tricks'. If you look at the path (GMAT prep) as your friend, you'd spend some time with it to understand what skills the GMAT requires you to have and then patiently and willingly focus on building those skills.

A visitor recently left this comment on my website: "I wish I had found your website earlier. Now I am at a point where I know all the concepts, but marks still hovering around 645. I know tutoring may not help much, but practicing more questions isn't helping either!!" I’m often struck by how common this perception is among students—that tutoring is only about delivering knowledge and teaching concepts. So once someone feels they "know all the concepts," they assume a teacher can no longer help. But that’s not the case. Teaching isn’t just about concepts. It’s about skills—like how you read and interpret a question. It’s about processes, how you approach problems. It’s about mindset, and even the psychological barriers that quietly hold you back from performing at your potential. If you’ve truly taken care of all of these, your score would already reflect it. If it doesn’t, a teacher can help you.

Doubts and Unwanted Thoughts - Suppression or Resolution Whenever I select an incorrect option, I rebuke myself for getting it wrong. I call myself stupid and tell myself to pay more attention and be more logical the next time. This is one way to respond to my mistakes. Here’s another way: If I mark option A as the answer, and it turns out to be incorrect, I sit with myself and try to understand why I chose it. Where exactly did I go wrong? Similarly, when I have an unwanted thought, I can reprimand myself for having it and threaten myself with punishment if I ever think that way again. Or, I can sit with myself to understand why that thought arose. Perhaps there are solid reasons for thinking that way—reasons that lie deep in my subconscious, which I may not be ready to accept consciously. Unless I address the cause, the effect will persist. After all, there is a difference between suppression and resolution. Just as suppressing doubts doesn’t work—the person remains unclear—suppressing thoughts doesn’t work either. Just as doubts need to be resolved, thoughts need to be resolved too.