I just Beat The GMAT!

I just took my GMAT on October 19th. I began my studies in the first week of August by enrolling in Kaplan's GMAT on Demand course. Most of my studies consisted of following Kaplan's plan to the letter and doing extra practice problems and quizzes along the way. On my first Diagnostic CAT I scored in the low 600s. My main concern as I continued to study was that my test scores did not improve along the way. I kept consistently scoring in the mid 600s and this was principally due to my inability to raise my math score. I felt as if I was doing what was asked of me and I was going over practice questions to learn why I had missed them. However, this method did not really translate into my truly learning the Math and thus I couldn't really turn my mistakes into valuable lessons that enabled me to get the question type right the next time.

Approximately a month out from the test day I sorta freaked out. I had gone through the materials and even started doing practice questions from GMAT Test Prep but nothing was translating into higher overall scores (again, my verbal was always high and steady). And frankly, there are only so many hours in a week to devote to studying and so my frustration level was growing with this unproductive study pattern. I actually went on craigslist to look for a tutor in my area who might be of use.

Luckily, I found the Target Test Prep Online GMAT Math Self-Study Course as I was searching. After speaking with Jeff Miller and looking over the free trial, I felt it was worth a try. The Math curriculum Scott Woodbury-Stewart wrote is laid out beautifully and allowed me to ACTUALLY LEARN the math topics in-depth. Best example was the combination and permutations section. For whatever reason, these question types always tripped me up and I finally realized it was that I simply didn't truly understand how they work. After going through the TTP's combinatorics section, for the first time the light went on and I was able to attack the problems. Again, it was Scott's materials and clear explanations that got me there. This pattern repeated itself several more times during my studies. As I began to finally really grasp some of the harder math concepts for the first time, Jeff was able to solidify my knowledge through a targeted, thought out set of problems to test and teach me. Jeff has a real command of what makes students struggle and how to overcome it. Additionally, I felt my time with him was put to maximum use and I got more than my money's worth.

Long story short, we worked together a couple times a week for four weeks (and I put in some more time on my own) and on test day I finally broke through for a 710!
I was willing to work hard, but I didn't know how to really learn the concepts (rather than just memorize some question types and tricks) and then apply that knowledge effectively. This is exactly what Target Test Prep enabled me to do. I'd urge anyone to go with this service as soon as they can. I had not read about TTP anywhere in the GMAT club so I hope this might help people who are in the same boat as me. Thanks and Good Luck to all of you.