The GMAT Gamble That Paid Off Big

When Ashwini Deshpande sat down to prepare for the GMAT, she wasn’t coming from a traditional pre-MBA background. She had studied fashion design and worked as a designer at Meta, blending creativity with emerging tech. 

But what propelled her from a creative career to admission to one of the world’s top business schools — Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management — was not just talent or ambition. It was a 750 GMAT score, earned in just two months of prep with Target Test Prep and a mindset shift that turned a dreaded test into an unexpected turning point.

‘THIS IS EXCITING. I WONDER IF I CAN DO WELL ON THIS’

For Deshpande, taking the GMAT was less about fear and more about curiosity.

“I’d been out of high school for six years,” she tells Poets&Quants. “I went to fashion school, where you don’t take the SATs or anything like that. So I never really did one of those big competitive exams where every single mark counts. But I enjoyed academics back in school. My dad’s a great teacher, so I had a strong foundation in math and English.”

Instead of viewing the GMAT as a barrier, she embraced it as a challenge: “I consciously tried to approach it with excitement rather than fear. I thought, this is something so different. I wonder if I can do well on this.”

At first, she set her sights on a 690 or 700 — a competitive score that would make her a contender for top-tier programs. “But once I started practicing with Target Test Prep, I began taking mock tests and realized I could go beyond that. Eventually, I started scoring 760 in practice, and I was honestly surprised at myself.”

THE CLOCK IS TICKING — AND SO IS THE VISA

Unlike some test-takers who plan months in advance, Deshpande’s GMAT timeline was tight by design.

“I was working at Meta on a contract,” the Bangalore, India native says. “I knew I had one more year, and after that, I’d have to switch jobs and renew my UK visa. There were all these moving parts. I also wanted to apply that same year — I didn’t want to wait.”

Deshpande also didn’t want her GMAT prep to eat into the months she had planned for writing essays and networking with students and alumni from her target schools. 

“I spoke to so many people at the schools I was applying to,” she says. “I wanted time to review my essays a thousand times and get proper feedback. I didn’t want to be cramming my GMAT in June or July.”

A STRATEGIC PLAN & A TACTICAL TOOL

Before the two-month sprint, Deshpande eased in with a month of self-study using whatever GMAT books she could find at her local library. “I just wanted to get a feel for what the test covers — what kind of math, what kind of verbal.”

That early effort helped her identify strengths and weaknesses. “I scored around a 640 on my first mock test. Not amazing, but not bad either, considering I hadn’t done serious prep. That’s when I knew — if I prepped the right way, 700 was possible.”

Once she discovered TTP, her progress accelerated.

“I’d looked at other platforms, even signed up for trials,” she says. “But TTP’s user interface was so much better. As a designer, I couldn’t stand clunky platforms. TTP was clean, user-friendly, and helped me track everything — my progress, weak areas, speed.”

Deshpande especially liked that the platform structured its lessons into levels. “You started with basics, then moved to medium difficulty, and then to advanced. When I started nailing 20 advanced-level problems in a row — within the time limit and with high accuracy — that was my breakthrough moment. I thought, OK, maybe I really can hit 750.”

‘I MADE A DEAL WITH MYSELF: TWO MONTHS OF SACRIFICE’

Winter in the UK helped her stay focused. “Honestly, winter is kind of depressing,” she laughs. “No one’s going out. No distractions. It was the perfect time to stay in and grind.”

Her schedule was rigorous. “I’d wake up early, study two hours before work, and then another two hours after. Weekends were for mock tests and long sessions. I made a deal with myself: this is temporary. Two months of sacrifice. And then I can have my life back.”

But it wasn’t just discipline that got her through — it was also motivation.

“I kept talking to people at schools like Kellogg, and that kept me excited. I knew I had a unique background, and if I could just get a high GMAT score, it would open up so many doors.”

THE SCORE THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING

She took the original GMAT test in April 2023 and scored a 750 — putting her in the top 1% of test takers. (A score of 800 is perfect.)

Her result “completely changed my application strategy,” Deshpande says. “It gave me the confidence to apply to the schools I’d been dreaming about — Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, and Kellogg. Before the score, I wasn’t sure I’d have a shot. After the score, I knew I did.”

Deshpande was ultimately admitted to Kellogg — with a 50% scholarship.

“I honestly attribute that scholarship largely to my GMAT score,” she says. “It made a huge difference. Once I got that offer, there was no question. I was going.”

GMAT SKILLS THAT CONTINUE TO PAY OFF

Even now, with her first year at Kellogg on the horizon and a consulting internship with BCG New York under her belt, Deshpande still sees value in the skills she developed while prepping for the GMAT.

“GMAT prep helped me with casing and with the online math assessments at BCG. In fact, a few weeks before interviews, I went back to TTP and reactivated a one-week trial just to brush up on mental math. It helped me sharpen those skills.”

‘TAKE THE GMAT FIRST. MAX OUT YOUR SCORE’

If Deshpande has one piece of advice for MBA hopefuls, it’s this: “Take the GMAT first. Max out your score. Dedicate yourself to it. Then start thinking about schools. Your score determines what kind of range you’re working with — whether you’re aiming for M7 schools or need to think more broadly.”

She also emphasizes the importance of mindset. “Don’t approach the GMAT with dread. Approach it with curiosity. Use it to prove something to yourself. That attitude made all the difference for me.”

FOLLOW HER JOURNEY

Deshpande now documents her Kellogg journey on Instagram, offering a behind-the-scenes look at classes, campus life, and what it’s really like to be a business student with a fashion-tech edge. 

“I post a lot about day-to-day Kellogg life — events, classes, everything,” she says. “So if anyone wants a window into that world, I’d love for them to follow along.”

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