Are you ready for an aggressive study plan? Do you have what it takes – namely time – to commit yourself to GMAT prep? Well, even if you didn’t answer a resounding yes to both questions, you may want to pay attention.
Below I’ve put together what I believe to be the most effective 1-month prep plan for the GMAT. Again, it will not be easy. Expect to budget 15 hours/week. But if you have the time, the dedication, and the grit - and only one month - this is the plan for you.
Essential Material:
Books and online resources:
The GMAT Official Guide, 12th Edition
GMATprep test (free download)
Supplemental/Optional Material:
Week 1 Schedule
Top Priorities
Take GMAT Prep Test 1: Sweat through an actual GMAT. Better yet, learn where you are currently scoring, and set a target goal for the day of exam. Also, assess your strengths and weaknesses. And tweak this study guide where necessary. If you rocked the quant section, then make your prep verbal-centric.
Sign up for the Test: Sounds obvious. Well, imagine priming yourself over the next 30 days for the test only to find out you’ll have to wait another two weeks for an appointment. Not the end of the world – but you may lose that precious momentum.
To-Do’s
- Work through Magoosh Lessons
- Use MGMAT series for extra practice
- Keep tabs on your progress
- Review GMAT prep test
Week 2 Schedule
Top Priorities
Take Two Practice Tests: Use Manhattan GMAT. Focus on reviewing all your mistakes post-test. Be sure to space the tests out by a few days.
Put Your New Found Skills to Use: There is no material better than the OG guide. Do little drills of ten questions each, mixing it up with five questions from data sufficiency and five from problem solving. For verbal, create drills of 15 questions, breaking them up between sections.
To-Do’s
- Work your way through the OG (described above)
- Take Manhattan Practice Test 2
- Tailor Magoosh to focus on certain areas
- Review tests and Magoosh material
- Complete half of the Manhattan Series Books and half of Magoosh Lesson Videos
Week 3 Schedule
Top Priorities
Identify Weak Spots: Anyone can complete 500 practice questions. Knowing the right answer is the key. Try to figure out which questions you are missing and the reasoning behind the correct answer (you will also want to understand why your answer is wrong). Use forums such as beatthegmat.com and gmatclub.com to ask experts to dissect a question and elucidate a given concept.
Use Magoosh: Magoosh allows you to customize practice sessions based on specific concepts. Based on your weak spots create special drills. What’s great about Magoosh is each question is delivered on the computer with a timer tracking your speed. That’s just like the GMAT!
To-Dos
- Continue working through OG (should have finished about 500 total questions by end of week).
- Take Manhattan Test 3 and 4
- Use Magoosh (described above).
Week 4 Schedule
Top Priorities
Take Final GMAT prep test: Gauge how far you’ve come in the passed three weeks or so. Figure out in which areas you are still struggling. Remember, return to the Manhattan Guides and Magoosh whenever necessary. They will provide you with the foundation to answer questions correctly.
Complete Manhattan Guides and Magoosh Lesson Videos: Remember, return to the Manhattan Guides and Magoosh whenever necessary. They will provide you with the foundation to answer questions correctly. It is also important to read through all the guides in MGMAT and watch all the Magoosh lesson videos. You wouldn’t want to miss anything!
To-dos
- Complete Official Guide
- Complete all Magoosh questions (Watch necessary videos)
- Review incorrect answers to GMAT prep test using your newly acquired skills
- Address any lingering doubts on forums, send us a question through the Magoosh Help tab
The day of the exam
Good luck!
This post was written by Chris Lele, GMAT Expert at Magoosh and originally posted here.
Is the OG guide sufficient to cover every topic comprehensively? What other material can I refer to?
Dear Apeksha,
Unlike you are the type of person that regular scores in the 99th percentile on standardized tests, I would not recommend using only the OG. This is why we strongly recommend the Magoosh lesson videos as well as the MGMAT books. See: http://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/is-the-official-gmac-guide-enough/
Does that make sense?
Mike 🙂
Can you tell me what exact guides you’re referring to when you say “Use MGMAT series for extra practice” in Week 1 schedule?
Just my 2 cents.. You should try the 1000-series.. Just the OG is good too. But some folks say just the OG doesn’t always ensure a >700. But the only reason I would say use other sources is because the OG is precious stuff and once you do a question and get it wrong, you usually remember it when you do it a second time.
The MGMAT guides in general. In the limited time, I’d definitely focus on those sections you are weakest at/most unfamiliar with. For instance, many students struggle with Sentence Correction, so the MGMAT SC book makes sense for them. If you are weaker at quant, then focus on those MGMAT guides. Hope that helps clear things up :).
Is the OG guide sufficient to cover every topic comprehensively? What other material can I refer to?
Is the OG guide sufficient to cover every topic comprehensively? What other material can I refer to?
Is the OG guide sufficient to cover every topic comprehensively? What other material can I refer to?
Is the OG guide sufficient to cover every topic comprehensively? What other material can I refer to?