Request for Suggestions on GMAT Study Plan and books

Hey,

it is actually very good that you have already completed the MGMAT series. Right at the beginning, I would like to clarify that the Manhattan GMAT is all you need to score 700+. Though I personally had problems in believing that, after I have read numerous posts I know that these 8 Guides can very much be enough for a person starting around 550 to get to 700+.

What I have also learned after my first GMAT attempt is that it is probably better to focus on one source of information, provided you give yourself a kick in the ass and study. BUT if you feel you need additional information I would give the following a try:

- Quant - GMATClub Tests (MUST) and Jeff Sackmann's Total GMAT Math (Study Guide and Questions) (OPTIONAL) - both are very strong prep material
- SC / RC - Aristotles Package - Aristotle Grail SC and RC passages are good stuff
- CR - Powerscore CR Bible (probably en par with MGMAT's CR Guide 5th Edition)

As I started my first prep cycle I similarly didn't know when to do tests, how to evaluate them etc. So all your questions are pretty normal. I would suggest you take a test reight now (after having finished the entire MGMAT series) to gauge your level on the individual sections. You can then decide whether to re-read an MGMAT guide or to consult one of the sources above. I would always try to focus on OFFICIAL questions and test. So probably now make use of the first GMATPrep (official software) test and then do a test every 2 weeks to track your improvement. For those intermediate test I would make use of the 6 MGMAT test you got with your books. I would try to keep the official GMATPrep test Nr.2 as well as the old GMAT software (GMATPrep 1.0) for your final stage of preparation in March.

Probably the same goes for your question strategy - work on OG13, Quant 2 and Verbal 2 Guides. If those are not enough and you are not scoring regularly 700+ postpone the test, buy the GMAC Question Pack 1 from their homepage and do the additional 400 questions from it. Then you should have enough questions to do until March '13.

Feel free to ask clarifying questions as well!

If this was of any help to you, please consider giving me kudos for the post (trying to re-unlock my GMAT Tests account)