6 months to prepare. Aiming 700+ Score. Possible?

I can give some advice on what I did right and what I did wrong while preparing for the GMAT; I studied for 6 months. First, you should not only download the 2 free GMATPrep exams but also buy the 2 additional official CATs. You'll want to take all four (and possibly reset them for up to 8 CATs). Take one of them early to gain a "baseline" score but save some of them to gauge your score a month from now, two months from now, and so on. I got a 650 on my first GMATprep early on, and improved 60 points to a 710 on the GMATPrep a week before my exam (got a 700 on the real thing).

Also, get the OG as well as the official Quant and Verbal books. The official questions from GMAC are extraordinarily more useful than ANY third party question. Keep a physical journal with all OG questions, go back to wrong answers, and understand the explanations.

I would also recommend this 6 month study plan from Magoosh, with some alterations:
https://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/6-month-gm ... -schedule/

One thing I would change is to NOT buy the paper tests. I did, and I think they're a waste. On those days, either study more, take the extra GMATPreps, or take some third party CATs. You can also spend less time on the AWA and IR. Doing them on CATs is enough practice.

Next, look into the ManhattanPrep GMAT books and incorporate them into the Magoosh plan. There are 10 subject-material books that you can buy in bulk, and the purchase comes with 6 MGMAT CATs. These are probably the best third party CATs (the math is harder than the GMAT and the verbal is easier, IMO... but don't trust IR scores). With the 4 GMATPreps, 4 retakes, and 6 MGMATs you can plan to do one full CAT almost every week over the course of 6 months.

If you have time I'd recommend also reading this eBook on GMAT Idioms. YES, idioms are still important, as I learned the hard way:
https://magoosh.com/gmat/2013/gmat-idiom-ebook/

Lastly, you might find this interesting: breakdown of quant question types on the GMAT. It can help you focus on the most important areas:
https://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/breakdown- ... frequency/


The cost of everything here is about $150 for official materials, $100 for Magoosh, and $300 for MGMAT. There are enough real GMAT questions, books, videos, and CATs to keep you very busy for 6 months. I'll re-emphasize that the actual, official GMAT questions and CATs are the most reliable. Do them, study them, keep notes on wrong answers, and learn the explanations inside and out. The OG will be your new best friend for a few months.