Strategy to start preparing for GMAT from scratch.

Hi PiyushSukhdeve,

It sounds like you're just starting out. Is that true? Have you done any studying so far?

If you're just beginning, then it would be a good idea to take a FULL-LENGTH practice CAT Test; you can download 2 for free from www.mba.com (and they come with some additional practice materials). If you want to do a bit of studying first, so that you can familiarize yourself with the basic concepts and questions types that are tested, then that's fine, but you shouldn't wait too long to take that first CAT. A FULL CAT takes about 4 hours to complete, so make sure that you've set aside enough time to take it in one sitting. Once you have those scores, you should report back here and we can come up with a study plan.

I'd like to know a bit more about your timeline and goals:
1) What is your goal score?
2) Do you know which Schools you plan to apply to?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Thank you Rich for replying.
1) I have a 700+ in mind.
2) I want to apply in top Indian Institutes like ISB, IIM-A/B/C.
3) The major reason that i am not considering foreign institute is the overall cost of study. (As its not sure how much financial aid i can get even if i get into like top 25MBA colleges)
4) Another doubt i have in mind is if i should quit my job and prepare for GMAT or keep preparing along with it. I am employed in a power plant as an Operation Engg with 9hrs shift duty cycle; 9days a week!!!

Hi PiyushSukhdeve,

You've clearly defined your goals, and you've given yourself plenty of time to study, which is good.

Your first CAT score is important, since it will give us a sense of your initial strengths and weaknesses. Based on those results, we can talk through the various study options.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Hey PiyushSukhdeve

Here is a customized 2-3 month study plan to help you get started: https://www.gmatpill.com/gmat-practice-t ... study-plan

Use this as a guideline. You don’t have to follow it exactly but the structure of the study plan should be the same structure that you take in your approach. This helps to optimize your retention and learning.

As you study, we recommend that you focus on one particular subsection for multiple consecutive days before moving onto the next. You can see this in our study plan where we recommend 5 days on nothing but SC -- before moving onto CR and then RC.

Here is a sample SC video to help you start your journey: https://www.gmatpill.com/sentencecorrect ... ythons.mp4

Best of luck- we are here to help.

Hi,

After going through some of the comments in the forums I have figured out some of the following material that will aid me in getting a good score (700+ and around 750). These are as follows:
a) GMAT OG REVIEW 2016
b) Manhattan SC guide
c) Aristotle SC,CR,RC Grails
d) Manhattan Quant guides
d) Manhattan advanced quant (please share your views on this)
e) For testing purpose using MGMATs, gmatpreps, gmatclub tests

Kindly let me know your views on this and how to go through these materials and if at all you could help me with a study plan of 3 months using these materials that would be highly appreciated.

Thanks
Rahul

Hi Rahul,

You've selected a lot of guides! Even our Manhattan set alone can be overwhelming. I recommend that you use your initial practice test to identify high-priority areas to start with. If you're getting our books, you will have access to our CAT exams, too. The advantage of starting with one of those is that you can generate a report that will break down your performance in the same way our books are broken down, so you'll know where to go first.

You will very likely want to start our Sentence Correction guide right away, since it has quite a few topics to work through. Then you can pick up in Quant wherever you're having the most trouble. The Advanced Quant book is a nice source of advanced strategies. The problems are great fun, too, but many of them are too hard to actually appear on the GMAT--they're just for exercise! However, this exercise is only helpful for people who are already scoring very high (Q47 or so). Because the test is adaptive, it's important to focus on the lowest level of problems that we miss on a regular basis. In other words, if your test shows that you have 33% accuracy at the 700-800 level and 60% accuracy at the 600-700 level, it's more important to work on 600-700 problems!

Also, as you work through the guides, you will want to stop and practice. Do some timed Official Guide problems after each chapter, and then flag some of that material to return to later so that you can build and retain mastery. Additionally, you should do a thorough review of every practice problem you complete. Many students mistake mere exposure to the material for learning. Since you're just getting started, don't let that happen to you! Use your resources thoroughly rather than quickly. Below is my response to a student who had seemingly exhausted the Official Guide:

where-to-practice-after-og-154845.html#p1239328