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Vintage
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shoaib16166
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Vintage
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EMPOWERgmatRichC
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Hi Vintage,

There are plenty of different options when it comes to studying for the GMAT. It sounds like you've done a bit of research, but I'd like to know a bit more about how you've studied so far:

1) Have you take any FULL-LENGTH CATs yet? If so, then what were your scores (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)?
2) How long have you been studying?

Most GMAT companies offer some type of free resources (practice problems, Trial Accounts, videos, etc.) so that you can "test out" a product before you buy it (we offer a free Trial at our website, so you should feel free to try it out). You should take advantage of ALL of them and see if what they're teaching helps you to answer any of the questions that you got wrong on your practice CATs. That "evidence" will go a long way to proving whether you should buy the product or not. In the end, you should choose the one that best matches your personality, timeline and budget.

You've given yourself plenty of time to study, which is good. Your goal score is also reasonable, but DS makes up such a significant portion of the Quant section that you cannot afford to be "weak" in this category. Thankfully, everything on the GMAT (including DS) is predictable, so you CAN train to score at a higher level.

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

The Advanced sections of our book are entirely optional, regardless of what score you're targeting. They cover additional material that's not as central as the stuff in the main chapters. For that reason, in the newer editions these sections are labeled as "Extra" instead of "Advanced." Work on them only if you're comfortable with the rest of the curriculum and want to see a few more strategies.

As for DS, if you can believe it, most people take *less* time than on PS. You just need to get accustomed to the format. Problem the single most important habit to build is rephrasing. What is the question *really* asking? Can the question be simplified or interpreted to make the statements easier to handle?

Interact is a great resource, but it can be nice to participate live in a class. You get full access to Interact in any case, so you can always use that to supplement.

Best of luck!
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