Data Sufficiency Help

Question

Hi Guys,

Could you please suggest what's the best way to master DS. Any course or book to tame this beast.

Any help / guidance is appreciated.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Amar1980,

Most of your prior posts are from 2008. Did you end up taking the GMAT back then (and if so, then how did you score?)? And are you restarting your studies 'from scratch' or have you been studying for some time now? Before I can offer you the specific advice that you’re looking for, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

Studies:
1) How long have you studied?
2) What materials have you used?
3) How have you scored on each of your CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)?

Goals:
4) What is your goal score?
5) When are you planning to take the GMAT?
6) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
7) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

Amar1980 · Answer

Hi Rich,

I didn't take the GMAT in 2008 as i got really busy with my career.

Here are the lowdown-
1) Starting from scratch.
2) Time Frame-6 Months
3) Target Score-730
4) Currently brushing up on math foundations.
5) Can devote 3 hrs in during weekdays/6 hours on weekends.

Feel free to advise.

Thanks in advance.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Amar1980,

You've given yourself plenty of time to study for the GMAT - which is good. A goal score of 730 is above the 90th percentile, which means that over 90% of Test Takers will never score that high regardless of how many times they take the GMAT. This is meant to say that you would likely benefit from investing in a GMAT Course of some type (either Guided Self-Study or instructor-led), instead of trying to 'piecemeal' a study plan together by studying individual subjects on your own.

Since it sounds like you're just beginning your studies, 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 little studying first, so that you can familiarize yourself with the basic content and question types, then that's okay - but you shouldn't wait too long to take that initial CAT. That score will give us a good sense of your natural strengths and weaknesses and will help provide a basis for comparison as you continue to study. 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.

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

Amar1980 · Answer

Thanks for your guidance.

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