GMAT journey + advice

Hi Rich,

Many thanks for the reply, it is really nice to see a reply by an expert, and much appreciated!

It is fair to say that this would be my first 'proper' attempt to the GMAT. Last year, I refreshed my math by using MGMAT foundations of math and proceeded to go over the 5 MGMAT books. I was going to take my first CAT afterwards, as before this point it was pointless, as I could barely answer any question on the geometry or algebra section, leave alone answering the question in the time constraints. However, due to personal circumstances I had to pause my study and postpone my applications for the subsequent year. My plan is to go over the MGMAT Quant again alongside with the OG quant, and do the same for the verbal part. I am also considering buying some complementary materials, such as the GMATclub question bank, the 3&4 and 5&6 official CAT's pack and Jeff Sackman total GMAT Math book.

This time however, I will probably go section by section in detail and not waste time to go over the whole foundations of math again. My thought process is that it would be easier to move forward and understand each section in detail, by mastering arithmetic and algebra first, and then moving to Geometry, Word problems and Statistics & Probability.

I am looking for a Q49 & V40 score, or a 720 overall. This is why I am willing to devote more time and resources. I am looking to apply in either late October or late December (depending on when I take the GMAT).

Hi kokus,

Since you're not planning to apply until the end of the year, you've given yourself plenty of time to study and work on your applications - which is great! From what you describe, your immediate study plan is 'book heavy'; unfortunately, many Test Takers who study in that way end up getting 'stuck' at a particular score level. Even the best books are limited in what they can teach you; they also can't force you to approach questions in a certain way and their explanations are often one-sided. There's no harm in starting off your studies in that fashion, but you're interested in a Score Goal that is above the 90th percentile (meaning that most GMATers never score that high on the Official Exam regardless of how long they study) - and that type of outcome is challenging enough without limiting your studies to book materials.

In addition, it's important to take FULL-LENGTH CATs at regular intervals (since there are Test-taking skills that take time to develop, but that can really only be learned by taking CATs over time). If you end up having individual issues when taking tests, then the earlier we learn about those issues, the more time that we'll have to 'fix' them (as opposed to only learning that information in the last few weeks of your studies and not having enough time to properly address them).

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 take 2 for free at 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 3.5 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 (or you can feel free to PM me directly) and we can come up with a study plan.

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