This thread has retired. Find the latest version is here: https://gmatclub.com/forum/gmat-study-plan-217827.html GMAT Study Plan for New GMAT Test Takers Hope you find this study plan helpful - please PM me any of your tips or suggestions for those just starting out on their GMAT Journey You can bookmark this topic on GMAT Club by clicking the STAR button next to the topic name or you can print it out for future reference . Improvement: 50-150 points depending on the starting point Concept: You are just starting your GMAT journey and need the shortest way to a solid GMAT Score Recommended for: GMAT Novices Stagnant gmat test-takers No prior knowledge is required Other Study Plans Advanced Study Plan: Go from 650 to 700+ GMAT Course Study Plan Ultimate Verbal plan How to go from Q44 to Q50 How to improve verbal from V30 to V40 Hello - welcome to GMAT Club. If you are new to GMAT and looking how to start and dip your toe in the water - this is the right place to start. Step 1: First, You should familiarize yourself with the GMAT structure and principles if you have not done so already - see GMAT FAQ for details . You can also visit https://www.mba.com and poke around. While you are there - go ahead and download GMATPrep - 2 practice tests released by makers of the GMAT. These 2 tests contain real GMAT questions, follow real GMAT principles, and are the best at estimating your GMAT score at any point in time. Step 2: Take a practice test to find out how far you are from your target . Many believe it is a good use of one of the free GMAT Prep tests (I'll tell you to actually get more than 2 tests out of the package later). The main reason it is a good use is that you can see your starting point (now) and then compare it against the ending (taking GMAT). Alternatively you can use any other computer adaptive test from Princeton, Kaplan, Manhattan, or others and then use GMAT Score Estimator/Calculator to find your real GMAT equivalent. If you are offered to write an Essay (AWA) - skip it. For listing of all available GMAT tests - see https://gmatclub.com/forum/all-gmat-cat ... 77460.html Step 3: Find out what GMAT score you actually need. Just to give you an idea - You need at least 700 for Top 10 schools, 680 for Top 20, and 650 for Top 50 to pass - meaning your score should not be an issue and you will need something 50 points higher to actually stand out. Most people are able to improve between 50 and 150 points - that should give you an estimate of what you can count on based on the diagnostic test you just took. You can see current average applicant GMAT scores here . To visualize the entire application process, please use MBA Timeline Tool Step 4: Identify your weaknesses - take a look at your practice test score and note the raw score distribution (you will get one three digit score such as 600 and 2 two-digit scores such as 35, 40 - those two are your raw scores for each of the sections. They have corresponding percentiles). See how you rank in each. Also, do a basic mistake analysis and understand which question types are the most challenging for you. The options are PS, DS, CR, RC, SC and potentially even more detailed such as probability, or assumption questions, etc. Don't only look at what questions you got wrong, but also why. Why did you make a mistake? You can also take a diagnostic test - Math Revolution offers a free Quant Diagnostic test , as does GMAT Club, and eGMAT offers a verbal diagnostic . Use this information to build your study plan. Step 5: Design your study plan - finally! You need to build up your toolkit and get some ammo for the GMAT. You will need books or a course (online or in person) to refresh/learn fundamentals and then test taking strategies. You will also need GMAT tests to practice those strategies and also evaluate your prep level. See these links for: GMAT course reviews , GMAT Books reviews For collection of all GMAT Tests available today: https://gmatclub.com/forum/all-gmat-cat ... 77460.html Finally - chart/plot/graph your study plan - use this calendar format Step 6: Avoid typical GMAT prep mistakes and pitfalls. Here is the most common one I see - jumping into questions and tests completely unprepared and expecting results/miracles. GMAT consists of several layers and it is important to master each one before moving on to the next - think of it as of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. There is no use in satisfying your social needs before you can take care of basic needs such as safety and food. The same is here, if you don't know the underlying principles that GMAT is testing (such as grammar, arithmetic, etc) there is no use in solving hundreds of questions or taking multiple GMAT tests. This means that if English is not your native language, you should not work on the RC strategies if you can't understand half of the passage - you need to get comfortable reading long passages of text before moving on. To illustrate this principle, consider the following hierarchy for the GMAT: pyramid.gif In the General Knowledge stage cover basics for a chapter/section/area In the Question Strategies stage start practicing questions either for the area you just covered or for an entire section but don't attempt questions for sections you have not covered yet In the Test Strategies start taking full length tests and practice on putting questions and knowledge together Step 7: Commit to excellence and doing the best job possible. Think about what you can do to improve your score – is it creating your own notes? Is it not moving to the next chapter until you are able to get 90% of the questions right? Is it reading a lot of fiction to get comfortable reading? Is it shifting your schedule to wake up at 5 AM and study till 8 before work? Is it investing in the right books, courses, and tests? You get the idea... Here is the most common GMAT study plans used by GMAT Club Members: Online Study Plan: You can get online access to almost anything these days and self-paced options among prep companies have really gone down in price. Step 1: Foundation Most Online courses have modules that teach the fundamentals and that will quickly help you build the foundation and come up to speed. These modules can be particularly useful for students who have not studied quant for quite some time or who are not particularly strong in Quant. Step 2: Core concepts Once you have built a foundation, focus on mastering the concepts. Solve OG during this time and maintain an error log. Keep track of your mistakes and guesses - this will become your study guide in Month 3. This is also the time to get involved in GMAT Club’s math forum. Determine where you stand: almost all online courses come provide plenty of CAT's. Start taking the math portion of the tests you have. Move to Verbal only after reaching at a certain Level: Evaluate results and decide if you need to spend more time in Math and patch up certain weak areas or move on to Verbal. This decision will be based on your target GMAT score. If you are looking for high 600's and 700's, I would not move past Quant unless I was able to score around Q44 and possibly higher. Quant scores have been inflated recently with Q51 (highest possible quant score clocking a mere 97th percentile and Q49 is 79th), so make sure you are up there. Do not leave a section unless you were able to solve 90% of the questions correctly in the allotted time. Don’t run away from your mistakes – sooner or later they will catch up; the better strategy is to address them right there and then and make sure you never see them again. If you prefer the online study option, use the Magoosh, eGMAT, Math Revolution, examPAL, Target Test Prep or EMPOWERgmat online courses. They come with everything you need, including practice tests and quizzes. You can compare them all in the Marketplace . Online courses also provide constant feedback. Most also come with Free access to GMAT Club tests . Many self-study courses offer free trials so you can test drive them before you buy, and for most no credit card is needed. Your cost may even be less than with books ($99 - $300). Mobile Apps: There is a number of free GMAT Apps for iPhone and Android including GMAT Club's ToolKit . Many courses have free companion apps - Veritas Prep Offline Study Plan: If you study best with books, get the full collection of the MGMAT Guides or Veritas Prep Guides or Kaplan Books (remember to also get the Official Guide). The book bundles come with everything you need and both are fully all-inclusive in terms of what you need. My only other suggestion is to get the MGMAT Roadmap which serves a collection of study-related tips. This is a reliable/proven approach with good results. Total cost for this study plan will be $150-$300. Month 1 Start with Math section first and focus just on math alone (you can do both math and verbal but I suggest you put all attention into one). Both MGMAT and Veritas Prep have numbered books, so all you have to do is open Book1 and just follow along to Book10. Plan to spend 4 weeks on the Quant Portion. Start using an Error Log - keep track of your mistakes and guesses -this will become your study guide in Month 3. ( Tip: dedicated post on how to analyze your mistakes ) Optional Step: If you are feeling the load is too heavy and you are really weak in Quant or Verbal - get MGMAT Math Foundations or MGMAT Verbal Foundations book; it is great in providing a more general overview of math concepts. At the same time, start reading GMAT Fiction (see below for details on what it is for) Get involved with the Math Forum - you will learn a lot esp. when you try to teach someone or explain something After you are done with the math section - start taking the math portion of the tests you have. Evaluate results and decided if you need to spend more time in Math and patch up certain weak areas or move on to Verbal. This decision will be based on your target GMAT score. If you are looking for high 600's and 700's, I would not move past Quant unless I was able to score around Q44 and possibly higher. Quant scores have been inflated recently with Q51 (highest possible quant score clocking a mere 97th percentile and Q49 is 81st), so make sure you are up there. Do not leave a chapter or a section unless you were able to solve 90% of the questions correctly in the allotted time. Don’t run away from your mistakes – sooner or later they will catch up; the better strategy is to address them right there and then and make sure you never see them again. If you need additional help in Quant - refer to the Math Resources on GMAT Club or the GMAT Math Books section. Another book you may consider is the PR 1012 - it contains targeted GMAT practice questions, which could be helpful in honing one's skills. Though may seem attractive, Advanced Quant book from MGMAT has received mixed reviews from the users - many feel it is really too hard and is not representative of the GMAT's difficulty. We did attempt to go through it and even for yours truly, it proved discouraging and painful. Unless you are really bored, it may be a book better left for another time. If you are comfortable with Quant but want to get to Q50+, use the GMAT Club Tests - they contain only hard questions and were designed as practice for high-level math scorers. You can purchase them, earn a free subscription by earning 25 Kudos, or sign up with a partner course (almost all come with GMAT Club tests as a bonus) Another worthwhile resource for you may be this quant-focused discussion: how to get from Q44 to Q50 Sidebar At this time you will probably be wondering about questions such as “how many can I get wrong and still get a Q50?” and other questions which really do not have answers. If you find yourself wondering about these things at night, head over to the following discussions: GMAT algorithm – how does it work? What-If analysis of the GMAT Prep Alternative ways to increase your score (i.e. not by studying) How are GMAT scores calculated and what is a raw score? Has anyone scored an 800? Yes, he has. Month 2 Start working on the Verbal section. You can start with any question type, but my suggestion would be to tackle Sentence Correction first as it is usually the most straightforward Error Log! Sentence Correction Optional Step: If you are not a native speaker, you will need a good grammar book or a verbal-intensive course such as the SC course by eGMAT that focuses on concepts for non-native speakers. Several grammar books are recommended on the Forum ( https://gmatclub.com/forum/best-gmat-gr ... 79934.html ). We have created a book specifically for this need - Ultimate GMAT Grammar (it covers all of the tested grammar topics on the GMAT, plus a bit more concepts that international students seem to struggle the most (articles, etc). The best thing of all is that it is Free ). Other books to consider are Kaplan Verbal Foundations and MGMAT Verbal Foundations. This is for you to decide how much help you need or how much time you have. Also, take a look at GMAT Club's Verbal Resources for many copies of study notes. If you are short on time and can’t cover the MGMAT’s SC book, you can use the Kaplan Verbal Workbook - it has good strategies and I have personally used it to prepare, so it does work, though it is not as complete as the MGMAT or Vertas Prep books. Critical Reasoning Optional Step: If you need additional help with Critical Reasoning - Do not get both PowerScore CR and Manhattan GMAT CR - the books are virtually identical (not really but kind of). Instead, you can get an inexpensive online course such as SC eGMAT . You can also use the PR 1012 book for targeted practice with Assumption or Conclusion questions or you can go very heavy weight and use LSAT books, but that's a tad too hardcore and usually unnecessary. See BM’s review of the LSAT resources. Reading Comprehension is often the hardest area to conquer. Unless you strongly feel that Reading is your forte, I would recommend you pick up a reading habit for the time being. I have written a large post on what I call GMAT Fiction and its benefits - take a look. I felt that reading books was a big contributor to my SC and RC abilities and gave me a 96th percentile in Verbal (not too shabby for a person who spoke zero English until 12). There are no downsides to this really - worst thing possible is that you would have read some great books. And yes - make sure you read them during your low productivity time (at night, during transit, etc). Verbal forum should be your hobby by now and we have a great feature – GMAT Club Forum Timer . Use it! If you have not discovered it yet, you should – the timer will keep track of all your practice and even more – it will suggest you questions (every day Monday through Friday) that are at your level, and after about 10 questions in SC and CR, it will even give you a daily estimated GMAT score. Verbal Advantage – you may have seen badges and posts about it – make sure you use this initiative. Every year for about 3 months, GMAT club teams up with the best verbal prep companies to bring you the best experts, articles, and questions. You can use these resources at any time and benefit from the previous years of work. Verbal Advantage 2013 and also the first season – Verbal Advantage 2012 Take the verbal-only portion of the tests to evaluate your progress (compare to how you did in the diagnostic test). Another worthwhile resource for you may be this quant-focused discussion: how to get from V30 to V40 Month 3 This month should be spent on 2 things: taking full length tests (polishing your test taking techniques, timing, stamina) and Reviewing your error log (going through your weaknesses, making sure you understand why you keep making mistakes and how to solve every problem you encountered). You can start using Error log earlier than this by the way - the earlier the better. You can also use this time to prolong your prep (we assume most will run about 4 weeks late and will need this time) or you can use it to spend on digging deeper in some areas. Schedule your test if you have not done so already. Start taking full length tests (including AWA and IR ) - this is important for your test stamina. Plan to spend a Saturday on this and then subsequent test review. Spend a few weeks taking tests and drilling down into your areas of weakness. Create a "black list of questions" that you continue to struggle with and find a way to solve them with minimal mental effort. For IR, there is always the big question of, how important is IR really, and the answer, clearly, is – nobody knows. We expect that it will be more definite in 2015/2016 years when the first IR test-takers have graduated and GMAC can trace patterns. Meanwhile, go here for IR resources and practice. The BIG Day and Final Thoughts Make sure you take a look at these before you take the GMAT: What to do 30-14-7-1 days before the GMAT? What to expect at the test center and 8 things not to do Analysis of Patterns among those who scored 750+ and what they did The best of GMAT Club’s debriefs – get inspired! Common Mistakes with GMAT preparation 1: Rushing to take tests before learning anything - waste of tests 2: Starting with the Official Guide - waste of official GMAT questions 3: Giving GMAT the worst time of the day - studying after a long day 4: Skipping basics and rushing to advanced topics 5: Moving through material too fast or too slow 6: Starting to prepare with poor English proficiency How long should you prep really? The study plan above suggests 3 months, and that's probably 10-15 hours per week (2 hrs/work day and 5 hours on the weekend). Over 3 months, that's about 120 - 180 hours, which includes reading some books, so the true study time is probably 80 - 120 hrs. What if you study 2x or 3x of that and take 9 months instead of 3, can you triple your improvement? No, actually, your performance will be MUCH worse if you spread out your prep over a time period great than 5 months. Long study stretches are demotivating, hard to keep fresh, and ultimately ineffective as after 6 months, you start forgetting material faster than you can learn it and the time you will have to spend 75% of your time on refresh. It is much more effective to spend 3-4 months, and that’s what I would encourage you to do. How do you Measure Improvement and what if you are not seeing any? Many test-takers waste a lot of tests and precious time by taking un-needed CAT’s. As a matter of fact, you should be able to get away by taking no more than 10 CAT’s during your GMAT love affair. The question you may ask then is – how do I measure improvement and keep track of my score? A number of ways actually: Make sure you are hitting a certain percentage of the questions in each topic/subject. Set a goal such as 90% of questions have to be right in exercises, OG, or wherever. E.g. if you just covered Geometry, there is no reason to take a whole quant CAT since you will only hit 3-4 Geometry questions tops (perhaps as few as 1-2) and it will be a minimal impact on the score, while you will waste a few hours, waste a test, and more importantly, grow discouraged. Use short quizzes and exercise. Let’s say you covered that same Geometry chapter in the book and only hit 50% on the quiz at the end of the chapter. Do 2 things: 1) Analyze your mistakes, read the explanations how to solve questions, and make sure you can solve each one of them 2) Go back to the chapter and using the mistakes you just made re-read/learn (make notes, create PPT, etc) of the areas you are still lacking. Then you can use OG, GMAT Club tests, Kapan Quiz bank , Math Revolution Question Bank or whatever you want to do real short/quick checks to see if you have improved. At this point in time, it does not matter what your overall Quant score is, it only matters what percentage of the types of questions ALREADY covered is. You can use the GMAT Club Forum timer. As long as you take about 10 questions in PS and DS, you will get a quant raw score estimate and as soon as you do the same in SC and CR, you will get a verbal score estimate (note that RC is not evaluated). Learn more about the amazing and free GMAT Club Forum Timer and Workbook here . Finally, once you have covered ALL of the quant topics, it is time to take the Quant CAT and similarly when you have finished the Verbal section, it is time to take the full Verbal CAT. (This is the reason GMAT Club tests have split quant and verbal CAT’s – we don’t think you really need to take a Full CAT until the very end when you are working on improving your stamina and test-day strategy, and at that point, you can just Quant and Verbal CAT’s with an 8 minute break). What if No improvement? My suggestion would be to understand why, what needs to change, and how. You need to answer this yourself. If you can’t, post it on the forum, though I have to warn you, it is a hard one to answer from afar. A much better option is to get a tutor for an hour or two (that’s all you should need) to get you back on track. Any decent tutor can spot most of the issues after one session and you can use the second session to answer any questions and draft a personalized plan for the rest of your prep. You can also take a course – that’s become an especially popular and cheap alternative with the online offerings from EGMAT, Math Revolution and Magoosh, many of which have courses for less than the cost of books (as low as $59). Many of the courses are interactive and adapt to your needs. Online adaptive courses often are much more effective than books since they are audio visual, provide constant feedback, and provide instructor support. You can bookmark this topic on GMAT Club by clicking the STAR button next to the topic name or you can print it out for future reference .

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GMAT Study Plan - How to Start your GMAT Prep

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MBAAAAAAAA

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21 Jun 2012, 22:54

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Hi Guys,

I gave my GMAT in Jan this year and have loads of material which I am reluctant to give away to the 'radiwala'. Kindly let me know if any gmat aspirants in Mumbai are open to buying the material at a cost that is almost free.

Following is the list:
1. GMAT Kaplan premier program (hardcopy)
2. GMAT Review (official guide - 11th edn) (hardcopy)
3. Mitul Gada notes (Maths + Verbal)
4. Mitul Gada cd - all the possible simulation tests
5. Sentence correction compilation (my notes - they are awesome! + all d possible tricks mentioned on all forums)
6. The GMAT Knewton verbal pdfs
7. The Gmat Knewton pad + marker - the one actually used in the exam! (just to get a hang before yr final prep)
8. Miscellaneous practice notes - none of it have d answers marked

Kindly reply me here or mail me at [email protected].

Thanks!

kravindran7

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25 Jun 2012, 22:54

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Hi MBAAAAAAAA ,

Please check your PM. I have sent you an message. Thanks

Karthik

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07 Jul 2012, 20:28

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Hey guys,

I've just started off my GMAT journey. Took the GMATPrep and scored a dismal 530 (Q41, V23). Couldn't complete the verbal section; ended up leaving 7 questions. I thought I was smart

....I was expecting a 600 at least. A bit shocked with the result. I'm thinking of giving this 1-1.5 month's time. Any suggestions will definitely help.

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GMAT 1: 750 Q49 V42 Verified score

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08 Jul 2012, 16:12

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I think you are in a good spot if you have about 3 months. I have started with 540 and ended with 750. You can definitely get there.

Would recommend getting the MGMAT Roadmap for a collection of the GMAT wisdom about simple and little things (how to structure your prep, day, etc).

Other than that, you can follow this plan or modify it to your liking.

P.S. You have a good quant score for the first test. If you have not had left those verbal questions unfinished, you could have gotten 570 or even 600 - that may be the first useful tip for you!

worldofecofin

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08 Jul 2012, 18:04

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Thanks a lot for the reply.

Well, I took a diagnostic test (GMATPrep 2011 version) around a year back just to see where I stand...scored 560 (Q47, V21) on that one... back then, I faced the same issue....struggled with Verbal and couldn't complete the test, although I can't recollect the number of questions left unanswered.....I postponed my GMAT plan and focused on work...This year I've decided to take the exam and I find myself starting off with a poorer score, especially quant

....Now I understand why people suggest to take the exam before you grow too old

I'm a bit confused about the right material to use.....had a look at the 2012 book list on GMATClub.....Do you recommend using most of the books mentioned out there? Also, any strong recommendations? Was thinking of the following:

1. Official guides (13th, and the quant and verbal one)
2. Kaplan Premier 2013 and Kaplan 800
3. Manhattan complete set of 10 (8 strategy guides + roadmap + IR book)

Wanted to know if any updates to Kaplan 800 and the Official guides to quant and verbal are expected, given that the GMAT has undergone a change....The existing editions for these are 2-3 years old....I discovered that Manhattan has an updated set (5th version) referring to the OG 13th edition...I'll go for the updated one...just don't want to end up purchasing the older versions of the books mentioned above...

Also, I remember someone mentioning about Powerscore CR instead of Manhattan CR, should I give that a try?

worldofecofin

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08 Jul 2012, 18:13

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And thanks for the useful tip....that has definitely increased my confidence!

Must mention that you have a really good score, given your diagnostic score....Let's hope I replicate the same!

rakesh38

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15 Jul 2012, 15:47

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Hey BB..

I am planning to take GMAT in 8-9 weeks time from now.
And below details explain where I stand now.

I started my GMAT prep 4 weeks back. Being an engineer , Quant is my fav area and I am very much comfortable with it.
However CR and RC are my pain areas.
Took my 1st CAT test(manhattan) a week back ans scored : 670 ( 48QA and 33 VA).
Toom my 2nd CAT test(manhattan) today and scored :690 (48QA and 35 VA)

The books I am using:
Maths: Manhattan (all 5 quants) + Maths Bible NOVA
Quant: Manhattan(RC , SC , CR) , powerscore CR and Aristotle SC and RC.
OG 12 , GMAT Verbal + Quant review.

750+ is the target here as I represent the most common test taker.(Computer science engineer from India with an average GPA + 4 years of IT exp (1 yr in Europe))

Need suggestion on the following points:

1. What I need to do to take my Quant to 50 +.
2. What I need to do t improve my RC.
3. Can you please suggesst any overall verbal plans.
4. Is 8-9 weeks of prep from now good enough ?
5. I am planning on 2 CATs per week (total 15 + ) , is that a good stratergy or you think it is going to prove fatal.
6. 2-3 hours per day is max I can put into my prep. So do I need to focus on any other material and cut down few I am currently using.

Thanks a ton in advance!
Cheers
Rakesh

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16 Jul 2012, 14:11

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Thanks. Good study plan.. I will try and stick with it

kun0ra

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18 Jul 2012, 10:17

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I just want to say thanks for creating this forum and study plan. Honestly, I have been planning to take the GMAT for a long time and I just had no idea where to begin. I have three months until I take the test. I sure hope that's plenty of time.

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20 Jul 2012, 17:26

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Hey all, I am reviving my prep. With the new format of the exam, can anyone suggest what are the latest editions that I refer to. had lost touch with prep for a while, will really appreciate opinions.

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20 Jul 2012, 19:59

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sdas

It is going to be tough to restart - think of a bad dream - you remember only the worst part and only vaguely.
Would recommend to take a look at some good "foundations" books and would recommend at least getting the MGMAT Roadmap. Very decent (and cheap) book to get you started.

Also MGMAT Math Foundations and MGMAT Verbal Foundations are quite good in building up confidence and providing a good coverage of basics.

I would recommend to start there.
On your question specifically, MGMAT just released a set of the new books a few months back - the 5th edition of the MGMAT Guides. Those are pretty good!

Best Regards,
BB.

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22 Jul 2012, 17:17

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rakesh38

HI BB,

I dont know what I have to do to get your attention.
I need your guidance . I am left with 8 more weeks of prep.

Took my 3rd test today.
Manhattan = 720 ( 50 QA , 36 VA) .

I need to take my VA to 40 +.

Please review my study plans and suugest some improvments for a 750+ score.
I seek for your special guidance on verbal.

Thanks a ton.
Cheers!

teekays

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23 Jul 2012, 12:29

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Hello All,

First off I'm very nervous!! I haven't sat for a competitive exam in 10+ years. I'm 32, me and my wife just had a baby (1 year old), I have a good job in a medium size company but I've started to feel my career progression has stopped and I need to do study further to move ahead both financially and for moving to a better place (something more cosmopolitan than the rusty old town I'm stuck in).

I took my first GMAT prep test the day before yesterday without preparation and I got only 590 (Q38, V34). I'm kind of worried about this score. When I took GRE about 12 years ago, I was in the 99th percentile, but has age gotten to me so soon?? I have committed several silly mistakes in problem solving, couldn't organize data clearly to solve problems in quant, all solutions to sentence correction looks correct to me... the list is endless. RC was the only area I did well without mistakes, I pretty much sucked in all other areas.

My test date is exactly 3 months from now on Oct 24. Can I ever dream of getting 750+?

I have OG13 to start with, what else do I need? Any good recommendations for reading materials SC, PS, CR, DS? Online question banks? CAT tests? I've attached a question bank for RC that I found online today if anybody is interested.

Thanks a lot for your help!! I'll try to post my progress or otherwise regularly....

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117 GMAT RC Passages.pdf [1.62 MiB]
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Reno

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06 Aug 2012, 23:46

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Hey guys, new poster here. I was browsing through the web searching for information and stumbled upon gmatclub. From where I am sitting, its the best source for everything related to gmat!

My question to all the experts out there is as follows. Where I live (Slovenia, EU) you can only buy/get the official guide for gmat review, and only the 12th edition at that; I assume the abbreviation OG I keep seeing stands just for that. I went through the whole book and the questions seem to be a bit on the easy side. Some of them, 10 % at best, are a bit more challenging.

I had not taken any kind of prep test just yet - I am planning to learn as much as I can first. Since I successfully tackled the OG12 and, as already mentioned, found it relatively easy, what book (or other kind of material) would you recommend me to read next? Remember, while I am not in USA, there are not many to choose from. If someone would be so kind and post some links to sites which offer e-books to purchase, that would help allot. Thank you for your help!

worldofecofin

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07 Aug 2012, 00:33

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Try Manhattan GMAT...I read through the MGMAT Roadmap and I found it pretty good...Will be using all their strategy guides....use OG as a source of questions rather than your sole prep material...you'd ideally want to equip yourself with strong understanding of concepts, different question types and a working exam attach strategy.....try to apply the strategies on mocks....that's what I'll be doing at least.....

try out Amazon or a local e-commerce website...you should be able to find OG 13, the supplement official guides and MGMAT as well. I'm using these three for my prep....Good luck!

Reno

Reno

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07 Aug 2012, 00:43

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worldofecofin

Thank you for your help. Just now I found the Manhattan GMAT Set of 8 Strategy Guides, 4th Edition and am going to give them a go. Will report my opinion.

worldofecofin

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07 Aug 2012, 01:28

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Just wanted to inform you that there's edition 5 that's available as well.....that refers to the OG 13....the 4th edition points to OG 12....

I'm assuming that you'll be purchasing OG 13 anyway, so it makes sense to buy 5th edition instead...there are a few updates to that book (for difference see bb's post somewhere on GC) and moreover, they have 2 additional guides - one on the new IR section and the other on general test strategy (the MGMAT Roadmap)....if you are spending money on MGMAT anyway, might as well purchase the 5th edition.....my 20 cents!

Reno

worldofecofin

Thank you for your help. Just now I found the Manhattan GMAT Set of 8 Strategy Guides, 4th Edition and am going to give them a go. Will report my opinion.

Reno

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07 Aug 2012, 01:40

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worldofecofin

Thanks again for your help. I am aware there is an OG 13 out, but unfortunately there is no way to get it where I live, paper or electronic basted. Since I do have the OG 12 in my possession and the aforementioned 4th edition of Manhattan GMAT Set of 8 Strategy Guides, I am going with that for now. In your opinion, wold buying the latest editions of all the book mentioned yield more points? Also, if I understand correctly, the new IR section does not account for the general GMAT score, its rated seperately. Naturally I am going to prepare for latter section as well, but don't see the need to buy the OG 13 solely for that reason, since practice questions can be obtained elsewhere?

viswa8

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12 Aug 2012, 17:01

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Hi bb,

I want to start my GMAT Prep with a target of 700 ,planning to give my GMAT 2013 Jan.
Want to start my Prep with Math,Verbal, AWA etc..

I am not good at math, want to do math by Arunsharma with time frame of 6 weeks.Please suggest if that book doesn't suit GMAT needs or standards.

Feel free to suggest your views or approaches to improve Math & other areas as well.

Thanks,
Viswa.

rakesh38

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27 Aug 2012, 07:21

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rakesh38

Hi BB,

In addition to my previous post:

MGMAT CAT 3 : 700 (50 QA and 31 VA)
MGMAT CAT 4 : 630 (48 QA and 28 VA)
MGMAT CAT 5 : 710 (49 QA and 38 VA)
MGMAT CAT 6 : 670 (49 QA and 31 VA)
GMAT Prep 1 : 720 (50 QA and 35 VA)

I feel, I am struggling with the verbal section .
I am just not able to crack that 750 barrier .

Can some one please suggest what needs to be done to take the VA to 40 + and QA to 51.
Any suggestion where I can find a good collection of authentic difficult questions.

A response is much appreciated.

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