Hello fellow GMATers

Question

Hi all,

My name is Tim and I am a recent graduate with a Bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan-Dearborn. I have scheduled my GMAT exam for June 25th, as I would like to give myself ample time to prepare. I'm eager to get involved with these forums and learn best practices and different strategies from other academics pursuing the GMAT.

Right now, I'm following a strategy I read about on Beat the GMAT.

GMAT Phase 1 - 1/18/16- 1/24/16

Familiarizing myself with the GMAT, Taking Practice Tests/Questions to gauge my ability levels

GMAT Phase 2 - 2/1/16-2/28/16

Preparing for the Quantitative Section

GMAT Phase 3 - 2/29/16-3/3/16

Preparing for the Verbal Section

GMAT Phase 5 - 3/4/16-5/1/16

Practice Tests/Reviewing Weak Areas - For Quantitative

GMAT Phase 6 - 5/2/16-5/29/16

Practice Tests/Reviewing Weak Areas - For Verbal

GMAT Phase 7 - 6/1/16-6/23/16

Final review and Analytical Writing Assessment Review

I look forward to hearing the GMAT student communities feedback on this tentative study schedule and would love to hear of any additional resources (besides the GMAT 2016 Test Prep Books (from Wiley)), that they have found useful.

Thanks!

Tim

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Tim,

There are a variety of different ways to prepare for the GMAT and a LOT of different study materials, so you should think about how YOU best study/learn and look for resources that match your personality.

With a June 25th Test Date, you've given yourself plenty of time to study, which is good. The tentative plan you've laid out follows an "All Quant, then All Verbal" format and that type of organization doesn't necessarily yield the best results. You might find it more useful to 'mix' a bit of Quant and Verbal practice into each week of your studies. You'll also want to take FULL-LENGTH CAT Tests on a regular basis (1 CAT every 2 weeks or so to start, then 1/week as you get closer to Test Day).

1) What is your goal score?
2) When are you planning to apply to Business School?

Since you're just beginning, 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 practice first, so that you can familiarize yourself with the general content and question types first, then that's fine - but you shouldn't wait too long to take that initial 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.

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

OptimusPrepJanielle · Answer

Hi Tim, That is some good planning.
However, I would recommend you to make a note of the following things:

1. Make sure you take full length Mock CATs including the AWA and IR. This will help you train your body and mind for the GMAT. You can download 2 free from mba.com and can buy 2 additional. Once you have taken the mock, take out ample time to analyse the text thoroughly.
2. Make sure that you keep an error log and note down the lessons you learnt from the incorrect problem reviews.
3. Taking one section at a time puts you in the risk of neglecting a section for a long period of time. A better way would to take both the things along or may be alternate days. If you want to study the fundamentals of one section extensively, make sure you solve practice problems from the other section. This will hlpe you keep in touch with both the sections.

Do take a Mock CAT at the starting of your preparation to gauge your current standing.

tbreh · Answer

Hi Rich,

Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. I appreciate your feedback on my study planning. Your recommendations make sense and I plan on adjusting my schedule accordingly to get more of a quant/verbal mix. Thanks for informing me about the CAT. I am pretty fresh to the GMAT planning process, so I am unfamiliar with the CAT other than its the computer adaptive testing format the GMAT uses to serve test takers questions. Are these full-length CAT exams you reference available in the GMAT TestPrep software/on the GMAT site? I have currently purchased the Official GMAT Guide Review and the supplemental Official GMAT Quant and Verbal test prep books from Wiley for 2016. I am in the process of taking the Diagnostic Test the book recommends you take before getting into the "meat" of the studying. Is this much different from the CAT test you're referencing? I believe that the Diagnostic Test is supposed to serve as an gauge of areas to focus for studying.

To answer your questions:

1)I am still unsure of what a realistic test score is for me, (I've always struggled with the Math portion of these types of exams/Math in general), but I would like to get above a   600  , if possible. But just taking some of the Quant portion of the Diagnostic review, I know I have a   long   way to go in 5 months.

2) I plan on applying to grad school over the summer of 2016 and potentially attending as soon as September 2016.

I look forward to your feedback!

Thanks again,

Tim

tbreh · Answer

Hi Janielle,

Thanks so much for the feedback. I will look into these CAT exams that both you and Rich have recommended. Thanks again!

Tim

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Tim,

Unfortunately, the Diagnostic Test at the beginning of the OG is not a great way to get a realistic assessment of an Official GMAT score. Relative to the Official GMAT, that Test does not have the same number of questions, the same ratio of questions, it doesn't adapt, it's missing the Essay and IR sections, etc. While it can help to define some of the areas that you need to work on, if your goal is to have a realistic assessment of how you might score on the Official GMAT, then the only way to get that result is to take a FULL-LENGTH CAT under realistic conditions.

The most realistic CATs on the market are the 4 GMAC CATs (the 2 free ones and the additional 2 that can be purchased from www.mba.com). While there are other CATs that are 'close-enough', the reality of that initial CAT is important - since that score result provides a baseline and defines your initial strengths and weaknesses. In that way, having the MOST accurate initial assessment is important. To that end, you should also plan to take the FULL CAT (including the Essay and IR sections), so that we can see how you handle the endurance/fatigue 'challenges' of the Full Exam.

Some Test Takers become overly concerned about 'wasting' one of the GMAC CATs on the first attempt, but there are 3 other GMAC CATs and a variety of 3rd party CATs that you can use during the course of your studies, so that concern seems more emotional than practical.

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

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