Help needed! A 4-months intensive study plan

Helloo! Thanks for your reply! Let me clarify my situation. I graduated from the university last year. Gpa 3.9. At the moment I have 3-years experience in my pocket, both as an auditor and as a general manager in one of the local companies. Coming up to your questions, please, see the answers below:

1) I have not taken any gmat prep practice tests yet. Should I take them today and update you on the score? If yes, which one should I take, the 1st, 2nd, or both of them?
2) Yes, i have researched everything and know the format
3) I have been consistently studying ACCA and CFA, but will stop doing these because of gmat
4) I have unlimited time from Minday till Friday each week, all 24 hours if uou wish. I would like to study hard during weekdays so that I can relax on weekend (summer! )

Hope to hear back soon,
Emin

That is good to know. Yes, you should attempt a couple of mock tests, update the scores here, and see if you can jot down the weak areas you find. Here are my suggestions.

- You have many resources so you have the liberty of choosing the better course of each type. Read reviews about the best resource for the particular area of weakness. Say if someone tells you, Kaplan Sentence Correction is the best while Manhatton has the best Quantitative theory, start using those resources for the respective areas.
- It is advisable you do not split further down at the start of your preparation.
- Spend as much time as you like but make sure you do not burn yourself out. Sometimes things get overwhelming so your weekend break should help cool things down.
- Make sure to make your own notes in a text file that you can print later for reference. Formulas, tips for tricky Verbal question types etc.
- Attempt a mock test 30-40 days into your preparation and see how you fare. Again mark your weak areas, scratch out strong areas until the final few weeks before the test when you need to revise all your concepts using your notes and then practice Official Guide questions as much as possible.

[quote="EMPOWERHi emin777,

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 (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.

I'd like to know a bit more about your timeline and goals:
1) What is your goal score?
2) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
3) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

Based on what you've described about your plans so far, I can see a couple of potential issues:

1) Your list of study materials is 'book-heavy', but taking a book-heavy study approach might not be enough to help you to hit your goals. Many Test Takers who use a book-heavy study approach tend to get 'stuck' at a particular scoring level, so you will probably need to invest in some additional non-book materials.
2) It sounds like you're considering putting in heavy study hours each day, week after week, for several months. That type of high volume studying can sometimes lead to 'burn out' - and that is a consequence that you'll want to avoid.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich[/quote]

Hello!

Thanks for your reply.

My goal score is the one that will be solid for top MBA programs in the US.
I am planning to apply in the second round, end of December 2017 - early January 2018
Top 10 MBA schools

All advice and assistance are greatly appreciated.

Should I take both of gmat prep CATs? If yes, I will take them in 1-2 days and update you on the scores.

Emin

Dear Jedit,

I will attempt both CATs in 1-2 days and update you on the results, so that we can come up with something specific. Do you suggest to practice OG 1 month before the big day? I have so many books and exams at my disposal - I am scared I will not be able to finish them on time.

Emin

Hello there,

I have just completed the first GMAT prep exam:

Integrated Reasoning - Scaled score 4; Percentile 37
Quant - Scaled score 47; Percentile 73
Verbal - Scaled score 35; Percentile 74

Total: Scaled score 670; Percentile 84

Now, could we proceed with my study plan or do I have to take the second exam as well?

Thanks!
Emin

That is an exceptionally good result IMO. If you think you can earmark areas where you find yourself weak by giving a second CAT, go ahead. If not, start studying the concept books starting from your weak areas. Starting today or tomorrow, go to GMATCLUB's workbook (scroll to the top of the page) and attempt all 8 (4+4) Quant and Verbal questions. With time, it will build your profile, record your history and start giving you customized questions that are suited precisely to improve your scores further. They will get tougher with time.
It is vitally important you do an autopsy of the questions you answered wrong and see if it was accidental or an entirely new concept. For a new concept, read about it from your resources and then click similar questions on the post and attempt more of those questions to make yourself more adept at handling questions that test that particular concept. Search this forum for https://gmatclub.com/chat or other social media groups, join a couple of those and see what fellow hopefuls are doing and then fine tune your preparation early on to save you time later.

Hi emin777,

Now that you've taken that initial CAT score, you should NOT take another CAT so soon (there would be no point and you would just end up 'wasting' that CAT). A CAT is really a 'measuring device' - when used correctly, it will give you a realistic score and help define your strengths and weaknesses, but it will NOT help you to fix any of those weaknesses. To raise your scores, you have to put in the necessary practice and repetitions. The CAT will show you whether your studies are helping you to improve or not. As such, you really shouldn't take more than 1 FULL CAT per week.

The next logical step should be to review this CAT with the intent of trying to define WHY you got questions wrong. After reviewing each section, how many questions did you get wrong....
1) Because of a silly/little mistake?
2) Because there was some math/verbal that you just could not remember (or did not know) how to do?
3) Because the question was too hard?
4) Because you were low on time and had to guess?

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