How much time & what to study first, Verbal or Quantitative?

Question

I'm currently preparing my GMAT study schedule and prep plan. My current occupation is very numbers based and consequently, I seem to be doing better on the few quantitative problems I can find online than on the verbal problems. I'm planning on taking the test in mid March in order to meet an April 1st application deadline. This will gives me about 10 weeks to study for the test. How many weeks should I devote to each area, 50/50, 40/60, 30/70? Maybe more importantly, which area should I focus my preparation on first, the quantitative portion or the verbal portion and why?

lagomez · Answer

Depends because you have only taken a few quantitative problems. I would go to ManhattanGMAT.com and take a free test to see your weaknesses and go from there.

headache · Answer

Thank you for your reply. Would you say that the MGMAT sample test is a more accurate diagnostic than one of the two offered by mba.com?

lagomez · Answer

MBA.com has official questions and is, for the most part, what you would expect. Yes, MBA.com would have better questions.

However, manhattangmat scores are fairly accurate as well.

headache · Answer

I took the first of the two available prep tests from MBA.com My score is 610 (a little disappointed

), Q=39 with 15 incorrect, V=34 with 12 incorrect I am tentatively planning on taking the test on March 20th, which gives me 10 weeks of study time. With this in mind, how many weeks should I devote to each area and which area should I focus on first, the quantitative portion or the verbal portion?

lagomez · Answer

Try the free Manhattan test so that you can get a specific breakdown of your weaknesses. With those scores I would study both equally.

headache · Answer

Is one test really enough to pinpoint with decent accuracy what specific parts of the 5 Quantitative sections and 3 Verbal Sections are lagging significantly behind the others? If so, then I will take the free MGMAT test before working further on my prep plan.

If I am to give equal amounts of time to both areas, is there any strategy for studying one before the other, i.e., is someone more likely to retain Math skills as opposed to Verbal skills over a 3 month period of time and therefore should study the Quantitative portion first?

Also, I am planning to practice AWA section writing samples the last week before taking the test. I am planning this so that the templates can be fresh in my mind come test day and I won't have to expend too much energy in the AWA section. Is this a prudent approach?

Thanks again.

lagomez · Answer

You'll get a good idea. In addition, you will get time measurements so that will help to know. For example, if you are getting your geometry questions correct but spending 5 minutes on each that you might want to work on geometry even though you got those correct.

As far as time, I think it depends on whether English is your first language. I think the math is harder and you need to know more, so I would spend more time studying quant. However, if your English skills are lacking then perhaps you want to spend more time on Verbal. Based on your first practice exam, I would probably spend more time on quant. It's easier to improve on verbal, for example, in one week that it is on quant, in my opinion. Not to say you only have a week.

I think with regards to AWA, depends on your writing and English skills. In adcom's eyes a 6.0 is not going to get you in and a 5.0 is not going to decrease your chances. As long as you get a minimum then your fine. Yes, study the template but I wouldn't worry too much about it. Just score above a 4 or 4.5

DestinyChild · Answer

headache,

In principle agree alot with lagomez... that being said, scour this forum to check on the strategy and tactics on what works well... I am sure you can find something that matches your need and further tailor and tweak it...

About the diagnostics tests, keep an eye on the guess work versus conviction...

in Quants it may be straightforward apple to apple match with area (Geo, Probs, Comb, Num Prop etc.) that you may want to work on more than the other... whereas

in Verbal... no matter if you are native or not GMAT English requires years of bad habits broken away... the improvement in SC is supposedly quicker than CR & RC but again its individual to individual...

to make sure you wet your hands well enough... get rule of 20 going asap... 20 PS, DS, CR & SC a day... (could be 10 if that works well with your schedule) with 2-4 RC... try and keep error log... in about a week or more you will actually see a better pattern than simply starting with a diagnostic test.

and finally temperament and stamina to sit for CAT; no one is born with it; its an acquired taste... like TOFU

Practice not procastination will get you there...!
Clock in time at the forum and read success stories especially on a bad day ... will help to pump you up...!

DC

Practice not procastination will get you there...! Clock in time at the forum and read success stories especially on a bad day ... will help to pump you up...! DC

headache · Answer

DestinyChild - Thank you for your response. Are you suggesting that as I study I should do 20 questions a day in each area? That is an interesting approach, does it help make you more accurate at answering questions or just more comfortabe with the questions asked?

My plan (up until reading your post!): I purchased the 8 book ManhattanGMAT set and the GMAT official guide.

Weeks 1-3: Go through the 5 quantitative books reading each chapter and doing the practice problems at the end of each adding to the error log the questions I miss.
Week 4: Review the problems in my quantitative error log and take a ManhattanGMAT practice CAT every other day of only the quantitative portion. Find areas of quantitative that are still lagging.
Weeks 5-7: Go through the 3 verbal books reading each chapter and doing the practice problems at the end of each adding to the error log the ones I miss. Every other day I plan on doing a few randomly selected problems from the 5 quantitative books to maintain my comfort and knowledge level.
Week 8: Review the problems in my verbal error log and take a ManhattanGMAT practice CAT every other day of only the verbal portion. Find areas of verbal that are still lagging and keep it in the log.
Weeks 9-10: Review problem areas of Quantitative and Verbal. Take multiple full length tests the first three will be full length Manhattan GMAT prep tests so I can best understand the areas that are still lagging. Include in the last two weeks a review of the generally accepted format for AWA writing and take a couple practice writing tests.

Does this seem like a prudent plan? I am currently on day three of the first week and I have nearly completed the first strategy guide: Number properties.

Regarding the Manhattan GMAT strategy guides, each contains 2 official guide problem sets. Currently I am skipping these so that I don't waste the problems in the official guide. Is this is a good approach?

perseverance · Answer

Hey headache,
Seems like a good plan to me. It looks like your breaking up a lot of the sections of the practice exams.The only thing I would say is that when you take the full length practice exams be sure to do the writing portion of it as well (not sure if you were going to). This way you can really build your stamina and not be drained when the real exam comes along. Best of luck with your prep.

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