How to Prepare for the GMAT?

Question

Hi everyone! 
So I am currently a junior and I just bought a GMAT prep book that comes with online resources but I feel like I am completely lost and not sure exactly how to study for it or where to even start. Should I take a practice test then just work on my weak points?

Any tips will be helpful.

EREZexamPAL · Answer

Hi

If you are aiming for a high score I suggest to take a GMAT course.
In general - although some people can do quite well with a book - it's not recommended to use books to study for a computer adaptive test. Books are definitely not adaptive and might waste your time as you solve questions that are not in your level. Also, some of them lack explanations, and the Official Guide has some of the most tedious explanations.

There are many courses out there and some of them are giving away something for free so you could try them out. At examPAL we give all our video lessons for free.

Taking a mock test with no preparation will only tell you that you are not ready. The concept of working on your weaknesses makes sense when you are further down the road. Since the GMAT is not like any other test it is best to start from the basics and have a solid plan on what to study every day instead of just trying to take a test and improve specific areas. You will end up chasing your own tail just because you don't have the basics.

When do you plan to start preparing?
Do you have a target score?

HKD1710 · Answer

Take a practice test cold. and then figure out what areas need more attention. I wrote this post to show how to go about the entire prep. This small posts also has multiple other useful URLs. See here - https://gmatclub.com/forum/need-guidanc ... l#p1972369 Any query you have after reading this, please post. Happy to help

rohan2345 · Answer

Hi torib2015, You should dedicate around 4 months to prepare for GMAT. You should start by giving GMATPREP to learn more about your performance. You can then know your weaknesses and work on them. If you are willing to study dedicatedly for 4 months, you are sure to achieve your goal. I believe you may benefit from taking a GMATPREP course. If you are willing, there are some great GMAT prep companies that can help you with your preparation. In order to make an informed decision I would highly encourage you to go to their websites and try on their free trial and decide for yourself which one do you like better. Further I see you are a new member here at GMATCLUB and when you sign up at GMATCLUB you get a free 3 days access to EMPOWERgmat course. In fact it is the only way to get the deal which is very cool. You can free access to Magoosh and Optimus Prep so try those out as well. Also I would highly encourage you to consider e-gmat verbal online or the e-gmat verbal live course. They are both amazing courses especially designed for non-natives and they are both within your budget. They offer almost 25% of their courses for free so you can try out their free trial to decide which one you want to go for. Plus the e-gmat Scholaranium which is included in both the courses is one of the best verbal practice tools in the market. You can easily track your progress in that you can identify your strengths and analyze and improve on your weak areas. You can also try out the MGMAT guides they are phenomenal and cover the entire syllabus well. I must add that if you are particularly looking to discover and improve on your weak areas in quant; a subscription to GMATCLUB tests is the best way to do that. They are indeed phenomenal and will not only pinpoint your weak areas but also help you improve on them. Further taking multiple mocks might help. Apart from the GMATPREP, Manhattan GMAT tests and Veritas Prep Tests in my experience have good verbal and Quant section and will certainly help you point out and improve your weak areas. Further another advantage of taking many mocks is to build up your stamina. Apart from the GMATPREP tests, taking practise tests of any major GMATPREP company ought to do that. I would also encourage you to purchase the latest version of OG and the verbal review for some great additional practice. Here is a link that will help you with your decision. https://gmatclub.com/forum/best-gmat-ve ... 68383.html Lastly, you can check out a very interesting article by Mike McGarry from Magoosh detailing a 3 month study plan https://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/3-month-g ... -students/. You will find it very helpful as it gives out a study plan as per your needs. Hope this helps. All the best.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Best Books 1. Manhattan GMAT Quant Guides 2. Manhattan GMAT Verbal guides or Aristotle Verbal Guide for CR critical reasoning bible is best book with 300+ pages of comprehensive Data Start with Quant, learn the concepts tested on GMAT. After learning, practice your learned section with timed practice. You can also take quizzes to meet the pace of GMAT. 1 Month for learning concepts and 15 days of practice and same with the verbal. When completed all the concepts learning and handsome practice. Take full lenght CATs, know your estimated score. Analyze the result with Correct/incorrect questions, pacing analysis trace your mistakes and learn from them, make an error log to know your mistakes in the previously attempted questions Best Mocks 1. Official GMAC (50+50$) 2. Manhattan GMAT (49$) Other Useful Links Best GMAT Courses https://gmatclub.com/forum/best-gmat-co ... ml?fl=menu GMAT Study Plan https://gmatclub.com/forum/gmat-study-p ... ml?fl=menu https://gmatclub.com/forum/gmat-self-pr ... tml?f=menu Best Books Quant https://gmatclub.com/forum/best-gmat-ma ... ml?fl=menu Verbal https://gmatclub.com/forum/best-gmat-ve ... ml?fl=menu All GMAT CATs https://gmatclub.com/forum/all-gmat-pra ... ml?fl=menu GMAT Timing Strategies https://gmatclub.com/forum/timing-strat ... ml?fl=menu Good Luck

saswata4s · Answer

Hi, 
Welcome to the club! I suggest a few things:

1. Install the free GMATPREP software and take TEST1. Take the full test at one go. It will give you an idea where you stand now.
2. Get the Manhattan Books. Prepare for the next 2 months thoroughly. Study 3-4 hrs everyday (preferably 2hrs in morning and 2 hrs in evening) for 5 days/week. Take 2 days off.
3. Practice from Official guide and review each answer choice why it is right or wrong.
4. Once you complete step2, take the GMATPREP TEST1 again(dont waste TEST2! GMATPREP tests are really valuable!). Identify your weakness and put more focus on those areas(but dont forget to review other areas).

By the time you complete step3, you'll have fair idea about GMAT and how it works. Then you can take any course you feel necessary as suggested by Rohan. Best of luck!.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi torib2015,

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 free from 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 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 take the GMAT?
3) When are you planning to apply to Business School?

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

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