Just starting to study GMAT with 1.5 month of total time

Question

Hello everyone,
I am a senior student looking to apply top UK Finance Master's after graduation. I need to start preparing for the GMAT, but I am not sure how to start, where to start.

I thought maybe measuring myself without any practice to create a route for my studies might be logical, so I am thinking of taking the one of the two official GMAT practice exam in mba com website since I heard it is the most realistic one.

I am familiar with the question types and structure of the exam so I don't think looking at the practice questions is needed initially. But, I am not sure whether to take official practice exam or another exam at first.

Also, since I came from a quantitative background and I am confident about the quant part of the GMAT, and I only need formula reminders and a little practice. On the other hand I am not a native english speaker and verbal part would be challenging for me. I don't know the detail of the GMAT prep tools but I am planning to use the Economist GMAT prep.

I know there is plenty of experts in here so I wanted to take your opininons

MathRevolution · Answer

Hello keksomek,

Welcome to the GMAT Club. It is one of the great platforms to get information about the GMAT official test, Study plan, Section wise instructions, etc.

To assist you better, we would request you to write back with the following questions:

1. What are your current score and target score? (You can mention the Diagnostic test score also)
2. How do you rate yourself in Quant and Verbal?

In a generalized way, to crack GMAT, you need a disciplined study plan, command on basic concepts, exposure to agile approaches, reliable resources, updated comprehensive material and mock tests, and an expert with whom you will be connected throughout your preparations.

You may also see to connect with experts online for your preparation.

As a GMAT instructor, I will first recommend taking our Free diagnostic test https://www.mathrevolution.com/diagnostic/dtExamMember and receiving a comprehensive study guide by topic. This test will clearly help you understand your weak areas. There are also many free materials available in the GMAT Club.

Time is precious and unstoppable at the same time. You can schedule a Free counseling session for 20 mins with one of our experts: https://calendly.com/mathrevolution for detailed advice on your study plans.

If you have a recent mock test score available with break up, kindly send it back to me.

Your diagnostic score will clarify what plan you should adopt to beat the GMAT. An initial mock rating will help to understand your concept knowledge of both sections.

Since we are a math expert, we will recommend you go through our post on the GMAT club, which gives a complete breakdown of Math. Breakdown of GMAT math questions and types: https://gmatclub.com/forum/overview-of- ... l#p1641411

We appreciate your time and patience in reading this reply.

Should you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected]

Success is within your reach.
Good luck!

Math Revolution Team

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi keksomek,

Many GMATers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores, so if you are going to limit yourself to just 1.5 months of study, then there will likely be a limit to how high you will be able to score. In addition, the Quant section of the GMAT is NOT a 'math test' - it's a 'critical thinking test' that requires lots of little calculations as you work through it. Coming from a 'Quant background' will benefit you in certain ways, but you should not assume at this point that you can "ace" the Quant section.

At this point, it would be a good idea for you to take one of the free practice CATs/mocks at www.mba.com (and those CATs come with some additional practice materials if you are interested). 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 3.5 hours to complete, so make sure that you've set aside enough time to take it in one sitting. Once you have that Score, you should report back here (or you can feel free to PM me directly) 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) What application deadlines are you facing?

760+: What GMAT Assassins Do To Score at the Highest Levels

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

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

For your first practice test, use one of the official ones, because an official test will give you the most accurate indication of where you stand and what the GMAT is like.

The one thing I'd suggest doing before you take that first test is practicing Data Sufficiency a bit so that you become accustomed to handling the format of DS questions. That way, you'll get an accurate picture of where you stand unaffected by any initial lack of experience with DS questions.

Meanwhile, since improving in verbal is your focus, you'll want to be clear about how to effectively prepare for GMAT verbal, which is not quite the same as how you've prepared for any previous test, since you have to both learn concepts and train effectively to apply them. So, to get a clearer sense of how to prepare for GMAT verbal, you could read the following post.

How to Score High on GMAT Verbal

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

For SC, working on memorizing the common idioms relevant to the GMAT can be helpful.

GMATWhizTeam · Answer

Hi keksomek, You can go through this article to understand the right way to prepare for GMAT. How to start preparing for GMAT? Taking a diagnostic test would help you analyse your current status of prep and the efforts required to be given in order to hit your target score. You can get back with your diagnostic test's score (along with the breakup) and also provide some context about: 1. The time you are able to devote to studying each day 2. Your target score Generally speaking, it can take around 300 hours (give or take) to prepare from scratch. This includes everything from concepts to mock tests. Of course it depends on a number of things such as your target score, your strengths and weaknesses, your structure of preparation, the resources you use, your pace of learning etc. Hence, your prep time will depend on all of the above factors. As GMAT is an adaptive test, I suggest you to go with an online course as it helps you take adaptive quizzes and provides you all the content on a single platform. The best way to choose an online course is to check out the free trials of the courses out there and then choose the one which suits you the most. But make sure to choose the course which can help you with not only the concepts but also the application of concepts. And it would be even better if the course can help you with the study plan as it will help you be clear of what to study on any given day. You can check out the free trial of GMATWhiz and take a decision. It is a personalized course that comes with an integrated study plan and adapts the content in real-time on basis of your performance. Here’s a link to our free trial – https://learn.gmatwhiz.com/?page=signup And I can definitely help you with the study strategy. GMAT is a test which focuses on application of concepts. So, you need to make sure that you learn not only the concepts but also their application. Please schedule a call with me using the link below so that I can guide you in a better way. Click here to schedule a call

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