Magoosh videos vs MGMAT 10 books? Which is better?

Question

I have just started my GMAT preparation. Aim is a 700+ score. Time 5 hour per day for 5 days. Total time for prep = 4 months.

I started following the Magoosh 3 month study plan and I am currently am Week one, Day 3.

There are certain problems I'm facing with this schedule. Here is my list of questions.

1. Should I follow the plan as it is or also add MGMAT all 8 guides?

2. The study plan dedicates a day to Quant followed by a day to Verbal. Isn't it better to have a Quant heavy month 1 followed by a Verbal heavy month 2 and integrate the two in month 3?

3. Another issue is for example, on Week one, day 3, we had 6 math videos. However, practice problems were from both quant and verbal? Won't that lead to wastage of questions since I haven't touched those topics??

4. Lastly, on every alternative day, we are asked to solve problems from the OG even though we haven't covered those topics in the videos? Wouldn't that lead to a wastage of OG questions?

Kindly help me address these specific questions and I'll be really grateful to you.

mikemcgarry · Answer

Dear parthjain68 , I'm happy to respond.

1) To some extent, the question of Magoosh videos vs. the MGMAT 10-book set is a chimera. Both are excellent: both contain everything a student needs for GMAT success. When a student ask about this choice, the missing variable is the student himself. You see, probably more than 80% of the GMAT test takers out there have all the information needed for a 700+ score, but only 10% get a 700+ score. Access to the information and what do you need to know are not the crucial issues. The crucial issues are: how deeply can you learn? How accurately can you remember? How well can you assimilate new information and relate it to what you already know? How diligent can you be? How dedicated can you be? How ready are you to break through your perceived limits? I talk often about the habits of excellence , because those habits cultivate the mindset that allow one to get the most from the good sources. In practical terms, I will say: if you can afford the book and have the time, by all means use the MGMAT 10-book set! I don't think either Magoosh or the MGMAT books has significantly more information than the other, but they talk about the same topics in different ways, and hearing a topic in two different ways is one good way to develop a deeper understanding of it. 2) The plan has you switching back-and-forth frequently between verbal and math because you are going to have to make that switch on test day. The plan is designed so that you develop mental agility. As with physical agility, it can feel uncomfortable to do the exercises to develop it, but once you have it, you can perform better. (3) & (4) The Magoosh study schedule is designed so that you encounter many questions at the beginning the topics of which you have yet to cover. First of all, this is another example of the way that the plan develops your mental agility, the agility to jump from topic to topic. See this blog: GMAT Study Approaches: Systematic vs. Random More importantly, the fact that you are calling these a "waste" tells me you don't understand the deeper purpose here. First, I am going to have you read two blogs: a GRE blog: Good! I Got it Wrong! a GMAT blog: Studying for the GMAT: Learning from Your Mistakes You see, if you do all the work recommended in those blogs, you potentially have a ton to learn from each and every question you get wrong. By comparison, what do you really have to gain from a question you get right? Yes, you get a small boost of satisfaction, a small boost to your confidence, which certainly is important, but not a whole lot of learning happens when you get a question right. Because we want to maximize your learning, we have designed the schedule so that you are likely to get many questions wrong at the beginning. If you view this as a waste and don't take full advantage of it, you are overlooking what is potentially the most impactful part of the entire plan. Does all this make sense? Mike

Mo2men · Answer

Hi,

You had informative reply from  mikemcgarry . As a student, I may give my 2 cents.

1- You can follow any plan you want. I love GMATclub or magoosh plan. I did not like plan of MGMT.

2- In verbal, I would use only SC book and others are not that. For CR, Power score is the best. In RC, Magoosh offers good strategies to follow.

3- In math, I have not used them to give a view. In math, I prefer videos and someone talk but not reading a book. (Maybe it is a habit).

4- Magoosh questions and explanation are of high quality. I sued to practice the concepts. MGMAT has powerful mock exams. In all cases, I may search for other solutions other provided in GMATclub.

5- Do not forget the OG accompanied by above sources, especially in verbal.

Good luck

ss3617 · Answer

If you are good at quants, you can skip MGMAT SGs for quants and go for videos alone.

Magoosh videos vs MGMAT 10 books? Which is better?

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