Hi all,
I'm currently using the
MGMAT self-study program (set of 8 books and downloaded classes/tutorials) and following their self-study organizer to prepare for the GMAT.
It's a 9-week program to get through all the
MGMAT material, plus another 2-3 weeks afterwards to drill exams and practice problems. Considering how I'm currently unemployed, I have a lot of time to really crack the whip on studying. I spend about 5 hours a day, 6 days a week in the library.
The self-study organizer is great, as it helps me organize what to exactly study (in terms of readings, questions, etc) week-by-week. I'm currently wrapping up Week 2, however I'm finding that I'm struggling just to keep on top of all of the work each week. My 30 hours of studying per week is spent JUST to be able to get through all of the material assigned each week. I figure 9 weeks of this, plus another 2-3 weeks afterwards of hardcore exam prep, will put me at about 400-450 hours of studying total... and that's A LOT.
I was originally hoping to be able to cut the 9-week study into 5-6 weeks, to get through all the
MGMAT books in that time, and then go through 2-3 weeks of exam prepping given the amount of time I spend on studying right now. But that doesn't look feasible right now.
For those of you who've used
MGMAT, do you have any tips on how to study more effectively and efficiently? If I'm spending 30 hrs a week studying, shouldn't I be progressing faster (i.e. getting through the Weeks 1-9 of
MGMAT at a more accelerated pace)? Or is this on par with what I should be expecting? I'm doing all of the readings, making notes after each chapter's readings, watching the online classes and tutorials and making notes, doing all of the In Action problem sets after each chapter, and finally doing the assigned
OG problems.
I find that making notes takes up a lot of my time when studying - would it be wise to stop note-taking and just re-read the chapters later on? Maybe highlight my books instead of taking notes? Should I focus my time on doing the problems? What are your strategies?
And should I look at maybe not spending as much time on the Advanced Sections of the
MGMAT books? I've read on here that they're not really worth focusing on as these types of questions don't show up as much on the GMAT?
I'm looking to get a 700+ on my first shot so focusing a lot of time these next 2 months to nailing the self-study portion.
Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated.