Not planning on studying until 2014 - best way to study???

Question

Hi, My goal is to study the 1 year MBA at Said Business School, Oxford. However, I am not planning on studying my MBA until around 2014. My question to all of you more experienced GMAT gurus :-D

is what is the best way to study for the test given the timeframe? I guess what I am wanting to know is would it be best to study intensely for 3-6 months or alternatively study at a slower pace over say a period of 1-1.5 years? Thanks in advance for your help :-D

Cheers, Alex

desiaggie1980 · Answer

My 2 year old is not planning to start her MBA for next 22 yrs, I am wondering what study schedule to recommend her

, jokes apart, I think if you plan 6 months ahead of the D-day, that should be a decent way to go, if you can afford a 3 to 4-month intensive study, it should take you to a good level no matter where you are. Posted from my mobile device

KarishmaB · Answer

There are a couple of things you can start with right away to build a strong foundation for the time when you actually start studying for GMAT:
1. If English is not your first language, try and get into the habit of reading. It will help you a lot when you actually start preparing. Start with whatever you enjoy reading and then try and get through 2-3 books from every field.
2. Depending on how strong your Math is, try and allot some time to revision of high school Math. Solving equations, doing calculations quickly, making graphs, squares cubes of numbers etc.

Thereafter, 3-6 months will be quite enough.

40727610 · Answer

Haha hopefully I get into the course before your 2 year old :-D

English is my first language (I am from Australia) and I am fairly confident with that part of the exam. It is the maths section that will cause me the most problems, as I am hopeless without a calculator and not very quick. Lots of practice ahead of me. The main reason for this question is because some of my friends are studying for the GMAT now and I figured it would be best to have people to study with. Also, I could be studying before 2014 - never know what is going to happen. Cheers, Alex

thetiming · Answer

Well,

1) The GMAT tests your knowledge of American English and some prep providers are careful to point out the differences & peculiarities between American English & Commonwealth English. It may be a good idea to at least get the Sentence Correction materials from those fiends of yours, after they have no use for them.

2) You may take advantage of many free materials here on GMATClub - tests, notes people shared, sample questions with discussions, etc - you can solve questions (whenever you have 5-10 minutes and you want a puzzle) and automatically have a log of it in your GMATClub "workbook" (a great tool) - this way you will have a great diagnostic overview when the time comes...

In all, my recommendation is simple - get materials form your friends and read the Sentence Correction and Math stuff for fun when you have time + become regular here at the Club - solve questions here, accumulate sense of the broader picture (people share amazing stories, note, insight), learn from our mistakes and (hopefully) successes =)

Buy the relevant, updated materials 6 months before the actual test day, then the hardcore prep begins =) If you hang around, you will need no advice on what to do when this time comes, you will be an expert =)

40727610 · Answer

Hi,

Thanks for your reply 'thetiming.' I did not realise, that for the purpose of this exam, the difference between UK and US English would be important. Thanks for the tip. I will definitely be using this site a lot. I feel like there has been one of these style of forums for every part of my life - school, college, GMAT - now all I need is one for work :-D

I might sit one of those online practice GMAT tests this weekend to get an idea for areas of improvement and an approximate score. On that note, how accurate are these practice tests with providing a score?

Cheers,

Alex

I might sit one of those online practice GMAT tests this weekend to get an idea for areas of improvement and an approximate score. On that note, how accurate are these practice tests with providing a score? Cheers, Alex

thetiming · Answer

Use the official free GMATPrep software from GMAC.
 Download it from here .
It is as close to the real thing as it gets - not only the questions, but also the adaptive nature / algorithm.
The GMATClub tests are harder - they have been devised to be such intentionally.
 Here are some free tests .
Good luck!

menacel · Answer

1 to 2 years is wayyyyyy to long bro (or gal). You will likely end up forgetting what you learned in the beginning. In addition, most people work their hardest when they get closer to the deadline. 6 months should fully prep you. 3-4 will be good because you are more likely to be serious in that time frame.

also the GMATPREP is as real as it gets. I scored 580, 590, 680 (last one slightly inflated because I had two or three of the questions arleady) on my three attempts and got a 600 on test day.

mohater · Answer

A new GMAT is coming out in the next 2 years (a new section for integrated reasoning and perhaps a revamp of the test, yet to be seen). This makes anything said here worthless.

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Not planning on studying until 2014 - best way to study???

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