Online Prep - Specific or General Course?

Hi eduaber,

I think that you would probably find it easier to study for the TOEFL first before you study for the GMAT, but focusing on the GMAT first is fine.

Since 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.

Considering your overall goals, you would likely find it beneficial to invest in a GMAT Course of some type (either Guided Self-Study or instructor-led). Since you have lots of time before you plan to take the Official GMAT though, you should study on your own a bit first (if you choose) and enroll in a Course later on if need be.

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

Hi

It varies person to person whether to choose online course or self study, it depends on what you feel more efficient and effect for you.

I’m a non native so I’m assuming that I’ll have trouble with the verbal part.

Definitely E-GMAT is good for Non-Natives

I set my goal at April/18, so I have 6 full month to study

It is not a good idea to expand your preparations more than 4-4.5 month
Ideal time for prep is 4 month even for non natives
Daily 2,3 hours and weekly 12-15 hours study schedule is a good approach.

(Ex Magoosh) Why Magoosh is EX and not Present?

Hi Raj,

3 months should be good enough to achieve your target score. I would encourage you take one of the two GMAT PREP practice test. You can know your weaknesses and work on them. If you are willing to study dedicatedly for that period, 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. Apart from Math Revolution, you try out free access to EmpowerGMAT, Magoosh and Optimus Prep as they have great reviews on GMATCLUB.

Also for verbal, 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. 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.

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 a 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 practice 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/.

Hope this helps. All the best.

Hi Rich

I'm going to do like you said. I'll study first for the TOEFL and after the test I'll start my GMAT preparation.
I read at at least three posts that in the past it was easier to study for GMAT first but now, with the new TOEFL structure, its better to study for it first.

I've set my goals like this:

TOEFL test: early december. At least two full months to prepare
GMAT test: end of april/ early May. I'll have 4 to 5 months to study, considering that I'll have holidays in the end of december and probably will not study as i should

With this plan I have the chance to retake both test if I need.

Considering this change, I'll take my first CAT just in december.

Hi Raj.

Thanks for replying.

With the changes that I made in my initial plan I'll have just four to five months to prepare myself. It will be almost as you suggested .

Regarding to "EX Magoosh" that I wrote, the EX is as abbreviation for "Example" and not "Excluding" like probably you assumed. In portuguese it is very common, but maybe in english it's not.