Hi dheerajb,
Since you've posted this in another Forum, I've copied my response here:
With a late September or early October Test Day, you have about 3 months of study time, which is good. Since you've also defined your score goal, it's important to establish a 'baseline' score so that we can get a sense of your strengths and weaknesses.
There are 2 free CAT Tests that you can download from
www.mba.com; you should plan to take a FULL CAT (including the Essay and IR sections), then report back here with your scores. A FULL CAT takes about 4 hours to complete, so you should make sure that you've set aside enough time to do so in one sitting. If you want to do a little bit of light study to familiarize yourself with the question types before taking that CAT, then that would be fine, but you shouldn't wait too long to take that first CAT.
There are plenty of options when it comes to preparing for the GMAT besides taking a live class. Most GMAT companies offer some type of free resources (practice problems, Trial Accounts, videos, etc.), so that you can "test out" a product before you buy it. I suggest that you take advantage of all of them, then choose the one that best matches your personality, timeline and budget.
When are you planning to apply to Business School?
Do you know which Schools you want to apply to?
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich