So after taking the Diagnostic Test in OG12, I realized that I am far behind many people in preparation for the GMAT. I scored in the
average columns for all categories, except Data Sufficiency, where I was
below average.Now, I am not entirely sure where this raw score would leave me. I'm assuming in the
low 400's. Regardless, I am going to attack the GMAT with a solid plan based around what I have gathered from the stickies.
I'm going to start by re-learning
all the basics. I realized that even simple quantitative problems were giving me immense frustration. The quantitative section appears to be my weakness, so that is where I am going to fine-tune first.
Just a quick background on me:
I'm 23, working for a Fortune 500 financial firm in New York City. I work as a part of a regional security operations and investigations group. I work approximately 45-70 hours a week, on a rotational basis. I've been here for over 18 months. I graduated from Rutgers Univ. with a Criminal Justice degree. My GPA was not spectacular; a 2.99/4.0.
I've never scored highly on any standardized tests, but I never actually cared enough to try (until now). In order to progress through my career, into upper-tier management positions, an MBA is almost necessary. I aim for either a specialization in general management or finance.
But I am getting ahead of myself
. The first step is nailing a high GMAT score to offset my poor undergrad GPA.
I have just started going through the Math Review section of the OG12. Additionally, I have downloaded the "Math Book" of GMATclub and will be reviewing that as well.
I plan to put in 10-15 hours a week on my off days in preparation. On top of this, I will be also studying during my downtime at work. If I had to approximate, it would come out to a total of 20-25 hours a week. The job can be demanding, but my #1 priority is on the future!
Thanks for reading. I will keep this updated on a very frequent basis.
edit: The plan is to prepare for 5-6 months and take the GMAT in January 2012. I aim to go from a completely "clueless" bum to someone who can attain a score of 700+.