GMAT Study Plan: Low Cost Online Study Courses

GMAT Study Plan: The Online Study Route

Online education and GMAT Courses in particular have gone a long way in the last few years. Today you can get a full course with many tests and thousands of questions for less than $150. That's less than what you would pay for a set of books. This option is different from the traditional Course or the self-study Book approach and we feel finally deserves a discussion of its own.

Advantages of the Low Cost Online Self Study Courses

• Breadth and Depth - of then they are able to incorporate more study elements/pieces than a book would
• "Instructor-lead" approach
• Can be taken anywhere
• Many come with free access to the GMAT Club tests (great value!)
• Cost can be often more effective than a set of books (esp if shipping is expensive)
• Updated content and ability to ask questions/receive support - many courses offer a certain level of support

Weaknesses of the Low Cost Online Self Study Courses:

• No paper - if you are used to textbooks, this may not be for you
• Illusion of progress: watching videos may be an easy way to study but you need to think/analyze/process, not just watch videos
• Distractions - you can usually isolate yourself with a book but having a computer with FB, Youtube, etc in front of you, may not be easy to focus on the lessons
• There is usually support but it is not the same as having an instructor walk you through each lesson

Step 1: Evaluate if the online study approach is for you. Many of the providers such as e-GMAT, Magoosh, and Math Revolution offer free evaluations of their full products. Target Test Prep and EMPOWERgmat offer free trials of the full product for 3 or 5 days: https://gmatclub.com/forum/free-trials-196374.html. Some of the older folks like me have a bit of a harder time not having a book in front of us since that's how we have been trained to study. However, if you take a look at the reviews of the online courses, there are many folks who find them effective (over 3,000 reviews).

Step 2: Figure out what low cost course/option you like the best. There are many flavors and features:

• Score guarantee (e-GMAT, Economist, Magoosh, Math Revolution)
• Intensive (Target Test Prep and EMPOWERgmat)
• Self-study (Economist, Magoosh, Target Test Prep, EMPOWERgmat, Math Revolution) vs. Instructor lead options (some of the e-GMAT's courses are instructor-lead)
• Offers Free evaluations (Math Revolution, Economist and Magoosh)
• Quant (Math Revolution and Magoosh) - you can purchase only the quant or the verbal portion of the course
• Verbal (Economist, e-GMAT, Magoosh, Target Test Prep, EMPOWERgmat) -you can purchase only the quant or the verbal portion of the course
• Full length CATs (Economist has 4, Magoosh has 2)

Step 3: Figure out if there are other materials you need. You probably have a use for the OG at the least. Some other suggestions may include:

• MGMAT Roadmap book with study tips
• Topic specific books from Kaplan, MGMAT, or Vertias Prep such as SC, CR, or RC
• Veritas Prep Free question bank
• Math Revolution Question Bank
• Test Simulation Booklet
• Additional CAT's - some books such as MGMAT's guides come with free access to their online CAT's; also Kaplan Premier with Tests comes with 5 CAT's
• GMAT Club Grammar book - free
• Mobile Apps - some courses come with apps (MGMAT, Veritas Prep, and Magoosh); also there is GMAT Toolkit for iOS and Android from GMAT Club

Have you taken a course? Share your experience with others using GMAT Club Reviews