Recommendation on GMAT Prep.

Question

Hello all. I am currently working full-time in the US and have hectic work hours. I decided a few weeks ago to pursue a MBA program in India and noticed have very little time left to write my GMAT to target the IIM-A/B/C E-PGP 1 year programs and ISB PGP program. Booked GMAT exam in 7 weeks from now (Oct 29th). Gave 1 practice test from GMAC and got a 480

. Trying to get into 650+ range within the next 6 weeks. I have good academics and should be able to make a strong case with a 650+ score. Any insights apart from analyzing mistakes made on the 1st practice test, maintaining error log etc.? Would an online program help me or stick to self-study? Thanks in advance.

bb · Answer

Hi. What are you using to learn math, grammar, get CR strategies, and RC approaches? That does not come from mistake analysis 😬

sayeedzeeshan · Answer

I bought the Manhattan Guides for GMAT. It contains All the Quant, All the Verbal, ALl the IR & Essay. I also bought the Foundations of Math from Manahattan to brush up my concepts. I don't think I would be able to cover it all in 7 weeks with a full time job

bb · Answer

that’s a good package. But you have about half the time you need to cover it 😬

And you’re looking to improve by 170 points at least. That’s a tall order unless you made a lot of silly mistakes.

The bottom line is that improvement takes time and while speed is not universal, your improvement will depend on how well you can process the material and the apply it.

You can definitely try. One way that a lot of people waste a lot of time is solving thousands of questions. That’s really an unnecessary step to solve the same questions over and over. It’s important to do exercises and questions after every topic you cover but I wouldn’t do more than 15 or 20. Or maybe even just 10.

I can tell you that cramming is the part that most tutors and experts despise. It makes preparation non-uniform and while you cover material, you never know what’s retained and what is not retained.

Ultimately this depends on you. I can see switching to a shorter format like Kaplan books or the Magoosh course. Both are more compact. You can pick up a set of used Kaplan books probably for 10 bucks or something like that. They usually don’t provide as much improvement as Manhattan but you can cover them probably in half the time because they are less intense. Again I think a lot of this depends on your ability to cover material. I don’t see a way around covering material.

There’s a bit of a dilemma. On one hand you’re looking for speed which means less improvement and on the other hand you need 170 points of improvement which usually is on the higher end of effort and I would say only about 10% -15% of people improve by that degree. Average improvement being I think around 100 points.

So I don’t know. I can see trying it out and see if you can get there. You can pick up the cabin box and see if you can move faster there but don’t use both sets. Stick to one course or book set and don’t switch, esp in the last few weeks.

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sayeedzeeshan · Answer

Thanks for your detailed response and inputs.

Considering I am facing a time-crunch, I will go with what I have and see how it pans out. I will try covering all the material and solving 20 questions from each topic and then move on to the next topic trying my best to retain the concepts. I will stick to Manhattan since I already started the 1st chapter in Foundation of Math. Will give my second free practice test in 3 to 4 weeks from now when I have covered most of the material to see if my study of concepts, strategies has helped made any improvements on my baseline practice test score of 480.

bb · Answer

Sounds good. I think that’s a good plan of action. I would perhaps just spending five minutes and sketching out the calendar and the plan of attack for the next seven weeks that you half and see how it all fits into it. That will help you track if you were on time or falling behind or perhaps going ahead of schedule.

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Posted from my mobile device

sayeedzeeshan · Answer

Yes that makes sense. I'll chalk out a plan to cover all the chapters in QUANT and VERBAL books and see where I stand. Thanks this is golden advice.

bb · Answer

👍😇 I think there’s a post somewhere about GMAT schedule but you can use a basic calendar template in word to sketch it out. You can also use a whiteboard or a piece of paper. Doesn’t need to be fancy.

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Posted from my mobile device

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi sayeedzeeshan, I've sent you a PM with some notes and additional questions. GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made, Rich Contact Rich at: Rich.C@empowergmat.com

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

Consider checking out the gmatclub study plan post. Two consecutive Official Mock scores where you hit your target score is a good sign you are ready. You may want to check the Share GMAT Experience subforum to get a sense how long it takes for score improvement. People may differ. Had a 6-hour student who went from a V31 to a V40 in about 30 days on a retake. Someone else may take longer depending on their situation.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi sayeedzeeshan,

An online program could be great for you.

Regarding prep courses, in addition to seeking advice in this thread, take a look at the GMAT Club reviews for  the best quant  and  verbal courses , and also read through some  GMAT success stories  to see what materials have worked well for other test-takers.

Good luck!

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