Searching for a suitable & effective GMAT study plan

Question

Hi everyone,

I need some suggestions regarding GMAT study plan. I've tried to study the MANHATTAN books, however, wasn't able to maintain the regularity. I can study at max for 1 month in a regular basis (around 12 hours weekly), but then lose my concentration and ended up having no study at all later (that's how I previously lost my track several times). As as result, all the concepts and everything started to feel like new again.

Now, I am really confused about my study plan and also about my study method. So, here I need some fruitful advice on these below mentioned particular issues:

Is this self-study method not working or is it a general problem of losing concentration in self-study?

How are the online courses? Is online course platform a good study method over self-study? If so, then which one could be a solid platform for overall
improvement?

After almost 3 months, I am again trying to focus on GMAT (lol). This time I really need a solid plan to study. In terms of my GMAT knowledge, I know the exam structure and question patters. In addition, I am targeting late November or 1st week of December for the actual GMAT test. So, roughly, I've got 4 months. Moreover, this time, I also gave the Official GMAT practice test 1 & 2 in the same day (I didn't get the result of my first test, that's why, out of frustration, I gave the 2nd one after 3 hours!

). The score was definitely very very bad (350-V17, Q20), but I believe I couldn't give my full effort on the last test. However, I want to start with this 350 as my first CAT score. As you can see I need to improve heavily, however, I believe this coming 4 months are enough to secure a standard score. My goal is to secure 650 or above but not below.

Sorry for the long post. I am a full-time working professional.

Thanks in advance.

). The score was definitely very very bad (350-V17, Q20), but I believe I couldn't give my full effort on the last test. However, I want to start with this 350 as my first CAT score. As you can see I need to improve heavily, however, I believe this coming 4 months are enough to secure a standard score. My goal is to secure 650 or above but not below. Sorry for the long post. I am a full-time working professional. Thanks in advance.

himadeepm · Answer

Hi ,

I can relate to you.I was in the same situation couple of months back.The deal is do not give up and start practicing.
Please find the below resources I followed and improved my accuracy to 650 from around 500.
1.CR- Power score Cr bible(learn each topic and practice 600 level and then 700 level og questions in gmat club forum)
2.SC- watch ron and gmat ninja videos and practice 600 level and then 700 level og questions in gmat club forum for each topic
3.Quant - practice 600 level and then 700 level og questions in gmat club forum for each topic and then complete gmat club forum quant tests(slightly higher difficulty than actual gmat)

All the best .Please like it if you do find it useful

pibenjamin01 · Answer

Thanks himadeepmovva for your suggestion on the practice materials. I think I need to practice more OG questions rather than brushing up the basics again and again.

bb · Answer

I would suggest that you make hand written notes for every chapter in the Manhattan books.

Make sure you do some exercises after every chapter and you do regular review of your previous chapters. It seems your issue is being able to concentrate and that’s some thing you need to solve yourself. Nobody can solve that for you.

Posted from my mobile device

pibenjamin01 · Answer

Yes, absolutely. Concentration and time management are the areas for me to focus. For some unavoidable reasons, I always experience some time gap in my study and that's definitely not helping.

Thanks for your suggestion bb.

GMATWhizTeam · Answer

Hi,

First of all, it is good that you have identified that you need a good study plan to score well on GMAT. The reason for losing your concentration after a month might be because of not having clear deadlines. Having proper deadlines helps you to stay focused and also helps you to finish the tasks scheduled for the week. 
Self-preparation might not be the cause for losing concentration. Self-study is reliable only if you have a proper study plan and if you use a standard resource to study. If you feel, self-study often distracts you, I would recommend you to go for a private tutoring course.

As you are looking for an online course, make sure the  online course provides you with a personalized study plan which is integrated with the course . I emphasize on personalized study plan because the plan should be in sync with the number of hours you can dedicate in a week, which is 12 hours in your case. And the plan has to be integrated with the course because it will help you focus on your preparation by eliminating the time required to arrange the topics according to the weekly schedule. An online course is definitely reliable but make sure that you choose the one that is suitable for you. Let me share my insights on how to choose the best online course.

The best way to select the course is to check the free trial of the course and then decide whether it is suitable for you or not. I’m also sharing a link of a blog regarding “The key factors to consider while evaluating the right course”. You can read through it to understand how to evaluate any course.
  Link to the blog

If you are open to suggestions, I would like you to take a look at the course offered by GMATWhiz. It is one unique course which offers you the best quality content and employs an artificial intelligence driven learning. It offers you a personalized study plan which is integrated with the course. The concept booster and practice quizzes after every concept video help you solve GMAT like questions using the right methodology. It offers you real time improvement modules so that you can work on your weaker areas right away.

There are many more exciting features offered by the course. I would recommend you to check the free trial of GMATWhiz before taking the decision. Finally, I would like to end with a stat that GMATWhiz has an  average score improvement of 117 points  which is the highest in the industry.

I hope you find this helpful and I wish you take the right decision. You can always contact us if you have any further queries regarding the GMAT preparation or choosing the right course. I’m also sharing a link of scheduling a free consultation call in case you wish to discuss one on one.
  Click here to schedule a call

You can also check our private tutoring course and schedule a free demo session using the same link above.

pibenjamin01 · Answer

Thanks for all the time and effort that you put in to write down this suggestion. I'll definitely have a look into your blog and study plan before making any decisions on online course.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi pibenjamin01,
 
To answer your second question, yes, I do think that an online course would be a good option for self-study. To see what is available, 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.

Also, would you like some general advice on how to improve your verbal and quant skills?

You also may find it helpful to read the following articles:

The Phases of Preparing for the GMAT

How to Learn More, Learn Faster, and Retain More Knowledge While Preparing for the GMAT

Good luck!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi pibenjamin01,

Many GMATers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores, so if you have only ever been able to study for 1 month at a time, then that might help to explain why you are not scoring higher yet. Thankfully, you have given yourself plenty of potential study time before you plan to take the Official GMAT, but you will have to commit to a consistent study routine (and not stop studying) to hit your Goal Score. Raising a 350 to the point that you can consistently score 650+ will take a great deal of training - and you'll have to make significant improvements to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections. Thankfully, the GMAT is a consistent, predictable Exam, so you CAN train to score at a higher level.

Regardless of how you choose to continue your studies, you will need some new CATs/mocks to work with. While the most realistic CATs available are the 6 from GMAC, retaking a CAT that you've already taken is NOT a realistic way to assess your skills - since you will likely see some 'repeat' questions that you have already faced. Unfortunately, seeing even a couple of repeats can 'throw off' the Scoring Algorithm and impact your pacing, energy levels, fatigue, etc. (meaning that they would likely all appear to be better than they actually are). Thankfully, the CATs from Kaplan, MGMAT and Veritas are all 'close enough' to the real thing that they will provide you with a relatively realistic score assessment (assuming that you correctly take the CAT in a realistic fashion) - so you can use any NEW CATs from any of those sources next.

Before I can offer you any additional advice for your studies, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

1) Have you used any other study materials besides the books that you mentioned?
2) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to?
3) Going forward, how many hours do you think you can consistently study each week?

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

pibenjamin01 · Answer

Thanks Scott for sharing your thoughts on my self-study issue. Moreover, those articles are well written and helpful. I'll definitely try to make the best use of the remaining time as time is gradually running out for me.

pibenjamin01 · Answer

Thanks Rich for your detailed thoughts on my problems. As per your queries:

1) No, just those mentioned books. 
2) Early January 2021, I am targeting Canadian business schools (Smith, Schulich, Telfer etc, however, not for MBA)
3) I guess the same (10-12 hours per week)

Gmatsaiyan · Answer

You can follow this study plan:-
https://gmatclub.com/forum/gmat-study-p ... ml?fl=menu
https://gmatclub.com/forum/gmat-self-pr ... tml?f=menu

Courses that can help with your prep:-
https://gmatclub.com/forum/best-gmat-co ... ml?fl=menu

Best books for Quants:-
https://gmatclub.com/forum/best-gmat-ma ... ml?fl=menu
Best books for Verbal:-
https://gmatclub.com/forum/best-gmat-ve ... ml?fl=menu

Best Gmat practice tests:-
https://gmatclub.com/forum/all-gmat-pra ... tml?fl=men

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi pibenjamin01,

While you could potentially improve a great deal if you could commit to 10-12 hours a week of study, that would still be on the 'light' end of the scale. For example, the time it takes to complete a FULL CAT/mock and properly review it would likely require at least 8 hours - so if you ended up studying just 2 additional hours each week that you take a CAT, then your progress would likely be slower than you want it to be.

That having been said, you have plenty of time before the application deadlines that you are planning for - which is great! Based on all of the information that you have provided so far, you would likely find it beneficial to invest in a GMAT Course of some type (either Guided Self-Study or instructor-led), so you should plan to look into the available options. Most GMAT Companies offer some type of free materials (practice problems, Trial Accounts, videos, etc.) that you can use to 'test out' a product before you buy it. We have a variety of those resources at out site (www.empowergmat.com). I suggest that you take advantage of all of them then choose the one that best matches your personality, timeline and budget.

If you have any additional questions, then you can feel free to contact me directly at any time.

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

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

My pleasure!

MathRevolution · Answer

Hello pibenjamin01,

GMAT is not as easy as we assume. GMAT math is logic, and GMAT verbal is a real test of English as a language. A score of 350 is shaky and far indeed from the score of 700. So, it is all about raising 350 pointers. We will like to recommend specific vital points which will be helpful.

A discipline plan of study and a reliable source will make your journey comfortable. Divide the number of available hours, and you should get used to it. For the first 3 hours of study, focus on concept learning. Take a break for say 20 minutes and then try 600 level questions. Track your performance.Take one section/ topic at one time. Don't mix up.

In short, the plan that we will suggest you is:

Primary concept building --- try 600 level question--- take mock test ---- learn alternative methods and shortcuts ---- try 700+ level question --- take mock tests.

First, you should focus on building a robust conceptual ground for verbal and quant. For verbal refer OG or Aristotle grail. And for RC and CR, you will get standard questions on this forum. For quant, you may take up our 5-hour lesson for a refresher. It is available on https://www.mathrevolution.com.

You may also check our free trial lessons and free videos. Also, take a diagnostic test and inspect your performance after preparing your concepts.

Once you do that, take the Q 51 shortcut module to learn agile approaches to save you the official exam time. For verbal, try solving 700+ level questions. And then, take as many as mock tests to track your performance.

Let us know if you have further questions.
You can reach us at info@mathrevolution.com.
Success is within your reach.
Good luck!
Punit Joshi

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