Self study or lessons

Question

Guys should i choose self study or lessons?

There are some classes here in Greece but i have no idea if they are really worth the extra money . They say they use manhattan and kaplan adaptive tests and questions.

The average class size is 10-15 people and this programs cost twice - three times more than buying all the mGmat ,powerscore creatical reasoning bible and og (verbal and quant).

They also don't give you any books but only photocopies of og kaplan and manhattan. Yeah it's illegal i guess but that's how those guys work here in Greece to prepare students for the test.

OptimusPrepJanielle · Answer

Hi born222,
The best way to understand more about a course/classroom is to go through the reviews from the students. If you can manage to get some reviews from those who have studied there, you can make a more informed decision. Classroom courses are always the most expensive ones and many times not needed by the students. You might do just fine with a book/online course too.

You need to build the concepts/fundamentals before you jump in solving the problems. You can do so by choosing one of the following ways:

1. In person classes/private tutoring
2. Online classes
3. Self paced online preparatory course
4. Book heavy approach

Whatever you choose, make sure that you choose one. Because GMAT tests you on some concepts and fundamentals that you can learn from a course. Most of the preparatory companies including ours offer a free trial of our course. You can take the trial and see if the course suits your needs.
In addition to the preparatory material, buy the Official Guides(both the Official Guide and the Verbal Review), Question Pack 1 and the 6 official mock CATs. They should be an indispensable part of your preparation.

You need close to 3 months to prepare well for the GMAT.

1. Understand the concepts and fundamentals before jumping into problem solving
2. Solve full length CATs including AWA and IR. You can get two free GMAT Prep mock CATs and can purchase two more from mba.com
3. Make sure you solve the official questions from the Official Guide

As a first step in your preparation, I would recommend you to sit for a GMAT prep mock CAT and find out your current standing. You can download 2 free tests from mba.com

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

HI born222,

If what you're saying is true, then that activity IS absolutely illegal. It should make you question how they conduct business and the type of training that they'll actually offer you. What is the name of that company? Is there a website for it?

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

EducationAisle · Answer

Following are some of the points that will work for you if you join coaching. If none of these points resonate with you, then chances are that you do not need coaching:

1.  Speed up the on-boarding process : If you are starting cold, then chances are that you would spend significant amount of time to just get into the groove.

2.  Study Resources : For unsuspecting students who are self-preparing, chances are that they would burn their fingers a few times, before realizing the sanctity of authentic study-material for GMAT. If you join a coaching institute, then obviously the institute would ensure that you have firsthand access to the best study material.

3.  Instructors : Passionate and genuine Instructors of GMAT can make every dollar and every minute of yours, worth the experience. However, if self-learning is something that has always worked for you, then perhaps this is a point that would not appeal to you too much.

4.  Support outside the classes : Apart from the classes, coaching provides an invaluable support with concepts and doubt clarification all through your GMAT journey. In the current scenario, there actually are some good freely available support forums (such as GMATClub) available for students.

5.  Structured approach : The kind of material that you need to get access to, the sequence in which you should be studying the various concepts, and the best sources of those concepts are few pieces of the GMAT puzzle that coaching centers would have solved for you.

6.  Discipline and group-study : Classroom coaching, by its virtue of fixed timings, rigorous schedule, and predefined pace, would necessitate that you are disciplined in your preparation.

So, there you go, based upon the above points that come to my mind right now, do a self-introspection and decide accordingly.

ExePrepGMAT · Answer

Hi, I have been preparing students all around Greece for 10 years and worked in many teaching centers (frontistirios). There are good and bad teaching centers. many of them do not even ask if a teacher has even taken a GMAT test when hiring a person. And, yes, what they do with copies of kaplan, Barrons, OG and other books is definitely illegal. Almost everyone does this. On the other hand, paying a few hundred euros for books is rather expensive for a Greek student.

The big name of a teaching center does not necessarily mean good quality. What you need is to find a really good teacher, even if he/she works in a small teaching center. I know big teaching centers in Athens and in Thessaloniki with, as you say, 10-15 people in a class, which provide poor quality. Some are better. So, the point is to find a good teacher if you choose in-person tutoring.

However, if you have some math background, if your English is good, and if you have a few months ahead to prepare for the test, then you can try self-study. Let this not be an advertisement, but I just want to inform you that after all 10 years of tutoring in Greece I decided to found my own company which provides Greece-adjusted GMAT self-study online test prep. You may search for ExePrep, it has hundreds of Greek video explanations, and all exercises and theory lessons are created by our team of experts. We do not have any plagiarism or illegal copies.

Good Luck!!

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