Should I take diagnostic test or start my study now?

Question

Hey folks, 
 
I've registered for my GMAT exam on October 20th, as I was reading for couple of months but didn't actually study, should I take a diagnostic test before starting my study to know where I stand or start studying.

Would like to hear your thoughts!

Thanks

abhimahna · Answer

Hey SamarAli , Please take the first official mock test on https://www.mba.com and then determine your areas of weaknesses. Once done, start working on those. All the best

Sajjad1994 · Answer

You should better take a diagnostic test to know your current standing in the test. Once you have taken Diagnostic test you can realize your weak areas in Quant and verbal both and your timing abilities also. Take a Mock test of official GMAT Software

Good Luck

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi SamarAli,

Since it sounds like you're just beginning your studies, then it would be a good idea to take a FULL-LENGTH practice CAT Test; you can take 2 for free at www.mba.com (and they come with some additional practice materials). If you want to do a little studying first, so that you can familiarize yourself with the basic content and question types, then that's okay - but you shouldn't wait too long to take that initial CAT. That score will give us a good sense of your natural strengths and weaknesses and will help provide a basis for comparison as you continue to study. A FULL CAT takes about 3.5 hours to complete, so make sure that you've set aside enough time to take it in one sitting. Once you have those scores, you should report back here and we can come up with a study plan.

I'd like to know a bit more about your timeline and goals:
1) What is your goal score?
2) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
3) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

SamarAli · Answer

Hey Rich,

Thanks a lot for your reply. Well, I'll definitely follow all of your advises.

My goal score is 750  
  I'm planning to apply to Edhec in France once I receive my official score, the rest will apply to them as soon their application opens as I'm planning to apply for MSc in entrepeneurship and innovation   
  I'll send you a link with the universities that I'd apply to, most of them in Germany

Would be happy to hear your thoughts regarding my preparation.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi SamarAli,

Since it's been a week since your original post, have you taken that practice CAT yet? A 750 is a high Goal Score, so you will need to put in a significant amount of proper training time and effort to hit that level (and statistically-speaking, 98% of Test Takers never score that high, so this will likely be a challenging task). If you're planning to apply to School this year, then it's also important to define the various application deadlines, so that you can make sure that you have enough time to study for the GMAT AND work on your applications.

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

SamarAli · Answer

Hey Rich,

I'm planning to take the exam on my day-off so I've plenty of time. Also, I've sent you PM about the schools, their deadlines will be next year.

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