The start of my 5 wk study plan... Thoughts?

Question

Hello GC!

To begin with, this forum is just phenomenal! I have been browsing two days and it is mind boggling how much this community has to offer. It is by far one of the best forums I have come across and I'm so glad I found this as I prepare for the GMAT.

So... I have a little bit over 5 weeks to study for the GMAT.

The following is the "discovery/diagnostic" process before I create my study plan and I was curious as to what you guys thought:

1 - Go over the 90 free questions on GMATPrep Software
2 - Take GMAT Club diagnostic Test
3 - Take Kaplan 2010 practice test online (I got Kaplan's GMAT 2010 edition from a friend)
4 - Take one of the practice exams on the GMATPrep software
5 - Review strengths and weaknesses and analyse error logs
6 - Create 5 week study plan.

My goal: get all this done by 11/4/12.

On average, I plan to study 20 hrs+ per week.

I was thinking about purchasing the latest MGMAT Complete Strategy Guide and OG GMAT Review. That will give me 8 computer adaptive tests. But overall, I'm afraid I might not have enough time to study all the material...

So, what do you guys think? Any suggestions or tips?

And thanks in advance. Seriously, I can't stress enough how appreciative I am of having this forum in my arsenal of resources to help me prepare.

Oz

pnf619 · Answer

Seems like a good plan there are some study plans already out there this is a popular one suggested by bb

gmat-study-plan-how-to-start-your-gmat-prep-80727.html

practicing with official questions is important so finish the OG first and then move on to other materials.some members have compiled questions from the GMAT prep which can be downloaded from here mostly 700 level questions though (save them up for later)

download.php

ngould · Answer

I agree with the post above. It is very important to study official questions, the OG is great for this. I agree that you may not have enough time to study the MGMAT set of books; however, it is still important to study from the best materials possible. Use the matierlas on this site, there is lots of good stuff here. Good luck.

Marcab · Answer

Why a 5 week study plan?
Are you already on the 700 level? 
I committed the same mistake and rushed to take the GMAT. Trust me, first gauge your performance by taking a CAT and if you get -50 of your desired score, then I will suggest to take the GMAT after 5 week preparation.MGMAT is the best series for the GMAT and just go through it once. One more thing to be noted that if you prepare for GMAT religiously, there will be a time when you will fall in love with this test.
Gud luck.

InfoSeek · Answer

Thank you all for your responses.

Marcab, to answer your question: The deadline for the uni I want to apply to is February 28th giving me enough time to make two attempts at the GMAT if I plan it right. However, if I were to go all in with one attempt, that will give me 3 months to prepare. Like you said, I'll get a better idea of where I stand once I take the practice exam which I plan on doing this weekend. Meanwhile, I'm familiarizing myself with the format and type of questions; basically doing practice problems.

I've ordered the OG, MGMAT complete guide and, powerscore CR bible from Amazon and I should be receiving them by this weekend.

All that being said.. gauging by the practice problems, I just might need 3 months to study. I guess I wasn't as smart as I thought, lol.

Anyways, let's see how I do on that practice exam.

Oz

bb · Answer

Couple things you need to know:
1. Where you are right now - e.g. what is your current score?
2. Where you want to get (do you want to improve 50, 100, or xxx points?)

That would clarify quite a bit as to what we can recommend.

InfoSeek · Answer

Thanks bb.

I took the gmatprep practice exam today and made the mistake of quitting after the quant section instead of pausing the exam. I didn't have enough time for verbal so I figured I'd check and analyse my quant score really quick. Well, the practice exam apparently doesn't work that way and you have to take the whole exam to see your score. So.. I'm going to attempt the whole thing again after work tomorrow.

But, gauging by how I'm doing on practice problems these past two days, it's not looking all that great; it's a little disheartening to be honest, lol. But.. I'm enjoying that these problems make you think outside the box. Let's see what I score.

BTW, great job on the website bb. You and the people that made this happen, kudos to all of you!

Oz

InfoSeek · Answer

Well.. I made a 580 q35 v35.

I'm extremely disappointed with my quant score; I thought that would be my strength. From doing practice problems I knew it wasn't going to be good but I didn't expect it to be that bad either. That's a real bummer.

I guess a change of strategy is in order because I doubt I can bring my score up by a 100 in 5 weeks. Instead, I'm thinking I'll take it end of Jan. That should give me roughly 3 months to study which I hope should give me enough time.

I've started working through the practice problems in the OG; finding my specific weaknesses (equations, exponents, etc). Then I'll focus on these issues using the MGMAT books. I think that should be a good start. Right?

Oz

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The start of my 5 wk study plan... Thoughts?

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