In what order should I study GMAT material?

Question

I just started learning about the GMAT and need advice on how to structure my studying.

I purchased: OG Review, OG Quant, OG Verbal, and all the MGMAT Strategy Guides. I'm strong on Verbal, weak on Quant (took OG Diagnostic to confirm, am a native English speaker). I have 3-4 months to study as a full time undergrad student.

In general, what order should I review material?   
- Is it better to start broadly with the OG books, then do in-depth material from MGMAT? 
- Should I do Quant first (or last) if it's my weaker area?

In terms of daily study, should I be reviewing both Quant and Verbal every day?  
- Or alternate days? Alternate every 2 days? Weekly?

How many problems total should I be doing every day?   
- How many on the subject reviewed?
- How many general review questions?
_________________________________________________________________________________
Thank you so so so so much!!! I'm new to this website and it's already been so helpful!

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Dear

I am not an expert but according to your explanations i suggests something, which i would like to prefer...

Is it better to start broadly with the OG books, then do in-depth material from MGMAT

Ans:  If your target score is 700+ then you should start with MGMAT because it is the best material in market for learning strategies and concepts

Should I do Quant first (or last) if it's my weaker area?

Ans:  I my opinion you can start with Quant (after a week you can change the section to verbal if it get you bored, dont try to complete it if you are not enjoying it because if you do so your efficiency level, Marginal Utility would become lower or lowest

In terms of daily study, should I be reviewing both Quant and Verbal every day?  
- Or alternate days? Alternate every 2 days? Weekly?
 
ans:  You can switch pS to DS to SC to CR etc but always enjoy it... if it become burden or you are getting bore, you are not learning

How many problems total should I be doing every day

Ans:  I Always like to study gmat daily in 2 sessions Session 1 = 1.5 Hours Section 2= 1.5 Hours total 3 hours a day 5 days a week .... (try to off your Cell phone, Specially if it is smart phone) in this time i normally do learn Strategies in first session then practice in next session (2 mints to solve a question and 2-3 mints to review it) i normally practice 20-25 questions a day with reviewing them, it vary according to your study environment your efficiency level...

I would like to Recommend not to study more than 2 hour in one sit...

Hope it helps

Regards

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi hrh23,

Unfortunately, the Diagnostic Test in the Official Guide isn't a great 'gauge' for how well you would perform on the Official GMAT. 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 download 2 for free from 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 4 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 take the GMAT?
3) When are you planning to apply to Business School?

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

vivekkumar987 · Answer

I just started learning about the GMAT and need advice on how to structure my studying.

I purchased: OG Review, OG Quant, OG Verbal, and all the MGMAT Strategy Guides. I'm strong on Verbal, weak on Quant (took OG Diagnostic to confirm, am a native English speaker). I have 3-4 months to study as a full time undergrad student.

In general, what order should I review material?   
- Is it better to start broadly with the OG books, then do in-depth material from MGMAT? 
- Should I do Quant first (or last) if it's my weaker area?

While studying study both quant and verbal, since you are strong in verbal allocate less time, i mean that if you are planning to study 3 hr - 2 hr quant and 1 hr verbal will do

First study theory part from MGMAT and then practice qs from OG.

For quant go topic wise, like algebra, probability

In terms of daily study, should I be reviewing both Quant and Verbal every day?  
- Or alternate days? Alternate every 2 days? Weekly?

study quant and verbal daily. one day in a week dont study, but review the things you studied on that week.

How many problems total should I be doing every day?   
- How many on the subject reviewed?
- How many general review questions?

it depend son your strength on each subject. i can solve even 50 quant qs in a hour, but not even 2 RC.

but on average per hour RC - 3 or SC - 10 CR - 10

quant really varies 
 
there a 3 month schedule available with magoosh website , if you want use that . reaaly awesome schedule 
_________________________________________________________________________________
Thank you so so so so much!!! I'm new to this website and it's already been so helpful!

hrh23 · Answer

EMPOWERgmatRichC  (and everyone else) thanks so much for the replies!

1) I know I'm aiming really high (but better to aim high and fall short? Nothing to lose by setting high goals lol), but I hope to get a 750+
2) I plan on taking it late March or early April
3) I'll be working 2-3 years before applying to business school

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi hrh23,

Focusing on the GMAT now - so that you won't have to worry about it when you apply to Business School later on - is a smart choice. Many Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores, and you've given yourself that time - which is also good. The 750+ score is the 99th percentile, which means that 99% of Test Takers never score that high regardless of how many times they take the GMAT. Thankfully, no Business School requires a score that high. If you're locked into that goal though, then you might end up needing more study time than you've allotted. Regardless, you'll want to be efficient about your studies, so you would likely benefit from investing in a GMAT Course of some type (either Guided Self-Study or instructor-led). We can discuss all of that in more detail once you've taken your first CAT.

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

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

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