Hi majorSpoiler,
Overwhelm at this stage is completely normal, and the feeling itself is pointing you toward the fix. What you're describing isn't a shortage of good resources. It's the opposite. You've done real research and found several of the popular options, and now you're trying to assemble the best piece from each category into one plan. That assembly is what's creating the overwhelm, and it will keep your prep fragmented no matter how good any individual piece is.
The way out is to stop thinking in four separate buckets and start thinking in one system. Your first two questions, where to learn concepts and where to get practice questions, aren't really separate decisions. Learning a topic and drilling that same topic belong together, worked one topic at a time. And that's the single most important principle for a jump like the one you're aiming for: pick one comprehensive, structured resource that teaches every Quant, Verbal, and Data Insights topic in depth and gives you practice on each topic as you go, then work through it in order. When every source teaches a slightly different method and uses different terminology, you end up knowing a little from many places and not enough from any one system to perform under pressure. Outside videos and question sets still have a role, but as support for a specific gap, not as the plan itself.
Here's the sequence that builds a score. For each topic, learn the concepts and techniques thoroughly, then practice that topic untimed until your accuracy is consistently high. Only once the accuracy is there do you add timing, and only near the end do you mix topics into broader sets. Speed is a byproduct of that depth, not something you train separately up front. For every question you miss, figure out why: a concept you hadn't locked in, a misread, a careless slip, or a trap answer. That review is what turns practice into progress.
Your other two buckets, sectional tests and adaptive mocks, belong to a later phase. Full-length practice tests are measurement tools, not study tools. They tell you where your readiness stands, but they don't build the skill, so they come after you've mastered content rather than sprinkled throughout the learning. For the adaptive mocks themselves, the official practice exams from mba.com are the most representative measure you can get, since they come from the test maker and mirror the real scoring algorithm. Start there before any third-party mocks.
On the instinct to keep taking tests to watch the deltas: that instinct is good, but aim it at the right target. Early on, the number worth tracking isn't your mock score, it's your topic-by-topic accuracy. That's the granular, frequent signal that tells you what's working, and a good structured resource tracks it for you. Reserve full official mocks for periodic readiness checks, take them only when you're in shape to perform your best, and never take the next one until you've fully reviewed the last one. A mock you haven't reviewed teaches you almost nothing.
Now the honest part, because it affects everything above. A cold 395 with a 715-plus target is roughly a 320-point climb, and 715-plus is the range that keeps you competitive at the most selective programs, so it's the right target if top scholarships are the goal. That jump is achievable, but in three to four months it's aggressive, and it will take serious, consistent daily work and real mastery across all three sections, not a light pass. Let your readiness drive your test date rather than the reverse. If you're tracking toward your goal as the date approaches, sit for it. If you're not there yet, moving the date will almost always beat burning an attempt underprepared.
So concretely: pick one comprehensive, structured system and commit to it, work it topic by topic through learn, then practice to high accuracy, then timing, track your progress at the topic level, and hold your official mocks in reserve as readiness checks once you've built real mastery.
This article walks through how to build that kind of plan in detail:
How to Make a GMAT Study Plan.
majorSpoiler
Hey everyone!
Wanted to understand the best resources for gmat and how to strategise using these?
Currently I see way too many resources for study material(videos and text both), practise questions, mocks etc
This has been overwhelming to say the least.
What's the best places in your opinions/experience for
1. Studying (concepts , tricks, traps and refreshers)
2. practise questions
3. sectional tests
4. taking adaptive mocks
In the research i did over the last week since I began my plan, I identified
GMAT Ninja and Gregmat videos for content, TTP too but it is too expensive
GMAT club and Official guides for practise
Official mocks (would appreciate recommendations for relevant adaptive mocks greatly)
And how to plan out my study / practise / test taking revisions.
Would appreciate help.
Details: My target test taking date is 3 - 4 months, my cold mock score was 395, my target is only 715+ (for best shot at scholarships), I progress best when i can view and track what I have done and keep taking tests time to time to see deltas.