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mihika09
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AllisonBell
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Hi!

This is a great question, and I’m sure you’re not alone. Here are a few suggestions based on the situation you described:

  1. Get a GMAT prep book. A good GMAT prep book or two can help a lot with this! Many people start with the Official Guide, which is a great resource for practice problems, but it’s generally helpful to supplement with a curriculum. You don’t have to build that on your own! If cost is a concern, test prep books are often available for checkout at public libraries. There are a lot of resources online, of course, but a good book can give you a scope and sequence of topics that you can always supplement. If possible, start with one that addresses the foundations of math (specifically for the GMAT) before digging into more general study guides.
  2. Follow a cycle of new content + timed practice sets —> practice tests. It can be really helpful to build a weekly study calendar. Each week, use your prep book (or whatever resource you choose) to work through a new topic in DI, Q, and V. In addition, do at least one timed set of OG problems in each area — ideally including a good number of questions from the new topic and some chosen randomly. Every 3 - 4 weeks, take a practice test with the goal of practicing time management and executive decision-making skills.
  3. Use a consistent, student friendly source for problem explanations. You mentioned a few times that you’re looking to improve your approach and strategy. In addition to the review log mentioned in the previous post (a great idea, +1!), it’s really helpful to be walked through the questions by an expert. This doesn’t have to involve classes or tutoring — it can just be a good explanation that you read through step-by-step like a series of hints, pausing as you go to implement any techniques that you didn’t consider.
  4. Know your metrics for success. With GMAT prep, it’s easy to get distracted by a particular topic and go down a rabbit hole, shaking up your whole test prep calendar. Keep in mind that success looks different on the GMAT. Typically, it means you’re getting more than 50% of a topic correct. But you’ll also have to cycle up in difficulty for each topic as you study. All this to say: aside from the fundamentals (see above), if you’re not acing a topic, don’t let that stop you from moving on. Many concepts and strategies will naturally come up again as they intersect with other topics or show up in your mixed, timed sets and practice tests. Leave about a month at the end of your test prep calendar to focus on reviewing and reinforcing weaknesses that are still showing up once you’ve worked through all the content.

ManhattanPrep’s Free GMAT Starter Kit has some resources you may find helpful: a comprehensive study plan, a guided review log, a customizable study calendar, and a set of ManhattanPrep-written questions and student-friendly explanations.

I’ll add, lastly, that if you’re really struggling and resources aren’t an issue, many students join GMAT courses for exactly the reasons you described. But that’s certainly not the only way to build a successful study plan!

Let me know if this brings up more questions :-).

Best wishes,
Ally Bell
ManhattanPrep GMAT Instructor
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mihika09
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Thank you so much! Thats very helpful
AllisonBell
Hi!

This is a great question, and I’m sure you’re not alone. Here are a few suggestions based on the situation you described:

  1. Get a GMAT prep book. A good GMAT prep book or two can help a lot with this! Many people start with the Official Guide, which is a great resource for practice problems, but it’s generally helpful to supplement with a curriculum. You don’t have to build that on your own! If cost is a concern, test prep books are often available for checkout at public libraries. There are a lot of resources online, of course, but a good book can give you a scope and sequence of topics that you can always supplement. If possible, start with one that addresses the foundations of math (specifically for the GMAT) before digging into more general study guides.
  2. Follow a cycle of new content + timed practice sets —> practice tests. It can be really helpful to build a weekly study calendar. Each week, use your prep book (or whatever resource you choose) to work through a new topic in DI, Q, and V. In addition, do at least one timed set of OG problems in each area — ideally including a good number of questions from the new topic and some chosen randomly. Every 3 - 4 weeks, take a practice test with the goal of practicing time management and executive decision-making skills.
  3. Use a consistent, student friendly source for problem explanations. You mentioned a few times that you’re looking to improve your approach and strategy. In addition to the review log mentioned in the previous post (a great idea, +1!), it’s really helpful to be walked through the questions by an expert. This doesn’t have to involve classes or tutoring — it can just be a good explanation that you read through step-by-step like a series of hints, pausing as you go to implement any techniques that you didn’t consider.
  4. Know your metrics for success. With GMAT prep, it’s easy to get distracted by a particular topic and go down a rabbit hole, shaking up your whole test prep calendar. Keep in mind that success looks different on the GMAT. Typically, it means you’re getting more than 50% of a topic correct. But you’ll also have to cycle up in difficulty for each topic as you study. All this to say: aside from the fundamentals (see above), if you’re not acing a topic, don’t let that stop you from moving on. Many concepts and strategies will naturally come up again as they intersect with other topics or show up in your mixed, timed sets and practice tests. Leave about a month at the end of your test prep calendar to focus on reviewing and reinforcing weaknesses that are still showing up once you’ve worked through all the content.

ManhattanPrep’s Free GMAT Starter Kit has some resources you may find helpful: a comprehensive study plan, a guided review log, a customizable study calendar, and a set of ManhattanPrep-written questions and student-friendly explanations.

I’ll add, lastly, that if you’re really struggling and resources aren’t an issue, many students join GMAT courses for exactly the reasons you described. But that’s certainly not the only way to build a successful study plan!

Let me know if this brings up more questions :-).

Best wishes,
Ally Bell
ManhattanPrep GMAT Instructor