Developing a GMAT Study Plan
|
Stacey is a GMAT Instructor living in Montreal. Click here to read more articles from Manhattan GMAT and to learn more about Manhattan GMAT's classes. |
Just starting out? Or maybe you’ve been studying for weeks already? Perhaps you’ve already taken the official test once but want another crack at it? Whatever stage you’re at, you need a plan, so that’s what we’re going to talk about this week: how to develop your own personalized study plan. Get a notebook, open up a file on your computer, or start a blog. Record everything.
First, you need to know your current score and the score level that will make you competitive at the schools to which you plan to apply. This gives you an idea of how much improvement you will need and may affect your prep plans, including the length of time you plan to spend and whether you work on your own. (Generally speaking, the larger the desired improvement, the more likely it is that the student will need more time and / or more outside help.) Put this info in your journal.
If you haven’t already (recently), take a practice CAT in conditions that simulate the actual exam as much as possible. Do the essays (I know you don’t care about the essay score, but you do care about making sure your overall CAT score is representative, and the effort it takes to write the essays can make a difference). Take two 8-minute breaks, one after the essays and one after the quantitative section. Don’t answer the phone, don’t eat or drink except during the breaks, and so on – basically make it as close to the real test as you can.
Many prep companies and published books offer practice exams, so you have plenty of choices, but you do need to make sure that the exam does several things. First, it should be adaptive, just like the real test. Second, it should record the time you spend on each individual question – timing is a major factor on the GMAT. Third, it should offer score reports that give you tons of data on your strengths and weaknesses. GMATPrep exams (from the makers of the real test) are great in general but do not give you the 2nd and 3rd items on this list, so don’t use a GMATPrep exam for this exercise. Save GMATPrep for closer to the time you plan to take the real test.
What Are My Strengths and Weaknesses?
Now, use the test results to help you figure out your strengths and weaknesses in terms of both content and timing. Click on this link for another article that walks you through how to do this analysis using a ManhattanGMAT CAT. Put all of this in your journal.
You also need to figure out your optimal learning style. Think back to undergrad. Did you do best when you had a small classroom of comrades with whom you shared the adventures of learning? Or did you excel when you worked on your own, or possibly met individually with your professor or TA? At work today, does it energize you to work with a group or do you focus better via one-on-one interactions? Do you prefer to do most of your work on your own or with others?
The answers to those questions will help you determine whether to study on your own, find other students with whom to study, take an organized class, or find a private tutor.
What’s My Schedule?
Now that you know your strengths and weaknesses, you can use that info to determine:
- The total amount of time you’re likely going to need for primary studying (that is, the time you take to master the material), not including a comprehensive final review. For most people, this length of time will be 8 to 16 weeks, though it may be a bit shorter if you’ve taken the test before and you’re not aiming for a significant (> 50 points) improvement. If you take a class, your primary study will be at least the length of the class and possibly some additional time.
- The amount of time to set aside for review, after you finish mastering the material and before you take the test. Most people spend 2 to 6 weeks on a comprehensive review after they finish their primary study.
You also need to factor in two other things that will affect your study timeframe:
- The amount of buffer time you need to ensure that you can take the test a second time, if necessary. You are only allowed to take the GMAT once in a 31-day period (and 5 times a year).
- The application deadlines of your preferred schools. You will, of course, have to work backward from these drop-dead dates. If you have the time, it’s preferable to get the test out of the way well before you have to start filling out the applications themselves. (Keep in mind that your GMAT score is valid for 5 years, so you can get started very early!)
Note: you may also want to add in a couple of extra weeks as an additional buffer, just in case. Work gets busy, people get sick, we procrastinate… things happen.
What Resources Do I Need?
There are tons of resources available to help you get ready for the GMAT. If you take a course or work with some structured program, the materials should already be determined for you. Otherwise, you’ll have to figure out what works best for you.
In general, there are three major categories of necessary resources:
- Test content and methodology. These materials will teach you the what and the how: what’s on the test and how to take the test. These materials will come from a test prep company (this is what test prep companies do!).
- Practice questions. As you’re learning the actual material tested on the exam and how to handle the different types of GMAT questions, you’ll also need to test yourself to see whether you’re getting better. The best practice questions are the officially released past test questions from GMAC (the makers of the GMAT). The latest three books are The Official Guide 12th Edition, the Verbal Review 2nd Edition and the Quantitative Review 2nd Edition. The most recent online release is GMAT Focus (for quant only).
- Practice tests. You’ll want a mix of practice tests: GMATPrep (from the real makers of the test) and some tests from a test prep company. The GMATPrep test is the closest to the real thing, but doesn’t offer explanations or analysis of your results. A test prep company’s CAT will give you explanations and analysis.
The Plan
Okay, so you know your goal score, you know your strengths and weaknesses, and you’ve gathered your materials. It’s time to develop your specific plan. Pick a time frame (generally two to three weeks) and decide what weaknesses you want to improve in that timeframe. In general, start with your biggest weaknesses in areas that are frequently tested on the GMAT. If you’re not sure which areas are most frequently tested, ask the experts on the forums.
Get a calendar and block off two hours each day (okay, you can have one day off each week 
). In your journal, write down what your focus will be for each of the first six study sessions. (Note: day 6 is always a review day; you might do some random sets of problems, review what you did during the first 5 days, do a few problems from your stronger areas, et cetera.)
During a two-hour study session, if you are reading lessons and then doing non-official-GMAT practice problems in that same area, you should spend about half your time doing each of those two things. If you are doing and then reviewing sets of practice problems, then you should spend about 40% of your time doing a set of questions and 60% of your time reviewing those questions. (Here’s another article about how to review GMAT practice problems.)
At the end of each study session, jot down what you did that day, what you think went well, and what you think needs more work. If something didn’t go as well as you’d hoped, then feel free to adjust your calendar. At the end of the six days, review your journal and set up your plan for the next six days. Repeat until you feel you’ve made good progress and are ready to test yourself on a CAT again. (This will typically take at least two to three weeks!)
When you take the next CAT, don’t worry about the overall score. Specifically check the areas on which you’d been concentrating for the previous several weeks. Did those areas get better? Can you move on to other topics or question types, or are there still things you need to improve? If you need advice about how to improve, log onto the forums again!
Then, do the overall test review again (the same thing you did on the first test). Figure out what your new priorities are, set up your 6-day plan, and repeat the whole process for several weeks until you feel ready for another test.
Good luck and happy studying!
maverick_andy on February 9th, 2010 at 12:25 am
Thank you. Very good Study Plan.
Sheldon on February 9th, 2010 at 10:48 am
Thanks Stacey. Your plan uses an iterative approach which will help us focus on our real weaknesses without making assumptions about them.
Sheldon
Stacey Koprince on February 9th, 2010 at 10:50 am
Yes, an iterative approach is critical! After all, our goal is to get better, so our weaknesses should be changing over time - and we need to know what those changes are in order to adjust accordingly.
Daniel Toma on February 11th, 2010 at 11:37 am
Hi Stacey, did you download the GMATPrep software from the http://www.mba.com site? If so, did you retroactively find the two CATs to be representative of the actual GMAT?
Stacey Koprince on February 11th, 2010 at 11:39 am
I have done GMATPrep, yes, and I do think it is representative, although I think that at very high levels, the GMATPrep database might not have quite as many very difficult questions as the real test (which likely has a larger database of questions from which to choose).
GMATPrep, basically, is the closest thing to the real test. The only drawback is that GMATPrep does not give us any analysis of our results - so I think that test is best used towards the end of prep when you are trying to confirm that you're scoring the range you want to score.
Daniel Toma on February 11th, 2010 at 11:41 am
I just realized that you addressed the GMATPrep software; my apologies for not realizing this prior to my most recent post. I do have a question about the two CATs, though. I downloaded the GMATPrep a few months ago, and have seen the two CATs. Will these CATs remain the same "ad infinitum", or would a future download eventually contain two different CATs?
Stacey Koprince on February 11th, 2010 at 11:44 am
A future download would likely contain some new questions, but the database would not be completely different, no. It depends upon the length of time we're discussing, but even after 6 months or a year, many (if not most) of the questions would be the same.
That doesn't mean you would see all of the same questions, though. The database has at least a couple of hundred questions, so you will likely still get questions you didn't see the first time, especially if your performance has improved.
Daniel Toma on February 11th, 2010 at 12:02 pm
Very interesting. Thank you for the input!
David Park on February 11th, 2010 at 9:36 pm
Thanks for your comments @Daniel. Would you be open to talking to the Beat The GMAT team? Eric and I are interested in meeting with our visitors to learn how to make things better. Please email me (david at beatthegmat dot com) if you're open to talking with us. Thanks!
ANKIT BHARDWAJ on February 12th, 2010 at 5:55 am
Hi Stacey,
I read your article and found it very good.It helps us to understand pattern of GMAT and the way we should approach it.
I am appearing in June for this and preparing for the same.In case any info reqd,I will buzz u
Thanks,
Ankit
Niraj Kumar on February 12th, 2010 at 9:59 am
Hi Stacey,I have just now concluded the First Manhattan GMAT which was provided free.I have scored 640(Q47,V31).This was my first step towards GMAT.I have not yet started preparing as I was formulating a strategy for the same.Once I read your article on Developing a Plan,I was sure that now I have got a good plan.So,as per your plan I took the MGMAT saving my powerprep for last time preparation.I am an engineer by profession,so quite good at quants,but the verbal section was a bit tough for me.So, I would like to know what books and resources I should follow.My target is 750 or above and I plan to take the test in June.So, I have around 4 months of time with me.
Please help me out,waiting for your reply.
Regards
Niraj Kumar
Stacey Koprince on February 12th, 2010 at 10:21 am
Nice job! Well, if you ask an MGMAT instructor what to use, you're going to get "MGMAT materials" as the reply.
I do really like our books (I think they're the best out there!), but I am also obviously biased, so you may want to ask some of your fellow students what they have used and found helpful.
In general, you'll need things in these categories:
1) stuff that teaches you grammar, and how to handle each of the 3 verbal question types (and quant as well, obviously); this stuff will come from a test prep company, as the official test materials don't teach you HOW to do this stuff.
2) official materials - Official Guide Books, GMATPrep practice tests, GMAT Focus, and whatever else you want to use from the official source; these are your practice questions
Niraj Kumar on February 12th, 2010 at 10:27 am
Thanks a lot Stacey!!!!! Well ,there is no problem in being biased if the books are really good.I want to know which one between the Powerscore Critical Reasoning Bible and the Manhattan Critical reasoning book will be better.For RC and Grammar I am of course going for the Manhattan books.
Stacey Koprince on February 12th, 2010 at 11:11 am
I definitely can't be unbiased about that question. First, I wrote the latest version of our CR guide.
Second, I've never looked at Powerscore's book, so I can't even compare.
Dhiraj on February 21st, 2010 at 7:12 pm
Thanks Stacey for posting very good article on developing GMAT study Plan. Well, I'm targeting to write GMAT during Feb 2011. Though I have not prepared a plan or started any serious preparation yet but soon I will do so.
With regards to the study material, recently I purchased Kaplan GMAT 2010 Premier Live Online which falls under "Test content and methodology". I have read few chapters of this book and find it is a good GMAT Strategy book. Now, I need to purchase "Practice questions" study material. As per the recommendation, The Official Guide (from GMAC) is the bible to be referred along with other preparation books. In this regard, I have few queries below. Would be great if you can answer it.
1) How GMAC decides to upgrade/revise the edition.
2) Is the edition upgrade/revision is yearly or have defined cycle. Any idea till what date/year 13th edition will be released.
3) What are the major changes in 12th edition if we compare with 11th edition.
4) Is the current 12th edition applicable to those candidate who would write exam in year 2010.
5) As I decided to write GMAT during 2011, should I wait till 13th edition is released or I can start preparation with 12th edition and then purchase 13th edition when it is released in 2011. In this case, I will have to refer two editions of the book (if 13th edition is release in year 2011).
Regards,
Dhiraj
Stacey Koprince on February 21st, 2010 at 7:20 pm
Great questions. In order:
1) Basically, most of the questions in a new edition were also in the older edition, but they take out some number of questions that they consider "old" and no longer as representative of the test, and they replace them with new questions that were more recently retired from active status.
2) The frequency of new editions has varied over the years, but they typically wait at least 2-3 years before issuing a new edition. The latest editions were published less than a year ago, so I wouldn't expect new editions anytime soon.
3) Take a look here for analysis of the changes in the new editions:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/gmat-official-guides.cfm
4) Yes, OG12 is the latest along with the Quant supplement 2nd edition, and the Verbal supplement 2nd edition.
5) They may not even release OG13 in 2011 - it may be longer than that. Also, as you'll see when you look at #3, above, most of the book actually does stay the same, so no need to wait - use whatever edition is currently out when you start studying.
Dhiraj on February 21st, 2010 at 8:23 pm
Thanks Stacey for prompt response.
Rin12 on February 22nd, 2010 at 12:55 pm
Thanks so much! A lot of good advice on how to get started with the whole process!!
Supriya on March 18th, 2010 at 2:01 pm
Hi Stacey,
Great article on developing a study plan. I'm undecided on when exactly I will appear for the test but will start preparing soon. And just to get started I wanted to know which practice test do you recommend (since you mentioned the GMATPrep test should be taken close to appearing for the GMAT) that will help me evaluate my strengths and weaknesses as well as cover the three points you mentioned in your article above.
Regards,
Supriya
Stacey Koprince on March 18th, 2010 at 2:17 pm
I am biased, because I work for ManhattanGMAT and I helped develop the tests, but I really do think we have great practice tests. Plus, the article that I linked to above (about how to review a practice test) is based on the reports that you get from a ManhattanGMAT CAT.
But you don't have to just listen to me, though. Do a search for "best practice tests" on the BTG site and see what your fellow students say. I know there was a poll a while back asking students what they thought. Last I checked, MGMAT had the most votes, though maybe things have changed since then - who knows?
Supriya on March 19th, 2010 at 1:02 pm
Great, thank you Stacey