-
Target Test Prep 20% Off Flash Sale is on! Code: FLASH20
Redeem
The “Best of Beat The GMAT / MGMAT” - How-To-Study List
Since Beat The GMAT first started up the expert articles feature last summer, ManhattanGMAT has posted more than 30 feature articles! In this article, Im going to offer a Best of list for how to study. Below, youll find links to the articles that I think are most helpful in developing and executing a comprehensive study plan, as well as a discussion of how to use them. (Ill only be using ManhattanGMAT articles for this list, though Im sure theres lots of other great stuff out there! :))
Whether youre just getting started or are nearing the finish line, its critical to develop a study plan thats appropriate for you, and that study plan will need to be revised periodically as your skills change (because you are getting better over time, hopefully!).
So, start with Developing a GMAT Study Plan. This article will help you determine three critical things:
- Your current strengths and weaknesses
- Roughly the amount of time you will likely need to spend
- How to study overall (including, if necessary, whether to take a class, how to choose the materials you will use to study, and so on)
In order to do the analysis of your strengths and weaknesses (number 1, above), youll need this two-part article: Evaluating Your Practice Tests. The link given here is to the first part of the article; you can find the link to the second part at the end of the first part.
Evaluating Your Practice Tests will tell you, step by step, how to analyze a ManhattanGMAT practice test. (Note: you may be able to adapt the article for use with another test; it will depend upon whether the other test report gives you similar data points for analysis.) This analysis, in turn, will allow you to determine your primary strengths and weaknesses across all major axes: question type, content area, timing, and difficulty level.
Now that youre ready to start studying, we have to discuss another critical component: HOW best to study. Its really important to ensure that you are studying in a way that allows you to get better at the GMAT and simply studying a great quantity of stuff doesnt necessarily accomplish that goal.
You will, of course, need to learn the actual material thats tested on the exam: math, grammar, ways of thinking through critical reasoning or reading comprehension situations, how to do data sufficiency, and so on. There are tons of great books out there that can teach you this stuff, so this article wont address those areas. Just go out and find whatever you think are the best books for you.
Next, youre going to start trying to do some practice problems possibly problems given in your practice books or the Official Guide books, or problems given on CATs that youve taken. How do you actually study these problems? Start here: How To Analyze a Practice Problem. This article describes what to do after youve spent a minute or two trying to do a problem. First, you do it; then, you study it. The latter activity is where most of your learning will occur.
If you want more specific ideas about how to use that last article to analyze a problem, try the below articles. For each of these articles, I took one practice problem and analyzed it in the way described in the main article, above.
- How to Analyze a GMATPrep Sentence Correction Question
- How to Analyze a GMATPrep Critical Reasoning Question
- How to Analyze a Reading Comp Inference Question
- How to Analyze a GMATPrep Problem Solving Question
- How to Analyze a GMATPrep Data Sufficiency Question
There are a bunch of additional articles that talk about how to break down various individual problems in general (not with the specific How To Analyze process). Im not going to link to them all here; theyre in the archives if youre interested. There are, however, a couple of other articles that you may find really useful.
If you arent already aware of how a computer-adaptive test (CAT) works, including the scoring and time management issues involved, or if youre simply struggling with timing, then read these two articles:
- Critical Skill Development: Time Management: this article provides tools to help you learn how to manage your time in the best way.
- The GMAT Uncovered: this article gives instructions for how to access a free e-book (from ManhattanGMAT) that will explain, in great detail, how the test actually works. Theres also some information about admissions in the book. I should add that Ive started recommending that my own students read this book between our first and second class; I think theres a lot of important information in this book.
(Note: if youve ever signed up for a free practice test from MGMAT, then youll find The GMAT Uncovered in your student center already; all of our students even those whove only signed up for a free test have automatic access to this book. Just log in and start reading!)
If you are concerned about the essay portion of the test, take a look at this article: Ace The Essays? No Thanks! Here, we discuss what you do and dont need to worry about as you get ready to write the GMAT essays.
Finally, if you take a test and your score drops by a lot (more than 80 points or so), dont panic (yet!). Read this: My Score Dropped! Figuring Out What Went Wrong. This article will help you figure out why your score dropped, and this is critically important because you need to figure out why in order to figure out what to do to prevent it from happening again.
Okay, that should be enough to give everybody a jump-start, regardless of where you are in the process. Were there any articles you really liked that didnt make it onto the above list? Post the link in the comments below and tell us why you think the article is valuable.
Recent Articles
Archive
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009