How to study for the GMAT under one month

beatthegmat · Last edited by beatthegmat on Wed Jan 17, 2007 12:34 am; edited 1 time in total

Ideally, you should give yourself about 2-3 months to study for the GMAT on your own. This will give you enough time to have good structure for your studies without feeling too rushed. For ideas on how you can create a good GMAT study plan, please visit my blog at: http://beatthegmat.blogspot.com

However, it's not always the case that you will have 2-3 months free to study for the GMAT. We're all busy people and conflicts happen can happen. So what's the best way to prepare for the GMAT when you have under 1 month to study?

If you are a person who doesn't have much time, don't worry--I am convinced that you can still sufficiently prepare for this test. You only need to do two things:

Study the Official Guide books
Take as many practice tests as you can

My suggestion is that you go out and immediately purchase the Official Guide for GMAT Review (OG), 11th Edition, along with the OG math and verbal supplemental materials. Do as many practice problems as you can from these books and examine the explanations carefully. If you somehow manage to finish all these questions in a month--which will be difficult, since there are so many questions--REPEAT THEM AGAIN.

One epiphany that I had while studying for the GMAT was that the same question patterns are tested over and over again. When I actually took the GMAT myself, it almost felt like I was cheating because I was able to recognize so many questions from my OG practice--with a number or word changed here or there. You should practice only with OG when you are on a time crunch because OG is the only GMAT prep book that features actual (but retired) GMAT questions. By studying OG carefully, you will be able to pick up on the question and concept patterns featured on the test, and you will be prepared.

With a time constraint of one month to study, I would suggest studying OG like crazy during the weekdays and doing as many practice exams as you can during the weekends--perhaps 2 or 3 tests each weekend. Picking up question patterns from OG is one thing, but applying your knowledge to the test is another. Be sure to take your practice tests under simulated conditions and also carefully review the answers after each test. I would purchase the Kaplan GMAT and Princeton Review GMAT books--they have some decent practice tests. [Warning: Kaplan tends to underinflate your practice test score by 50-100 points. Don't be fooled!] On your last weekend prior to your test, use the GMATPrep software for your practice tests. GMATPrep is a free software you can download from MBA.com (and I think it also comes with OG), which exactly simulates the real GMAT exam (user interface, and actual retired GMAT questions). GMATPrep will be the best guage to determine how you will perform on the real exam.

In conclusion, try your best to devote 2-3 months preparing for your GMAT--use my blog (http://beatthegmat.blogspot.com) to get ideas on how to structure your preparation. However, if you have only a month to spare, focus on OG and practice tests. You can still do a great job preparing for the GMAT under a time crunch.

Best of luck!

gensup · Posted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 12:32 pm Post subject: want to start my gmat preps

just decided to take my gmat and do my mba, have been thinking about this for a while now.

what would be the best approach..attend a prep school or self study?

beatthegmat · Posted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 1:49 pm Post subject:

Hi gensup:

Welcome to the forum! Whether it is appropriate for you to study on your own or to go to a prep class (like TestPundit, Manhattan GMAT), depends on YOU.

If you feel like you can organize your own study schedule and devote consistent time each day, then I think that you'll be fine studying on your own. That's exactly what I did. If you want to read about how I organized my GMAT preparation, go to my blog: http://beatthegmat.blogspot.com. This approach however takes a lot of discipline and planning of time.

Taking a GMAT prep course may be the appropriate route for people who think they will have problems mapping a good study plan themselves, or have problems with a fickle weekly schedule (for example, working different hours each week). Some people just need a little more guidance and external structure to successfully study for the GMAT--prep courses are a very popular way of studying.

One thing is for sure, however: You will not be alone in this GMAT prep process. Use this forum for all of your GMAT needs. The experts and community members on Beat The GMAT are here for you to provide support.

Best of luck!

ashok_l_nath

Hi I wanted to know whether the contents of the official GMAT guide from 9th/10th and 11th editions different or what ?

I have 9th edition only. If the contents are different, I would want to buy the 11th edition. Can you kindly let me know the difference ?

Thanks,
Nath

beatthegmat

whodeani · Posted: Sun Jun 25, 2006 12:24 pm Post subject: My Upcoming test

Hey guys, I just heard about the wonderful benefits of using this forum. I am taking my GMAT test in the next few days. I have already gone through the OG several times now; especially for the math. As a side resource I have been using the Princeton GMAT book which has really helped me out alot in terms of understandig the approach to questions. I am still scared as hell though. How could I improve my reading comprehension, as I am losing alot of points here.

beatthegmat · Posted: Sun Jun 25, 2006 8:28 pm Post subject: Re: My Upcoming test