Beginner in GMAT

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Beginner in GMAT

by Ajaykaushik » Tue Feb 02, 2016 12:58 am
Hi All

I have just started to prepare for GMAT , as of now i am involved in reading articles on Business and technology
from NY times and its Opinion/ Editorial page.

On Mathematics front , i am solving questions on mental maths and bit of Quant. But i don't have a study plan and materials as such.Please help me in getting the resources right so that i can start my preparation in full flow.I also look to take up the test somewhere in middle of the year so that i can target admissions next year.

Please help me in starting my preparation from a GMAT point of view.


Thanks
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by [email protected] » Tue Feb 02, 2016 8:54 am
Hi Ajay,

Since it sounds like you're just beginning your studies, then it would be a good idea to take a FULL-LENGTH practice CAT Test; you can download 2 for free from www.mba.com (and they come with some additional practice materials). If you want to do a little studying first, so that you can familiarize yourself with the basic content and question types, then that's okay - but you shouldn't wait too long to take that initial CAT. That score will give us a good sense of your natural strengths and weaknesses and will help provide a basis for comparison as you continue to study. A FULL CAT takes about 4 hours to complete, so make sure that you've set aside enough time to take it in one sitting. Once you have those scores, you should report back here and we can come up with a study plan.

I'd like to know a bit more about your timeline and goals:
1) What is your goal score?
2) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

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Rich
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by ceilidh.erickson » Thu Feb 04, 2016 2:31 pm
Here's what your GMAT study plan should look like.

- First, take a full practice test as a diagnosis. Almost every company (including Manhattan Prep) offers a free practice test on their sites.

- Analyze the practice test you've taken in a lot of depth. Which areas were you weakest? Strongest? Fastest? Slowest? Decide which topics and question types need more of your time and attention. Be very aware of your timing as well.

- Study topic-by-topic, using strategy guides published by reputable companies.

- Then, practice each topic with OG problems. For example, read the chapter on SC subject/verb agreement, then go do a set of 8-10 problems in the OGs that relate to that subject. You can find problems by topic using Mprep's GMAT Navigator: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/stor ... navigator/
Do this for each chapter in the Quant and Verbal strategy guides. Aim to do this in 8-10 weeks.

- Make sure you are tracking all of the OG questions you do, and timing yourself while you practice. Hold yourself to strict 2-min time limits per question! (I highly recommend using Navigator to track your OG problems)

- Alternate between Quant and Verbal. Don't just focus all on quant!

- Keep a record of any mistakes you make, so you can locate patterns in your errors: https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... -studying/

- Once you've covered all of the topics, practice your skills with random timed sets out of the OGs. Set the timer for 20 minutes, for example, and do questions 1-10 (skipping any you've already done).

- Take a practice test after 4 weeks, then every 2 weeks after that. Increase to a test every week for the last 2 weeks before your real exam.

- Analyze your data from the random sets and practice tests, and go back to any topics that need extra work.

Good luck!
Ceilidh Erickson
EdM in Mind, Brain, and Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education