Hi Rachel,

Your first practice CAT is right in line with the national average for the Official GMAT, so you're "starting" at a decent position. 700+ is the 90th percentile, meaning that 90% of Test Takers can't hit that score. Regardless of an individual's goals, I usually recommend a 3-month study period to hit one's peak score (sometimes it takes more time, sometimes less). A 3-week vacation could impact your studies, but there are some other questions that should probably be answered first:

1) When do you want to apply to school?
2) Where do you want to apply to school?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

I suggest that you start preparing now and let the results of your practice tests guide your decision regarding when to write. If the middle of December arrives and you've already achieved your target score a couple of time, you can write before Christmas. If you haven't yet achieved your target score, then you can reschedule.

Sure, a 3-week break will cause you to forget some things, but you certainly won't be starting from scratch.

My 2 cents

By the way, as far as prep goes, you might consider signing up for Beat The GMAT's free 60-Day Study Guide (https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/gmat-guide). Each day, you will receive an email with a series of learning activities that guide you, step-by-step, from Day 1 to test day. This will ensure that you will cover everything that the GMAT tests.

Here's an outline of all 60 emails: https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/gmat-guide-outline

Cheers,
Brent

RachelHindley wrote:
Brent - I have signed up for the 60 day guide however I only happened across it late last week and am already into my 60 days. Is there a way of getting access to the emails at a particular point in the guide or to the whole set?

Hi Rachel,

I'm not in charge of the email program, but I can tell you that BTG doesn't send more than 1 email per day.

Having said that, Day 42 is the last day of new content. The remaining 18 days are devoted to taking practice tests and strengthening any weaknesses that you identify.

See https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/gmat-guide-outline

Cheers,
Brent