GMAT Strategy

While I can't speak for other companies, I can assure you that the MGMAT free practice test that you took is no different from any of our other practice tests - there is no difference in difficulty level.

You're also mistaken in thinking that you need to study every single OG problem to do well - not true at all! You want to see (and understand) a representative sample of the OG problems that are out there, but that doesn't mean you have to do every single one. Focus on quality, not on quantity. If you're aiming for a 750, you don't have to do every 400-500 level question out there - focus on the harder ones.

As far as a study plan, I would recommend this:

- Analyze the 2 practice tests 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.

- Study topic-by-topic, and practice each topic with OG problems. For example, read the chapter on SC subject/verb agreement, then go do a set of problems in the OGs that relate to that subject (you can find a master list for OG 12 in the back of our SC guide). Aim to do this in 6 weeks.

- Once you've covered all of the topics, practice your skills with random timed sets and practice tests for the last 2 weeks before the test. It's a good idea to put your OG supplements aside until the last 2 weeks before the test, so you have plenty of material left for random sets.

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

Relaxing for a day or two before the real test is definitely a good idea! Good luck!

C is spot on here. I wanted to quickly jump in and throw you a link to one of Stacey's articles that I just absolutely love love love.

https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... ice-tests/

To me, the wealth of data you can have at your fingertips during GMAT prep can be so overwhelming and so exciting at the same time. There are so many 'directions' you can go in your study time, but use your diagnostics to help make your study plan as informed as possible.

Good luck!

-Brian

tanmayandgmat wrote:Hi Frnds,

I am new to GMAT,although now i know most of the things i.e. how the GMAT exam works,what things are tested.I already downloaded, GMAT prep software,also had given the first diagnostic test and scored around 250 ,also had practiced some questions of Problem Solving and D.S. and after doing that it showed i did questions with 53% accuracy.

Now i am uncertain, how to strategize my study plan. I have following material right now,all are PDF,these are:

1)OG(All 3 in which 1 GMAT Review is 13th edition)
2)Foundation of GMAT Math,5th Edition
3)Foundation of GMAT Verbal
3)Manhattan Set of Guides( 1)Fraction,Decimal,Percents 2)Algebra,3)Word Problems,4)Geometry,5)Number Properties,6)Critical Reasoning,7)Reading Comprehension,8)Sentence Correction,9)GMAT Roadmap)


These are my current set of materials,please advise regarding strategy???

Welcome aboard your GMAT journey!

Here's what I'd offer to you -- first off, forget that diagnostic score and don't worry as much at this stage about 'accuracy.' And forget asking yourself if you've bought all the right books -- although I do have a bias to the wonderful publications put together by our ManhattanGMAT staff!

Start by reading these two articles written by my wonderful friend Stacey:

https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/03/ ... study-list

https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/07/ ... arting-out

Then, do what the plan suggests -- and come up with that study plan -- come back here and let me know what your plan looks like.

Hope this helps!

-Brian

tanmayandgmat wrote:Hi Frnds,

I am new to GMAT,although now i know most of the things i.e. how the GMAT exam works,what things are tested.I already downloaded, GMAT prep software,also had given the first diagnostic test and scored around 250 ,also had practiced some questions of Problem Solving and D.S. and after doing that it showed i did questions with 53% accuracy.

Now i am uncertain, how to strategize my study plan. I have following material right now,all are PDF,these are:

1)OG(All 3 in which 1 GMAT Review is 13th edition)
2)Foundation of GMAT Math,5th Edition
3)Foundation of GMAT Verbal
3)Manhattan Set of Guides( 1)Fraction,Decimal,Percents 2)Algebra,3)Word Problems,4)Geometry,5)Number Properties,6)Critical Reasoning,7)Reading Comprehension,8)Sentence Correction,9)GMAT Roadmap)


These are my current set of materials,please advise regarding strategy???

You might consider signing up for BTG'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.

Cheers,
Brent

You certainly don't need to buy OG13 as well. Only about 1/6 of questions change from edition to edition, so the vast majority will be repeats. The only things really unique about OG13 is the IR section... but most of is it not in the book anyway, since it's an interactive section. You can just check out GMATPrep for practice IR questions.

Remember, studying the GMAT is about quality, not quantity. It really doesn't matter as much which books you study (provided it's a reputable source) as it does how much you're analyzing and thoughtfully processing the information. If you have the MGMAT full set of guides, that will be more than sufficient.

As I said before, you shouldn't aim to do every single OG or practice problem out there. That's the wrong mentality! You should aim to thoughtfully analyze every problem that you have seen, until you have mastery of the concepts. For example, you don't have to do every single divisibility problem out there to be able to say "I understand the concept of divisibility, and I feel confident that I can attack any new divisibility problem and relate it back to other problems I've seen."