Am I studying too much?

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Am I studying too much?

by daygoballa » Thu Mar 05, 2009 3:27 pm
8 hours a day + 6 hrs on Sats....will this help me or hurt me?

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by VP_Jim » Thu Mar 05, 2009 3:31 pm
Perhaps counterintuitively, yes, there is such a thing as too much studying. For one, you'll probably burn out after a week! GMAT studying takes dedicated work over a long period of time to develop the appropriate thinking and problem solving skills. This is not a test of memorization for which you can cram.

Also, with that much studying, you are likely focused on "quantity" of study rather than "quality." It's certainly possible to study only from the Official Guide and score a 760; I'm proof of that. What matters is that you study SMART. You need to pick apart every question in the Official Guide and truly understand it. This type of focused study takes a toll on the brain, and for most of my students (and me!) about two hours per day is the max before the diminished returns begin to set in.

Hope this helps!
Jim S. | GMAT Instructor | Veritas Prep

Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
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I plan on taking the test at the end of June. Will studying smart and doing 2hours a day enough to get a good score?

Thank you,

Henry

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by VP_Jim » Thu Mar 05, 2009 10:21 pm
"Good" is a relative term, and it depends on many variables - most importantly, where are you starting from, what is your background in math and grammar, how good are you at standardized tests in general, etc., etc...

But yes, generally speaking, two hours per day for three months is enough to maximize one's score potential.
Jim S. | GMAT Instructor | Veritas Prep