Best way to study on the fixed budget.

I won't comment on which stuff to use from which company, because obviously I'm biased. But I will mention that you can get a lot of stuff for free or for a pretty low cost.

Pretty much all of the companies will let you take a free practice test, so sign up for those, and you can also download two free practice tests from the makers of the real test - go to www.mba.com and look for GMATPrep.

Most companies also have free info sessions and although, yes, we're trying to get people to like our stuff so they'll spend money, that doesn't mean you have to actually spend money! Sign up for and attend whatever free stuff you can. For example, you can sign up for a free 2-hour info session with my company, held either in person (if you're in one of the cities we're in) or online. We also let people sit in on the first class of a new course for free (again, either in person or online). Check out our web site for details on how to sign up. I don't know the details on free sessions given by other companies, but I'm sure they exist, so you should check out their web sites.

Also, these free sessions are typically given by instructors, so make sure you have a couple of questions that you can ask after the class - advice about how best to prepare in your situation or something like that.

Finally, you don't mention OG books - perhaps that's because you already know that part of your budget is going to go towards the official materials, but I wanted to mention just in case. The first thing you need to buy is OG12 (and OG11 is fine, too, if you already have it). OG12 = The Official Guide, 12th edition, published by the people who make the test and containing real, past GMAT questions. The book is not so great for teaching you how to study, but it is great in terms of providing the highest-quality practice questions available.

Good luck!