GMAT Strategy

Hey guys, my GMAT is on April 1st, but I can only start studying as off today... I have an average of 4hrs/day till then to prepare - I have never taken the GMAT before.

Questions:
1) I registered on MBA.com and I know it comes with practice tests.. do you think I should take one now to see where my weaknesses are? (Right now, as English is not my first language, I guess critical reading will be one of my weaknesses)
2) I keep reading on Manhattan GMAT -- is this a good practice course if you are absolutely new to the game?
3) What are your experiences, when you started about 5 weeks before your first GMAT test? Is 700 even possible then?

Thanks & cheers
Mark

Hey there and welcome to our forum!

1. Yes, taking a diagnostic test before you start is always a good idea so that you can focus on your problem spots throughout your prep.

2. The Manhattan GMAT course is one of the most recommended on our forum. You should also check out other courses to see what fits your needs best. Be sure to use our discount codes when you register - they're on the right side of the site!

3. It depends what your starting point is. In my first diagnostic test, I got a 700... Some people start out higher or lower. However, there's a general consensus that you should prep for around two-three months for optimum results. You can check out some recommended study plans in the Resources - GMAT Study Plans in the blue tabs at the top of the forum.

Hi DanaJ, thanks for your reply Pretty impressive, that you started with a 700! May I ask a bit about your background? i.e. is English your mother tongue? Do you have any math background, other than the typical math courses one takes in college?
Will take the prep-test tomorrow - Thanks

Hi Teamkilla,

Welcome. You can take the test first, take the first prep test seriously. Most of them never get a score in 700's in the first test, but DanaJ was successful in doing so. I have English as my second language (ESL). I think you have sufficient time for preparations.

English is actually my second language - but my father was open minded enough to try and teach us English from an early age. I got a 35 verbal in my first GMATprep (the software from mba.com, the most accurate), but managed to get a 47 on test day. I personally believe that this 12-point increase in score was due to the PowerScore CR Bible, a book I have been enthusiastically recommending ever since.

Yes, you've guessed it, I had pretty good quant skills to start with - it stayed pretty constant, actually: I started with a 50 and ended with a 50 It's because I'm currently majoring in finance and maths is one of my favorite subjects...

1. me personally I wouldn't waste a GMAT prep exam to see where I stand... i would save those until the end of my studies.. these are the most accurate so it would be better to use them later when you want to get more of a sense of what the actual exam will be like

2. if you're absolutely new to the game i think it would be better to determine what your weakness is... if it's verbal then Manhattan GMAT will not be the best for you... probably Kaplan or Veritas... if quant is your weakness then yes Manhattan will be the best option, but not before brushing up on basic math skills before hand

PowerScore CR Bible is phenomenal! everyone should have this book

3. I got a 590 on my first MGMAT Cat exam... i finished each section 10 minutes early! hhaaha... I know that now I would be in the 600's , but I'm also enrolled in a MGMAT class. If you're absolutely 100% new to this process make sure that you learn everything about the GMAT first... what is the scoring like? how important are essays? what types of answers are each question types looking for?