how many hours/ week can you dedicate?

I'm not sure i'm able to put more than 10 hours weekly as I have a very demanding work schedule..

In that case, i'd advise that you start your prep right away and target taking the test sometime in late oct/ early nov. That way, you'll have adequate time both for your gmat prep and for your essays.

Hey Duaa,

Great question, and welcome to the "active participation" portion of the community here!

I'm a firm believer that sense-of-urgency is important for people to get serious about quality preparation for anything. Regardless of how motivated you may be, December is a long time away...it's the dead middle of summer right now and December is winter. Psychologically, it's just really difficult for most people to stay committed to a goal that far away...when it comes down to it, it's just too easy in August or September to push off a practice test or study session because "it's still months away".

I'd recommend this:

1) Commit, at least mentally, to a September test date and round 1 applications and work toward that goal.

2) In mid-August or so, gauge your progress to determine whether that September test is realistic. If you're just too far away, then make specific plans for how you'll improve by December (e.g. "September - focus on math fundamentals and performing calculations quickly; first week of October - methodically attack Data Sufficiency strategy; etc.)

This way you have interim milestones to work toward, and you're much more likely to stick to the process. I've always feared "too much time" more than "not enough time" for my students.

Cheers,
Brian

Hi guys

Thanks a lot.. sound advice.. I guess realistically i will not get my best score if i take the test 6 weeks away.. but i think mini goals will keep me going until then.. so i'll do my best until late august and take a test-prep test to see whether i'm close to achieving my target score.. and will take it from there.. but from where i'm at November might be a safer option..

Thank you!

Will report back with updates ( hopefully positive ones).

Dua'a