Hi btaa2017,

Since it sounds like you're in the early phase of your studies, then it would be a good idea to take a FULL-LENGTH practice CAT Test; you can download 2 for free from www.mba.com (and they come with some additional practice materials). If you want to do a little studying first, so that you can familiarize yourself with the basic content and question types, then that's okay - but you shouldn't wait too long to take that initial CAT. That score will give us a good sense of your natural strengths and weaknesses and will help provide a basis for comparison as you continue to study. A FULL CAT takes about 4 hours to complete, so make sure that you've set aside enough time to take it in one sitting. Once you have those scores, you should report back here and we can come up with a study plan.

I'd like to know a bit more about your timeline and goals:
1) What is your goal score?
2) When are you planning to take the GMAT?
3) When are you planning to apply to Business School?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Hi btaa2017,

Training to score in the 700+ range is a challenging task - and it will likely take more than 3 months of consistent, guided study to get up to that level. More specifically, a 780+ score is above the 99th percentile, meaning that 99% of Test Takers never reach that level regardless of how many times they take the GMAT. Thankfully, no Business School requires a score that high - so you might want to research the Schools that you're interested in and try to better define the type of GMAT score that each would consider to be 'acceptable.'

You should plan to take a FULL-LENGTH CAT (with the Essay and IR sections) this weekend. You'll end up taking plenty of CATs over the course of your studies, so there's nothing to be afraid of here - just do your best and we'll use this result to discuss how best to proceed.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Hi btaa2017,

Raising a 460 to a 700+ will be a challenging task, but we've helped many Test Takers earn those types of improvements, so it IS possible. In addition, you have given yourself plenty of time to study - which is good. Ultimately, you need to commit to the task and you have to work with study materials that best match your personality. Right now, it appears that you're taking a 'book heavy' approach - and that might be a problem. Many Test Takers who take that type of study approach end up getting 'stuck' at a particular score level, so you'll likely end up needing to invest in some non-book resources. Right now, I suggest that you continue to study as you see fit for the next 2 weeks, then take a NEW, FULL-LENGTH CAT (with the Essay and IR sections). That score result will give us a better sense of how well you're improving by studying in this way.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Hi btaa2017,

You shouldn't expect to become an expert in every subject in just 2 weeks (and you shouldn't expect to become an expert in ANY subject in that time either). You can choose which subjects you want to focus on - and let's see how well your work over the next couple of weeks helps you to improve in those areas (and peripherally in other areas) on your next CAT. Right now, we need to get a better sense of whether "your way" of studying actually leads to improvement or not - so you can proceed however you choose.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich