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Need advice on how to approach studying for the GMAT

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Need advice on how to approach studying for the GMAT

by sdc10 » Thu Jul 31, 2014 12:37 pm
Ok, so first of all let me provide a little background on myself. My educational career has taken some twist and turns but I have decided to pursue a Masters Degree in Business. As a result I now have to face the task of taking the GMAT. I will be graduating after the Spring 2015 semester, so my plan is to take the test in either November or December. I feel that this will give me enough time to study as well as to retake the test if necessary before my potential schools application deadline.

With all that being said, I must admit I feel a little overwhelmed in regards to how to best approach studying for the exam. I've never taken a test that involved so much prep work beforehand, I attended a community college out of high school so taking the SATs was not a necessity.

I guess I feel most overwhelmed with just how much study materials are available I'm just not sure how to approach studying for the exam. I feel my best course of action would be to use a GMAT review book as well as a review book with focused mostly on the math portions of the test (considering that math has been and always will be my main weakness) as well as taking practice tests. I'm just not sure which books out there are the best to use and which ones I should avoid as well as where I am able to get access to practice tests.

So if anyone could lend me any advice on these areas I would greatly appreciate it.
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by [email protected] » Thu Jul 31, 2014 3:13 pm
Hi sdc10,

You've given yourself plenty of time to prepare, which is a good move.

It's important to define your goals, so that you can better put together a plan that will help you to achieve those goals.

1) What is your goal score?
2) What schools are you planning to apply to?
3) Do you know what the average GMAT score is for those schools?

Since you have almost no experience with this type of standardized testing, I suspect that you'll need a structured study plan and consistent, professional guidance to help you succeed. As such, working with a couple of books is probably not going to be the best approach.

Here are some suggestions to get you started:
1) You can download 2 FREE practice CAT tests and a set of practice problems from www.mba.com
2) For free "math" help/lessons, try Khan Academy (www.khanacademy.org)
3) Before purchasing any Course resources, you should take advantage of all the various free materials (practice problems, CAT tests, videos, etc.) offered by the various GMAT companies. We offer a variety of Stage 1 resources for free use (www.empowergmat.com). Once you've had a chance to consider the options, you should pick the one that best matches your personality, timeline and budget.

Studying for the GMAT is like having a part-time job; you should plan on spending 10-15 hours per week for 3 months (or more) to properly prepare. It's a big task, but the GMAT is a predictable, standardized exam, so you CAN train to crush it.

If you have any additional questions, then feel free to contact me directly.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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by sdc10 » Fri Aug 01, 2014 9:49 am
The average score is 583, however it is also important to note that the average GPA of accepted students is 3.6 which is also the score needed to apply for a GMAT waiver at the school. So it stands to reason that many accepted students get their GMAT scores waived in lieu of their GPA. As a result it is a little difficult to gauge what a competitive GMAT score would be. My current gpa is a 3.5 so Im not exactly at the point I need to be to get my score waived (Seeing as I have a whole semester left to go before I apply can either help or hurt my gpa so naturally I dont want to rely on that).

I do have to make a correction in regards to taking a standardized test. I did take the SATs so Im aware of how the format for these types of tests are, however I never committed myself to studying for them seeing as I knew my score didnt really affect me in regards to the school I went to. So it is more the studying aspect I am concerned with.

Im aware of how much time goes into studying for the gmat but I guess I'm more concerned with finding good resources for studying. As I said before its a bit overwhelming with just how many websites/books are dedicated to gmat review Im just not sure which ones would be best to utilize.
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by [email protected] » Fri Aug 01, 2014 6:37 pm
Hi sdc10,

Your situation is atypical in that you might not actually need to take the GMAT. With the information provided, it seems to me that you wouldn't necessarily have to score at a really high level on the GMAT to satisfy what this school is looking for.

That all having been said, this whole process can seem a bit intimidating. Thankfully, there are plenty of free resources to take advantage of, so you experiment a bit before you commit to spending too much money.

To get a sense of your current strengths and weaknesses, you might consider taking a FULL-LENGTH practice CAT. It takes about 4 hours to complete a CAT, so make sure that you have enough time set aside. Once you take one, you should post back here with your scores and we can talk through the options.

If you have any additional questions, then feel free to contact me directly.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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by sdc10 » Fri Aug 01, 2014 8:17 pm
ok, i will take one of the free practice tests when i get the time and get back with my results.
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