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rexthedog: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 2; Joined: Mon Oct 22, 2018 3:41 am

GMAT with NO background

by rexthedog » Mon Oct 22, 2018 3:46 am

Hi, new user.

Background - work in finance, professionally qualified analyst. Looking to take GMAT and get a strong score as quick as possible.

I have absolutely no grounding in Quant whatsoever - have not studied that type of maths over 12 years. I anticipate this will be a poor area for me.

I am professionally qualified - CFA, so work ethic and getting head down is not a problem for me.

I want to know which provider is best to start a candidate from the ABSOLUTE beginning (ABC's)

I am interested in doing ONLINE only (Distance learning) and want to give myself 3 months to go from zero to hero.

Any suggestions on providers would be welcome.

Rex.

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Source: Beat The GMAT — GMAT Strategy | Mon Oct 22, 2018 3:46 am

GMAT/MBA Expert

[email protected]: Elite Legendary Member; Posts: 10392; Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:38 pm; Location: Palo Alto, CA; Thanked: 2867 times; Followed by:511 members; GMAT Score:800

by [email protected] » Tue Oct 23, 2018 2:32 pm

Hi Rex,

Since it sounds like you're just beginning your studies, then it would be a good idea to take a FULL-LENGTH practice CAT Test; you can take 2 for free at 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 3.5 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 apply to Business School?
3) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

Contact Rich at [email protected]

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rexthedog: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 2; Joined: Mon Oct 22, 2018 3:41 am

answer

by rexthedog » Wed Oct 24, 2018 4:52 am

Thanks Rich, I appreciate your response.

A little scattergun approach at the moment. Not even sure if MBA is 100% something I will go for, but I wanted to first get the GMAT under belt so that it's one less thing to worry about should I want to attend a school in next 5 years.

I am only interested in doing an MBA if it is a top 20 MBA school so I suppose aiming for a magic 700+ would be the goal, however I am quite certain I will be no where near this if I take a test now. As I said, I have not studied maths like this for over 12 years, and I was not particularly great at it in high school either - learning curve is steep but am willing.

Will take a look into doing the CAT next month sometime and putting scores on here.

Rex

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GMAT/MBA Expert

[email protected]: Elite Legendary Member; Posts: 10392; Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:38 pm; Location: Palo Alto, CA; Thanked: 2867 times; Followed by:511 members; GMAT Score:800

by [email protected] » Wed Oct 24, 2018 7:24 pm

Hi Rex,

Studying for (and taking) the GMAT in the near-term - years before you might actually need it - is a really smart move. By focusing on the GMAT now, you can avoid the external pressure of a looming deadline and give yourself plenty of time to learn the content, patterns and little 'secrets' to the Exam.

Many Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores, so when you are ready to dive into this process, it's important to set aside the necessary study time. Studying for the GMAT will be similar to having a part-time job, but the value of that high GMAT Score is worth the commitment.

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

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

Contact Rich at [email protected]

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GMAT/MBA Expert

Scott@TargetTestPrep: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 8085; Joined: Sat Apr 25, 2015 10:56 am; Location: Los Angeles, CA; Thanked: 43 times; Followed by:29 members

by Scott@TargetTestPrep » Sun Oct 28, 2018 4:43 pm

Hi rexthedog,

Once you report back here with your score breakdown, I can provide some advice on how to move forward. In the meantime, you may find it helpful to read this article about [url=https://blog.targettestprep.com/improve-gmat-score/] how to improve your GMAT quant score.

Feel free to reach out with further questions.

Scott Woodbury-Stewart
Founder and CEO
[email protected]