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How to build GMAT study plan - need your help!

by NikolayGlu » Tue Mar 18, 2014 6:16 am
Hi, guys!

My name is Nikolay. I would like to start my preparation for GMAT exam. My goal is 700+.

Two days ago I downloaded the GMAT_Software Prep from mba.com and passed the first unofficial test. My result was 560 (Q 43; V24).
In Verbal part I have the same amount of mistakes in RC,SC,CR. I haven't analyzed my Quant mistakes yet but overall I have more mistakes in DS. I, also, feel that I strongly need to review foundations of Math.

After reading many posts about creating individaul study plans I 'm a little bit confused.

As far as I understand many people spend their first month for Quant part. Can I include preparation for IR in the first month too?

Also, I disturb a lot about my Verbal Part.

Feel that it will take a lot of time for me to beat this section.

I have some preparation materials (Official guide 13 - kindle edition, OG Quant -2nd edition, OG Verbal - 2nd edition, 1 037 Practice Q (Princeton), Kaplan 800 for advanced, Manhattan Sentence Correction)

Can I start the preparation for Quant part from OG 13 + OG Quant 2nd edition?

Hope, you will answer me soon and give me some precious advices :)

Kind regards,
Nikolay
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by [email protected] » Tue Mar 18, 2014 7:40 pm
Hi Nikolay,

Study plans vary from person to person, and your plan might change as you gain a clearer sense of what you really need to work on. While it might be tempting to work with a lot of GMAT books, "book-practice" will probably not be enough to help you hit your goal. Since you'll take the GMAT on a computer, some (or even most) of your practice work should be on the computer as well, so you can get used to the physical aspect of taking the test and maximize your performance under Test-like conditions.

How much time have you set aside to study? How much time do you think you'll be able to spend per week?

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by NikolayGlu » Wed Mar 19, 2014 12:53 am
Hi, Rich!

Thanks for you answer!

I plan to study for 3 - 4 hours tonight each weekday and 5-7 hours on Sat. and Sun.

I understand that I should practice a lot on the computer and under test conditions. I don't plan to use all my GMAT books but some of them could help me start my preparation?

Kind regards,
Nikolay
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by [email protected] » Wed Mar 19, 2014 11:05 am
Hi NikolayGlu,

You sound like you're prepared to put in the necessary time and effort, which is good. For reference, you don't need to study every day, so you should plan on taking one "day off" per week.

Have you scheduled your actual GMAT yet? If so, when is it? If not, then when are you thinking about taking it?

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by NikolayGlu » Thu Mar 20, 2014 8:31 am
Hi, Rich!

I haven't scheduled the actual exam yet. I plan to prepare for 3 - 4 months and successfully pass it in July.

Kind regards,

Nikolay
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by ThomasLHall » Thu Mar 20, 2014 8:31 pm
Hi Nikolay. Aiming for a 140+ point improvement is doable with the dedication and timeline you are bringing to the table.

Because your Verbal score is so much lower than your Quant, it is understandable you are a bit concerned about it. Your prep should probably include more Verbal than Quant. The three MGMAT Verbal guides are excellent and you could start with the Sentence Correction book you have.

It makes sense to obtain some solid Quant guides before you dive into practicing with the OG 13 and OG Quant second edition. Learning strategies to pair with the practice yields faster gains. Again, MGMAT has great individual guides on each Quant subject. Or the Kaplan Premiere book could be a good place to turn for improving your Quant skills.

And you are right, it can be challenging to put together an effective self-study course. I've actually just written a book designed to do just that: GMAT Clarity. It is only $7 on Amazon for a short time; soon it will be $40. You will find it rather helpful in your quest for a 700+ score.
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by [email protected] » Thu Mar 20, 2014 11:08 pm
Hi NikolayGlu,

You mentioned that you have the same number of mistakes in each of the 3 Verbal categories: SC, RC and CR. If that's the case, then you have lots of work to do in the Verbal section. As such, you probably should NOT wait to begin your Verbal studies, since you'll clearly need more time to get comfortable with the various tactics for that section. You should plan on doing a mix of Quant and Verbal each week throughout your studies. This will allow you the flexibility to "move on" once you're comfortable with a subject or spend more time as needed. IR actually combines both Quant skills and CR skills, so you should probably plan on doing IR later on in your studies.

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