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GMAT study time/schedule with no job or other obligations?

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GMAT study time/schedule with no job or other obligations?

by flexed » Tue Feb 02, 2010 7:08 am
Hi all,

So I'm currently looking to get started on my GMAT prep this week. Purchased the 8 MGMAT books and 3 OG's, + GMAT800.

I am currently unemployed, and have no other obligations that I need to look at, so I figure this would be the best time to really study hard for this and knock it out of the ballpark.

I've read a lot of users' posts here about their study strategies and schedules/timelines but it seems as though they are all from people who have full-time jobs and/or other commitments as well (family, kids, etc). And thus they probably require 2-3 months to study, spread out (i.e. 1-2 hours a day) given their busy schedules. Me, on the other hand, have no obligations, and am looking to hopefully spend 5-6 hours a day on weekdays and maybe a total of 10 hours on the weekend, 40 hours a week for about 4-6 weeks. Is this feasible? Or what kind of expectations should I expect in terms of workload to be able to get at least a 680-700?

And is it a good idea to write a practice CAT first before getting started on studying to gauge where my starting-point is?

Thanks all!
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by Osirus@VeritasPrep » Tue Feb 02, 2010 7:12 am
You're about to kill it. Do the following:

Alternate between Math days and verbal days. Attempt to take a CAT on the day during the time that you would schedule the real thing. For example, if you expect to schedule a CAT on a Wed at noon, take all of your practice CATs on Wednesday's at noon.

On your math days, go through each MGMAT math guide 1-5. As you move on to a new chapter, make sure you constantly review the old material, otherwise you will forget.

On your verbal days, go through the MGMAT Sentence Correction Guide. I recommend Powerscore's Critical Reasoning Bible for CR though, if you can't afford to get another book though, just go with the MGMAT CR guide. On verbal days, attempt to also do a verbal drill set. 10-20 questions from each verbal section.

Good luck, you should kill it.
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by flexed » Tue Feb 02, 2010 5:29 pm
Thanks for getting me started, osirus.

Few questions:

With regards to the CATs, how often should I do them? Where can I download them for free? I've read through people's posts and the ones they have done, is this a comprehensive list of CATs to work from? https://gmatclub.com/forum/all-gmat-cat- ... 77460.html

How much time should I look to be spending per day? Is my goal of 5-6 hours per weekday and 10 total hrs on the weekend for 40 hrs a week, 6-week study plan a good idea?
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by Osirus@VeritasPrep » Tue Feb 02, 2010 7:00 pm
flexed wrote:Thanks for getting me started, osirus.

Few questions:

With regards to the CATs, how often should I do them? Where can I download them for free? I've read through people's posts and the ones they have done, is this a comprehensive list of CATs to work from? https://gmatclub.com/forum/all-gmat-cat- ... 77460.html

How much time should I look to be spending per day? Is my goal of 5-6 hours per weekday and 10 total hrs on the weekend for 40 hrs a week, 6-week study plan a good idea?
Don't take a CAT until you have gone through all of your materials otherwise you would just waste one. Since you have purchased the MGMAT books, you get access to all of their CATs for a year. I would say the 6 MGMAT cats and the two free GMATprep tests are more than enough.

One thing I would suggest is to attempt to get through all of your material 6 weeks before you want to take the exam. The next two weeks, go through all of the problems in the official guide, and the last month, drill every problem you got incorrect.
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by money9111 » Tue Feb 02, 2010 7:51 pm
I think osirus0830 hit the nail on the head. In some cases people need to take a CAT exam for one reason or another, whether it be for a specific program, or before a prep class. Since you do not fall into one of these categories, definitely save the CAT exams until later.

At first I wouldnt even have CAT exam in my head. Focus on learning, retaining, and EXPLAINING the content. I made a post earlier today, basically saying that the key to this exam is knowing how to explain to yourself why the answers are as such.

One last comment = TAKE TIME OFF... i'm not saying go on vacation for a week without looking at material... but being able to dedicate yourself, as you plan on doing, can lead to burn out very quickly. Take breaks... if you want to do a light review one day... simply do that... you, unlike most people, can afford it...

Definitely keep us posted!
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by flexed » Tue Feb 02, 2010 9:21 pm
Thanks so much to the both of you for your replies, I really appreciate it! I'll definitely keep using this forum and posting with regards to my progress.

Thanks again!
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by money9111 » Tue Feb 02, 2010 9:54 pm
i have a feeling you're going to become a regular on here! welcome!
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