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Study Plan !!

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Study Plan !!

by Manonamission » Mon Aug 01, 2016 10:17 am
Hello Guys,

I am new to GMAT preparation and plan to give GMAT exam in 2 months time.
Due to stringent work hours, I can barely devote 2.5 hours daily and 6-8 hours on weekends.
To check my current standing, I gave GMAT CAT downloaded free from official www.mba.com website and scored merely 470 (Q35 V17). I have scanned multiple websites,forums etc for improvements but in vain.
I would like to know what is the optimal strategy for preparation and most importantly how and what to study? Is there a study plan which can help me with good quality resources?

Best,
MoM
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by diegocml » Mon Aug 01, 2016 11:48 pm
Manonamission wrote:Hello Guys,

I am new to GMAT preparation and plan to give GMAT exam in 2 months time.
Due to stringent work hours, I can barely devote 2.5 hours daily and 6-8 hours on weekends.
To check my current standing, I gave GMAT CAT downloaded free from official www.mba.com website and scored merely 470 (Q35 V17). I have scanned multiple websites,forums etc for improvements but in vain.
I would like to know what is the optimal strategy for preparation and most importantly how and what to study? Is there a study plan which can help me with good quality resources?

Best,
MoM
Hey MoM,

Welcome to the BTG forum.

Have you had the time to check the 'Self Study' section in the forum? You can find a wealth of information over there.

If you're looking for courses, check it out the 'GMAT Courses' section.

I'm not sure what your timeline for taking the GMAT is, but I strongly believe that if you dedicate 2 hours per day during the week and 10 hours on the weekend, you can definitely beat the GMAT.

Good luck!
Diego

1st GMAT attemp: 410 (Q18 V27)
2nd GMAT attemp: 490 (Q35 V23)
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by MartyMurray » Tue Aug 02, 2016 7:27 am
Hi MoM.

First off. While you may benefit from some studying, the truth is that the GMAT is more like a game than a conventional test. So beyond studying, preparing for the GMAT involves training to play the game.

Given that that is the case, there are various ways to prepare for the test.

At one extreme is just going over everything that generally shows up on the test, expecting that learning certain concepts and training to get right answers to various types of questions will translate into scoring higher than you did on your initial practice test.

At the other extreme is basing your work entirely on your practice test results. In other words, rather than doing general work, you choose what you do based on what you saw and did or did not do on that first practice test and other practice tests to come.

If, for example, you found number properties and triangle questions particularly challenging, then you would work on those two topics first. After doing that, you would find something else that you found challenging, and continue the process topic by topic, basically driving your score up concept by concept, skill by skill and point by point.

I guess most people choose an approach somewhere between those two extremes, doing some general work, especially at the beginning of their preparation, and doing some tailored work based on their test results as well, usually more toward the end of their preparation.

There are many ways to go about these things. For instance, some people use Manhattan guides for all of their concept and content type studying, using Official questions later for practice. Others use the Target Test Prep program for learning quant basics and use other resources, possibly Magoosh, or e-GMAT for verbal.

To determine which are best for you, you could consider what you found challenging on that practice test and how you learn the best and then look around to find out what people have to say about the various resources and which worked best for people whose experiences with the GMAT seem similar to yours.

I for one prefer online resources, partly because I find the creation of paper books to be a destructive process and partly because I like playing the GMAT like a game.

I am sure you will get some more ideas in this thread.

Whatever you end up doing, be sure to take practice tests as you go along, so that you learn to handle the test itself and as a way to continually get a sense of what you have to accomplish in order to hit your score goal.
Marty Murray
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MartyMurrayCoaching.com
Contact me at [email protected] for a free consultation.
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by [email protected] » Tue Aug 02, 2016 10:46 am
Hi MoM,

To start, many Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores, so limiting yourself to just 2 months of study time could impact how much you can improve on this score. Before I can offer the pointed advice that you're looking for, I need to know more about your studies so far and your timeline/goals:

1) What is your goal score?
2) Do you have an exact Test Date?
3) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
4) Which Schools are you planning to apply to?

Thankfully, the GMAT is a predictable, standardized Test, so you CAN train to score at a higher level.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
Last edited by [email protected] on Tue Aug 02, 2016 9:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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by DavidG@VeritasPrep » Tue Aug 02, 2016 2:18 pm
And feel free to check out our app: https://www.veritasprep.com/gmat-iphone-apps/

And our question bank: https://www.veritasprep.com/gmat-question-bank/
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by Scott@TargetTestPrep » Wed Aug 03, 2016 6:28 am
Is there are particular reason why you are taking your GMAT in two months? I also would like to know your GMAT score goal.

In regard to how to study for the GMAT, you must realize that the GMAT is such a challenging exam because there are relatively few questions asked in a given exam, yet those questions come from a huge topic pool. Thus, the best way to get a great GMAT score is to have a thorough understanding of all the topics that may be tested on the exam. To develop such mastery, you want to strive for linear and targeted learning and follow that with focused practice. In other words, you want to master one topic before you move to the next.

When studying verbal, focus on learning one section at a time: reading comprehension, sentence correction, or critical reasoning. For example, when learning about critical reasoning, you want to be able to learn about all aspects of critical reasoning: strengthen and weaken the conclusion, resolve the paradox, find the conclusion, must be true, etc. Follow up your learning with focused critical reasoning practice, so you can determine your specific weaknesses within that topic. Do the same with sentence correction and reading comprehension.

I would suggest that you also follow a similar study routine for quant. For example, if you are learning about Number Properties, you should learn everything possible about that topic: LCM, GCF, units digit patterns, divisibility, remainders, etc. After that, be sure that you practice with a lot of questions (50 or more) just on Number Properties. The results of that practice will help you to determine how well you have truly mastered that topic.

There are many options available for GMAT prep, ranging from classes (in person and online) to textbooks to private tutoring (in person and online) to online self-study programs. If you are looking for a prep program with a study plan, you may consider using an online self-study course. Self-study courses typically provide detailed study plans and have granular analytics, so you can easily track your progress as you move through the course. By being able to track your progress, you will remain more engaged, and you'll be able to forecast when you are truly ready to take your real GMAT. If you are unsure of which program to choose, check out the verified review section on Beat The GMAT.

Feel free to reach out with any further questions and we'd be happy to help. Good luck!

Scott Woodbury-Stewart
Founder and CEO
[email protected]

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by Manonamission » Wed Aug 03, 2016 9:49 am
Hello Rich,

Thanks for your valuable inputs. As for the Qs, please find below

1) What is your goal score? 700+
2) Do you have an exact Test Date? Nov 1st week 2016
3) When are you planning to apply to Business School? Immediately,after getting score Dec 2016
4) Which Schools are you planning to apply to? Indian School of Business(ISB);Indian Institutes of Management(IIMs)

Regards,
MoM
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