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New to GMAT, Need Help on Resources and Planning

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by nem86850 » Tue Aug 02, 2016 8:33 am
Hi I am new to the GMAT and have not booked my test yet but at this point just looking at different resources. I have looked at the Manhattan guides and I am wondering if these alone and 3 months study time would be sufficient. Can anyone point me in the right direction?
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by [email protected] » Tue Aug 02, 2016 10:40 am
Hi nem86850,

Most Test Takers use a variety of study materials as they prepare for the GMAT, so while you could start with those books, they will probably not be the only resources that you'll need.

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 download 2 for free from 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 4 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 take the GMAT?
3) When are you planning to apply to Business School?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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by Scott@TargetTestPrep » Wed Aug 03, 2016 6:25 am
Hi nem86850,

Since you are just starting out your GMAT prep, you should first familiarize yourself with the GMAT exam and then take an MBA.com practice exam. The results of that exam will give you a good idea of what to expect on the GMAT as well as a baseline GMAT score. The scoring data from that practice exam will help you determine how long you will need to prepare, to achieve your GMAT goal score. If after taking the practice exam, you would like some more granular data about your GMAT quant skills, I welcome you to take my free 37 question quant diagnostic.


Until we know how far off your practice test score is from your goal score, we cannot determine how long it will take for you to achieve your GMAT score goal. However, on average, it takes around 300 hours and between 3 and 6 months of prep time to score a 700+ on the GMAT. Feel free to read more about this topic in an article that I wrote about how long it takes to study for the GMAT.

In regard to study resources, there are many from which to choose. With that said, I find that the majority of my students prefer using online self-study courses as opposed to prep books. In comparison to GMAT prep books, 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 better able to forecast when you are ready to take your real GMAT. If you would like to learn more about what online resources are available, check out the verified course reviews on GMAT Club or Beat The GMAT.

After you take the MBA.com exam, report back and I'd be happy to provide some further adivice.

Scott Woodbury-Stewart
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[email protected]

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by nem86850 » Wed Aug 17, 2016 5:53 pm
[email protected] wrote:Hi nem86850,

Most Test Takers use a variety of study materials as they prepare for the GMAT, so while you could start with those books, they will probably not be the only resources that you'll need.

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 download 2 for free from 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 4 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 take the GMAT?
3) When are you planning to apply to Business School?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
1) I would like to score a 700 would be ideal
2) Im not setting up myself for a certain amount of time, I will study until I feel I will reach my score.
3) Most likely next year sometime

I did the initail Practice Exam and had trouble with the math and such and scored a embarassing 200. So I have a lot of work to do.
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by [email protected] » Wed Aug 17, 2016 9:00 pm
Hi nem86850,

Many Test Takers aren't happy about their initial CAT scores, but that score is really just a measure of your current skills - you'll learn, and train and improve over time. That having been said, raising a 200 to a 700+ will be a big challenge. It's likely that you'll end up needing more than 3 months of consistent study time and you'll need more than just the books that you've mentioned. Thankfully, you have plenty of time before you plan to apply to Business School.

1) Did you leave any questions unanswered on this CAT?
2) How many of the 37 Quant questions and 41 Verbal questions did you have to 'guess' on (because you weren't sure how to answer the question or because you were low on time)?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
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by nem86850 » Thu Aug 18, 2016 5:13 pm
[email protected] wrote:Hi nem86850,

Many Test Takers aren't happy about their initial CAT scores, but that score is really just a measure of your current skills - you'll learn, and train and improve over time. That having been said, raising a 200 to a 700+ will be a big challenge. It's likely that you'll end up needing more than 3 months of consistent study time and you'll need more than just the books that you've mentioned. Thankfully, you have plenty of time before you plan to apply to Business School.

1) Did you leave any questions unanswered on this CAT?
2) How many of the 37 Quant questions and 41 Verbal questions did you have to 'guess' on (because you weren't sure how to answer the question or because you were low on time)?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
1) A lot of them I guessed but I think I answered most.
2) A good amount

Do you think the 3 month study plan on this website is a good starting point but maybe extending it?, I just ordered the book recommended on there for the first week to familiarize myself with the exam and such.
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by [email protected] » Thu Aug 18, 2016 9:25 pm
Hi nem86850,

Since there are a variety of different ways that you can go about studying for the GMAT, there's really no way for me to deduce how effective one particular approach will be for you. That having been said, most GMAT Companies offer some type of free materials (practice problems, Trial Accounts, videos, etc.) that you can use to 'test out' a product before you buy it. We have a variety of those resources at our website (www.empowergmat.com). I suggest that you take advantage of all of them then choose the one that best matches your personality, timeline and budget.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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by nem86850 » Thu Aug 25, 2016 8:52 am
I am using the guideline on this website in the Self-Study section with the 3 month study plan, I ordered

Kaplan GMAT Premier 2015 with 6 Practice Tests: Book + DVD + Online + Mobile
Kaplan

and

Complete GMAT Strategy Guide Set

I will start working through these, any advice or suggestions?
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by [email protected] » Thu Aug 25, 2016 9:20 am
Hi nem86850,

Since you appeared to have more difficulty with the Quant section, it would make sense to start there (although you would likely find it beneficial to do some Quant work and some Verbal work each week). You should study as you choose for the next 2-3 weeks, then take a new, FULL-LENGTH CAT (with the Essay and IR sections). That score result will help to define whether 'your way' of studying is helping you to improve or not. You shouldn't expect to go from 200 to 700 'overnight' though - we're looking for some type of meaningful progress in any area(s). Once you have that score, you should post it back here and we can talk through your studies going forward.

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