GMAT Beginner - Need suggestions for going further.

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Hi,


I have started preparing for gmat recently and plan to take the exam by November first week.
I havent take any diagnostic tests yet. Doing self study. completely out of touch in math and verbal untill I started preparing for GMAT.

I can dedicate 4 - 6 hours daily for preparation over the next 2 months, Will it be sufficient to take the exams during November?

Will it be useful if I join any GMAT courses online or classroom based courses?

How to go ahead? what are the books needed if I decide to do self study?

Iam so confused please drop in some suggestions..

thanks
vish

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by rijul007 » Thu Aug 16, 2012 7:51 am
Hi,
Welcome to Beat the GMAT.
Before you start studying for the GMAT, you first need to understand what exactly GMAT is and how it tests you on various areas.
Here's where you can read about it: https://www.mba.com/the-gmat/test-struct ... rview.aspx

Download the free GMATprep software, and take the first mock test to see where you stand right now. You'll get an idea of what you'll be dealing with for the next couple of months.
And based on your performance, you can decide what kind of course would be suitable for you. If you score poorly, you could consider private tutors or if you believe you have the self discipline to handle the coursework, you can consider online classes.

If you decide to self-study, you might consider following this study plan-- https://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/3-month-gm ... beginners/

Some of the books that you MUST have while preparing for the GMAT:
Official Guides
Kaplan GMAT Premier
Manhattan GMAT SC Guide
Powerscore CR Bible
Manhattan GMAT Number Properties
Kaplan Math Workbook

Some Practice tests:
GMATprep Software (2 Tests)
6 Manhattan GMAT Practice tests (You can get the access code in any of the Manhattan strategy guides)
5 Kaplan Practice Tests (Free with Kaplan Premier book)


Beatthegmat.com is a very good resource for preparation of the GMAT. You can go through inspirational stories of people who really Beat the GMAT. You can ask queries from experienced instructors who are always delighted to help. Even post-GMAT, you can get a lot help during the admission process too. Keep exploring it. ;)

Hope you get the score you need, all the best! :)

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by KapTeacherEli » Thu Aug 16, 2012 8:12 pm
Hi vish,

rijul summarized it pretty well. You need to start by setting a baseline, with a practice test--the official tests are a great place to start. 4 hours/day for 2 months is definitely time to improve significantly, but whether that is "enough" depends on your starting point and your target score.

Kaplan can definitely offer a lot of help. The best place to start is with a free sample class, which will let you see our materials and our teachers.

Let me know how else I can help, and good luck!
Eli Meyer
Kaplan GMAT Teacher
Cambridge, MA
www.kaptest.com/gmat

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by arun@crackverbal » Sat Aug 25, 2012 12:27 am
I think the answers are provided above.

However, what caught my attention was "I can dedicate 4 - 6 hours daily for preparation over the next 2 months, Will it be sufficient to take the exams during November?"

Somehow I feel you are looking at the GMAT as a test which can be "cracked" if you put in say x-hours of effort. This approach might not be very fruitful. There is no formula which says f(x) = y where x = effort and y = result.

Instead I would suggest you take a diagnostic test and base-line your performance. From there, keep working towards a higher score (whatever you are expecting - say 700+) by analyzing your strengths and weaknesses.

Also, the idea is to optimize your preparation. So ensure that you are looking at solving only good quality questions that will help you *improve*. Any question you are solving just to put a checkbox on your "todo" list will not help.

Hope this helps,

Arun
Founder of CrackVerbal - India's fastest growing GMAT Prepration and MBA Admissions Consulting Company. https://gmat.crackverbal.com

Free Ebook on GMAT | GMAT Scoring, Study plan, top study mistakes etc
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