Preparation strategy:OG first then Kaplan or both same way?

This topic has expert replies
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 38
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2008 5:21 am
HI guys,
planing to do my GMAT exam in 3 month, and by reading the " I just beat the GMAT !" section i found that most of them went though this path:
* OG 11 and Kaplan books
My question is : do I have to start first with OG and finish it all then start the KAPLAN ( as they all said that the level is higher !!) ? or going in the same way both together ? like performing the DS in OG and then stdying it again from Kaplan,...etc
Any Idea on that plz ?
Source: — GMAT Strategy |

Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 81
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2008 1:02 pm
Thanked: 5 times
Followed by:1 members

by wickely » Wed Oct 08, 2008 4:59 pm
It's the other way around: You need to start with test-taking strategy first, THEN do practice questions along with timed practice tests. Review your mistakes as you go so you don't get into bad habits.

I would also NOT recommend Kaplan. Princeton Review's strategies and test are much better.

Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 38
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2008 5:21 am

by marouan » Fri Oct 10, 2008 6:11 am
thanks wickely,
but what do you mean by : start with test-taking strategy first, THEN do practice questions
by followong the OG book.. im I following this order ? I saw that it starts with atest ( not time based) just to idintify the weaknesses and then they go into the subjects one by one.. isin't sufficient ?!!

GMAT Instructor
Posts: 1223
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 3:29 pm
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Thanked: 185 times
Followed by:15 members

by VP_Jim » Tue Oct 14, 2008 7:41 am
I agree - start with a prep book, then do the OG. The OG is great for practice problems but is lacking when it comes to strategies. The hard part - but where most of the learning will take place - is trying to apply all the tips/tricks/strategies/shortcuts you learned in your prep book to the OG.

By the way, the paper test at the beginning of the OG isn't helpful. You should take one of the free online practice tests. There are two at mba.com that are excellent, but those tend to be most representative since the GMAC publishes them. Here's one from Veritas that is also pretty accurate:

https://www.veritasprep.com/gmat-prepara ... ctice-GMAT

Good luck!
Jim S. | GMAT Instructor | Veritas Prep