GMAT Strategy

Hello Guys,

I've been using the MGMAT Strategy Guides for more than 3 months. They've been a good source of study. However I've been noted that I spend too much time trying to solve and understand the Chapters Topics and the Problem Set of each chapter (sometimes more than two hours). Should I continue to follow this approach or should I focus more in the OG Questions and less in MGMAT Topics & Problem Sets? I'm planning to take my first test in December 2015. My first CAT was 500 and my target is 650.

Thank you.

Should I continue to follow this approach or should I focus more in the OG Questions and less in MGMAT Topics & Problem Sets?

The goal is to get to the point where you have a workable strategy for dissecting every question in the Official Guide. Whether you do the OG questions as you work through other prep material or after is a matter of taste. But I agree with Rich. The only way to know if your study plan is proving to be effective is to take the occasional practice test. It's one thing to absorb all the concepts. It's quite another to be able to apply those concepts under pressure with a time constraint.

Here are some considerations.

First off, two hours spent on questions is not all that much time, and it may make sense to spend a couple hours on questions related to concepts or strategies you have just read about.

Also, the OG tends to contain a mixed group of questions, while the questions as the end of a chapter will tend to be all related to each other. Doing together a bunch of related questions can be better than doing a variety of questions, because in doing similar questions one after the other you really develop understanding of applicable concepts and strategies and how to apply them.

At the same time, the OG contains questions that may be more like the ones on the actual test than are the ones created by a test prep company. So working on OG questions in addition to test prep company questions tends to be a good idea.

On another note, as Rich and David said, taking practice tests tends to be a key part of preparing for the GMAT, as a way of seeing what official questions look like, as a way to get good at handling the test in it's totality, and as a way of assessing how close to your target you are and what you need to work on to increase your score.

Meanwhile, while non official practice tests can be very useful, be sure to use some official practice tests from GMAT Prep, as you don't want to get good at handling the tests created by someone else only to find that you have prepared for someone else's interpretation of the GMAT rather than for the actual GMAT.

What makes you say that you are spending too much time working on the problems? Without context, it's tough to know what you should do. To an extent I agree that you should evaluate how you are performing, but to me understanding the foundation is extremely important and sometimes that takes time and effort.

Hi guys. So, my first and only CAT was taken 1 month ago. From now on, I'm planning to take one CAT a week 'till the last week before the real test. I think that my mistake was not measuring my progress doing constantly CATs.

Just another point: I believe that until the real test in December, I won't finish all the topics and problem sets from MGMAT Strategy Guide due to time I've spending on them, as I said. Should I continue in my study plans or should I reschedule the real exam?

Thank you guys for the advices!

The GMAT is not a test of whether you have completed the MGMAT strategy guides. It's a test of how good you are at finding the answers to GMAT questions.

So maybe the best way to determine the answer to your question is to take a practice test and see how things are going.

From now on, I'm planning to take one CAT a week 'till the last week before the real test.

Just make sure to abide by the cardinal rule for taking practice tests: Thoroughly review each old practice test before you take the next one. The goal is to come away with a concrete list of strategic adjustments each time you dissect an exam. Always note if there were timing issues. Be conscious of whether there are any topics that you're a bit fuzzy on and need a little more practice with. Always ask if you're properly using strategies (picking numbers, backs-solving, etc.) Once you have your adjustments in place, and only then, proceed to the next test. Wash/rinse/repeat.