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full time employed, what is your study schedule like?

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full time employed, what is your study schedule like?

by semidevil » Fri Dec 26, 2008 7:36 pm
Just curious,

If you are currently full time employed, have family etc etc, how much time do you put in to the GMAT? every night a couple hours, and an all day thing on the weekends?

I'm just curious. I'm still in the beginning stages and still trying to find the good balance between work,study, recreational activities, and spouse. :)
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by mayonnai5e » Sat Dec 27, 2008 3:40 am
I'm single and have no kids so I may not be the best person to answer, but I have read posts from other members who have been in the same boat in the past. As far as I know, most people like yourself often have to give up the recreational activities aside from the occasional "gmat break" in order to study for the exam. I remember seeing someone mention about 1-2 hours per night and several hours per weekend dedicated to study with the remaining time spent on family and work.

One thing I should stress is that you have to recruit your spouse and family in your quest for an MBA. It can be a very harrowing and lonely time while you study and having a supportive, understanding spouse can go a long way.

Good luck!
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by VP_Jim » Sat Dec 27, 2008 7:26 pm
The good news is that most people who are prepping for the GMAT are in the same boat; it's pretty rare for me to have a student who is still in college. Most have been working for two or more years and are now returning to get an MBA. So, take heart: it's tough, but (almost) everyone is in the same boat!

I recommend studying two hours per day, four days during the work week - so, one day off. All-day study sessions usually aren't helpful, so on weekends I recommend taking a full length CAT, reviewing it, and making a plan for next week. Be sure to take some time away from the GMAT to have some fun. When I was studying, I made sure to have one "work free" day every week - no job, no GMAT, etc. I think those days really helped me keep my sanity during the process.

In any case, that study schedule adds up to around 12 hours per week, which is usually as much as fully employed folks can handle. If you stick with that schedule diligently for a couple months, you'll end up with almost 100 hours of studying - plenty to show some good improvement.

Good luck!
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full time employed, what is your study schedule like?

by andy2009 » Tue Jan 06, 2009 8:36 am
Same boat here, I try to put 3 hours daily at night after work(typically 9pm to 12pm). On weekends I try to work 4-5 hrs per day(fri and sat, sunday off to enjoy). It has been a month I started my study, plan to give my test in march. I have yet to practice on tick of time, plan to start from next week.
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by swashbuckler » Tue Jan 06, 2009 1:26 pm
with the best intentions I try and get 1 to 1.5 hours a night worth of studying. By that I mean tackling some questions and evaluating incorrect answers. I find any more and I start to lose focus after a long day in the office.

On my commute into town I'll review my flash cards which propably amounts to extra 30 minutes of studying.

As VP_Jim suggested I'm looking to use the weekend to do any CAT's and plan for next week.

I'm hoping that by carefully monitoring my results using practice tests and logs I can motivate myself to keep going.

Without a doubt, working 10 hour days and having a young family makes things tricky but not necessarily impossible.
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by Jen Kedro » Tue Jan 06, 2009 1:52 pm
The advice in this thread is good...based on my own experience and working with students over the years, I generally suggest 1-2 hours per day, 4-5 days per week as a good minimum goal. Weekends can be a bit longer, and are great for doing your CATs and reviewing them, but I agree that an all-day session can become counterproductive. In general GMAC has noted that there is a correlation between hours studied and GMAT score, but that doesn't mean just putting in the hours is sufficient to get a given score, of course; quality study is the most important thing, and it's hard to absorb and keep gaining skill if you are burnt out. So it's all about making the commitment and keeping it up, but maintaining balance!
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same boat as u - and agree with Jen

by bhavikrao » Tue Jan 06, 2009 5:07 pm
I agree with Jen,

I started studying on Dec 29th, and I am trying to put 2 hrs on a week day and 4-5 hours on weekends. I have around 9-10 weeks, i m shooting for march 15h. So far almost done with SC 10th edition.

I did questions behind each chapter, scoring around 70 to 80 percent in them with time limits , so far would say around 5-6 days of studying.

I know its not good enough, hopefully will improve
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