Should I start with verbal first or quant?

Hi aluniquesmith,

I've never been a fan of an "all of one, then all of the other" approach to studying for the GMAT. It's important to build up knowledge and ability in both the Quant and Verbal sections concurrently; in that way, there's constant 'maintainance' of your skills. You don't necessarily have to study both Quant and Verbal every day, but intermixing the subjects on a regular basis would likely benefit you in the long run.

I'm curious about the prior studies that you mentioned:

1) What resources did you use?
2) Did you end up taking the GMAT (and if so, then how did you score)?
3) What is your goal score?
4) When are you planning to take the GMAT?

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

Hi aluniquesmith,

The resources that you've listed are all books. Test Takers who use a "book-heavy" study approach often have trouble scoring 700+, so you might need to invest in some additional resources. A September Test Date gives you plenty of time to study though.

Since you're just beginning again, 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). 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.

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

Hi aluniquesmith,

The Quant section of the GMAT is not, strictly speaking, a "math test." While you will need math knowledge and you'll do a variety of math calculations, that section of the GMAT is far more about tactics, pattern-matching, critical thinking, etc. than you probably realize.

If your basic math skills are rusty/weak, then you might want to spend some time building up those skills before you start your GMAT studies. I suggest that you spend a bit of time at Khan Academy (www.khanacademy.org) on the Algebra, Arithmetic and Geometry material there. The site is free and the training is more 'game-like' and fun than a traditional, dry math class would be.

As far as GMAT Courses are concerned, there are LOTS of different options (and they're not all expensive), so you should plan on doing a bit of research into the various options. Most GMAT companies offer some type of free resources (practice problems, Trial Accounts, videos, etc.), so that you can 'test out' a product before you buy it (we have a variety of free resources at 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