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Planning to take GMAT for first time

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Planning to take GMAT for first time

by rahulzlpr » Tue Jun 30, 2015 8:35 pm
I haven't taken GMAT before..so I read through these forums to get a feel of how to approach the exam.Also since I am a full time working professional enrolling in a course will not be viable for me as I will not be able to devote time for self study which I believe is paramount to one's success. Also I am kinda uncomfortable with the idea of attending a course as I like to learn by myself at my own pace. I am descent in Quant's though weak in areas such as geometry so I believe I can learn the concepts by myself following these forums whenever I need any assistance.also a lot of guys I came across in the forums were working professionals who took the self study and chalked out a solid plan to help them reach their goals. Most of these guys kept the gmat preps for the end before the actual exam so they could really guage their preparation and use these tests diligently.So just advise me if self study is the route I take how to succeed and also advise on the books I mentioned and how to work on them. I intend to take the GMAT next year in June so advise me if this would be the right time and suggest when to start my preparation accordingly.

If this time is ideal and when shall I kickstart my preparation for the same i.e. what should be time span?
After going through some of the comments in the forums I have figured out some of the following material that will aid me in getting a good score (700+ and around 750). These are as follows:
a) GMAT OG REVIEW 2016
b) Manhattan SC guide
c) Aristotle SC,CR,RC Grails
d) Manhattan advanced quant (please share your views on this)
e) For testing purpose using MGMATs and GMAT PREPs

Kindly let me know your views on this and also share your list of recommended study material to ace the test.
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by Personal MBA Coach » Wed Jul 01, 2015 11:22 am
If you are planning to take the GMAT next year, you have plenty of time to study! In terms of the best approach, I recommend that most of my clients use the official guide to study as going through the questions you will get is the best kind of preparation. Start there and if you don't have the techniques to answer all of the questions, see what kinds of questions you are getting wrong and then find focused study material to answer those questions.

The best recommendation I would have is not to use many books to study. It is too easy to get bogged down by all of the different strategies for taking the test, when at the end of the day you really need to practice answering the questions. You listed many books but its important to focus.

Good luck!
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by Rich@EconomistGMAT » Thu Jul 02, 2015 12:22 pm
Hi rahulzlpr,

Most students spend at least 2-3 months to study, so a year is more than enough time on paper. However, have you already taken a full length, timed practice exam? Students enrolled in Economist GMAT Tutor typically start there to get a baseline score and highlight strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, most online resources offer free trials, so take advantage and try a few out to see which one(s) work best for you.

That being said, here's a link to try GMAT Tutor for 7 days: https://bit.ly/1bPAHuW. You'll notice its adaptive technology is similar to what you'll see on the GMAT and will adapt your study plan to your specific needs/timeframe/etc.

Best of luck,
Rich
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by rahulzlpr » Thu Jul 02, 2015 7:48 pm
Hi Rich,

The fact is that I do not want to make the preparation really tedious by starting now. I have come across this a lot in the forums that you tend to drain yourself and even forget things if you allow a long time span for gmat preparation. Meanwhile I will be using this time to explore as much as possible about the exam and the recommended study plan and materials since i will be adopting a self study approach given that i am a full time working professional. So assuming i take 3-4 months time i.e. let's say i begin my preparation in Feb-Mar 2016 for the June Exam will that be enough to score high?
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by Rich@EconomistGMAT » Tue Jul 07, 2015 11:04 am
Hi rahulzlpr,

While each test taker's needs are unique, typically students spend at least 3 months preparing for the GMAT, so you're on the right track. With that in mind, however, be careful not to adopt too much of a book-heavy approach, as the online resources available to you will help you train for specific events on the GMAT that you won't learn by strictly studying concepts.

Best,
Rich
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by Ian Stewart » Tue Jul 07, 2015 11:46 am
Rich@EconomistGMAT wrote: While each test taker's needs are unique, typically students spend at least 3 months preparing for the GMAT
I'd be curious to know what you base that on. GMAC's own research says the opposite:

https://www.mba.com/global/the-gmat-blog ... -gmat.aspx

Notice from the tables that median study time (which is the relevant number if we're discussing what is 'typical') is far lower than mean study time, so a substantial minority are investing a lot of time in prep, but the majority are studying ~60 hours or less. Even if you look only at 700+ scorers, bearing in mind the huge difference between mean and median study times, the majority are almost certainly spending less than 3 months on prep, assuming only one hour of study per day.
For online GMAT math tutoring, or to buy my higher-level Quant books and problem sets, contact me at ianstewartgmat at gmail.com

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by Rich@EconomistGMAT » Wed Jul 08, 2015 7:50 am
Hi Ian,

The three month study period is based on what we generally offer/recommend as part of our GMAT Tutor plans. However, I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge that some students will require more/less time, depending on their current skillset and/or baseline scores. In any case, students enrolled in our courses have generally spent at least 3 months with the resource and have had a great amount of success in that timeframe.

Best,
Rich
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by rahulzlpr » Fri Jul 10, 2015 8:56 pm
Hi Rich,

I am planning to use the Manhattan set of guides and OG for preparation. I will also use the beat the gmat forums and online tests. Now will i need to work through all questions from the above study materials (quant/verbal manhattan guides plus OG). If yes then roughly how much time will it take to do so? Is the OG main book sufficient or do i need to purchase the verbal and quant OGs also apart from the Manhattan guides?
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by DavidG@VeritasPrep » Sat Jul 11, 2015 5:27 am
Is the OG main book sufficient or do i need to purchase the verbal and quant OGs also apart from the Manhattan guides?
When it comes to prep questions, my feeling is that quality is more important than quantity. A study session that involves doing 15 questions and not only understanding them but developing multiple strategies to attack each one will always be more valuable than a study session that involves doing 100 questions and coming away with a hazy notion about how to do most of them. So I wouldn't consider purchasing additional material until you've really dissected the OG questions. That said, I think the quality of the mba.com question pack is better than the quality of the supplemental guides, so if you did want additional material, I'd suggest purchasing that question pack: https://www.mba.com/us/store/store-catal ... ack-1.aspx
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by gmat barcelona » Thu Jul 16, 2015 1:32 am
Hi rahulzlpr.

The most effective method for preparing GMAT is the combination of questions, strategies for solving the most difficult ones and simulations of adaptive test ( 8/10) in real time.

If you just prepare the GMAT test with books and use different variations of the publisher's name as my colleagues commented the preparation in GMAT is not enough. High scores are achieved with good working methods and not just with months of study.

Read some student TESTIMONIALS who thought like you and follow the recommendations of GMAT experts, because we all want to help you to achieve your goals.

https://www.gmatbarcelona.com/en/categor ... stimonials

Cheers,
Alexander Steward
GMAT & GRE Instructor
GMAT, TOEFL, GRE, IELTS & TOEIC Center Barcelona
**Prepara el Gmat en Barcelona con los expertos**
https://www.gmatbarcelona.com
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