GMAT Strategy

Hi All

I took my GMAT around a year back and got 650.
I want to take it again and have a query that should i study for next2-3 months and give GMAT with old format.
or prepare well and hard for next 6-7 months and give with new format.
Please suggest

Thanks
Vishal

Now this advice may vary person to person- on how easily can you adapt to the new format, how much time do you need to prepare and when do you want to enrol to the classes. We would advise you to give your best shot now!
Juggling between work and studies is tough so you need to define a significant time for your GMAT preparation. Sometimes taking few days off work for preparing for the GMAT can help a person tremendously. If you have time this may not be a bad idea. Take practise GMAT tests to see how you are doing. If you cannot do that don't worry. What might work instead is to set aside 1-2 hours at night on weekdays and major part of your weekend to study and prepare for GMAT- in this case we will suggest a good 2-3 months preparation. However we recommend you to keep taking practise tests to gauge your performance. It will help you in identifying your weak areas and you can focus on them accordingly. You might be able to study more than the given hours and that would take you less than 2-3 months. It all depends on your potential really.

Ofcourse each person's case is different but in general, I recommend taking the test before the change for one reason: scope of material to practice/study.

The test right now is already loaded. There are many topics to review and many questions to practice. Adding a new section will only add to the requirement more. If there is a section that you have beaten down to death and still can't seem to conquer then maybe waiting for the new test is a good idea. However, I doubt this would be the case; a well planned practice session helps any kind of material and I think given good time and practice you can conquer any section.

I'd give the test before the change. Worst case scenario is you won't score high and have to give the test after the change; you still didn't lose much (except for $250) since the practice and studying you did for this test will stilll help you with the changed format.

vbhat wrote:...or prepare well and hard for next 6-7 months and give with new format.

Vishal bhai, studying for 6+ months may not be a good idea as you'll burn yourself out before that.

If you have a structured study plan, you should be able to do in much shorter time-frame.

Check out the GMAT preparation tips & strategy shared by someone who scored a 780.

MBACrystalBall wrote:

vbhat wrote:...or prepare well and hard for next 6-7 months and give with new format.

Vishal bhai, studying for 6+ months may not be a good idea as you'll burn yourself out before that.

If you have a structured study plan, you should be able to do in much shorter time-frame.

Check out the GMAT preparation tips & strategy shared by someone who scored a 780.

I donot think 6 months is too long a time to prepare for GMAT. This is especially true is the user is looking to push the envelope to a 750 or so.The guy who score a 780 also prepared for CAT.

AbhiJ wrote:I donot think 6 months is too long a time to prepare for GMAT. This is especially true is the user is looking to push the envelope to a 750 or so.The guy who score a 780 also prepared for CAT.

Hi Abhi,

You've hit the nail on the head in another post, where you've highlighted the right aspects that folks from competitive pools need to highlight - real world examples of communication skills, leadership etc.

Btw, the 780 scorer in the story did not get into any of the international top schools he applied to.

Beyond a certain point, the GMAT score ceases to matter. So it's a question of how a candidate wants to use his resources (time, effort), if an additional 3-4 months are available to spare. Should they try to push the GMAT as high as possible? Or should they focus on strengthening the other parts of their profile? Or focus on selecting the right schools? Or working on the right storyline? Or all of the above? It's a subjective call

I see you've been pretty active on BTG. Are you aiming for the next season too?

Hi Sameer

You are right in saying that GMAT score ceases to matter after a threshold score. A lot also depends on undergrad GPA, work ex etc. Having said that the impression i have got is that the threshold is higher for Indian candidates (only my fellow Indians are to blame ). One consultant here on BTG said that average GMAT score for Indian applicants at US Top 10 School is 740. Another reason for a higher GMAT score can be the scholarship from Tier 2 schools and given the current economic climate it might not be a bad back up choice. BTW I am applying next season

Another point i would like to make is this hype regarding this integrated reasoning section is overblown. Its data interpretation in another form.