Below is a list of considerations for people trying to decide whether to take a course or to begin with self-study.
Whatever you choose be sure that the techniques described make sense to you and are based on a true understanding of the test material rather than gimmicks. For example, any sentence correction book that erroneously speaks of answer choice A as the "original meaning" of the sentence or tells you that the word "being" is always incorrect should be put aside immediately.
One thing that you can do at this point is to take a practice test just to see how you do intuitively on the exam. Take the free Veritas Prep practice exam (the link is in my signature line) and you can save the official GMATPrep practice tests for later.
My overall thought is take a practice test, read my list below and see if self-study might work for you, and then decide whether to do that or take a course.
I have compiled the list below because I have been asked by so many people if they can self-study or if they need one of the top companies that are reviewed here on Beat the GMAT. https://reviews.beatthegmat.com/
1) How much time can you devote to your studies? To do it alone does take more time. If you can put in more time per week then you have a better chance of doing it on your own with books. If you are busier with work, then you may be a candidate for getting some help.
2) Are you the kind of person who generally looks at something and tries to figure out the best way of doing it? If you plan your errands so that you have no left turns in traffic or so that you drive the fewest miles then you are a better candidate for self study. If you are a person who relies a GPS device then you might be someone who does better with some expert guidance!
3) How disciplined are you? Some people can set a schedule and stick to it. Others do better when they have a class coming up and they know that they have to keep up.
4) When was the last time you had a math class? The more you need to review the help you may need.
5) Time or money? It costs more to take a course or tutoring, but it takes longer to do it yourself. (And it does not require too many GMAT retakes at $250 each before a course starts to seem less expensive!)
Finally, you can always start with self-study and then move into a course, just be aware that you might end up buying an entire set of books and then end up taking a course with a different company. So try to think strategically!
Hope it helps!
