Gauging our progress on GMAT preparation

[Sabari Ragavendran]

I am a GMAT first timer with the thought of taking GMAT gone inside me just a few weeks back. I would like to take help from people who have cracked GMAT with a score of 700 and above on the following.

Before that, let me tell you I am a person believing more in self study rather than classroom coaching. It would help most if people can suggest ways for this mode of preparation. I have bought the Official Guide 11th edition, as of now.

Now coming to the question from my side for which I seek help.

How to gauge one's progress ... on the trek to take a targeted score of 700+. To give more clarity, which book to take first and finish it with a good understanding... then move on to a little higher level of (difficulty) understanding .. from there to a third level. I would categorize these books as the primary source material.

In order to supplement our preparation, (to strengthen) what other materials would you suggest ( both for Quants and Verbal) - secondary source.

Thanks
Sabari.

[Jen Kedro]

Hi Sabari,

I'll let others on the forum jump in about which books they recommend etc (generally the Official Guide and another test prep book are good starting points). I do want to point out that you should incorporate computer-based practice as much as possible too, though, in addition to books. The real exam is taken on the computer, and for some test-takers it is quite a different experience than on paper. So use the GMAT Prep software, available for free from the test maker, and many books come with online exams or CDROMs as well. There are also a variety of online prep programs with different volumes of materials at different price points which can help, and you can still study at your own pace.

Most of our students prepare for 2-3 months for the GMAT, part-time. A rough approximation might be 1-2 hours/day, 4-6 days/week during that time. It's best to lay out a specific study schedule for yourself with clear goals on what to do each day, at least on a weekly basis. Try to mix up your book and online practice, your math and your verbal, and try to include timed elements to your practice. We generally recommend taking a practice test approximately once/week during most of your study period, or at least from a few weeks in, onwards. As you do these tests, that will be one indicator of your progress, though you should expect some variability in your scores, as you will still be learning and developing your skills along the way.

Good luck to you!

[Stacey Koprince]

I received a PM asking me to reply. (I'm sorry it has taken me so long. I'm getting ready to move from one country to another, so things are a bit crazy right now! Also, FYI, I won't be able to respond to any PMs / answer any more questions until around the second week in January.)

Jen offers good advice, above. I agree with her that you should ask around here to see what materials people like (we have obvious conflicts of interest in suggesting specific materials). It is crucial to use the official sources for practice problems and tests - GMATPrep, OG11, the quant and verbal supplements, and possibly GMATFocus, if you want some extra math practice and some more recently released official test questions.

You'll also need some sources that teach you the actual stuff you need to know for the exam: all the math concepts and formulas, grammar rules, and techniques and timing for approaching different kinds of problems. (This stuff will come from test prep companies - this is where you should ask around to see what materials people like.)

In my experience, most people study for 2-4 months, depending upon how much time they have to study per day/week and how much of an improvement they want to make. Generally speaking, earlier study should be focused more on mastering the actual concepts and approaches that you need to know, while later study should be focused more on applying and reviewing what you learned via timed sets of questions and practice tests.

Practice tests are useful for assessing the progress that you've made since your last practice test, and highlighting weaknesses that you need to review. I generally recommend a test only once every two to three weeks to start, until you have learned all of the basic concepts, rules, and techniques you need to know. Then, as you move more into "review and apply" mode, you'll increase the frequency of practice tests, up to about once a week. (I don't recommend doing tests any more frequently than that. Again - tests are to assess your progress, first, and you don't make a lot of progress in a few days. And, second, tests are used to highlight weaknesses so that you can go do something about them - and that takes time. If you don't take the time to spot your weaknesses and devise a study plan around them before you take another test, then you shouldn't expect much of a difference in your next test score.)

I completely agree with Jen that you need to set up a study schedule. There are a lot of resources here on BTG, so read through to get some ideas and devise a plan that fits your learning style, strengths, and weaknesses. Also remember that quality of study is more important than quantity. You could spend 8 hours a day studying but if you're not studying the right things in the right way, then that time is not very efficiently spent.