Gave my first GMAT Prep test now.Scored 550 without prep

[chetanmohanty]

Hi members,

I am in Indian IT male with 3+ years experience.I have decent acads and extra-curriculars.
I am about to kick start my prep from today.I was advised my many friends and also other members to take a prep exam without any preparation.I scored a 550.Analysis shows me i am weak DS(Quant) and SC(Verbal).
I plan to take my exam in month of May.Can i score 700+ with self-study or should i join some course ? I mean 550 in test is poor by all standards.

Thanks

[prateek_guy2004]

gmat book bank full of 2 nd hand books vaialable...msg me

[chetanmohanty]

Friends i have decided to self-study.After the first GMAT prep test(without any preparation),i have realized that i need to work more on verbal.Can anybody tell me should i follow the strategy of preparing for verbal for 3-4 weeks and then study for quants(3-4 weeks) and then send the remaining weeks preparing both? Or, should i prepare simultaneosuly for both these sections from now itself?
Please help

[FutureWorks]

Firstly we would say that stay positive and such anxieties are common during exam preparation
time. 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.

There are various ways you can use to practise for your GMAT. You might need to change your
practise style and try this combination to provide you flexibility and different styles to practise so it doesn't get monotonous.

It could be combination of-

1-Books- Books like- The Official Guide for GMAT Review, The Official Guide for GMAT Verbal
Review, The Official Guide for GMAT Quantitative Review etc could be used.

2-Online Study Guide: Websites like Knewton, Grockit etc provide you with practise questions
online.

3-Smart phone applications- Kaplan, Veritas etc offer applications to prepare for GMAT on your
smart phones

[chetanmohanty]

Thanks a lot for the reply.I have decided to dedicate atleast 2 hours o weekdays and 6 hours on weekends.HAve also planned for leave from office

[IJR]

You can definitely get a 700+ with self-study. Just make sure you follow the advice from the people in this forum and stay focused and consistent. It's definitely doable.