Self study with OG13 before signing up for the 60 day plan

[mmeital]

Hi Brent,

I have been studying independently for the last month and have covered almost the entire OG13, EXCEPT for a third each of Critical reasoning and sentence completion question (i.e. did all quantitative, IR, and reading comprehension). I took the 1st GMAT prep test and got 640, WAY LOWER than I expected. I'm planning on taking the exam first week of Sep 2012, so I do have 60 days. What do you recommend I do in terms of practice materials / study plan?

Thanks,

Matan

[Brent@GMATPrepNow]

Hi Brent,

I have been studying independently for the last month and have covered almost the entire OG13, EXCEPT for a third each of Critical reasoning and sentence completion question (i.e. did all quantitative, IR, and reading comprehension). I took the 1st GMAT prep test and got 640, WAY LOWER than I expected. I'm planning on taking the exam first week of Sep 2012, so I do have 60 days. What do you recommend I do in terms of practice materials / study plan?

Thanks,

Matan

Hi Matan,

It's hard to tell whether or not you really need to follow the Study Guide. You seem to be well on your way to a 700+ score (once you work some more on CR and SC).

That said, the Study Guide is a useful way to ensure that you cover everything you need to take the GMAT and it provides a lot of additional resources for each topic.

As far as additional resources so, you might want to also purchase the OG Verbal and OG Quantitative books.

I hope that helps.

Cheers,
Brent

[mmeital]

Hi Brent,

thanks for your quick response and the vote of confidence! What I'm asking is: considering I am taking the exam Sep 7 (Friday), and have worked through the OG13 and GMat prep softeware, is it practical for to follow the 60day study guide? If so how - do I just start the OG13 over from the beginning, or can you recommend a different program with other course material?

Frankly, I feel like I "rushed" through the OG13, doing 50-60 practice questions each day. Perhaps the material didn't "sink-in" enough. I want to make sure that I study well, not just do a great deal of ineffective practice.

I purchased the GMat prep expansion pack software that has additional practice questions, but not additional prep tests. I also found this website www.platinumgmat.com - what are your impressions? One of the reasons I signed on to the study guide was to get the additional prep tests to work on. I want to have a strategic study plan for the next 2 months that will effectively prepare me for the GMAT.

Please advise on the best course of action. I would like to find a way to follow the daily email with a plan for someone who has "burned" through the OG13, but still feels inadequately prepared for the GMAT. If I purchase the verbal and quantitative guides, will I be able to follow the email study guide?

Thanks,

Matan

[Brent@GMATPrepNow]

Hi Brent,

thanks for your quick response and the vote of confidence! What I'm asking is: considering I am taking the exam Sep 7 (Friday), and have worked through the OG13 and GMat prep softeware, is it practical for to follow the 60day study guide? If so how - do I just start the OG13 over from the beginning, or can you recommend a different program with other course material?

Frankly, I feel like I "rushed" through the OG13, doing 50-60 practice questions each day. Perhaps the material didn't "sink-in" enough. I want to make sure that I study well, not just do a great deal of ineffective practice.

I purchased the GMat prep expansion pack software that has additional practice questions, but not additional prep tests. I also found this website www.platinumgmat.com - what are your impressions? One of the reasons I signed on to the study guide was to get the additional prep tests to work on. I want to have a strategic study plan for the next 2 months that will effectively prepare me for the GMAT.

Please advise on the best course of action. I would like to find a way to follow the daily email with a plan for someone who has "burned" through the OG13, but still feels inadequately prepared for the GMAT. If I purchase the verbal and quantitative guides, will I be able to follow the email study guide?

Thanks,

Matan

Hi Matan,

The OG13 and the GMATPrep software are great resources for high-quality practice questions, but they're not really meant as instructional materials. For example, the OG13 often has solutions that are highly algebraic, when there are often faster approached you could have taken.

To increase your score, you'll need to learn some GMAT-specific strategies (and the application of all key concepts), and you'll find the kind of instruction in a variety of resources, beginning with the various test-prep companies featured on this website.

For practice, you can redo the OG13, plus you can get the OG Quant and OG Verbal books (which the Study Guide also references). Plus, while following the Guide, you will take at least 9 full-length practice tests. You can also find TONS of practice questions on the BTG site.

Regarding Platinum GMAT: I don't comment on other companies' materials. You'll have to ask around.

I hope that helps.

Cheers,
Brent

[mmeital]

Thanks for the advice Brent.

I took the practice exam for the second time today (first time June 24). I think I recognized 3-6 of the questions from the first exam I took (Quant and verb combined). BAD NEWS - I got most of those wrong, seems enough time past since the first exam, lol. GOOD NEWS - GOT 710!!! Quant - didn't finish the last question - clock ran out just as I finished my calculation and was about to click on the correct answer. Some questions I wasn't able to figure out by myself when I reviewed my incorrect answers - total of 14 quant. In the verbal I only got 6 answers wrong with about 10 minutes to spare - Sentence completion is still a week point for me - need to focus more on this area.

Thanks for the encouragement, I definitely feel a lot more confident about taking the GMAT. I know that I can make big improvements in the quant section and in CR and SC (reading comprehension seems to be my strongest point). Can't wait to continue with the study plan and keep improving! Hoping to get 750 on the exam!

I'm so glad I found this website, you guys are great!

Matan

[Brent@GMATPrepNow]

Thanks for the advice Brent.

I took the practice exam for the second time today (first time June 24). I think I recognized 3-6 of the questions from the first exam I took (Quant and verb combined). BAD NEWS - I got most of those wrong, seems enough time past since the first exam, lol. GOOD NEWS - GOT 710!!! Quant - didn't finish the last question - clock ran out just as I finished my calculation and was about to click on the correct answer. Some questions I wasn't able to figure out by myself when I reviewed my incorrect answers - total of 14 quant. In the verbal I only got 6 answers wrong with about 10 minutes to spare - Sentence completion is still a week point for me - need to focus more on this area.

Thanks for the encouragement, I definitely feel a lot more confident about taking the GMAT. I know that I can make big improvements in the quant section and in CR and SC (reading comprehension seems to be my strongest point). Can't wait to continue with the study plan and keep improving! Hoping to get 750 on the exam!

I'm so glad I found this website, you guys are great!

Matan

More good news: getting the repeated questions wrong means there's a higher likelihood that 710 is an accurate assessment of your abilities (i.e., your score may become inflated if you answer repeated questions correctly and quickly).

Sounds like you're well on your way to reaching your target score!

Cheers,
Brent