Preparing for the basics

[interfacemirror]

Dear All,

I have done my MBA and I am planning to prepare for GMAT exam for PhD program. I am planning to attempt for the first time sometime after 6 to 7 months (Quarter 1 of the next year). Since I have enough time, I would like to start from revising fundamentals and learning basics. At this moment I am only targeting to learn basic and get to know what is the syllabus of the exam.

Can you please inform me where I can get exact syllabus of the exam and what study material I must study to master the fundamentals? (Apologies for this basic thread - Perhaps it sounds like a repetitive question, however I could not find what I am looking for in the internet)

Note: My maths in school was excellent however I am very weak in essay writing and verbal section. Any good book about grammar, AWA and reading part of the exam will be a great help to me.

Thank you so much in advance

[Brent@GMATPrepNow]

Every student preparing for the GMAT should get the Official Guide for GMAT Review - 13th edition (aka OG13): https://www.mba.com/store/store-catalog/ ... ition.aspx. This book contains the test's syllabus along with hundreds of official practice questions.

If you're interested, we have several free videos to help you get started.
- GMAT Overview: https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gener ... es?id=1250
- AWA module (free): https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gmat- ... assessment
- Reading Comprehension module (free): https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gmat- ... prehension

Cheers,
Brent

[[email protected]]

Hi interfacemirror,

PhD programs can be remarkably competitive to get into, so it's good that you're planning ahead. I'm curious about a couple of points:

1) Since you have an MBA, what did you score on the GMAT (or GRE) the first time around? And how long ago did you take that test?
2) Is there a reason that you're giving yourself 6 months to study (as opposed to 3 months, for example)?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

[interfacemirror]

Hi interfacemirror,

PhD programs can be remarkably competitive to get into, so it's good that you're planning ahead. I'm curious about a couple of points:

1) Since you have an MBA, what did you score on the GMAT (or GRE) the first time around? And how long ago did you take that test?
2) Is there a reason that you're giving yourself 6 months to study (as opposed to 3 months, for example)?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Hi Rich,

Thank you very much for your reply. I am aware of the competition and that is why I am planning ahead of it. To answer your questions, I must say that:

1) I did not take GMAT for my MBA. The institute I studied only requires IELTS. And I score 7 in IELTS in it. To score 7 in IELTS I prepared 2 months only and since I was working in a bank, I had a lot of time to prepare. (It was 4.5 years back and I think I have to give IELTS another shot to have a latest score).

2) There is absolutely no reason behind targeting the test in 6 months. Except the fact that I want to make sure that I will put my best for the exam.

Any help regarding getting admission in PhD program and scholarships will be a great help to me.

Thank you,

Regards,
Jandost Khoso

[[email protected]]

Hi Jandost,

I can't offer much advice on specific admissions tactics or scholarships, but both will certainly be affected by your GMAT score.

I agree with Brent the Official Guide is a must-have book. In addition, you might consider taking a free practice CAT (you can download 2 from www.mba.com) as a way to measuring your "starting" ability. That score/data will also help you to gauge which areas of the test you'll need the most help with.

Depending on the amount free time that you have to study, and your specific strengths/weaknesses, you might not need 6 months to prepare, but we need some real data to properly plan out what your studies should be.

If you have any specific questions, then you can feel free to contact me directly.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich