Two months plan

[brunoselva]

Hey guys,

I started studying for GMAT 10 days ago and I think my plan is not good enough. It's my first post in the forum and I'll try to give an overview of my situation and my concerns.

First GMATPrep Exam: 580 Q42 V28
Goal 700+

For each topic my strategy is:
- Watch Skillbuilder lessons from Veritas
- Follow Manhattan Gmat strategy guide and solve its problems
- Practice with questions from MGMAT or GMATPrep.

Today I completed the plan for Sentence Correction, the topic that I am most worried. I studied 25 hours and I don't think I am already prepared for it. I also think I can't go through all topics in two months, my initial goal.

Is this strategy seems ok? What should I do to get better results from the hours I am studying? What is more important, reading the concepts and watching videos or practicing and studying the answers?

Have anyone bought MGMAT and GMATPrep questions? Which one would you recommend?

Thank you

[[email protected]]

Hi brunoselva,

Since you've only been studying for 10 days, there's not enough evidence to say whether your plan is "working" or not. While most people need 3 months (or more) of consistent study to hit their peak, some people can do it in less time than that. I suggest that you continue studying as you've planned for the rest of this week and then take another practice CAT. After reviewing those results, you'll have a better sense of whether you're improving or if you're still mentally "stuck" doing things the way that you did them on your first practice CAT. THEN you can re-evaluate your plan.

The concept of overall "studying" includes many things: learning tactics, practice, timed practice, review, trying questions with a different approach, taking full-length CATs to test your endurance and pacing, etc. You'll want to do a bit of everything.

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

[Brent@GMATPrepNow]

Hi brunoselva,

If you want/need to score 700+, you'll need to master every aspect of the GMAT. Therefore, I suggest a systematic (even methodical) approach, in which you take the time to master each topic/concept (e.g., percents, ratios, assumption questions in critical reasoning, comparison questions in sentence correction, etc).

So, for each topic/concept, you should:
1) Learn the underlying concepts (rules, attributes, notation, etc.)
2) Learn GMAT-specific strategies related to that topic
3) Practice dozens of questions all related to that one topic.
4) Don't stop working on that topic until you have mastered it
Then, and only then, move on to the next topic.

To help you focus on one topic at a time, you can use BTG's tagging feature. For example, here are all of the questions tagged as statistics questions: https://www.beatthegmat.com/forums/tags/ ... statistics
See the left side of that linked page for more tag options.

Also, I noticed that your study plan does not include the Official Guide for GMAT Review (OG13). This is an important part of one's preparation.

While completing questions from the Official Guide (OG), you should you use an Error Log (aka Improvement Chart). You can find a free downloadable Improvement Chart here: https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/gmat-error-log. This will help you identify and strengthen your weak areas.

You should also spend a lot of time reviewing the responses from the Experts on this site. They often model the steps one should take when tackling problems.

In addition to learning the core concepts and GMAT-specific strategies, be sure to work on your endurance and test-taking skills (e.g., time management) by taking several practice tests. If you're interested, we have a free GMAT time management video at https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gener ... es?id=1244

Finally, you might consider signing up for Beat The GMAT's free 60-Day Study Guide (https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/gmat-guide).
Each day, you'll receive an email with a series of learning activities that guide you, step-by-step, from Day 1 to test day. This will ensure that you will cover everything that the GMAT tests.

Here's an outline of all 60 emails: https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/gmat-guide-outline

Cheers,
Brent

[brunoselva]

Hi,

Thank you for the advices. I was concerned about the two months goal, but now I realized that I'll need to extend that.
I have signed up for the 60 days program and today I made the second CAT exam.

I got 630 Q46 V31 on the second attempt.

As the program starts with Math study and I didn't start to receive the Verbal emails yet, I think I am going fine. But I am still worried with Reading Comprehension and Critical Reasoning.

Thanks again.

[Brent@GMATPrepNow]

630 is a solid improvement - great work!

But I am still worried with Reading Comprehension and Critical Reasoning.

If you're interested, we have a free set of videos that cover all sorts of Reading Comprehension strategies: https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gmat- ... prehension

Cheers,
Brent

[ThomasLHall]

It sounds like things are going well with the free 60 day GMAT email program: improving 50 points over the last three weeks is good.

If you find that you desire self-study guidance with more depth and rigor, I've just published a guide that provides just that: GMAT Clarity. The plan and schedules really pay off in the later stages of prep where prep for the different sections is well balanced and a focus on your weaknesses is integrated well. RC and CR are both given extensive coverage throughout the schedules.

Feel free to contact me (PM or email) with any questions.