Getting started

[Saurabh97]

I haven't yet registered for GMAT but plan to prepare for it for a year or so any advice how should I schedule my timetable for this preparation??

[MartyMurray]

Hi Saurabh97.

In getting started with your GMAT preparation and deciding how to prepare, there are various things to consider. Probably the best way to prepare is to start off with some, possibly flexible, score goal and prepare with that goal in mind. Hitting your goal, rather than learning content or anything else, is what really matters.

That having been said, I guess some people just go over various GMAT related concepts and do various exercises and drills and to some degree take the score that they get.

Others' approaches lie somewhere between those two extremes.

If you do have a goal in mind, then the real answer to your question is that your preparation depends on what you have to do in order to reach your goal.

To get a sense of what you have to do, you could do some initial preparation for a few weeks, learning about the various question types, reviewing the types of math that the test uses, most of which are pretty simple, and doing a variety of practice questions. Then you could go to mba.com and download the free GMAT Prep software, which includes two official practice tests, ones made by the creators of the test, and take one of those tests.

Your performance on that test and what you see in taking that test could then be used to determine what you have to do in order to hit your goal.

If you do have a score goal in mind, I don't think that there is any viable alternative to doing what I just said. There is such a range of ways to prepare, and blindly choosing materials or methods or creating a schedule without knowing where you stand does not make sense.

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Hi Saurabh97,

Depending on your study routine, and the resources that you use, you probably will not need a full year to properly prepare for the GMAT. While it's certainly beneficial to have that amount of time, with the proper 3 months (or so) of consistent, guided study, you can likely train to score at a high level on the Official GMAT.

1) When do you plan to begin your studies?
2) What is your goal score?
3) When are you planning to apply to Business School?

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

[DavidG@VeritasPrep]

I'll echo Rich and Marty here - there's no way to know what kind of study plan you'll need until you take that first practice test. There are test-takers who come fairly close to their goal score on their very first practice test and end up needing only 4-5 weeks to prepare. There are test-takers who need to raise their scores by 250+ points who may need 6 months or more. Most people fall somewhere in between, but you'll need more data to go on before you can make this determination. Post again once you've taken that test and provide a score breakdown. You'll get plenty of detailed feedback.