GMAT Strategy

Hello everyone,

I just joint the forum, and this looks like a great place. So if the title doesn't say it all, here it is in greater depth.
I am a workaholic - I work professionally 6 days a week in cutting edge science. No scope of a sabbatical or even a couple of days off from work. There is a lot that depends on me at work, and I wouldn't be comfortable leaving it all behind for my prep.

I need to take the GMAT in 55days (not booked though). At best I can pull out 3 hours a day for 6 days a week, and about 6 hours on a Sunday. Members of this forum who have gone through the grind, kindly suggest a course of action. In particular:

a. With very less time at hand - what material? Can't dedicate time to warming up material, have to go for the tough ones straight.
b. How much - can I cover considering the few hours? (I wouldn't ask how much is enough - it is enough only when I get the desired score.)
c. Practice tests - I am very concerned about this, since I don't want to take tests which give me superficial scores. With all the experience of the members of this forum have, please suggest the ones that come closest to the real test score-wise. I have 8 Sundays - so can at best squeeze in 16 tests at max.

Please guide me through this, I'd highly appreciate any advice coming in.
Thanks.

First of all, try to see GMAT as more than just a chore, or something you have to do. Personally I loved snowboarding, and I was a workaholic and was attending school full-time, but I still managed to find time to fly down the slope almost once a week.

If you approach GMAT as something you want to do, I am sure you'll find a way. There are many different suggestions of short-cuts available in "I just beat the GMAT," but one should know that what works for one may not work for another. As for materials, try the tab above under Self Study.

plz do take a diagnostic GMAT prep. Post the score & then we can shed more light on ur prep strategy!

gmatmachoman is right. What you need to know first is where you are and where you need to be. Since you have some limitations it might be a good idea to see where you are starting from.

I recommend the sets of 15 questions in each of the 5 subject areas - this is part of the GMATPrep software. This will help you to know how you stack up in each of the five areas. No need to time yourself on these questions

If you have more time you could also take a full GMATPrep practice test.

When you have some better ideas we can help you out.

One more thing - you might want to rethink whether or not you can actually do 3 hours per night. You need to have a couple of hours of down time each day. It is not sustainable to work all day and study all night. Perhaps one hour per night can work or 1.5 hours. Hey you might start off very well and not have as far to go.

Anyway, some thoughts for you.

Thank you all. From what I gather here's what I'll do now:

First - take a full length practice test. Come back here and post my score.
Second - work a complete plan section by section, material to cover, by when.

I have the GMAT software, and the Kaplan 800 CD. Where can I get more practice tests from? I guess it's better to buy a good book which gives me complimentary tests online, rather than buying a test course online. What do you suggest.

Hi,
I took a mock gmat yesterday, keeping it as close to exam conditions as possible. It was the first GMAT CAT from the Kaplan GMAT-800 CD (which comes with the book) - I scored a 600.

Analysis:
1. It was my first full length mock test.
2. Wrote the AWA too.
3. I finished the entire math test in 70 mins.
4. I got about 85% PS correct
5. Got about 70% DS correct
6. Where I lost most of my score was on speed in the verbal section. I was surprised to find myself on the 21st question (out of 41) in the verbal with 5 minutes left. So I marked the 'A' options for the remaining 20 odd questions.
7. Even though the verbal of this test (Kap Gmat800) seemed tough, I about about 75% correct in RC from the ones I attempted.
8. I need more practise in SC. I get quiet a few correct but I don't feel certain of my choice most of the time.

Please share your opinions/suggestions on this. Also, to cross a 99 percentile, does anyone have a clue what percentage of the answers have to be correct?

David@VeritasPrep wrote:gmatmachoman is right. What you need to know first is where you are and where you need to be. Since you have some limitations it might be a good idea to see where you are starting from.

I recommend the sets of 15 questions in each of the 5 subject areas - this is part of the GMATPrep software. This will help you to know how you stack up in each of the five areas. No need to time yourself on these questions

If you have more time you could also take a full GMATPrep practice test.

When you have some better ideas we can help you out.

One more thing - you might want to rethink whether or not you can actually do 3 hours per night. You need to have a couple of hours of down time each day. It is not sustainable to work all day and study all night. Perhaps one hour per night can work or 1.5 hours. Hey you might start off very well and not have as far to go.

Anyway, some thoughts for you.

I agree with this. I work 10-12hr days and try to get in 2-4 hrs of studying each week night and 20hrs on the weekend.

I've been doing this for the past 4 weeks. Problem is, by Thursday my brain after work is so wrecked that studying becomes very difficult. So halfway through the week I only get about 1.5hrs of productive studying a day.

Ikonik wrote:Hi,
I took a mock gmat yesterday, keeping it as close to exam conditions as possible. It was the first GMAT CAT from the Kaplan GMAT-800 CD (which comes with the book) - I scored a 600.

Analysis:
1. It was my first full length mock test.
2. Wrote the AWA too.
3. I finished the entire math test in 70 mins.
4. I got about 85% PS correct
5. Got about 70% DS correct
6. Where I lost most of my score was on speed in the verbal section. I was surprised to find myself on the 21st question (out of 41) in the verbal with 5 minutes left. So I marked the 'A' options for the remaining 20 odd questions.
7. Even though the verbal of this test (Kap Gmat800) seemed tough, I about about 75% correct in RC from the ones I attempted.
8. I need more practise in SC. I get quiet a few correct but I don't feel certain of my choice most of the time.

Please share your opinions/suggestions on this. Also, to cross a 99 percentile, does anyone have a clue what percentage of the answers have to be correct?

Well so far, this week is on track - squeezing out about 2 to 3 hrs a day - I've decided to take Saturdays off from studies after work - and a full length test on Sunday.
Took DS head on yesterday, did the question set in the Kap Gmat 800 book. Got a 10/15 (timed 30mins) arrr... all questions were managable, just lose the holistic view sometimes in DS. Today is SC day, never really studied SC.
What would you suggest I work with for SC - Kap Gmat 800, Kap Gmat premier, Gmat Verbal Review? I don't have the OG, do I need it? I also have an old (thin) Princeton Review verbal book, not SC in specific covers all verbal topics, but it didn't seem comprehensive enough.

plz do read the coulumns of BTG of GMAT strategy. U will have ur queries solved on ur own.

Well prepared game is half battle won!!

I got a 650 in the Kaplan-800 practice GMAT CAT test.
How would that equate to a real GMAT score?