Creating an effective GMAT study plan

[s.chiliveru]

Hello,

I have been prepping for the GMAT for about two weeks now. I took a practice test the other day and scored a 550.

I have an year until I have to take the exam. I plan on taking it once with self study, and if my score isn't satisfactory, then investing in a GMAT prep course.

I would like my first attempt at the test to be in January - which means I have a little over 3 months to study.

How often would it be recommended to study on a weekly basis if I'm hoping to achieve a 700? I was thinking maybe investing around 12 hours each weekend, which will equate to around 150 total study hours.

Any advice on how to proceed studying, creating a plan, etc. would be great.

Thank you!

[StaceyKoprince]

I like that you're taking this seriously enough to spend 3 months and 12 hours a week on your study. I would spread your time out a bit differently though. Our brains learn FAR better with shorter amounts of more frequent exposure. It's better to spread that 12 hours out over 5 or 6 days in a week, not just 2 days.

Next, you're going to have to identify what materials you want to use. You need to accomplish several things:
1) learn the actual math and grammar content tested on the exam
2) learn how to apply that knowledge to the way in which math and grammar questions are asked on the exam
3) learn techniques for comprehending and answering RC and CR (which don't test any specific facts)
4) "put it all together" on practice problems / problem sets
5) take practice tests periodically to check your progress, determine your current strengths and weaknesses, and develop an appropriate study plan

Learning the actual content and techniques tends to come from test-prep company materials; we actually teach people what they need to know. You can buy a full set of books from one company, you can buy just the ones that are in your areas of weakness, or you can pick and choose among different companies if you have advice from someone who is both unbiased (unlike me!) and has used the materials themselves. :)

The best practice problems come from the people who make the official test: the Official Guide books, which contain hundreds of past official test questions. The most recent editions are the OG 12th edition, the Verbal Review 2nd edition, and the Quantitative Review 2nd edition.

Practice tests should be a combo of the official practice tests (GMATPrep) and tests from a test prep company. GMATPrep is made by the real test-makers, but it doesn't provide you with data to analyze your strengths and weaknesses, so you want to use both. Generally, save the GMATPrep tests for later in your prep (GMATPrep is best used to gauge where you are as accurately as possible - so wait until you think you're almost ready for the real thing, then take a GMATPrep to see whether your score is where it needs to be).

It's great that you've taken a practice test already; use that to determine your strengths and weaknesses and devise a study plan for yourself (don't forget to factor in how frequently things are tested - you don't want to spend a ton of time on a weakness if that area is not very frequently tested). If you like, you can check out the syllabus we use for the students in our courses on the following page:

http://www.manhattangmat.com/freegmatlearningforum.cfm

It's the fourth item down on the first group of links (Official MGMAT Course Syllabus - a PDF file). The syllabus references our own books and materials, of course, so if you use materials from other companies, you'll have to figure out how to weave that in. (We also use the OG books in our courses, so that material is listed on our syllabus even though those aren't our books.)

[s.chiliveru]

Thank you so much for all the insight!

I do agree with the part about spreading my work out, and I do plan to do that once I find myself with more time.

But thanks again for the great advice, I'm sure that I'll be using most, if not all, of it :)

[StaceyKoprince]

you're welcome - good luck with your prep!