MGMAT Study Guide Schedule - How does it work for me ?

by **Gmat Delight** Thu Jul 03, 2008 1:50 am

I thought it would help other students if I explained how I used this great tool. Because when you first open the file, it looks pretty scary. But the good news is...IT IS NOT :)

First of all, you have to keep in mind that this tool is adapted to the course syllabus.

If you are in on the first week of your study, use the drop down menu and click on to WEEK 1, now you filtered the excel file just for the first week. Then click to the first day. By using this method you will only see what you SHOULD be doing on that day. Once you completed any of the items, write COMPLETED in that cell and once you sort that cell by INCOMPLETE you will only see the things you have not done.

Guys, unless you are a natural born GMAT super star, you need to study for this test around 150-200 hrs religiously. If this is 2 hrs for you per day ( which is the time you need to spend on daily if you follow the Guide) it will take you 75-100 days. Does it ring a bell ?

Also if you look at the time dedicated to a question, it is 6 minutes. I believe that it is not quantity but quality. DIGEST the problems even you think you know that question by heart. I score around 49-50 on Quantitative section and I read every answer and look if there is anything FASTER , or EASIER than my methods. And once you catch something put it on a FLASH CARD. I was having fun with people who uses them but...not anymore!

USE THE OG TIMER. When you are solving the problems use your scrap paper. Once you are done, get your answers and timings in every question and put this data into OG TRACKER file. Just like every data entering process it is VERY boring but like every great DATABASE once it has good stuff in it..it gives you amazing feedback. You will see not only verbal or math feedbacks but also how long it takes you in average to do every topic. There is no other better way of keeping track of your work ( EXTREME LANGUAGE, don't choose this as an answer in a CR question) LOL ;-)

I find the on line labs extremely useful. No offense but athey are as important as class sessions. It almost feels like you are working on questions with a private tutor.

If you follow the Study guide at the end of your studies you will solve 416 math questions and 467 verbal questions of the OG 11+ OG Green and OG Purple! If you use your time efficiently and MASTER the logic behind these questions you will be alright. Than you will have 330 math and 288 verbal questions left at the end of your studies. This makes 618 questions. This is a great number of questions to work during your REVIEW section. 45 questions per day and you will solve the rest of the OG problems in 2 weeks.

I realized that studying for GMAT is not a linear equation. If you work 1 hour a day, you might score 650 at the end of 9 weeks but if you want to score high and shine, it takes more than 1.5 hrs/day of studying. ( Writer assumes a lot of stuff here) ;-)

And HAVE fun while you are studying. It is like one of those change your body in 90 days programs. Not only you are learning something that will help you to achieve your goals but also you are learning HOW to think and perform efficiently under time pressure.

I did not stick to my schedule and watched the TIMING STRATEGY lab on my first week and I recommend this to everyone. GMAT is not only a knowledge test. I am an engineer and I am smooth with numbers and I remember spending 5 minutes on a problem!! But I know 4 things now:

1) you fight against your EGO not against GMAT!
2) NO problem is worth more than 2.5 minutes.
3) WRONG ANSWERS take longer times...I know it sounds crazy
4) If you have not found a correct answer around 2 minutes, the extra time will not help you at most of the cases!!! If you don't believe me, go ahead and try. When you face a HARD ( it means you dont know to answer is in an easy and fast way) make a guess at the end of the 2nd minute and keep working on it and if you change your mind mark that answer and SEE if it worths or not! ( Watch the Timing Strategy LAB)

At the end of the week you will see a REVIEW item on your schedule. Go back to your OG Tracker file and solve those problems you made mistakes. Read your flash cards. Check out the Quant and Verbal stats and see where you need to focus!

This is my third week and I am having fun! So should you!

I am not a native English speaker and Verbal section is a challenge for me. I will study hard to improve my skills and post any strategies as I discover them!

Happy Studying!

Gmat Delight

by **StaceyKoprince** Mon Jul 07, 2008 7:16 pm

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts and tips for how to study! I'm sure others will find it useful. Keep us up to date on your progress!