Thoroughly confused on how to best use the 8 MGMAT Guides...

[jackchang1029]

Sorry for the long post. This question has been puzzling me greatly, and I hope either Stacey or those who are familiar with the strategy guides/GMAT can help....

I am currently preparing for my GMAT exam on 6/2 (Taking it the last day before GMAC rolls out the new exam). I have purchased all 8 of the MGMAT Strategy Guides and the Official Guide Companion but have some questions concerning my study plan.

After weeks of researching methods to best tackle the GMAT and reading articles written by Stacey Koprince along w/ other people who have successfully taken the GMAT from the GMAT Club and Beat the GMAT websites, I came across a post by a poster named Jek who have utilized MGMAT Guides and achieved a 770 score (Link included below for those interested).

His overall philosophy is master the content first before working on the speed. In sum, he suggests for people to go through the strategy guides first (4-5 out of the 8), do the In Action problems and the problems on the OG BEFORE taking the Diagnostic Test on the OG untimed. His argument is, doing it this way, the result of the DT will provide information on one's upper limits of the knowledge of the exam contents and see if additional review of the contents are necessary.

If the DT yields a favorable score, one should then take 1 of the 2 GMAC tests to see how he/she is taking the exam timed. Then, very lastly, working on improving speed by practicing using the OG questions, take the 6 MGMAT CATS and the remaining GMAC test weeks before the actual exam.

His strategy makes sense since I am hesitant on taking the Diagnostic Test out cold without first knowing anything about the subject matter; it seems counter-intuitive to take a test without first studying for it or have at least any knowledge of the materials. Yet, at the same time, everyone seems to suggest to take the Diagnostic Test before doing any form of studying on the guides. I am quite confused as to which of the two ways is the best to go about preparing for the exam.

Additionally, if I were to follow Jek's method mentioned above, should I save the OG problems suggested in the strategy guides after taking the Diagnostic Test as it will speed up the time required to go through all of the guides? Or, are the OG questions listed within the MGMAT guides designed for students to go through them first prior on moving from one guide to another?

Given that I'm 4 months away from the exam date, I am worried that I will find myself 2-3 months in and still working through the guides + OG problems given the breadth of the information covered across the 8 guides.

Link to Jek's post: http://www.beatthegmat.com/770-50-q-46- ... 40093.html

Thanks!

[StaceyKoprince]

Different things work for different people. Personally, though, I do not recommend ignoring the issue of timing until the end or towards the end. Part of learning to get better at a test like this is learning how to deal with the timing - drilling to be faster, actively searching for more efficient solution methods, learning when to cut yourself off and make an educated guess, determining how to make an educated guess, etc. Those are all necessary skills, just like learning how to manipulate an equation.

As a general rule, when you're working through a chapter in the strategy guide or the problems at the end of that chapter (printed in the book), don't time yourself. But then do go and try a couple of OG problems under timed conditions. Start with one in the middle (as the numbers get higher, the problems get harder). Was it too hard to do in the expected timeframe? Try an easier one next. Easy? Try a harder one next. Do 2-3 to get a feel for the timing and also for the wording - the way in which they word these questions is often... strange, for lack of a better word. :)

The Diagnostic Test printed in the OG is (a) not adaptive or comprehensive (therefore not as useful) and (b) on the hard side for someone just starting out. So, no, I don't recommend doing that. I do strongly recommend taking a full-length practice test, however. Many people hesitate for the same reason you cited - I haven't studied yet. But you aren't trying to get your goal score on this first test. (That'd be nice, though!) You're trying to figure out what your strengths and weaknesses are. That's *crucial* because it will help you set priorities for your study. If you don't know your strengths and weaknesses, you'll just have to study everything equally, and that's inefficient.

You probably can't do / master EVERY last thing. There's too much. So you need to set priorities appropriately based on your goals and your strengths / weaknesses. What is your goal score, by the way?

Now, I mentioned doing some OG questions along with the chapter work, but just to get your feet wet. Later, when you finish the book, do a mini-set of questions pulled from all of the chapters together. For quant, as you continue to do additional books, start to do sets that pull from the last 2 books or the last 3 books, not just the current book. (On the real test, they mix up the order of everything, so you have to get used to that in practice.)

Essentially, do some OG Qs along the way, yes, but also make sure to save a bunch for afterwards, when you're going to start setting up random sets of questions that will mimic "mini" GMAT sections. (eg, mix of CR, RC, SC; mix of all 5 quant areas)

Plus, once you've done an OG Q, you're not done with it. You've still got a lot you can learn from it! (See article below.) You should also expect to be going back over these Qs over time.

http://www.manhattangmat.com/articles/a ... roblem.cfm

It sounds like you've read a bunch of my articles already, but if you haven't read this already, I recommend that you do:

http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... ould-i-do/

That then links to a bunch of other articles. Follow the links. :)

Finally, make use of us here! We'd be happy to advise you as you study!

[bharathdarsh]

Hi,

Thanks for the feedback.

In your reply, I see that you do not recommend OG DT - but a full length practice test - as assess the individual's strength and weakness.

a) For this purpose - can we use the practice test from mba.com? Is it a good fit.

b) Also as I use MGMAT guides, I am currently doing the OG 12 problems referred at the end of each study guide. Is this a good way to learn or should I save up these OG 12 problems for later and do it at the last - as a timed practice?

Please advice.

Thanks,
Bharath S

[metman82]

Same here.
I am also using all 8 books and now going through Number Properties and SC.
I try to solve these problem sets as fast as possible but when I struggle with a question, I do not take a look on the solution. Just push yourself to find a solution using the tips in these strategy guides. And afterwards make some OG 12 questions untimed. Then you can go for a DT, timed.
I think this is the best way.

[jackchang1029]

Stacey,

Appreciate the thorough response. I have been busy studying; thus, I didn't see your reply till just now. I have adjusted my study plan according to your advice and will see how everything turn out when I take my practice test in the next week or two.

My target score is above 730 or above. It's a challenging goal, but I'm willing to delay my test date and possibly take the next version of GMAT if necessary even though I would much prefer to take the current version. I have registered for a test date of 6/2 (Last day to take the current GMAT), so with a little over 3 months, I hope to have enough time to reach my goal.

I will definitely leverage the resources available to me on the site as I'm going through the guides. Thanks again!

Jack

Different things work for different people. Personally, though, I do not recommend ignoring the issue of timing until the end or towards the end. Part of learning to get better at a test like this is learning how to deal with the timing - drilling to be faster, actively searching for more efficient solution methods, learning when to cut yourself off and make an educated guess, determining how to make an educated guess, etc. Those are all necessary skills, just like learning how to manipulate an equation.

As a general rule, when you're working through a chapter in the strategy guide or the problems at the end of that chapter (printed in the book), don't time yourself. But then do go and try a couple of OG problems under timed conditions. Start with one in the middle (as the numbers get higher, the problems get harder). Was it too hard to do in the expected timeframe? Try an easier one next. Easy? Try a harder one next. Do 2-3 to get a feel for the timing and also for the wording - the way in which they word these questions is often... strange, for lack of a better word. :)

The Diagnostic Test printed in the OG is (a) not adaptive or comprehensive (therefore not as useful) and (b) on the hard side for someone just starting out. So, no, I don't recommend doing that. I do strongly recommend taking a full-length practice test, however. Many people hesitate for the same reason you cited - I haven't studied yet. But you aren't trying to get your goal score on this first test. (That'd be nice, though!) You're trying to figure out what your strengths and weaknesses are. That's *crucial* because it will help you set priorities for your study. If you don't know your strengths and weaknesses, you'll just have to study everything equally, and that's inefficient.

You probably can't do / master EVERY last thing. There's too much. So you need to set priorities appropriately based on your goals and your strengths / weaknesses. What is your goal score, by the way?

Now, I mentioned doing some OG questions along with the chapter work, but just to get your feet wet. Later, when you finish the book, do a mini-set of questions pulled from all of the chapters together. For quant, as you continue to do additional books, start to do sets that pull from the last 2 books or the last 3 books, not just the current book. (On the real test, they mix up the order of everything, so you have to get used to that in practice.)

Essentially, do some OG Qs along the way, yes, but also make sure to save a bunch for afterwards, when you're going to start setting up random sets of questions that will mimic "mini" GMAT sections. (eg, mix of CR, RC, SC; mix of all 5 quant areas)

Plus, once you've done an OG Q, you're not done with it. You've still got a lot you can learn from it! (See article below.) You should also expect to be going back over these Qs over time.

http://www.manhattangmat.com/articles/a ... roblem.cfm

It sounds like you've read a bunch of my articles already, but if you haven't read this already, I recommend that you do:

http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... ould-i-do/

That then links to a bunch of other articles. Follow the links. :)

Finally, make use of us here! We'd be happy to advise you as you study!

[StaceyKoprince]

Great, Jack, let us know how it goes.

Bharath, you can technically use GMATPrep for your diagnostic (first) test but I wouldn't recommend doing so for two important reasons:

(1) GMATPrep gives you absolutely no data with which to assess your performance - it doesn't tell you difficulty levels of the problems, the time you spent, the categories in which the problems belong, etc. So it is really not useful in terms of getting a bunch of data to assess your strengths and weaknesses, which is the whole point of taking this test!

(2) There are only two GMATPrep tests, and they're the real thing, so save them for later in your study... when you've actually studied. :)

Re: the OG problems, do some of them along with the strategy guides, but not all. Save some for random sets of questions and review later on.

[bharathdarsh]

Hi Stacey,

Thanks for the inputs.

1) In that case, please advice which is the best practice test that I can take now( in a week or 10 days) to assess my strength and weakness - so that I can use it as a data point towards a better preparation & optimal use of time.

2) I have now fixed my test date as May 23rd, but I don't mind to extend that date by a 2-3wks in-order to get a firm grip on the content & speed.

As always, I look forward for your valuable reply.

Thanks,
Bharath S

[StaceyKoprince]

I would use an MGMAT test and then use this article to analyze after:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... ice-tests/

You can come back to the forums to discuss, but please do so in your own new thread, as this thread was started by another student and is dedicated to his case. :)

[metman82]

(1) GMATPrep gives you absolutely no data with which to assess your performance - it doesn't tell you difficulty levels of the problems, the time you spent, the categories in which the problems belong, etc. So it is really not useful in terms of getting a bunch of data to assess your strengths and weaknesses, which is the whole point of taking this test!

Thanks!!

[StaceyKoprince]

:)

[bharathdarsh]

Thanks a lot Stacey, I will come to you with my analysis.

[StaceyKoprince]

thanks