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Author: bb [ 05 May 2016, 02:23 ]

Post subject: GMAT Study Plan - 2019 Edition
The Definitive GMAT Study Plan - 2019 Edition

Hope you find this study plan helpful - please PM me any of your tips or suggestions for those just starting
out on their GMAT Journey
You can bookmark this topic on GMAT Club by clicking the STAR button to the right
You can also Print or PDF it for future reference.
Other Study Plans
Advanced Study Plan: Go from 650 to 700+

GMAT Course Study Plan
Ultimate Verbal plan
How to go from Q44 to Q50
How to improve verbal from V30 to V40
e-GMAT's online interactive tool to build a personalized study plan
The decision to go for an MBA is a big one in itself. However, immediately upon decision, the big hurdle that
most people face (unless you are applying for some certain Indian schools or a few online universities) is
the GMAT. Unfortunately, GMAT is a beast that may need more than one attempt. However, crafting a
systematic study plan with an objective focus to do better progressively will surely lead to success on the
test day, and as a result the entire MBA application. The GMAT is also important for numerous other
reasons
Recruiters, especially consultants, use GMAT scores as indicators of future performance.

The recently included IR section has shown to be somewhat correlated with B School GPA.
In the last few years, the average GMAT scores of top B Schools have risen steadily.
A high score on the GMAT often gets you into interesting conversation in dinner parties
While the last one may not be entirely true, the first three are good enough reasons to kick some serious
GMAT butt, and I am here to collate a lot of experience in the GMAT Club forum to revise our extremely
popular but slightly antiquated thread on the same topic.
https://gmatclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=217827&start&st&sk=t&sd=a&view=print 1/21
At this point, before moving on, you may want to check out the GMAT Club 2-min Talk Videos. You
will find many top GMAT and MBA experts talking about basic and advanced strategies of the GMAT
about topics ranging from how long you should take to prepare to whether you should retake.
Step 1: First, You should familiarize yourself with the GMAT structure and principles if you have not done
so already - see GMAT FAQ for details. You can also visit http://www.mba.com and poke around. While
you are there - go ahead and download GMATPrep - 2 practice tests released by makers of the GMAT.
These 2 tests contain real GMAT questions, follow real GMAT principles, and are the best at estimating your
GMAT score at any point in time.
Step 2: Take a practice test to find out how far you are from your target . Many believe it is a good use of
one of the free GMAT Prep tests (I'll tell you to actually get more than 2 tests out of the package later).
The main reason it is a good use is that you can see your starting point (now) and then compare it against
the ending (taking GMAT). Alternatively you can use any other computer adaptive test from Veritas Prep,
Kaplan, Manhattan, to find your close GMAT equivalent. If you are offered to write an Essay (AWA) - skip it.
For listing of all available GMAT tests - see http://gmatclub.com/forum/all-gmat-cat- ... 77460.html (This is
slightly outdated and will be updated soon)
Step 3: Find out what GMAT score you actually need. Just to give you an idea - You need at least 700 for
Top 10 schools, 680 for Top 20, and 650 for Top 50 to pass - meaning your score should not be an issue
and you will need something 50 points higher to actually stand out. Most people are able to improve
between 50 and 150 points - that should give you an estimate of what you can count on based on the
diagnostic test you just took. You can see current average applicant GMAT scores here. To visualize the
entire application process, please use MBA Timeline Tool
Step 4: Identify your weaknesses - take a look at your practice test score and note the raw score
distribution (you will get one three digit score such as 600 and 2 two-digit scores such as 35, 40 - those
two are your raw scores for each of the sections. They have corresponding percentiles). See how you rank
in each. Also, do a basic mistake analysis and understand which question types are the most challenging
for you. The options are PS, DS, CR, RC, SC and potentially even more detailed such as probability, or
assumption questions, etc. Don't only look at what questions you got wrong, but also why. Why did you
make a mistake? You can also take a diagnostic test; use this information to build your study plan. Here
are some options:
TTP Quant Diagnostic Test

Math Revolution Quant Diagnostic test
GMAT Club offers Quant and Verbal Free CAT Tests
You can find more free tests here: https://gmatclub.com/forum/all-gmat-pra ... 28289.html
Step 5: Design your study plan - finally!

You need to build up your toolkit and get some ammo for the GMAT. You will need books or a course (online
or in person) to refresh/learn fundamentals and then test taking strategies. You will also need GMAT tests
to practice those strategies and also evaluate your prep level. See these links for: GMAT course reviews,
GMAT Math Books reviews and GMAT Verbal Books
Finally - chart/plot/graph your study plan - use this calendar format
Step 6: Avoid typical GMAT prep mistakes and pitfalls.

Here is the most common one I see - jumping into questions and tests completely unprepared and
expecting results/miracles. GMAT consists of several layers and it is important to master each one before
moving on to the next - think of it as of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. There is no use in satisfying your
social needs before you can take care of basic needs such as safety and food. The same is here, if you
don't know the underlying principles that GMAT is testing (such as grammar, arithmetic, etc) there is no
use in solving hundreds of questions or taking multiple GMAT tests. This means that if English is not your
native language, you should not work on the RC strategies if you can't understand half of the passage -
you need to get comfortable reading long passages of text before moving on. To illustrate this principle,
consider the following hierarchy for the GMAT:
In the General Knowledge stage cover basics for a chapter/section/area

In the Question Strategies stage start practicing questions either for the area you just covered or for an
entire section but don't attempt questions for sections you have not covered yet
In the Test Strategies start taking full length tests and practice on putting questions and knowledge
together
Step 7: Commit to excellence and doing the best job possible. Think about what you can do to improve
your score – is it creating your own notes? Is it not moving to the next chapter until you are able to get
90% of the questions right? Is it reading a lot of fiction to get comfortable reading? Is it shifting your
schedule to wake up at 5 AM and study till 8 before work? Is it investing in the right books, courses, and
tests? You get the idea…
Study Plan Resources

Study
Math Verbal
Plan Practice Resources Test Resources
Resources Resources
Level
Beginner Offline: Offline: Official Guide, OG Quantitative and OG GMAT Prep Tests 1&2
Manhattan Manhattan Verbal, GMAT Club Question Filters, GMAT (free),GMAT Prep
GMAT Guides - GMAT Verbal Toolkit app, GMAC 404 Questions Exams 3&4 $49,
6th Edition books - 6th GMAT Prep Exams

(Latest), or edition, 5&6 $49 or you can
Veritas Prep Powerscore CR get these for 30% off
GMAT Guides, (in case you do with Premium MBA
Manhattan not like Bundle
GMAT Math MGMAT’s
Foundations. approach), or
Online Aristotle SC,
Resources: CR, and RC
Math bible books.
Revolution, Online
Economist, Resources:
Magoosh, e- Magoosh, e-
GMAT, Target GMAT,
Test Prep, Economist,
EMPOWERgmat, examPAL,
and examPAL Target Test
all offer online Prep, and
courses, which EmpowerGMAT,
are all offer online
comprehensive courses, which
and come with are
a study comprehensive
schedule by and come with
itself. a study
schedule by
itself.
Thursdays with
Ron Videos
In addition to (they deal with
the books advanced
mentioned concepts,
above, you may though Ron no
[url=https://gmatclub.com/forum/bunuel-
want to go longer does
signature-collection-all-in-one-with- Manhattan CATs
through the them, e-GMAT
solutions-146628.html]Bunuel’s signature ($49), GMAT Club
Advanced following: Math articles on
problems for quant[/url], Official Verbal Tests, Veritas Prep
Revolution, GMAT Club are
problems on GMAT Club, Hardest CATs ($49)
Manhattan great as well.
Questions on the forum
GMAT Advanced Take a look at
Quant, Jeff the articles
Sackman’s Total from GMAT
GMAT Math Club Verbal
Advantage as
well
The time frame that we recommend for a start to finish GMAT Prep is 3 months. We recommend a quant
heavy month 1, followed by verbal in month 2, and then getting it all together in the 3rd month.
Online Study Plan:

You can get online access to almost anything these days and self-paced options among prep companies
have really gone down in price.
Step 1: Foundation Most Online courses have modules that teach the fundamentals and that will quickly
help you build the foundation and come up to speed. These modules can be particularly useful for students
who have not studied quant for quite some time or who are not particularly strong in Quant.
Step 2: Core concepts Once you have built a foundation, focus on mastering the concepts. Solve OG
during this time and maintain an error log. Keep track of your mistakes and guesses - this will become your
study guide in Month 3. This is also the time to get involved in GMAT Club’s math forum.
Determine where you stand: almost all online courses come provide plenty of CAT's. Start taking the math
portion of the tests you have.
Move to Verbal only after reaching at a certain Level: Evaluate results and decide if you need to spend
more time in Math and patch up certain weak areas or move on to Verbal. This decision will be based on
your target GMAT score. If you are looking for high 600's and 700's, I would not move past Quant unless I
was able to score around Q44 and possibly higher. Quant scores have been inflated recently with Q51
(highest possible quant score clocking a mere 97th percentile and Q49 is 79th), so make sure you are up
there. Do not leave a section unless you were able to solve 90% of the questions correctly in the allotted
time. Don’t run away from your mistakes – sooner or later they will catch up; the better strategy is to
address them right there and then and make sure you never see them again.
If you prefer the online study option, use the Economist, eGMAT, Magoosh, examPAL, EMPOWERgmat,
Math Revolution, or Target Tests Prep online courses. They come with everything you need, including
practice tests and quizzes. You can compare them all in the Marketplace. Online courses also provide
constant feedback. Most also come with Free access to GMAT Club tests. Many self-study courses offer free
trials so you can test drive them before you buy, and for most no credit card is needed. Your cost may even
be less than with books ($99 - $300).
Mobile Apps:
There is a number of free GMAT Apps for iPhone and Android including GMAT Club's ToolKit. Many courses
have free companion apps such as Economist and Veritas Prep
Offline Study Plans
Beginner and Advanced Study Guide (Quant)
You may want to start off with Math guides from either Manhattan or Veritas, and as these guides are
numbered, you can just follow along the progression they have. As you progress through different
guides, make sure you are on top of homework problems (concept specific) in the Official Guides and
the GMAT Club forum.
Start using an error log. An error log is one of the most crucial steps to problem solving, and it is
imperative that you go back to the problems that you have missed or have gotten correctly with
some level of difficulty. Error logs can range from complicated macros on the excel, or just a simple
notepad. it really depends on your taste but we wouldn't recommend going overboard with the
structure.
As you get more confident with the content of the Math portion, start familiarizing yourself with the
GMAT Club Math Forum. You will find thousands of people with the same problems as yours, and they
just may end up becoming your business school buddies. Don't forget to follow Bunuel and his sets
(mentioned in the resource table), as he will definitely add 5-10 points to your quant scaled score.
Optional Step: If you are feeling the load is too heavy and you are really weak in Quant get MGMAT
Math Foundations; it is great in providing a more general overview of math concepts.
After you are done with the math section - start taking the math portion of the tests you have. (The
GMAT Club tests provide ideal sectional quiz resources.
Evaluate results and decided if you need to spend more time in Math and patch up certain weak
areas or move on to Verbal. This decision will be based on your target GMAT score. If you are looking
for high 600's and 700's, I would not move past Quant unless I was able to score around Q44 and
possibly higher. Quant scores have been inflated recently with Q51 (highest possible quant score
clocking a mere 97th percentile and Q49 is 81st), so make sure you are up there. Do not leave a
chapter or a section unless you were able to solve 90% of the questions correctly in the allotted
time. Don’t run away from your mistakes – sooner or later they will catch up; the better strategy is
to address them right there and then and make sure you never see them again.
If you need additional help in Quant - refer to the Math Resources on GMAT Club or the GMAT Math
Books section.
If you are comfortable with Quant but want to get to Q50+, use the GMAT Club Tests - they contain
only hard questions and were designed as practice for high-level math scorers. You can purchase
them, earn a free subscription by earning 25 Kudos, or sign up with a partner course (almost all
come with GMAT Club tests as a bonus)
Another worthwhile resource for you may be this quant-focused discussion: how to get from Q44 to
Q50
Beginner and Advanced Study Guide (Verbal)
Start working on the Verbal section. You can start with any question type, but my suggestion would
be to tackle Sentence Correction first as it is usually the most straightforward
Error Log!
Sentence Correction Optional Step: If you are not a native speaker, you will need a good grammar
book or a verbal-intensive course such as the SC course by eGMAT that focuses on concepts for non-
native speakers. Several grammar books are recommended on the Forum
(http://gmatclub.com/forum/best-gmat-gra ... 79934.html). We have created a book specifically for
this need - Ultimate GMAT Grammar (it covers all of the tested grammar topics on the GMAT, plus a
bit more concepts that international students seem to struggle the most (articles, etc). The best
thing of all is that it is Free ). Other books to consider are Kaplan Verbal Foundations and MGMAT
Verbal Foundations. This is for you to decide how much help you need or how much time you have.
Also, take a look at GMAT Club's Verbal Resources for many copies of study notes.
If you are short on time and can’t cover the MGMAT’s SC book, you can use the Aristotle SC Grail - it
has good strategies and I have personally used it to prepare, so it does work, though it is not as
complete as the MGMAT or Vertas Prep books.
Critical Reasoning Optional Step: If you need additional help with Critical Reasoning - Do not get both
PowerScore CR and Manhattan GMAT CR - the books are virtually identical (not really but kind of).
Instead, you can get an inexpensive online course such as SC eGMAT or get a 1-month subscription
to a full course for $99 and use only specific section (e.g. CR or SC) with Target Test Prep or
EMPOWERgmat or purchase 30 credits in examPAL to learn about CR only - these tools are great
since they allow you to use them only for a short period of time.
Reading Comprehension is often the hardest area to conquer. Unless you strongly feel that Reading is
your forte, I would recommend you pick up a reading habit for the time being. I have written a large
post on what I call GMAT Fiction and its benefits - take a look. I felt that reading books was a big
contributor to my SC and RC abilities and gave me a 96th percentile in Verbal (not too shabby for a
person who spoke zero English until 12). There are no downsides to this really - worst thing possible
is that you would have read some great books. And yes - make sure you read them during your low
productivity time (at night, during transit, etc).
Verbal forum should be your hobby by now and we have a great feature – GMAT Club Forum Timer.
Use it! If you have not discovered it yet, you should – the timer will keep track of all your practice
and even more – it will suggest you questions (every day Monday through Friday) that are at your
level, and after about 10 questions in SC and CR, it will even give you a daily estimated GMAT score.
Verbal Advantage – you may have seen badges and posts about it – make sure you use this
initiative. Every year for about 3 months, GMAT club teams up with the best verbal prep companies
to bring you the best experts, articles, and questions. You can use these resources at any time and
benefit from the previous years of work. Verbal Advantage v3, Verbal Advantage v2 and also the first
season – Verbal Advantage v1
Take the verbal-only portion of the tests to evaluate your progress (compare to how you did in the
diagnostic test).
Another worthwhile resource for you may be this quant-focused discussion: how to get from V30 to
V40
Last Month: Test Prep
This month should be spent on 2 things: taking full length tests (polishing your test taking
techniques, timing, stamina) and Reviewing your error log (going through your weaknesses, making
sure you understand why you keep making mistakes and how to solve every problem you
encountered). You can start using Error log earlier than this by the way - the earlier the better.
You can also use this time to prolong your prep (we assume most will run about 4 weeks late and will
need this time) or you can use it to spend on digging deeper in some areas.
Schedule your test if you have not done so already.
Start taking full length tests (including AWA and IR ) - this is important for your test stamina. Plan to
spend a Saturday on this and then subsequent test review.
Spend a few weeks taking tests and drilling down into your areas of weakness. Create a "black list of
questions" that you continue to struggle with and find a way to solve them with minimal mental
effort.
For IR, there is always the big question of, how important is IR really, and the answer, clearly, is –
nobody knows.
The BIG Day and Final Thoughts

Make sure you take a look at these before you take the GMAT:
What to do 30-14-7-1 days before the GMAT?

What to expect at the test center and 8 things not to do
Analysis of Patterns among those who scored 750+ and what they did
The best of GMAT Club’s debriefs – get inspired!
Common Mistakes with GMAT preparation

1: Rushing to take tests before learning anything - waste of
tests
2: Starting with the Official Guide - waste of official GMAT
!
questions
3: Giving GMAT the worst time of the day - studying after a
long day
4: Skipping basics and rushing to advanced topics
5: Moving through material too fast or too slow
6: Starting to prepare with poor English proficiency
Sidebar
At this time you will probably be wondering about questions such as “how many can I get wrong and still
get a Q50?” and other questions which really do not have answers. If you find yourself wondering about
these things at night, head over to the following discussions:
GMAT algorithm – how does it work?

What-If analysis of the GMAT Prep
Alternative ways to increase your score (i.e. not by studying)
How are GMAT scores calculated and what is a raw score?
Has anyone scored an 800? Yes, he has.
How long should you prep really?
The study plan above suggests 3 months, and that's probably 10-15 hours per week (2 hrs/work day and 5
hours on the weekend).
Over 3 months, that's about 120 - 180 hours, which includes reading some books, so the true study time is
probably 80 - 120 hrs.
What if you study 2x or 3x of that and take 9 months instead of 3, can you triple your improvement? No,
actually, your performance will be MUCH worse if you spread out your prep over a time period great than 5
months. Long study stretches are demotivating, hard to keep fresh, and ultimately ineffective as after 6
months, you start forgetting material faster than you can learn it and the time you will have to spend 75%
of your time on refresh. It is much more effective to spend 3-4 months, and that’s what I would encourage
you to do.
How do you Measure Improvement and what if you are not

seeing any?
Many test-takers waste a lot of tests and precious time by taking un-needed CAT’s. As a matter of fact, you
should be able to get away by taking no more than 10 CAT’s during your GMAT love affair. The question you
may ask then is – how do I measure improvement and keep track of my score?
A number of ways actually:
Make sure you are hitting a certain percentage of the questions in each topic/subject. Set a goal such
as 90% of questions have to be right in exercises, OG, or wherever. E.g. if you just covered
Geometry, there is no reason to take a whole quant CAT since you will only hit 3-4 Geometry
questions tops (perhaps as few as 1-2) and it will be a minimal impact on the score, while you will
waste a few hours, waste a test, and more importantly, grow discouraged.
Use short quizzes and exercise. Let’s say you covered that same Geometry chapter in the book and
only hit 50% on the quiz at the end of the chapter. Do 2 things: 1) Analyze your mistakes, read the
explanations how to solve questions, and make sure you can solve each one of them 2) Go back to
the chapter and using the mistakes you just made re-read/learn (make notes, create PPT, etc) of the
areas you are still lacking. Then you can use OG, GMAT Club tests, Kapan Quiz bank, Math Revolution
Question Bank or whatever you want to do real short/quick checks to see if you have improved.
At this point in time, it does not matter what your overall Quant score is, it only matters what
percentage of the types of questions ALREADY covered is.
You can use the GMAT Club Forum timer. As long as you take about 10 questions in PS and DS, you
will get a quant raw score estimate and as soon as you do the same in SC and CR, you will get a
verbal score estimate (note that RC is not evaluated). Learn more about the amazing and free GMAT
Club Forum Timer and Workbook here.
Finally, once you have covered ALL of the quant topics, it is time to take the Quant CAT and similarly
when you have finished the Verbal section, it is time to take the full Verbal CAT. (This is the reason
GMAT Club tests have split quant and verbal CAT’s – we don’t think you really need to take a Full CAT
until the very end when you are working on improving your stamina and test-day strategy, and at
that point, you can just Quant and Verbal CAT’s with an 8 minute break).
What if No improvement? My suggestion would be to understand why, what needs to change, and
how. You need to answer this yourself. If you can’t, post it on the forum, though I have to warn you,
it is a hard one to answer from afar. A much better option is to get a tutor for an hour or two (that’s
all you should need) to get you back on track. Any decent tutor can spot most of the issues after one
session and you can use the second session to answer any questions and draft a personalized plan
for the rest of your prep. You can also take a course – that’s become an especially popular and cheap
alternative with the online offerings from EGMAT, Magoosh, Math Revolution, examPAL, Target Test
Prep, EMPOWERgmat, many of which have courses for less than the cost of books (a free course
from examPAL or others as low as $59). Many of the courses are interactive and adapt to your needs.
Online adaptive courses often are much more effective than books since they are audio visual,
provide constant feedback, and provide instructor support.
You can bookmark this topic on GMAT Club by clicking the STAR button next to the topic name or you can
print it out for future reference.
Spoiler: ::
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Author: Diksha09 [ 07 May 2016, 22:05 ]

Post subject: Re: GMAT Study Plan - 2019 Edition
Hi,
I've just started my prep for the GMAT and spent enough time on this forum. As
suggested , I took the diagnostic test at GMAT Prep and scored 540 (Q 35, V 28). Really
astonished with the verbal scores because I didn't expect to do so horrendously on the
SC.
My target score is 720 + . I am pursuing a fellowship program with insane work hours but
I am currently on a month's holiday so I intend to study 8-10 hours everyday and get as
much review done as possible so that I can just practice and take CAT from June onwards.
Aim to give the exam in August or September (Flexible)
I have purchased the OG'16 along with the quantitative and Verbal OG. I also have access
to MGMAT guide set 5th 'edition ( ebooks) which I plan to refer, study and review
concepts from now on.
What should be my strategy to get that score and utilise the free month I have to the full
potential? Should I be looking at purchasing an online course?
I realize I have to work on both : Quant and Verbal.
BB and other experts please give feedback.
Author: chetan2u [ 07 May 2016, 22:53 ]

Post subject: GMAT Study Plan - 2019 Edition
Diksha09 wrote:
Hi,
I've just started my prep for the GMAT and spent enough time on this forum. As
suggested , I took the diagnostic test at GMAT Prep and scored 540 (Q 35, V 28). Really
astonished with the verbal scores because I didn't expect to do so horrendously on the
SC.
My target score is 720 + . I am pursuing a fellowship program with insane work hours but
I am currently on a month's holiday so I intend to study 8-10 hours everyday and get as
much review done as possible so that I can just practice and take CAT from June onwards.
Aim to give the exam in August or September (Flexible)
I have purchased the OG'16 along with the quantitative and Verbal OG. I also have access
to MGMAT guide set 5th 'edition ( ebooks) which I plan to refer, study and review
concepts from now on.
What should be my strategy to get that score and utilise the free month I have to the full
potential? Should I be looking at purchasing an online course?
I realize I have to work on both : Quant and Verbal.
BB and other experts please give feedback.
Hi Diksha,
the score in both Quant and Verbal requires a lot of improvement BUT good thing is that
you have just started with your preps so there should be a good scope of improvement..
the best judge for taking an online course or an inperson classes or self study is you and
would depend on your ability to grasp things...
there are many who have done self study and reached their score and there are very
many who have gone through couple of courses and are still there from where they
started..
You have following at your disposal..

1) self study... If you can pick finer points when you have been given theory or some
videos and notes..

2) online course.. if you can learn from the videos and few techniques put across via
video and othe rmaterial..
3) in person classes.. you have a chance to clear your doubts in class one to one but
ofcourse the time in a class is limited and you can not be a person shy to ask doubts in
front of others. And a lot depends on the type of instructors and courses where you are
staying..
4) Private tutor.. a lot depends on instructor but you can ask doubts and a lot of
attention gets paid on your preparation.
If you have to invest, invest wisely because more than money you are investing your
time. take some time, do your homework and select what is best for you. do not get
carried away by reviews or persuasion without giving it a proper thought..
The most important is to realize your weaknesses and what it will take to overcome.
Regards
Chetan
Author: Diksha09 [ 07 May 2016, 23:14 ]

Hi Chetan! ( Open to other experts as well)
Thank you so much for your time and valuable input.

I'd like to probe a bit more . Tutor and Classrooms are out of the question since I don't
have the time for it.
I plan to do the following :
Month 1 : Review and practice all the concepts from the MGMAT Guides ( Quant and
Verbal) combined with Power score CR. Solving questions /sectional tests from OG '16
and GMATClub ( free) on weekly basis.
Month 2 : Practice OG'16 + Verbal & Quant '16. Will start taking CAT on weekly basis .
Month 3 : IR + AWA & Full length CAT + Error log and reviewing/practicing.
Question : Would this be enough? Should I consider purchasing the Kaplan Math
workbook as well ?
I am also wondering whether I should be investing in an Egmat Verbal prep course as I'm
not too sure about the effectiveness of MGMAT guides for verbal ? Would I need to
purchase additional CAT/Exam Pack ?
Greatly appreciate your input and effort. Thank you so much.
Author: NevilleB [ 09 May 2016, 23:05 ]

My GMAT exam is during the first week of August and after much studying I took a test to
see where I stand and I scored a miserable 240. I am a full time employee and that's my
only livelihood for now.
What would be the best method of working and studying at the same time? Also the best
available approaches to boost my score from a measly 240 to a 700? Exam takes place 3
months from now.
Thanks.
Author: bb [ 12 May 2016, 12:26 ]

NevilleB wrote:
My GMAT exam is during the first week of August and after much studying I took a test to
see where I stand and I scored a miserable 240. I am a full time employee and that's my
only livelihood for now.
What would be the best method of working and studying at the same time? Also the best
available approaches to boost my score from a measly 240 to a 700? Exam takes place 3
months from now.
Thanks.
Would suggest that you restructure your daily schedule and study in the morning before
work.
If you are getting 240, you are getting most questions wrong and I would suggest to
rethink your prep strategy and probably revisit your high school material and make sure
you can do basic math and have a decent command of English (which it seems you do).
Would start with the MGMAT Math Foundations and MGMAT Verbal Foundations and read
the MGMAT Roadmap book.
Good Luck!
Author: nevermore [ 23 May 2016, 15:24 ]

Thank you for this excellent study plan BB.

I very much agree with your suggestion to study in the morning. I started my GMAT
preparation about 10 days ago and have found studying after work to be extremely taxing
and least effective.
Author: spc11 [ 24 May 2016, 23:34 ]

Quant - Probability, Set theory weak points
Dear BB
Thanks for this excellent source for beginners.
I seek guidance on studying Probability and Set theory - a big mental block that is
stopping me from learning these concepts to the level of GMAT.
Please suggest online resources/books where I can get the required practice as well as
conceptual clarity on these topics.
I started with OG Quant a month back when my CAT (Gmac) score was 530. I took
second CAT (Economist) yesterday and it was 590 (Q44, V28, IR 4
I understand Economist wasn't really close to what a real GMAT is. Quant was way easier
and Verbal was really tough. Still i am hopeful that I have improved a bit in these 30
days. I plan to take GMAT in August last week so that am thorough in Quant and Verbal
both with highest accuracy.
Slowly getting a hang of preparation methodology and this forum is a God sent!!
Looking forward to more tips!
Thanks!
Author: ranaazad [ 25 May 2016, 21:01 ]

Hello experts,
I am not a native English speaker. I am having trouble to finish the reading

comprehension in time. Usually I take five minutes to understand the tone of a passage. I
have been trying to increase my reading speed for last few months. Still no improvement.
Help!
T_T
Regards.
Author: mcelroytutoring [ 04 Jun 2016, 21:39 ]

Great advice as always, bb.
Here is my two cents:
MY RECOMMENDED GMAT STUDY PLAN:
My core philosophy: use Official GMAT Questions Only! It’s OK if you

end up memorizing all the solutions and answers—that’s part of the

point, and a little bit of repetition is helpful. But there are thousands of
real GMAT questions, so it’s unlikely that you will ever run out.
"Section" = a timed, scored section from the GMATPrep Software

(Exams 1 through 6). Helps you practice test-taking techniques, and
leveraging the GMAT algorithm.
"Practice" = unscored (no composite score, only correct/incorrect) and
the time limit is less strict. Take as long as you need for understanding.
Remember that you don’t necessarily need to pay for Exam Packs 1 and
2, because there are approximately 1,500 potential questions in (free)
Exams 1 and 2, so you can just keep resetting the tests and using them
again. The IR sections will be exactly the same (not adaptive!), but the
quant and verbal sections will be different every time.
Another option is to install the GMAT Prep software on 2 different

computers. 2 different computers = 2 different versions of the test =
nearly twice as many questions to practice.
Use the GMAT Club Guide the the GMAT Official Guide 2016 to keep
track of your progress in the book, and for easy access to question
explanations on the forum.
Here is a sample weekly schedule that I would recommend IF YOU ARE

TRYING TO PREPARE IN ONLY ONE MONTH (see modifications for 2-6
month study plans below):
Day 1: COMPUTER DAY
1) 75 minute Quant Section - GMATPrep

2) 75 minute Verbal Section - GMATPrep
3) Review Incorrectly Answered Quant Questions + Math Concepts and
Strategies
4) Review Incorrectly Answered Verbal Questions + Verbal Concepts
and Strategies
5) 30 minute IR Section or Practice - GMAT Prep / IR tool from Wiley
6) 30 minutes Essay Practice
Day 2: BOOK (OG) / WILEY DAY
1) 37 Quant Questions in OG / Wiley

2) 41 Verbal Questions in OG / Wiley
3) Review Incorrectly Answered Quants
4) Review Incorrectly Answered Verbals
5) 12 IR Questions - Any Source
Day 3: COMPUTER DAY
1) 37 Quant Questions in GMATPrep (Question Packs)

2) 41 Verbal Questions in GMATPrep (Question Packs)
3) Review Incorrectly Answered Quants + Math Concepts and Strategies
4) Review Incorrectly Answered Verbals + Verbal Concepts and
Strategies

Strategies
Day 5: COMPUTER DAY
1) 75 minute Quant Section - GMATPrep

2) 75 minute Verbal Section - GMATPrep
Strategies
5) 30 minute IR Section or Practice - GMAT Prep / IR tool from Wiley
6) 30 minutes Essay Practice

Strategies
Day 7: Take a rest! You’re only human.
Repeat for three more weeks, and you’ve completed approximately

2,160 real GMAT questions out of the approximately 4,000 official GMAT
questions available.
Here are my modifications for 2-6 month study plans:
2-month study plan: complete 3 assignments (numbered above) per

day.
3-month study plan: complete 2 assignments per day.
4-month study plan: complete 1-2 assignments per day.
6-month study plan: complete 1 assignment per day.
Author: rmadmit [ 09 Jun 2016, 03:18 ]

Hi,
I in the middle of my preparation and am kind of unsure the way I have planned it. I have
a doubt in the way I have planned to cover the Quant part of the exam. Right now, as per
my current plan, I have planned to finish OG from quant around 20th July given the fact
that I have planned to invest 2-3 days during the week on quant and the rest on verbal. I
plan to take the exam in August.
But I gave a deep thought on my plan and what I think is that I should give a week's time
and finish off the important topics from OG and then subsequently just practice.
Just to give a brief, I have planned to give a quant sectional test every week and I have
recently given two GMAT Club test wherein in the first test I got Q37 and in the second
test I got a Q27(couldn't complete the section)
I really need suggestions on would this kind of plan make sense? If yes, are there any
specific topics in quant that I should focus on during this week.
Also, would it make sense to build quizzes on GMAT Club tests for specific topics and
select the difficulty of questions(start from including 500,600 level questions)
Below is the link to the previous post where I gave a brief about my past GMAT attempts.
(strategy-tips-needed-218678.html#p1688769)
Thanks in advance! Would appreciate the valuable guidance and strategies.

I may be in the minority on this, but I believe that you can, and should,
prepare fully for the GMAT using only GMAC official materials for your
practice questions (OG, GMATPrep, Question Packs, Exam Packs, etc.).
Go ahead and use other materials for strategy and learning, but for
practice questions and tests, don't settle for imitations.
However, I would make use of the many resources on GMAT club that
can help point you to similar questions to the questions you are getting
wrong. Just try to make sure that they are real GMAT questions
whenever possible.
Author: rmadmit [ 10 Jun 2016, 00:37 ]

Thanks mcelroytutoring! I will keep that in mind while doing the prep.
But what I am more curious to know is the way to approach the GMAT club tests, i.e.
making topic wise sectional tests with 500-600 level questions initially?
Also, which topics in quant can be considered relatively more important which demand
more variety of questions to be practiced because of the vast number of concepts
involved?

Of course. That's a tough question to answer. In general, I would say

spend more time on basic concepts, and less time on esoteric ones. But
it's tough to be more specific than that because every GMAT exam is
different.
Another factor here is that the more difficult the question, the more
specific the technique, so for hard questions it's helpful to memorize the
solutions.
This blog from Magoosh should also help:
Breakdown of GMAT Quant Concepts by Frequency
Author: Manick9 [ 20 Jun 2016, 09:33 ]

Hi! I just started preparing for GMAT. I plan to do a MBA in 2018 after I complete my
Bachelors from NTU Singapore. I plan to take the GMAT in Dec 2016. Any advice how to
start your preparations? Can you recommend a 6 mth study plan.
I currently have the 3 OG 2015 books. Should I buy any other resources or take up online
prep courses?
I got a score of ard 520 in my first mock test. MY Quant was ard 40-42 and my Verbal
was below 20. My target score is >700. Also how are my chances of getting into a top
university as I only have 3 years of work experience.
Thanks,
Manick
Author: Surbhi17 [ 22 Jun 2016, 12:50 ]

Hi Everyone,
I am preparing for GMAT since 4 months , and I have scheduled my exam after 20 days
from now ,and I have already done many questions for practice , but I believe that there
is no improvement in my verbal ability, insteady it seems like that I am loosing my ability
to comprehend and understand the simple statement as it was not the case earlier , due
to nervousness I guess.
Thus, I am loosing my confidence
As I am a student from Engineering background , I am quite comfortable at quant section

but lacking in the verbal section mainly the CR and SC section.
So , could anyone suggest me , what should I do ,
OR is there some tutors which can help me to improve upon these areas within 15 days.
As exam date is approaching I am getting more conscious and nervous !!!!..
Any advice/suggestion would be of great help .......
Thanks in Advance
Author: navz2018 [ 22 Jun 2016, 23:40 ]

Manick9 wrote:
prep courses?
Thanks,
Manick
Hi, I believe OG alone would not be sufficient.While you get lot of guidance through this
forum,you can always get additional materials and prep well since you have time.I
prepared using veratis online along with GMAT club tests and some useful references
books(details I can provide if you wish).this helped me move my mocks from 540 to a
620 in a month's time. I heard mgmat is also very good .can provide more info if needed
Posted from my mobile device
Author: Manick9 [ 23 Jun 2016, 07:49 ]

navz2018 wrote:
Manick9 wrote:
prep courses?

Thanks,
Manick
Hi! I just started GMAT prep and I am not sure where to start. This forum has been very
useful. What is your opinion on Veritas online? I am deciding which online course to take.
Can provide more details on which reference books to use and about mgmat as well?
Could you recommend me a study plan for abt 5-6 mths ? I work 9 to 6 and it very
difficult to study on the weekdays.
Thanks a lot!
Author: Surbhi17 [ 23 Jun 2016, 11:03 ]

Hi all,
Please suggest me some material from where I can practice the CR and SC questions , I
have already finished OG questions.
And I need some very good set of questions for quant too .
I don't have much time left , my exam is after 20 days , so accordingly please suggest
some good set of questions , which could help me to gain confidence.
Author: navz2018 [ 23 Jun 2016, 11:49 ]

Manick9 wrote:
navz2018 wrote:
Manick9 wrote:
prep courses?
Thanks,
Manick
Hi! I just started GMAT prep and I am not sure where to start. This forum has been very
useful. What is your opinion on Veritas online? I am deciding which online course to take.
Can provide more details on which reference books to use and about mgmat as well?
Could you recommend me a study plan for abt 5-6 mths ? I work 9 to 6 and it very
difficult to study on the weekdays.
Thanks a lot!
Hi
I feel strategy provided in Veratis has worked for me,it has helped me improve Quan a
lot.I havent worked much with MGMAT,you could check with someone who has used
MGMAT ,but i have heard from friends that it definitely helps improve Verbal.I have a lot
of reference materials but due to lack of time, i couldnt go through all of them. While OG
is a must , more importantly,the correct strategy to solve OG questions helps improve
scores. 5-6 months is ample time for a target score of 700 as long as you are on the right
track.
If you are working, atleast 1 hr a day should help ,and weekend you could pull out more
time(around 4-5 hrs per day). The more you practice, the better the scores. So, the lesser
the breaks you take inbetween the study plan, the easier it will be for you to remember
and work on the strategies. Also, since you are in the beginning, it is very important to
identify your areas of weakness before you directly start with a plan.
GMAT Club tests helped me a lot, so i will definitely recommend that along with GMAT
prep tests.
Hope that gives you a fair idea of where to start off! All the best for your exam.
About details of the materials i have , you can provide me your mail, and i will mail you
the list I have.
Thanks!
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GMAT Study Plan - 2019 Edition

Author: bb [ 05 May 2016, 02:23 ]

The Definitive GMAT Study Plan - 2019 Edition

Other Study Plans

Advanced Study Plan: Go from 650 to 700+

Recruiters, especially consultants, use GMAT scores as indicators of future performance.

TTP Quant Diagnostic Test

Step 5: Design your study plan - finally!

Finally - chart/plot/graph your study plan - use this calendar format

Step 6: Avoid typical GMAT prep mistakes and pitfalls.

In the General Knowledge stage cover basics for a chapter/section/area

Study Plan Resources

6th Edition books - 6th GMAT Prep Exams

Online Study Plan:

Offline Study Plans

Beginner and Advanced Study Guide (Quant)

Beginner and Advanced Study Guide (Verbal)

Last Month: Test Prep

The BIG Day and Final Thoughts

What to do 30-14-7-1 days before the GMAT?

Common Mistakes with GMAT preparation

GMAT algorithm – how does it work?

How long should you prep really?

How do you Measure Improvement and what if you are not

pyramid.gif [ 13.93 KiB | Viewed 716321 times ]

Author: Diksha09 [ 07 May 2016, 22:05 ]

BB and other experts please give feedback.

Author: chetan2u [ 07 May 2016, 22:53 ]

BB and other experts please give feedback.

You have following at your disposal..

videos and notes..

Author: Diksha09 [ 07 May 2016, 23:14 ]

Hi Chetan! ( Open to other experts as well)

Thank you so much for your time and valuable input.

I plan to do the following :

Greatly appreciate your input and effort. Thank you so much.

Author: NevilleB [ 09 May 2016, 23:05 ]

Author: bb [ 12 May 2016, 12:26 ]

Author: nevermore [ 23 May 2016, 15:24 ]

Thank you for this excellent study plan BB.

Author: spc11 [ 24 May 2016, 23:34 ]

Quant - Probability, Set theory weak points

Thanks for this excellent source for beginners.

Author: ranaazad [ 25 May 2016, 21:01 ]

I am not a native English speaker. I am having trouble to finish the reading

Author: mcelroytutoring [ 04 Jun 2016, 21:39 ]

Great advice as always, bb.

Here is my two cents:

MY RECOMMENDED GMAT STUDY PLAN:

My core philosophy: use Official GMAT Questions Only! It’s OK if you

end up memorizing all the solutions and answers—that’s part of the

"Section" = a timed, scored section from the GMATPrep Software

Another option is to install the GMAT Prep software on 2 different

Here is a sample weekly schedule that I would recommend IF YOU ARE

Day 1: COMPUTER DAY

1) 75 minute Quant Section - GMATPrep

Day 2: BOOK (OG) / WILEY DAY

1) 37 Quant Questions in OG / Wiley

Day 3: COMPUTER DAY

1) 37 Quant Questions in GMATPrep (Question Packs)

Day 4: BOOK (OG) / WILEY DAY