Best Study Plan for a 5 and a half weeks

Question

Hello everyone, I'm planning to take the GMAT for the first time in mid-January, with the goal of scoring a 650. I wanted to see if anyone had recommendations for a 5 week intensive self-study plan that I could use. I've already gotten the 2019 OG, but I'm struggling to find out which books will be best to use along side during that time period. Now, just so you know, I scored a 470 going cold on a practice test from the MBA Prep site. I understand that given this score and the research I've done online, I'll be hard pressed to get a 650. I do not plan to let this deter to me though, as I'm able to study 8-10 hours a day, everyday until the test date. I also have no commitments during that time, so I'm able to fully engulf myself into the materials every waking moment, and I actually enjoy the routine of studying like this. I plan to lean heavily in quant during this 5 weeks, as this is biggest weakness right now. From what I could tell in the practice test, I have most of the foundations but I just kept making careless mistakes over and over. A majority of the questions I had missed, I felt I should've known when I saw the explained solutions. I'd love to hear any recommendations or advice on exactly what I should do.

Answer 1

Hey Kordell,

5 and 1/2 weeks is tough, but that being said dedication and a large amount of studying should give you the best chance.

If I were you, I'd do one exam either a day or every two days for the first week, take a break and then grade and evaluate what you did worst on and work on them, focusing on familiarizing yourself with the questions, learning math topics you don't know/don't remember, and basic reading/verbal strategies. After about a week or so of this you should have a good handle on what your strengths are/where you are at level wise.

After that it'd be more custom lesson plans and focus areas, until crunch time perhaps the week before the exam where you should be focused on solely exam/question strategies (question "hacks"/tips).

You should also consider meeting with a tutor once a week, even for just an hour or so, it helps you keep on track and having someone experienced put together a detailed study plan/strategy for you each week should keep you focused and make sure studying highly effective.

I don't know how you did on your January exam, but if you're still looking to improve I'd be happy to meet with you online weekly, and I have helped students improve to 600s/700s in a month before (with hard work, not impossible!) feel free to send me a message.

Either way though, Good luck!

-Michael