How should I prepare for the GMAT?
Last updated: 12 Sep 2010
To prepare thoroughly for the test you should allow at least 50 hours spread over a period of 6-8 weeks.
Options for study
There are a number of different ways you can approach studying for the GMAT.
Which ever way to choose to study, we recommend that anyone preparing for the GMAT should work through all the questions in The Official Guide for GMAT Review (11th Edition) available from Amazon, MBA.com or your local bookshop or library. This contains 800 questions from old GMAT tests and is the best source of GMAT practice questions.
1. PrepForTests.com
Our main focus is on the quantitative section of the GMAT although we do have some tutorials and practice questions for others sections.
We recommend that this site is used as a companion to The Official Guide for GMAT Review (11th Edition), available from Amazon, MBA.com or your local bookshop, which will provide you with all the practice questions to try out the techniques learned with PrepForTests.com.
2. Self study
In addition to the the The Official Guide for GMAT Review (11th Edition), there are a whole host of GMAT preparation self study aids available to help you prepare.
These aids will not only provide you with plenty of practice questions and the best of these will also include software to install on your computer so that you can take some practice tests. They will also give you tips and tricks for taking the test.
These are likely to cost you less than $50 (USD).
For example there are
- Kaplan's GMAT 2006, Premier Program
- Princeton's Cracking the GMAT with CD Rom
Self study is ideal for those with good self discipline and who are relatively confident in their abilities.
3. A classroom based course
There are many companies world-wide who offer GMAT preparation courses.
A good course will provide you with classes taking you through all aspects of the GMAT, plenty of study materials to practice at home and the opportunity to take multiple practice tests.
This has the advantage of keeping you to a timetable of study and also will give you much more opportunity to ask questions and get feedback if you run into difficulties.
The downside is that a face to face course will cost you anywhere from $500-$1,500 (USD). This will be money well spent if the extra discipline that a course provides significantly improves your GMAT score.
The best courses will also offer you advice on which business schools you might apply to and also guidance on how to apply.
There are a number of world-wide test prep franchises such as Kaplan, Manhattan GMAT, Princeton Review and Veritas, as well as many independents. See Business Week's rundown of the big test prep companies for more details
