As an MBA graduate and GMAT prep teacher for over 3 years, I often get questions from people considering an MBA program about how best to prepare for the GMAT. Although the answer is going to be different for everyone based on their individual circumstances, here are the first few steps that I would recommend for anyone just getting started with preparing for the GMAT:
1) Get familiar with www.mba.com and the general test overview:
- General Overview
- Study Suggestions
- Quantitative Section
- Verbal Section
- Integrated Reasoning
- Analytical Writing Section
2) Take a Practice Test
- Seriously, do this before you do hardly anything else, so you can see where you’re at and what you’re up against. Your study time thereafter will be way more effective
- Download the free GMAT Test Prep Software from mba.com – GMAT Prep Software
- Take the full length computer adaptive tests. It’s 1 75-minute Verbal section, and 1 75-minutes Math section. Skip the essays if you like (many schools, including BYU, don’t care about the essay section, and it doesn’t affect your overall score)
- Be sure to record your score for future reference. You will get one overall score from 200-800, and 2 other scores, Math and Verbal, from 0-60
3) Start Studying with some Test Prep Materials
- Gmat Prep For Winners – Learn about my GMAT prep strategy that got me a 780 Score!!
- GMAT Prep Software – Has explanations about the content, with practice questions and explanations for individual questions, all real questions from the gmat
- Speed Study Techniques – Get The Best Grades With The Least Amount Of Effort’. The Title Says It All. Reveals Speed Study And Accelerated Learning Techniques So You Can Study Smarter, Not Harder.
- ‘Cracking the GMAT’, Princeton Review – Excellent strategies, well written