Bookshelf
Total GMAT Math Jeff's complete Quant guide, on sale now! |
Total GMAT Verbal Everything you need to ace GMAT Verbal! |
1,800 Practice Math Questions
Buy Jeff's books at Amazon.com
GMAT Official Guide, with IR
OG Math | OG Verbal
OG12 & Quant Rev solutions!
GMAT Question of the Day
Beginner's Guide to the GMAT
GMAT Hacks Affiliate Program
Categories
- General Study Tips
- Goals and Planning
- CAT Strategy
- The Mental Game
- GMAT Math Strategy
- GMAT Math Topics
- Mental Math
- Data Sufficiency
- Critical Reasoning
- Reading Comprehension
- Sentence Correction
- Analytical Writing Assessment
- Integrated Reasoning
- IR Explained
- Business School Admissions
- GMAT Prep Resources
- Practice Questions
- Total GMAT Math
- Total GMAT Verbal
- GMAT 111
The Ideal GMAT Study Session
You should follow me on Twitter. While you're at it, take a moment to subscribe to GMAT Hacks via RSS or Email. |
There's more to studying smart than just picking the right materials and putting in as much time as possible. It's crucial that you structure that time intelligently, as well.
Recognize that GMAT preparation is hard work. Especially if you haven't done math in some time, studying for the exam places unaccustomed demands on you. Thus, you won't be able to maintain a high level of intensity for as long as you might hope.
I generally recommend that you should study no more than 90 minutes to two hours in one sitting. Any more than that and you probably aren't learning as much as you would if you spread the same amount of time over multiple sessions.
This doesn't mean that you can't study more than two hours in any single day. By all means, if you have you weekends entirely free, try two or three sessions. Separate them as much as possible, perhaps with breaks for meals or exercise.
In this ideal GMAT study session, expect to spend at least half of your time reviewing practice questions and brushing up on content. Too many students spend nearly all of their time doing one question after another. That isn't a waste of time, but it's not nearly as effective as carefully analyzing your weak points and relentlessly addressing them.
This is hard work. If you find yourself losing focus, don't hesitate to take a short break, or even a long one, if you can't get back in the GMAT groove. One hour of intense, focused study is better than two hours of mediocre effort.
About the author: Jeff Sackmann has written many GMAT preparation books, including the popular Total GMAT Math, Total GMAT Verbal, and GMAT 111. He has also created explanations for problems in The Official Guide, as well as 1,800 practice GMAT math questions.
Total GMAT Verbal
The comprehensive guide to the GMAT Verbal section. Recognize, dissect, and master every question type
you'll face on the test. Everything you need, all in one place, including 100+ realistic practice questions. |