According to statistics, GMAT test takers typically spend 100-170 hours studying, within 2-3 months before test day, and those who achieve the highest GMAT scores usually spend over 170 hours, with a study plan extending up to 6 months.
According to GMAC, 62% of test takers start studying at least four weeks before test day. On average, those who scored above 500 spent at least 60 hours preparing.
So how much time will you need to dedicate to GMAT preparation? Here are 7 factors you should consider!
How familiar are you with standardized tests?
The first thing you should consider is how familiar you are with standardized tests. Some people regularly take English-language tests such as IELTS, GRE, etc. Think about whether you feel comfortable and perform well on such tests. And can you do well if the test duration is long? Because the GMAT exam takes nearly 4 hours.
How many points do you want to increase?
Suppose you have taken a practice test with minimal preparation and achieved a certain score. This is called your baseline score.
What is your target score? How much do you want to improve from your current score?
For instance, with moderate preparation, you might be able to improve by 50 points in a relatively short and easy study period. Improving by 100 points is a bigger challenge.
If you want to increase by 150 or 200 points or more, this will require exceptional dedication, including taking many more practice tests and questions. You will need to maintain a GMAT study plan for quite a long time.
How competitive are the programs you're applying to?
If you're unsure how much you need to improve, research the GMAT scores of the programs you want to apply to. For some business schools, GMAT scores are extremely important. Looking at the average GMAT scores of admitted students and researching admissions websites can help you determine how much effort you need to put in.
How much time do you have to prepare for GMAT?
A 3-month study plan, with 1-2 hours of GMAT study each weekday and one 3-4 hour study session each weekend (approximately 10 hours per week) is likely sufficient to increase scores by 50-100 points for most people. If you want to improve by more than 50-100 points, extend your GMAT study time beyond three months.
Generally, the longer you can spread your test preparation over time-for example, six months-the more time you have to review each topic 2 to 3 times. This takes advantage of how the brain learns and processes information. Multiple exposures help encode material into long-term memory.
How many hours per day can you dedicate to GMAT?
Determining how many days you should study and when to take the GMAT depends on how many hours per day you can study.
Suppose 1 hour/day over 6 months is equivalent to 6 hours/day over 1 month. Of course, everyone has limits on their ability to concentrate during certain periods.
Many people also have limitations on how much information they can absorb and retain in a day. Can you dedicate 6 hours/day to high-quality, highly focused study time, day after day, for one month? If so, that's great.
However, most people have real-world constraints from work and family, and have limitations on concentration and retention. The best way to study for GMAT is to spread your study time across many days.
Regardless of how much time you have to study, the GMAT exam requires 3 hours of highly focused mental effort. You will need to build your mental endurance over an equivalent period of time.
How solid are your foundational skills?
Consider the two major sections: Math and Verbal. On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your relative skill level in these 2 sections? This affects how much time you spend on GMAT preparation and which areas will require more practice time.
What are your weaknesses? And how severe are they?
If you rate your Math or Verbal at 3 or below, this is a sign that you need more GMAT study time.
If you are strong in math but weak in language, and especially if English is not your native language, then follow a moderate study schedule, such as a three-month study plan for those strong in math, and add READ A LOT.
Read at least 1 to 2 hours per day. Reading advanced materials will help you become familiar with the advanced grammatical structures typical of GMAT Sentence Correction. It will also help you practice the analytical skills needed for GMAT Critical Reasoning and GMAT Reading Comprehension.
You can start this daily reading habit about 1 year before you begin preparing for the other test sections.
If you are relatively comfortable with the Verbal section but haven't touched math in a long time, then you need to invest heavily in math.
You cannot use a calculator in the GMAT Quant section, so practice mental arithmetic daily. You should add, subtract, multiply, and divide in your head. And you may need to use "Algebra Review" and "Geometry Review" books for high school students.
You should start these preparatory steps a few months before you begin GMAT preparation.
As you can see, GMAT learning is a highly personalized process, influenced by many factors. However, every hour you dedicate to GMAT preparation will be worthwhile when you receive an admission offer from your dream business school. Many people have done it, and so can you.
Clever Academy
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