Mike MᶜGarry

6 Month GMAT Study Schedule

If you’re planning on taking the GMAT in the future, giving yourself enough time to prepare is essential! If you have at least 6 months to get ready for this exam, then we have the GMAT study guide for you! Keep reading to get our 6 Month GMAT Study Plan.

GMAT 6 Month Study Guide - image by Magoosh

In this plan, we’ll go over how to study for GMAT sections week by week. If you’re not sure how long to study for the GMAT, check out our GMAT study schedules to see which one is best for you!

6 month GMAT study schedule - image by Magoosh

TL;DR

Eager to get started? Here are the key takeaways for planning your prep:

  • Start your prep with an official practice exam and continue taking practice tests at regular intervals.
  • Review your wrong answers and log them using the Free GMAT Error Log or Magoosh GMAT product. This will help you determine your strengths and weaknesses.
  • Focus your prep on weak areas that are also common on the test!
  • Now, click here to skip to the study schedule or keep reading for more details!

    Getting Started

    Will This Six-Month Plan Help Me Score over 700?

    This plan contains a tremendous amount of instructional material and over 2500 high quality practice questions! Also, by studying for six months and giving your brain all that time to learn and assimilate, you are giving yourself a huge advantage! If you follow all parts of this plan diligently, you will encounter all the information you need for an elite score. How well you do will depend on everything you bring: how quickly you learn, how deeply you remember, how well you assimilate and integrate, how astutely you discern connections and patterns, how diligent you are, how conscientious you are, and how dedicated you are. If you are truly committed to getting an excellent score, then read this blog with the utmost of attention and care.
     

    • Do you need to adapt this study schedule to meet your needs? Check out this blog post for adjustment tips!


     

    Study Materials

    We recommend using these additional resources to provide additional practice, alternative explanations, and extra review. Not every student will need or want additional materials, but for those who do, the books we recommend are the best for doing very well on the exam.

    Essential Materials

    1. GMAC’s The Official Guide for GMAT Review (OG) – The newest edition is the OG2021. If you are going to buy a new guide, get that one.
       
      If you happen to own the OG2020, OG2019, OG2018, OG2017, or even the previous OG2016, then it would be no problem using either of those with this study guide.
      • Don’t write in the official guide or any prep books. Do all your work on separate paper or on a computer. You will want to keep the books clean, so that later, if you need to look at a problem again, it is still fresh and unmarked.

       

      • The code in the back of the OG will give you access to GMAC’s Integrated Reasoning website with 50 IR practice questions; you’ll also need these.
    2. The OG Verbal Review 2021 and the OG Quant Review 2021. Those are the newest editions. If you already own the earlier editions, such as the OG Verbal Review 2020 and the OG Quant Review 2020, then feel free to use them instead. These two books give more official questions, different from those in the OG.
    3.  

    4. The GMATPrep software, a free download from mba.com. I recommend downloading this and making sure it runs on your computer before Week Twenty-One, when you will need it.
    5.  

    6. GMAT’s additional official practice exams, which are now entirely digital
    7.  

    8. Magoosh’s Premium plan
    9.  

    10. The Magoosh GMAT eBook
    11.  

    12. The Magoosh IR eBook
    13.  

    14. The Magoosh GMAT Math Flashcards
    15.  

    16. The Magoosh GMAT Idiom Flashcards
      NOTE: repeated exposure to new material, sustained over time, encodes the material into long term memory. This is precisely the value of flashcards. Throughout this plan, I will have you use the cards, never very long at once, but consistently. That consistency is the key to their effectiveness.
    17.  

    18. Magoosh’s Complete GMAT Guide: This comprehensive web-based guide to the GMAT gives you the quick but useful overview you need to understand this test. You’ll see how the GMAT is designed and scored, what skills it tests, how to find and use the best GMAT prep, and how to study for each test section.
    19.  

    20. The Manhattan GMAT Self-Study Toolkit. These books are about the best material available in hard-copy print form. You get a lot of materials with this bundle: Foundations of Math, Foundations of Verbal, All the Quant, All the Verbal, and IR/AWA. You will also get access to six MGMAT online GMAT CATs, one of which you will take later in this plan. (See the note below on “Practice Tests During This Plan.”) You may also just want to purchase the “All the GMAT” set instead, if these books fit your needs better. The set includes just the three main volumes (Quant, Verbal, IR/AWA) and practice tests, for less than half the price. (Don’t write in these books either!)
    21.  

    22. A journal or notebook (yes, a physical hard copy item)
      • Pro tip: At the beginning of your journal, write down why you are studying for the GMAT.

    Optional Materials

    1. The Magoosh mobile app for your iPhone or Android
    2.  

    3. A guide to GMAT Practice Test Resources: This page includes instructions on where to find good full-length GMAT practice tests, and how to take practice tests and incorporate them into your studies.
    4.  

    5. The two online forums:

      These are great places to ask questions about anything GMAT related, or simply to check out the discussions and see how others are preparing.

    6.  

    7. Outside reading material: You may already have a habit of reading. Since you are planning to pursue a career in business, it would be good to get well informed about that world, if you have not be reading about it already. While you don’t need to be an expert, it’s important for the GMAT to have a general sense of the business world. If you are a non-native English speaker, it is absolutely crucial that you develop a habit of reading. For a non-native speaker struggling with the Verbal section, I would strongly recommend reading for at least an hour a day every day, an hour over and above any GMAT-specific preparations.
       
      Read the Wall Street Journal and the business section of sophisticated newspapers such as the New York Times and the Washington Post. Force yourself to read articles discussing topics with which you are unfamiliar. Read periodicals, such as the Economist magazine and Bloomberg Businessweek; the Economist magazine is a particularly sophisticated source and it would be good to read this at least a few times a week. These business sources are also a good place to practice reading graphs. For more suggestions on what to read, see:

      GMAT Reading List

      If you already are in the habit of doing challenging reading on your own, then by all means, continue reading what you want. For more on how to use outside reading to prepare you for the GMAT, see:

      How to Improve your GMAT Verbal Score


     

    How to Use This 6 Month GMAT Study Plan

    This is a 24-week plan. Six calendar months are typically closer to 26 weeks, so if you actually have six calendar months to prepare, that’s great. If you have a wedding or a camping trip or something in the middle, you could just skip a week, and do it later. Alternately, following the plan straight through would leave you more time for the concentrated review I recommend at the end of the 24 weeks.

    This plan assumes about two hours of prep on five weekdays, and it specifies a special “Day Six” assignment, typically a longer activity, such as a practice GMAT. The “Day Six” assignments are lighter toward the beginning of the schedule, and by the end of the schedule you will be doing a full-length GMAT every Day Six.

    Please feel empowered to rearrange this as best suits your needs. You can move more work to the weekends to free up some weeknight evenings! You can do a couple full days of work during the week! Rearrange the week’s work in whatever way makes the most sense for you.

    Also, as much as possible, get enough sleep during this six-month period. REM sleep plays an important role in encoding long term memory, and in an eight hour period of sleep, the last hour has the most REM. If you are getting seven hours/night instead of eight hours/night, you are depriving your brain of one of its most powerful systems for learning and remembering.

    Improve your GMAT score with Magoosh.

    Caffeine and energy drinks will keep you feeling awake if you don’t get enough sleep, but they don’t do bupkis to replace the lost opportunity to encode more information into long term memory.

     

    Abbreviations

    • OG = the GMAC Official Guide
    • PS = Problem Solving, the multiple-choice math questions
    • DS = Data Sufficiency math questions
    • RC = Reading Comprehension verbal question
    • SC = Sentence Correction verbal question
    • CR = Critical Reasoning verbal question
    • IR = Integrated Reasoning questions
    • AWA = the Analytical Writing Assessment, the essay-writing section
    • MGMAT = Manhattan GMAT
    • NYT = the New York Times
    • WSJ = the Wall Street Journal
    • TEM = The Economist Magazine

    Go back to the top of Magoosh's GMAT study plan 6 months


     

    6 Month GMAT Study Plan: Week One

     
    * Tasks marked with an asterisk indicate that this resource is only available to Magoosh students—sign up here for a free trial!

    Week One

    NOTE: You jump right in during this first week. Spread out the problems and video watching throughout the week in whatever way works best for you.

    1. Go to the test-maker’s website, and read about the structure of the GMAT. Click on each subsection on that page, to read about the individual sections.
    2. Take the GMAT Diagnostic. When you are done, note your score, then check your answers.

      For questions you got right, simply skim the explanation to verify that you go the question right for the right reason. If you got the question wrong, read the explanation carefully, writing in your journal any math/verbal concept you didn’t know or understand, as well as anything about the question type that you didn’t understand. (That may take a couple days if you got a lot wrong.)

      Don’t worry if you get many of these questions incorrect: wrestling with some advanced ideas a little at the beginning will prime your mind to learn the ideas more deeply when they are covered in the lessons.

    3. To get a sense of the layout of the test, in the OG, skim or read the introductory sections to Problem Solving, Data Sufficiency, Reading Comprehension, Critical Reasoning, and Sentence Correction.
    4. In the OG, read the Math Review, taking notes in your journal on anything new, rusty, or unfamiliar. If math is your strength, you can probably just skim these pages, getting a sense of what the range of GMAT math is. If math is not your thing, this may take some time.
    5. In Magoosh, watch the following videos:
      • Intro to the GMAT: all ten videos, or as many as are needed.
      • In Math: the first 16 videos
      • In AWA: all five videos

      NOTE: The information in the Magoosh videos may be review for you, or childishly easy for you, or very challenging brand new information for you. Some folks will find the verbal information obvious and the math hard-going, and other folks will have the reverse experience. If the material is relatively easy for you, feel free to click to the end and simply read the summary. If the material is new to you, take notes on what you are learning in your journal, and if possible, watch that video a second time.

    6. In the OG, do
      • 17 PS questions
      • 13 DS questions
      • 10 SC questions
      • 9 CR questions
      • 1 RC passage and the associated questions

      NOTE: As soon as you do a batch of OG questions, correct them right away, and look the explanations. If you got the question right, you need only skim the explanation to verify that you got it right for the right reason. If you got the question wrong, read the explanation and take notes in your journal on what concepts or what aspect of the question you need to understand better. Note that not all the OG explanations are of high quality, and some are not good at all. As an alternative, for all the questions in the OG, you can see much better explanations in our video solutions.

    7. In Magoosh, do the following questions:
      • 19 PS questions
      • 6 DS questions
      • 7 SC questions
      • 8 CR questions
      • 1 RC passage and the associated questions

      NOTE: After each Magoosh question is a video explanation. If you got the question right, just skim the text summary of the video to verify you understand it. If you got the question wrong, watch the video explanation right away. If you don’t understand any given question after the explanation, post it in the forums seeking an explanation, or email us at Magoosh.

      NOTE: In all Magoosh practice, from the “Start a Practice Session” page, in Section choose the question type; for subjects, clear all, so that no subject is checked; for difficulty, choose “Adaptive;” and, at least at the beginning, select “Unanswered” questions.

      NOTE: When you do Magoosh practice questions, do not select individual topics that are familiar. When you learn a particular lesson, resist the urge to practice that material right there and then. This plan is based on the philosophy that you should see a random mix of topics every time you practice as you move through the OG.

      Yes, this means you will make some mistakes in the beginning, especially with topics you haven’t learned thoroughly yet, but if you study those mistakes carefully, that will prime your mind for understanding these ideas more deeply when you get to them in the lessons.

      Getting questions wrong at the beginning may seem frustrating, but remember that you are playing a “longer game”: the point is not instant success at the beginning, but building deeper understanding over time. Also, it’s important to get accustomed as soon as possible to the random mix of topics you will see, one after the other, on test day.

    8. In the Magoosh GMAT Math Flashcards, review the cards in the first deck, the Algebra deck. Spend about 5-10 minutes a day each day with these cards.

    Week One, Day Six Assignment

    Today, you will focus on the AWA section.

    1. Read the following blogs about the AWA section:
    1. In the OG: Read the introduction to the AWA section; skim the question prompts (only pre-2020 editions contain the prompts) to get a sense of the variety. While GMAC has removed their list of AWA prompts from the 2020 and 2021 OG, you can still find the GMAT essay prompts on this MBA.com PDF.
    2. Now, you are going to write a practice essay. Read the AWA Argument prompts in the OG (if you have a pre-2020 edition) or the PDF linked above. Pick one at random (or have someone pick it for you), and take 30 minutes to write an essay on the computer. (If you can turn off spellcheck & autocorrect, do so, as you will not have that feature on test day.)

      Now that you have this essay, what do you do with it? If you have a friend or mentor who is a gifted writer, see whether they would read the essay for you and critique it. Some folks hire a writing tutor specifically for this. If they are willing, you can show them the assessment criteria in the OG, and ask them to follow it. Alternately, you can upload your essay in the online forums and ask for feedback. See this blog for other options.

     
    Go back to the top of Magoosh's GMAT study plan 6 months

    6 Month GMAT Study Plan: Week Two

     

    Week Two

     

    1. In Magoosh, watch the following videos:
      • In Math: the next 16 videos
      • In Verbal: the first 11 videos

      NOTE: As you get to the end of modules, take the quiz at the end of the module. If you don’t pass the quiz, then review and keep taking it until you pass.

    2. In Magoosh, do the following questions:
      • 19 PS questions
      • 6 DS questions
      • 7 SC questions
      • 8 CR questions
      • 2 RC passages and the associated questions
    3. In the OG, do:
      • 17 PS questions
      • 13 DS questions
      • 10 SC questions
      • 9 CR questions
      • 2 RC passages and the associated questions
    4. In the Magoosh GMAT Math Flashcards, review the cards in the second deck, the Fraction, Ratios, and Percents deck. Spend about 5-10 minutes a day each day with the cards from this deck and the previous deck.
    5. Manhattan GMAT Books: In GMAT Roadmap, read the first five chapters.

      NOTE: After this first introductory MGMAT section, you will start moving through volumes that cover the math & verbal concept in a different order and a different way than those of Magoosh, and this is helpful for learning. If you can understand two very different ways of talking about the same concept, then you understand it very deeply.

    6. Outside Reading: do half an hour of reading each day, sophisticated reading of your own choosing. Keep in mind the recommendations made above.

      NOTE: if you are a non-native English speaker who is considerably weaker in Verbal than in math, I would strongly suggest reading for an hour each day.

    Week Two, Day Six Assignment
    1. Read the entire Magoosh GMAT eBook. Much of this may be review at this point.
    2. Read the entire Magoosh IR eBook.
    3. Write another practice essay. From the AWA Argument prompts in OG (pre-2020 editions) or this MBA.com PDF, pick one at random (or have someone pick it for you), and take 30 minutes to write an essay on the computer. (If you can turn off spellcheck & autocorrect, do so, as you will not have that feature on test day.)

      Whatever system you chose for getting feedback on your essay, continue with that.

    4. Stress management: read these four blog articles

    Because there are dozens of different ways one might choose to implement the recommendations of these four “stress reduction” blogs, this schedule does not itemize any specific tasks along these lines. Nevertheless, insofar as you can practice at least some of these habits consistently over the next six months, you will be very good shape to handle the anxiety of test day.

     
    Go back to the top of Magoosh's GMAT study plan 6 months

    6 Month GMAT Study Plan: Week Three

     

    Week Three
    1. In Magoosh, watch the following videos:
      • In Math: the next 16 videos
      • In Verbal: the next 11 videos
    2. In Magoosh, do the following questions:
      • 19 PS questions
      • 6 DS questions
      • 7 SC questions
      • 8 CR questions
      • 1 RC passage and the associated questions
    3. In the OG, do:
      • 17 PS questions
      • 13 DS questions
      • 10 SC questions
      • 9 CR questions
      • 2 RC passages and the associated questions
    4. In the Magoosh GMAT Math Flashcards, review the cards in the third deck, Geometry deck. Spend about 5-10 minutes a day each day with the cards from this deck and the previous decks.
    5. Manhattan GMAT Books: In GMAT Roadmap, read the sixth-tenth chapters
    6. Outside Reading: do half an hour of reading each day, sophisticated reading of your own choosing. Keep in mind the recommendations made above.
    Week Three, Day Six Assignment
    1. Write another practice essay. From the AWA Argument prompts in OG (pre-2020 editions) or this MBA.com PDF, pick one at random (or have someone pick it for you), and take 30 minutes to write an essay on the computer. (If you can turn off spellcheck & autocorrect, do so, as you will not have that feature on test day.)

      Whatever system you chose for getting feedback on your essay, continue with that.

    2. In the Magoosh GMAT Idiom Flashcards, review the cards in the first deck, the Basic I deck. Review any cards from this deck that you don’t know well.

     
    Go back to the top of Magoosh's GMAT study plan 6 months

    6 Month GMAT Study Plan: Week Four

     

    Week Four
    1. In Magoosh, watch the following videos:
      • In Math: the next 16 videos
      • In Integrated Reasoning: the first 15 videos
    2. In Magoosh, do the following questions:
      • 19 PS questions
      • 6 DS questions
      • 7 SC questions
      • 8 CR questions
      • 2 RC passages and the associated questions
    3. In the OG, do
      • 17 PS questions
      • 13 DS questions
      • 10 SC questions
      • 9 CR questions
      • 2 RC passages and the associated questions
    4. In the Magoosh GMAT Math Flashcards, review the cards in the fourth deck, Number Properties I deck. Spend about 10 minutes a day each day reviewing cards that you haven’t mastered from this deck and the previous math & idiom decks.
    5. Manhattan GMAT Books
      • In GMAT Roadmap, read the eleventh and twelfth chapters
      • In the AWA/IR book, read the first three chapters

      Do any practice problems that appear in the course of the chapters you read.

    6. Outside Reading: do half an hour of reading each day, sophisticated reading of your own choosing. Keep in mind the recommendations made above.
    Week Four, Day Six Assignment
    1. Write another practice essay. From the AWA Argument prompts in OG (pre-2020 editions) or this MBA.com PDF, pick one at random (or have someone pick it for you), and take 30 minutes to write an essay on the computer. (If you can turn off spellcheck & autocorrect, do so, as you will not have that feature on test day.)

      Whatever system you chose for getting feedback on your essay, continue with that.

    2. In the Magoosh GMAT Idiom Flashcards, review the cards in the second deck, the Basic II deck. Review any cards from this deck and the previous deck that you don’t know well.

     
    Go back to the top of Magoosh's GMAT study plan 6 months
     

     

    6 Month GMAT Study Plan: Week Five

     

    Week Five
    1. In Magoosh, watch the following videos
      • In Math: the next 16 videos
      • In Verbal: the next 6 videos
      • In Integrated Reasoning: the last 5 videos
    2. In Magoosh, do the following questions:
      • 19 PS questions
      • 6 DS questions
      • 7 SC questions
      • 8 CR questions
      • 1 RC passage and the associated questions
    3. In the OG, do:
      • 17 PS questions
      • 13 DS questions
      • 10 SC questions
      • 9 CR questions
      • 2 RC passages and the associated questions
    4. In the Magoosh GMAT Math Flashcards, review the cards in the fifth deck, Number Properties II deck. Spend about 10 minutes a day each day reviewing cards that you haven’t mastered from this deck and the previous math & idiom decks.
    5. Manhattan GMAT Books: In IR/AWA, read Ch. 4-8 and Appendix A “How to Write Better Sentences.”

      Do any practice problems that appear in the course of the chapters you read.

    6. Outside Reading: do half an hour of reading each day, sophisticated reading of your own choosing. Keep in mind the recommendations made above.
    Week Five, Day Six Assignment
    1. Go to GMAC’s official IR practice questions: Use the access code given in the back of the OG, logging in here. This site contains the online version of all the questions in the OG, in case you want to practice the identical questions online instead of on paper; in addition, the official IR practice questions live here. Uncheck everything else and do all the Multi-Source Reasoning questions, questions #1-18, setting yourself a 45-minute time limit. When you are done, go back and read carefully the full explanation for each question. Take notes on anything you need to remember.
    2. In Magoosh:
      • Do 15 IR questions
    3. Magoosh Flashcards: Take some time to review any Idiom flashcards and any math flashcards that you haven’t mastered yet.

     
    Go back to the top of Magoosh's GMAT study plan 6 months

    6 Month GMAT Study Plan: Week Six

     

    Week Six
    1. In Magoosh, watch the following videos:
      • In Math: the next 16 videos
      • In Verbal: the next 11 videos
    2. In Magoosh, do the following questions:
      • 19 PS questions
      • 6 DS questions
      • 7 SC questions
      • 8 CR questions
      • 2 RC passages and the associated questions
    3. In the OG, do:
      • 17 PS questions
      • 13 DS questions
      • 10 SC questions
      • 9 CR questions
      • 2 RC passages and the associated questions
    4. In the Magoosh GMAT Math Flashcards, review the cards in the sixth deck, Statistics and Probability deck. Spend about 10 minutes a day each day reviewing cards that you haven’t mastered from this deck and the previous math & idiom decks.
    5. Manhattan GMAT Books:
      • In IR/AWA, read Appendix B “Quantitative Topics.”
      • In All the Quant”, read the first four chapters on Fractions, Decimals, & Percents.

      Do any practice problems that appear in the course of the chapters you read.

    6) Outside Reading: do half an hour of reading each day, sophisticated reading of your own choosing. Keep in mind the recommendations made above.

    Week Six, Day Six Assignment
    1. Go back to GMAC’s official IR practice questions: Use the access code given in the back of the OG, logging in here. Once again, this site contains the online version of all the questions in the OG, in case you want to practice the identical questions online instead of on paper; in addition, the official IR practice questions live here. Uncheck everything else and do the remaining 38 IR questions, in three batches, with the following times: six Table Analysis (15 minutes); ten Graphics Interpretation (25 minutes); and sixteen Two-Part Analysis questions (40 minutes). When you are done, go back and read carefully the full explanation for each question. Take notes on anything you need to remember.
    2. Magoosh Flashcards: Take some time to do a thorough review of any Idiom flashcards and any math flashcards that you haven’t mastered yet.

     
    Go back to the top of Magoosh's GMAT study plan 6 months

    6 Month GMAT Study Plan: Week Seven

     

    Week Seven
    1. In Magoosh, watch the following videos:
      • In Math: the next 16 videos
      • In Verbal: the next 11 videos
    2. In Magoosh, do the following questions:
      • 16 PS questions
      • 12 DS questions
      • 10 SC questions
      • 9 CR questions
      • 2 RC passages and the associated questions
    3. In the OG, do:
      • 16 PS questions
      • 12 DS questions
      • 10 SC questions
      • 9 CR questions
      • 2 RC passages and the associated questions
    4. In the Magoosh GMAT Math Flashcards, review the cards in the seventh deck, Mixed Review I deck. Spend about 10 minutes a day each day reviewing cards that you haven’t mastered from this deck and the previous math & idiom decks.
    5. Manhattan GMAT Books: In All the Quant”, read the the fifth through ninth chapters on Fractions, Decimals, & Percents. Skim the appendix on Data Sufficiency: most of that will be review at this point.

      Do any practice problems that appear in the course of the chapters you read.

    6. Outside Reading: do half an hour of reading each day, sophisticated reading of your own choosing. Keep in mind the recommendations made above.
    Week Seven, Day Six Assignment
    1. Write another practice essay. From the AWA Argument prompts in OG (pre-2020 editions) or this MBA.com PDF, pick one at random (or have someone pick it for you), and take 30 minutes to write an essay on the computer. (If you can turn off spellcheck & autocorrect, do so, as you will not have that feature on test day.)

      Whatever system you chose for getting feedback on your essay, continue with that.

    2. In the Magoosh GMAT Idiom Flashcards, review the cards in the third deck, the Advanced I deck. Do a thorough review of any cards from this deck and the previous decks that you don’t know well.

     
    Go back to the top of Magoosh's GMAT study plan 6 months

    6 Month GMAT Study Plan: Week Eight

     

    Week Eight
    1. In Magoosh, watch the following videos:
      • In Math: the next 16 videos
      • In Verbal: the next 11 videos
    2. In Magoosh, do the following questions:
      • 19 PS questions
      • 6 DS questions
      • 7 SC questions
      • 8 CR questions
      • 2 RC passages and the associated questions
    3. In the OG, do:
      • 16 PS questions
      • 12 DS questions
      • 10 SC questions
      • 9 CR questions
      • 2 RC passages and the associated questions
    4. In the Magoosh GMAT Math Flashcards, review the cards in the eighth deck, Mixed Review II deck. Spend about 10 minutes a day each day reviewing cards that you haven’t mastered from this deck and the previous math & idiom decks.
    5. Manhattan GMAT Books: In All the Verbal, read the first five chapters. Do any practice problems that appear in the course of the chapters you read.
    6. Outside Reading: do half an hour of reading each day, sophisticated reading of your own choosing. Keep in mind the recommendations made above.
    Week Eight, Day Six Assignment

    Take one of the practice GMATs from the GMAC Official Practice Exams 3 to 6. Go through the answers after you are done, taking notes in your journal on anything you got wrong. If you can’t figure out why you got the question wrong, or can’t figure out the correct solution, post the question in one of the online forums, or ask us at Magoosh.

    For the two essay questions, you can skip the “Analyze an Issue” essay, and just do the “Analyze an Argument” essay. Do not write the essay on paper. Take 30 minutes to write the essay in a word processing program. This essay you will either share with a trusted friend or mentor, or post in the online forums asking for feedback.

    At this early stage of practice, it is not as important to mimic the real GMAT conditions. Pay attention to how well you maintain focus within each section. For now, feel free to take either short or long breaks between sections. Note your energy level during different sections, and how this affects your concentration. Write any observations in your journal.

     
    Go back to the top of Magoosh's GMAT study plan 6 months
     

     

    6 Month GMAT Study Plan: Week Nine

     

    Week Nine
    1. In Magoosh, watch the following videos:
      • In Math: the next 16 videos
      • In Verbal: the next 11 videos
    2. In Magoosh, do the following questions:
      • 19 PS questions
      • 6 DS questions
      • 7 SC questions
      • 8 CR questions
      • 1 RC passage and the associated questions
    3. In the OG, do
      • 16 PS questions
      • 12 DS questions
      • 10 SC questions
      • 9 CR questions
      • 2 RC passages and the associated questions
    4. In the Magoosh GMAT Math Flashcards, review the cards in the ninth deck, Mixed Review III deck. Spend about 10 minutes a day each day reviewing cards that you haven’t mastered from this deck and the previous math & idiom decks.
    5. Manhattan GMAT Books: In All the Verbal, read Chapters 6-10.

      Do any practice problems that appear in the course of the chapters you read.

    6. Outside Reading: do half an hour of reading each day, sophisticated reading of your own choosing. Keep in mind the recommendations made above.
    Week Nine, Day Six Assignment
    1. Write another practice essay. From the AWA Argument prompts in OG (pre-2020 editions) or this MBA.com PDF, pick one at random (or have someone pick it for you), and take 30 minutes to write an essay on the computer. (If you can turn off spellcheck & autocorrect, do so, as you will not have that feature on test day.)

      Whatever system you chose for getting feedback on your essay, continue with that.

    2. In the Magoosh GMAT Idiom Flashcards, review the cards in the fourth deck, the Advanced II deck. Do a thorough review of any cards from this deck and the previous decks that you don’t know well.

     
    Go back to the top of Magoosh's GMAT study plan 6 months

    6 Month GMAT Study Plan: Week Ten

     

    Week Ten
    1. In Magoosh, watch the following videos
      • In Math: the next 16 videos
      • In Verbal: the next 11 videos
    2. In Magoosh, do the following questions:
      • 19 PS questions
      • 6 DS questions
      • 7 SC questions
      • 8 CR questions
      • 2 RC passages and the associated questions
    3. In the OG, do:
      • 16 PS questions
      • 12 DS questions
      • 10 SC questions
      • 9 CR questions
      • 2 RC passages and the associated questions
    4. In the Magoosh GMAT Math Flashcards, review the cards in the tenth deck, Mixed Review IV deck. Spend about 10 minutes a day each day reviewing cards that you haven’t mastered from this deck and the previous math & idiom decks.
    5. Manhattan GMAT Books
      • In All the Verbal, read Chapters 11-12; look through Appendix A, “Idioms,” making note of any idioms you haven’t already learned; skim through Appendix B, “Glossary,” verifying that you are familiar with the formal grammar terms.
      • In All the Quant, read the first number properties chapter.

      Do any practice problems that appear in the course of the chapters you read.

    6. Outside Reading: do half an hour of reading each day, sophisticated reading of your own choosing. Keep in mind the recommendations made above.
    Week Ten, Day Six Assignment

    Take another one of the practice GMATs from the GMAC Official Practice Exams 3 to 6. Go through the answers after you are done, taking notes in your journal on anything you got wrong. If you can’t figure out why you got the question wrong, or can’t figure out the correct solution, post the question in one of the online forums, or ask us at Magoosh.

    For the two essay questions, you can skip the “Analyze an Issue” essay, and just do the “Analyze an Argument” essay. Do not write the essay on paper. Take 30 minutes to write the essay in a word processing program. This essay you will either share with a trusted friend or mentor, or post in the online forums asking for feedback.

    At this early stage of practice, it is not as important to mimic the real GMAT conditions. Pay attention to how well you maintain focus within each section. For now, feel free to take either short or long breaks between sections. Note your energy level during different sections, and how this affects your concentration. Write any observations in your journal.

     
    Go back to the top of Magoosh's GMAT study plan 6 months

    6 Month GMAT Study Plan: Week Eleven

     

    Week Eleven
    1. In Magoosh, watch the following videos:
      • In Math: the next 16 videos
      • In Verbal: the next 11 videos
    2. In Magoosh, do the following questions:
      • 19 PS questions
      • 6 DS questions
      • 7 SC questions
      • 8 CR questions
      • 1 RC passage and the associated questions
    3. In the OG, do
      • 16 PS questions
      • 12 DS questions
      • 10 SC questions
      • 9 CR questions
      • 2 RC passages and the associated questions
    4. In the Magoosh GMAT Math Flashcards, review the cards in the eleventh deck, Mixed Review V deck. Spend about 10 minutes a day each day reviewing cards that you haven’t mastered from this deck and the previous math & idiom decks.
    5. Manhattan GMAT Books: In All the Quant, read the second, third, fourth, and fifth number properties chapters.

      Do any practice problems that appear in the course of the chapters you read.

    6. Outside Reading: do half an hour of reading each day, sophisticated reading of your own choosing. Keep in mind the recommendations made above.
    Week Eleven, Day Six Assignment

    Go to the MGMAT website, and register using the code that came with your books. This will give you access to the six MGMAT CATs.

    Take the first full length GMAT CAT on the MGMAT website. Go through the entire solution after you are done, taking notes in your journal on anything you got wrong.

    That software does not include an AWA question. To simulate a full GMAT, begin by selecting randomly a prompt from the back of the OG (pre-2020 editions) or this MBA.com PDF, then take 30 minutes to write the essay in a word processing program. This essay you will either share with a trusted friend or mentor or post in the online forums asking for feedback. Then, take the rest of the GMAT using that software.

    As much as possible, try to mimic the GMAT conditions. Give yourself relatively short breaks in between sections. Only eat the kinds of snacks that you are planning to bring to the real GMAT. Note how your sleep the night before affects your work. Note how what you had for dinner the previous night and what you had to eat earlier that day affects your energy level and concentration. Write any observations in your journal.

     
    Go back to the top of Magoosh's GMAT study plan 6 months

    6 Month GMAT Study Plan: Week Twelve

     

    Week Twelve
    1. In Magoosh, watch the remaining videos in Math & Verbal. If you have been following the pace of this plan, you should watch about the same numbers of videos this week and finish the entire library of video lessons.
    2. In Magoosh, do the following questions:
      • 19 PS questions
      • 6 DS questions
      • 7 SC questions
      • 8 CR questions
      • 2 RC passages and the associated questions
    3. In the OG, do:
      • 16 PS questions
      • 12 DS questions
      • 10 SC questions
      • 9 CR questions
      • 2 RC passages and the associated questions
    4. In the Magoosh GMAT Math Flashcards, review the cards in the twelfth deck, Mixed Review VI deck. Spend about 10 minutes a day each day reviewing cards that you haven’t mastered from this deck and the previous math & idiom decks.
    5. Manhattan GMAT Books:
      • In All the Quant, read the seventh number properties chapter.
      • In All the Verbal, read the first four Critical Reasoning chapters.

      Do any practice problems that appear in the course of the chapters you read.

    6. Outside Reading: do half an hour of reading each day, sophisticated reading of your own choosing. Keep in mind the recommendations made above.
    Week Twelve, Day Six Assignment

    Take another one of the practice GMATs from the GMAC Official Practice Exams 3 to 6. Go through the answers after you are done, taking notes in your journal on anything you got wrong. If you can’t figure out why you got the question wrong, or can’t figure out the correct solution, post the question in one of the online forums, or ask us at Magoosh.

    For the two essay questions, you can skip the “Analyze an Issue” essay, and just do the “Analyze an Argument” essay. Do not write the essay on paper. Take 30 minutes to write the essay in a word processing program. This essay you will either share with a trusted friend or mentor, or post in the online forums asking for feedback.

    Pay attention to how well you maintain focus within each section. For now, feel free to take either short or long breaks between sections. Note your energy level during different sections, and how this affects your concentration. Write any observations in your journal.

     
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    6 Month GMAT Study Plan: Week Thirteen

     

    Week Thirteen
    1. In Magoosh, watch the following videos
      • Intro to the GMAT: all ten videos, or as many as are needed
      • In Math: the first 16 videos
      • In AWA: all five videos

      NOTE: At this point, exactly halfway through this schedule, you should have seen each Magoosh lesson once. In the second half of the plan, we assign every video again. If you feel that you already understand a video and don’t need to see it in full a second time, simply click ahead to the summary screen to remind yourself of what is covered in that video. Watch carefully any topics on which you are not perfectly clear, and take diligent notes on what you did not fully understand the first time you watched the video. Remember that understanding comes in several stages: always push yourself to reach a deeper understanding with each and every topic.

    2. In Magoosh, do the following questions:
      • 19 PS questions
      • 6 DS questions
      • 7 SC questions
      • 8 CR questions
      • 1 RC passage and the associated questions
    3. In the OG, do
      • 16 PS questions
      • 12 DS questions
      • 10 SC questions
      • 8 CR questions
      • 2* RC passages and the associated questions

      *If you are using the OG2015 or the OG13, do just one RC passage this week.

    4. Review all your flashcards. Spend about 10 minutes a day each day reviewing cards that you haven’t mastered from the Magoosh GMAT Math Flashcards and the Magoosh GMAT Idiom Flashcards.
    5. Manhattan GMAT Books
      • In All the Verbal, read the fifth through eighth chapters on Critical Reasoning.
      • In All the Quant, read the first geometry chapter.

      Do any practice problems that appear in the course of the chapters you read.

    6. Outside Reading: do half an hour of reading each day, sophisticated reading of your own choosing. Keep in mind the recommendations made above.
    Week Thirteen, Day Six Assignment

    Go back to the MGMAT website.

    Take the next full length GMAT CAT on the MGMAT website. Go through the entire solution after you are done, taking notes in your journal on anything you got wrong.

    That software does not include an AWA question. To simulate a full GMAT, begin by selecting randomly a prompt from the back of the OG(pre-2020 editions) or this MBA.com PDF, then take 30 minutes to write the essay in a word processing program. This essay you will either share with a trusted friend or mentor or post in the online forums asking for feedback. Then, take the rest of the GMAT using that software.

    As much as possible, try to mimic the GMAT conditions. Give yourself relatively short breaks in between sections. Only eat the kinds of snacks that you are planning to bring to the real GMAT. Note how your sleep the night before affects your work. Note how what you had for dinner the previous night and what you had to eat earlier that day affects your energy level and concentration. Write any observations in your journal.

     
    Go back to the top of Magoosh's GMAT study plan 6 months

    6 Month GMAT Study Plan: Week Fourteen

     

    Week Fourteen
    1. In Magoosh, watch the following videos:
      • In Math: the next 16 videos
      • In Verbal: the first 11 videos

      NOTE: do not feel compelled to take the lessons quizzes the second time through, unless you really feel you need practice on that module.

    2. In Magoosh, do the following questions:
      • 16 PS questions
      • 12 DS questions
      • 10 SC questions
      • 8 CR questions
      • 1 RC passage and the associated questions
    3. In the OG, do:
      • 16 PS questions
      • 12 DS questions
      • 10 SC questions
      • 8 CR questions
      • 1 RC passage and the associated questions

      NOTE: At this point, you should finish up the question in the GMAT Official Guide.

    4. Review all your flashcards. Spend about 10 minutes a day each day reviewing cards that you haven’t mastered from the Magoosh GMAT Math Flashcards and the Magoosh GMAT Idiom Flashcards.
    5. Manhattan GMAT Books: In All the Quant, read the second through sixth geometry chapters. Do any practice problems that appear in the course of the chapters you read.
    6. Outside Reading: do half an hour of reading each day, sophisticated reading of your own choosing. Keep in mind the recommendations made above.
    Week Fourteen, Day Six Assignment

    Take another one of the practice GMATs from the GMAC Official Practice Exams 3 to 6. Go through the answers after you are done, taking notes in your journal on anything you got wrong. If you can’t figure out why you got the question wrong, or can’t figure out the correct solution, post the question in one of the online forums, or ask us at Magoosh.

    For the two essay questions, you can skip the “Analyze an Issue” essay, and just do the “Analyze an Argument” essay. This essay you will either share with a trusted friend or mentor, or post in the online forums asking for feedback.

    Pay attention to how well you maintain focus within each section. For now, feel free to take either short or long breaks between sections. Note your energy level during different sections, and how this affects your concentration. Write any observations in your journal.

     
    Go back to the top of Magoosh's GMAT study plan 6 months

    6 Month GMAT Study Plan: Week Fifteen

     

    Week Fifteen
    1. In Magoosh, watch the following videos:
      • In Math: the next 16 videos
      • In Verbal: the next 11 videos
    2. In Magoosh, do the following questions:
      • 19 PS questions
      • 6 DS questions
      • 7 SC questions
      • 8 CR questions
      • 1 RC passage and the associated questions
    3. In the OG Quantitative Review, do:
      • In Math: the next 16 videos
      • In Verbal: the next 11 videos
    4. In the OG Verbal Review, do:
      • 12 SC questions
      • 9 CR questions
      • 2 RC passages and the associated questions

      NOTE: Now that you are done with the GMAT Official Guide, you will get official practice questions from these two books for the remainder of the study plan.

    5. Review all your flashcards. Spend about 10 minutes a day each day reviewing cards that you haven’t mastered from the Magoosh GMAT Math Flashcards and the Magoosh GMAT Idiom Flashcards.
    6. Manhattan GMAT Books:
      • In All the Quant, read the seventh geometry chapter.
      • In All the Verbal, read the first through fourth Reading Comprehension chapters.

      Do any practice problems that appear in the course of the chapters you read.

    7. Outside Reading: do half an hour of reading each day, sophisticated reading of your own choosing. Keep in mind the recommendations made above.
    Week Fifteen, Day Six Assignment

    Go back to the MGMAT website.

    Take the next full length GMAT CAT on the MGMAT website. Go through the entire solution after you are done, taking notes in your journal on anything you got wrong.

    That software does not include an AWA question. To simulate a full GMAT, begin by selecting randomly a prompt from the back of the OG (pre-2020 editions) or this MBA.com PDF, and then take 30 minutes to write the essay in a word processing program. This essay you will either share with a trusted friend or mentor or post in the online forums asking for feedback. Then, take the rest of the GMAT using that software.

    As much as possible, try to mimic the GMAT conditions. Give yourself relatively short breaks in between sections. Only eat the kinds of snacks that you are planning to bring to the real GMAT. Note how your sleep the night before affects your work. Note how what you had for dinner the previous night and what you had to eat earlier that day affects your energy level and concentration. Write any observations in your journal.

     
    Go back to the top of Magoosh's GMAT study plan 6 months

    6 Month GMAT Study Plan: Week Sixteen

     

    Week Sixteen
    1. In Magoosh, watch the following videos
      • In Math: the next 16 videos
      • In Integrated Reasoning: the first 15 videos
    2. In Magoosh, do the following questions:
      • 19 PS questions
      • 6 DS questions
      • 7 SC questions
      • 8 CR questions
      • 2 RC passages and the associated questions
    3. In the OG Quantitative Review, do
      • 18 PS questions
      • 13 DS questions
    4. In the OG Verbal Review, do:
      • 12 SC questions
      • 9 CR questions
      • 2 RC passages and the associated questions
    5. Review all your flashcards. Spend about 10 minutes a day each day reviewing cards that you haven’t mastered from the Magoosh GMAT Math Flashcards and the Magoosh GMAT Idiom Flashcards.
    6. Manhattan GMAT Books:
      • In All the Verbal, read the fifth and sixth Reading Comprehension chapters.
      • In All the Quant, read the first three Algebra chapters.

      Do any practice problems that appear in the course of the chapters you read.

    7. Outside Reading: do half an hour of reading each day, sophisticated reading of your own choosing. Keep in mind the recommendations made above.
    Week Sixteen, Day Six Assignment

    Take another one of the practice GMATs from the GMAC Official Practice Exams 3 to 6. Go through the answers after you are done, taking notes in your journal on anything you got wrong. If you can’t figure out why you got the question wrong, or can’t figure out the correct solution, post the question in one of the online forums, or ask us at Magoosh.

    For the two essay questions, you can skip the “Analyze an Issue” essay, and just do the “Analyze an Argument” essay. This essay you will either share with a trusted friend or mentor, or post in the online forums asking for feedback.

    Pay attention to how well you maintain focus within each section. For now, feel free to take either short or long breaks between sections. Note your energy level during different sections, and how this affects your concentration. Write any observations in your journal.

     
    Go back to the top of Magoosh's GMAT study plan 6 months
     

     

    6 Month GMAT Study Plan: Week Seventeen

     

    Week Seventeen
    1. In Magoosh, watch the following videos:
      • In Math: the next 16 videos
      • In Integrated Reasoning: the last 5 videos
      • In Verbal: the next 6 videos
      1. In Magoosh, do the following questions:
        • 19 PS questions
        • 6 DS questions
        • 7 SC questions
        • 8 CR questions
        • 1 RC passage and the associated questions

        NOTE: if you took a very large number of lesson quizzes during the course of your studies, you may start to run out of different categories of questions. If you are out of “unanswered” questions for any question type, you can start re-answering the ones you got “incorrect.”

      2. In the OG Quantitative Review, do:
        • 18 PS questions
        • 13 DS questions
      3. In the OG Verbal Review, do:
        • 12 SC questions
        • 9 CR questions
        • 2 RC passages and the associated questions
      4. Review all your flashcards. Spend about 10 minutes a day each day reviewing cards that you haven’t mastered from the Magoosh GMAT Math Flashcards and the Magoosh GMAT Idiom Flashcards.
      5. Manhattan GMAT Books: In All the Quant, read the fourth through eighth Algebra chapters. Do any practice problems that appear in the course of the chapters you read.
      6. Outside Reading: do half an hour of reading each day, sophisticated reading of your own choosing. Keep in mind the recommendations made above.
    Week Seventeen, Day Six Assignment

    Go back to the MGMAT website.

    Take the next full length GMAT CAT on the MGMAT website. Go through the entire solution after you are done, taking notes in your journal on anything you got wrong.

    That software does not include an AWA question. To simulate a full GMAT, begin by selecting randomly a prompt from the back of the OG (pre-2020 editions) or this MBA.com PDF, and then take 30 minutes to write the essay in a word processing program. This essay you will either share with a trusted friend or mentor, or post in the online forums asking for feedback. Then, take the rest of the GMAT using that software.

    As much as possible, try to mimic the GMAT conditions. Give yourself relatively short breaks in between sections. Only eat the kinds of snacks that you are planning to bring to the real GMAT. Note how your sleep the night before affects your work. Note how what you had for dinner the previous night and what you had to eat earlier that day affects your energy level and concentration. Write any observations in your journal.

     
    Go back to the top of Magoosh's GMAT study plan 6 months

    6 Month GMAT Study Plan: Week Eighteen

     

    Improve your GMAT score with Magoosh.
    Week Eighteen
    1. In Magoosh, watch the following videos
      • In Math: the next 16 videos
      • In Verbal: the next 11 videos
    2. In Magoosh, do the following questions:
      • 19 PS questions
      • 6 DS questions
      • 7 SC questions
      • 8 CR questions
      • 2 RC passages and the associated questions

      NOTE: depending on the number of lesson quizzes you took during the course of your studies, you may start to run out of different categories of questions. If you are out of “unanswered” questions for any question type, you can start re-answering the ones you got “incorrect.”

    3. In the OG Quantitative Review, do
      • 18 PS questions
      • 13 DS questions
    4. In the OG Verbal Review, do
      • 11 SC questions
      • 8 CR questions
      • 2 RC passages and the associated questions
    5. Review all your flashcards. Spend about 10 minutes a day each day reviewing cards that you haven’t mastered from the Magoosh GMAT Math Flashcards and the Magoosh GMAT Idiom Flashcards.
    6. Manhattan GMAT Books: In All the Quant, read the ninth through thirteenth Algebra chapters. Do any practice problems that appear in the course of the chapters you read.
    7. Outside Reading: do half an hour of reading each day, sophisticated reading of your own choosing. Keep in mind the recommendations made above.
    Week Eighteen, Day Six Assignment

    Take the last practice GMATs from the GMAC Official Practice Exams 3 to 6. Go through the answers after you are done, taking notes in your journal on anything you got wrong. If you can’t figure out why you got the question wrong, or can’t figure out the correct solution, post the question in one of the online forums, or ask us at Magoosh.

    For the two essay questions, you can skip the “Analyze an Issue” essay, and just do the “Analyze an Argument” essay. This essay you will either share with a trusted friend or mentor, or post in the online forums asking for feedback.

    Pay attention to how well you maintain focus within each section. For now, feel free to take either short or long breaks between sections. Note your energy level during different sections, and how this affects your concentration. Write any observations in your journal.

    This is the last Day Six with an informal GMAT. After this, it’s a sprint to the finish line: every Day Six will have a formal GMAT CAT.

     
    Go back to the top of Magoosh's GMAT study plan 6 months

    6 Month GMAT Study Plan: Week Nineteen

     

    Week Nineteen
    1. In Magoosh, watch the following videos:
      • In Math: the next 16 videos
      • In Verbal: the next 11 videos
    2. In the Magoosh questions: At this point, you should be close to finishing up all the questions within Magoosh. Each week, continue to practice about 25 math questions and about 15 verbal questions. Within each question type, your first priority should be to finish off any remaining unanswered questions; your second priority should be to re-answer any questions you got “incorrect.” If, when answering previous incorrect questions, you get the vast majority of them correct on the second time, then the supply of “incorrect” questions will dwindle. When you have run out or almost run of incorrect questions in each question format, math and verbal, then you can reset your statistics, and start re-answering questions in an adaptive format. Many students have found that seeing questions more than once really deepens their understanding.
    3. In the OG Quantitative Review, do:
      • 17 PS questions
      • 12 DS questions
    4. In the OG Verbal Review, do:
      • 11 SC questions
      • 8 CR questions
      • 2 RC passages and the associated questions
    5. Review all your flashcards. Spend about 10 minutes a day each day reviewing cards that you haven’t mastered from the Magoosh GMAT Math Flashcards and the Magoosh GMAT Idiom Flashcards.
    6. Manhattan GMAT Books: In All the Quant, read the first five chapters on word problems. Do any practice problems that appear in the course of the chapters you read.
    7. Outside Reading: do half an hour of reading each day, sophisticated reading of your own choosing. Keep in mind the recommendations made above.
    Week Nineteen, Day Six Assignment

    Go back to the MGMAT website.

    Take the next full length GMAT CAT on the MGMAT website. Go through the entire solution after you are done, taking notes in your journal on anything you got wrong.

    That software does not include an AWA question. To simulate a full GMAT, begin by selecting randomly a prompt from the back of the OG (pre-2020 editions) or this MBA.com PDF, and then take 30 minutes to write the essay in a word processing program. This essay you will either share with a trusted friend or mentor, or post in the online forums asking for feedback. Then, take the rest of the GMAT using that software.

    As much as possible, try to mimic the GMAT conditions. Give yourself relatively short breaks in between sections. Only eat the kinds of snacks that you are planning to bring to the real GMAT. Note how your sleep the night before affects your work. Note how what you had for dinner the previous night and what you had to eat earlier that day affects your energy level and concentration. Write any observations in your journal.

     
    Go back to the top of Magoosh's GMAT study plan 6 months

    6 Month GMAT Study Plan: Week Twenty

     

    Week Twenty
    1. In Magoosh, watch the following videos:
      • In Math: the next 16 videos
      • In Verbal: the next 11 videos
    2. In the Magoosh questions: Each week, continue to practice about 25 math questions and about 15 verbal questions. Within each question type, your first priority should be to finish off any remaining unanswered questions; your second priority should be to re-answer any questions you got “incorrect.” If, when answering previous incorrect questions, you get the vast majority of them correct on the second time, then the supply of “incorrect” questions will dwindle. When you have run out or almost run of incorrect questions in each question format, math and verbal, then you can reset your statistics, and start re-answering questions in an adaptive format.
    3. In the OG Quantitative Review, do:
      • 17 PS questions
      • 12 DS questions
    4. In the OG Verbal Review, do:
      • 11 SC questions
      • 8 CR questions
      • 2 RC passages and the associated questions
    5. Review all your flashcards. Spend about 10 minutes a day each day reviewing cards that you haven’t mastered from the Magoosh GMAT Math Flashcards and the Magoosh GMAT Idiom Flashcards.
    6. Manhattan GMAT Books: In All the Quant, read the sixth to tenth chapters on word problems. Do any practice problems that appear in the course of the chapters you read.
    7. Outside Reading: do half an hour of reading each day, sophisticated reading of your own choosing. Keep in mind the recommendations made above.
    Week Twenty, Day Six Assignment

    Go back to the MGMAT website.

    Take the last full length GMAT CAT on the MGMAT website. Go through the entire solution after you are done, taking notes in your journal on anything you got wrong.

    That software does not include an AWA question. To simulate a full GMAT, begin by selecting randomly a prompt from the back of the OG (pre-2020 editions) or this MBA.com PDF, and then take 30 minutes to write the essay in a word processing program. This essay you will either share with a trusted friend or mentor, or post in the online forums asking for feedback. Then, take the rest of the GMAT using that software.

    As much as possible, try to mimic the GMAT conditions. Give yourself relatively short breaks in between sections. Only eat the kinds of snacks that you are planning to bring to the real GMAT. Note how your sleep the night before affects your work. Note how what you had for dinner the previous night and what you had to eat earlier that day affects your energy level and concentration. Write any observations in your journal.

     
    Go back to the top of Magoosh's GMAT study plan 6 months
     

     

    6 Month GMAT Study Plan: Week Twenty-One

     

    Week Twenty-One
    1. In Magoosh, watch the following videos
      • In Math: the next 16 videos
      • In Verbal: the next 11 videos
    2. In the Magoosh questions: Each week, continue to practice about 25 math questions and about 15 verbal questions. Within each question type, your first priority should be to finish off any remaining unanswered questions; your second priority should be to re-answer any questions you got “incorrect.” If, when answering previous incorrect questions, you get the vast majority of them correct on the second time, then the supply of “incorrect” questions will dwindle. When you have run out or almost run of incorrect questions in each question format, math and verbal, then you can reset your statistics, and start re-answering questions in an adaptive format.
    3. In the OG Quantitative Review, do
      • 17 PS questions
      • 12 DS questions
    4. In the OG Verbal Review, do
      • 11 SC questions
      • 8 CR questions
      • 2 RC passages and the associated questions
    5. Review all your flashcards. Spend about 10 minutes a day each day reviewing cards that you haven’t mastered from the Magoosh GMAT Math Flashcards and the Magoosh GMAT Idiom Flashcards.
    6. Manhattan GMAT Books: Re-read any five chapters from the set, either all five from a single volume, or five different chapters from multiple volumes. Review whatever you think you need to review.
    7. Outside Reading: do half an hour of reading each day, sophisticated reading of your own choosing. Keep in mind the recommendations made above.
    Week Twenty-One, Day Six Assignment

    The free GMATPrep software comes with two tests, each of which you can take twice. These practices tests are made by GMAC itself, so these are the closest practice experience you can have to the real GMAT. You need to treat these with the same level of seriousness as you will bring to the real GMAT.

    Take a full length GMAT on the GMATPrep software. Go through the entire solution after you are done, taking notes in your journal on anything you got wrong.

    For the essay you have written in the software, copy the essay into a word processing program. This essay you will either share with a trusted friend or mentor, or post in the online forums asking for feedback.

    As much as possible, try to make all the conditions as GMAT-like as possible for this test. Give yourself relatively short breaks in between sections. Only eat the kinds of snacks that you are planning to bring to the real GMAT. Note how your sleep the night before affects your work. Note how what you had for dinner the previous night and what you had to eat earlier that day affects your energy level and concentration. Write any observations in your journal.

     
    Go back to the top of Magoosh's GMAT study plan 6 months

    6 Month GMAT Study Plan: Week Twenty-Two

     

    Week Twenty-Two
    1. In Magoosh, watch the following videos:
      • In Math: the next 16 videos
      • In Verbal: the next 11 videos
    2. In the Magoosh questions: Each week, continue to practice about 25 math questions and about 15 verbal questions. When you have run out or almost run of incorrect questions in each question format, math and verbal, then you can reset your statistics, and start re-answering questions in an adaptive format.
    3. In the OG Quantitative Review, do:
      • 17 PS questions
      • 12 DS questions
    4. In the OG Verbal Review, do:
      • 11 SC questions
      • 8 CR questions
      • 2 RC passages and the associated questions
    5. Review all your flashcards. Spend about 10 minutes a day each day reviewing cards that you haven’t mastered from the Magoosh GMAT Math Flashcards and the Magoosh GMAT Idiom Flashcards.
    6. Manhattan GMAT Books: Re-read any five chapters from the set, either all five from a single volume, or five different chapters from multiple volumes. Review whatever you think you need to review.
    7. Outside Reading: do half an hour of reading each day, sophisticated reading of your own choosing. Keep in mind the recommendations made above.
    Week Twenty-Two, Day Six Assignment

    Take another full length GMAT from the first test in the GMATPrep software. Go through the entire solution after you are done, taking notes in your journal on anything you got wrong.

    For the essay you have written in the software, copy the essay into a word processing program. This essay you will either share with a trusted friend or mentor, or post in the online forums asking for feedback.

    As much as possible, try to make all the conditions as GMAT-like as possible for this test. Give yourself relatively short breaks in between sections. Only eat the kinds of snacks that you are planning to bring to the real GMAT. Note how your sleep the night before affects your work. Note how what you had for dinner the previous night and what you had to eat earlier that day affects your energy level and concentration. Write any observations in your journal.

     
    Go back to the top of Magoosh's GMAT study plan 6 months

    6 Month GMAT Study Plan: Week Twenty-Three

     

    Week Twenty-Three
    1. In Magoosh, watch the following videos:
      • In Math: the next 16 videos
      • In Verbal: the next 11 videos
    2. In the Magoosh questions: Each week, continue to practice about 25 math questions and about 15 verbal questions. When you have run out or almost run of incorrect questions in each question format, math and verbal, then you can reset your statistics, and start re-answering questions in an adaptive format.
    3. In the OG Quantitative Review, do:
      • 17 PS questions
      • 12 DS questions
    4. In the OG Verbal Review, do:
      • 11 SC questions
      • 8 CR questions
      • 2* RC passage and the associated questions

      *If you are using the earlier edition, the OG Verbal Review 2014, then do only one RC passage this week.

    5. Review all your flashcards. Spend about 10 minutes a day each day reviewing cards that you haven’t mastered from the Magoosh GMAT Math Flashcards and the Magoosh GMAT Idiom Flashcards.
    6. Manhattan GMAT Books: Re-read any five chapters from the set, either all five from a single volume, or five different chapters from multiple volumes. Review whatever you think you need to review.
    7. Outside Reading: do half an hour of reading each day, sophisticated reading of your own choosing. Keep in mind the recommendations made above.
    Week Twenty-Three, Day Six Assignment

    Take another full length GMAT, the first from the second test in the GMATPrep software. Go through the entire solution after you are done, taking notes in your journal on anything you got wrong.

    For the essay you have written in the software, copy the essay into a word processing program. This essay you will either share with a trusted friend or mentor, or post in the online forums asking for feedback.

    As much as possible, try to make all the conditions as GMAT-like as possible for this test. Give yourself relatively short breaks in between sections. Only eat the kinds of snacks that you are planning to bring to the real GMAT. Note how your sleep the night before affects your work. Note how what you had for dinner the previous night and what you had to eat earlier that day affects your energy level and concentration. Write any observations in your journal.

     
    Go back to the top of Magoosh's GMAT study plan 6 months

    6 Month GMAT Study Plan: Week Twenty-Four

     

    Week Twenty-Four
    1. In Magoosh, watch the remaining videos in Math & Verbal. If you have been following the pace of this plan, you should watch about the same numbers of videos this week and finish the entire library of video lessons for the second time.
    2. In the Magoosh questions: Each week, continue to practice about 25 math questions and about 15 verbal questions. When you have run out or almost run of incorrect questions in each question format, math and verbal, then you can reset your statistics, and start re-answering questions in an adaptive format.
    3. In the OG Quantitative Review, do:
      • 17 PS questions
      • 12 DS questions
    4. In the OG Verbal Review, do:
      • 11 SC questions
      • 8 CR questions
      • 1 RC passage and the associated questions

      NOTE: if you have followed the schedule diligently, you should finish both of these books this week.

    5. Review all your flashcards. Spend about 10 minutes a day each day reviewing cards that you haven’t mastered from the Magoosh GMAT Math Flashcards and the Magoosh GMAT Idiom Flashcards.
    6. Manhattan GMAT Books: Re-read any five chapters from the set, either all five from a single volume, or five different chapters from multiple volumes. Review whatever you think you need to review.
    7. Outside Reading: do half an hour of reading each day, sophisticated reading of your own choosing. Keep in mind the recommendations made above.
    Week Twenty-Four, Day Six Assignment

    Take another full length GMAT, the second from the second test in the GMATPrep software. Go through the entire solution after you are done, taking notes in your journal on anything you got wrong.

    For the essay you have written in the software, copy the essay into a word processing program. This essay you will either share with a trusted friend or mentor, or post in the online forums asking for feedback.

    As much as possible, try to make all the conditions as GMAT-like as possible for this test. Give yourself relatively short breaks in between sections. Only eat the kinds of snacks that you are planning to bring to the real GMAT. Note how your sleep the night before affects your work. Note how what you had for dinner the previous night and what you had to eat earlier that day affects your energy level and concentration. Write any observations in your journal.

     
    Go back to the top of Magoosh's GMAT study plan 6 months
     

     

    After Week 24: Prepare for GMAT Test Day

     
    At this point, if you have been following the schedule, you should have done every question in both Magoosh and in the OG at least once. For remaining days until the test, keep up work on GMAT math and verbal. Some suggestions for what to do:

    1. Go back to questions in any of the 3 GMAC books, questions you did a while ago, and do them again. (This is why it was important not to write in the books.)
    2. Through selecting question type & difficulty on the “Dashboard”, do Magoosh problems over again, and see how you do a second or third time.
    3. Keep up the outside reading.
    4. Keep watching for a third time 15 Magoosh lesson videos a week, on whatever topics you feel you need to review.
    5. Keep studying cards that you haven’t mastered from the Magoosh GMAT Math Flashcards and the Magoosh GMAT Idiom Flashcards.
    6. Keep going back to the MGMAT books, to review topics about which you are still not sure.
    7. Go to the online forums, looking for challenging questions that folks are asking.
    8. If you feel you need it, devote one more evening to writing another practice essay, from the topics listed in the OG.
    9. If you have more weekend days before the real GMAT, you could get access to more GMATPrep tests by purchasing Exam Pack 1 and Question Pack 1.

    Day Before the Test

    1. No GMAT preparation all day!
    2. Eat a large, healthy, leisurely dinner – no alcohol!
    3. Go to bed earlier than usual.

    Day of Test

    1. ABSOLUTELY NO LAST-MINUTE GMAT PREPARATION!
    2. Eat a large breakfast, full of protein
    3. Do relaxing, fun activities to pass time until the test

    Bring to the Test

    1. A liter of water
    2. Healthy energy-packed snacks (nuts, protein bar, etc.)
    3. On breaks, make sure to get up, move & stretch – moving & stretching the large muscles of the body (legs & torso) will get oxygen flowing throughout, which will help keep you awake and keep you thinking clearly.

    Author

    • Mike MᶜGarry

      Mike served as a GMAT Expert at Magoosh, helping create hundreds of lesson videos and practice questions to help guide GMAT students to success. He was also featured as “member of the month” for over two years at GMAT Club. Mike holds an A.B. in Physics (graduating magna cum laude) and an M.T.S. in Religions of the World, both from Harvard. Beyond standardized testing, Mike has over 20 years of both private and public high school teaching experience specializing in math and physics. In his free time, Mike likes smashing foosballs into orbit, and despite having no obvious cranial deficiency, he insists on rooting for the NY Mets. Learn more about the GMAT through Mike’s Youtube video explanations and resources like What is a Good GMAT Score? and the GMAT Diagnostic Test.

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