The first and most important, decision to make when preparing for the GMAT is figuring out the right time to begin. Start too early and you may forget what you learned by test day, or draw out the process much longer than it needs to be. Start too late, as many do, and you may not have enough time to habituate new solution paths or understand the material thoroughly.
The best start time should hit the sweet spot right in the middle. While it can depend on factors like your current skill set, target score, and the amount of time you can dedicate each week to prep, it’s important to recognize that you should budget enough time to allow your brain to learn. As the saying goes, a consultant is someone who believes that twelve farmers can grow a year’s crop in a single month. So it also goes with learning. In our experience, a preparation window of 10-13 weeks is optimal for most people, when the prep is done properly.
Generally, a well-structured preparation plan can help you achieve a good score with about 3 months of focused study. It can happen for many people on a tighter timeline, but it can’t be rushed. It’s also crucial to leave yourself a wide berth for changes at work, illness, and unexpected personal obligations.
Apex’s personalized tutoring model is tailored to your unique needs and goals, and we’ve created over 1,000 customized study plans to fit our clients’ busy lives, earning them 700+ scores on a timeline and effort level that doesn’t require them to put their lives on hold. Read on to see the GMAT best practices, delivered to you by our instructors, who have all scored in the top percentile on the exam.
Why GMAT Preparation Is Important
Preparing for the GMAT has several steps. Traditional preparation familiarizes you with the question types and underlying fundamental knowledge that may have grown stale in your years since school. It also sharpens your time management skills, essential for navigating the pressure of the exam and preparing you for future professional challenges. More deeply, preparation with Apex allows you to deepen your creative problem solving and critical thinking skills. More on that below.
As an adaptive exam, the GMAT adjusts to your current skill level so as to challenge your problem-solving skills under a time constraint. By increasing the difficulty of problems, its design iterates to your point of failure. From there, it tests how well you navigate when you’re not entirely sure what to do on problems and where you don’t have a ready solution. This approach differentiates high-achievers by requiring not just knowledge of formulas but a deep understanding of quantitative principles and logical reasoning, as well as the ability to apply them effectively.
It’s clear that the challenges of preparing for the GMAT are myriad, and it’s important to note that the higher level thinking challenges require someone from the “outside” to help you see the things that you’re missing. In our experience, the best GMAT preparation consists of personalized private tutoring sessions supported by well structured at-home self-prep. Our personalized tutoring sessions, led by expert instructors, provide tailored guidance and real-time feedback. Meanwhile, our comprehensive study materials and online platform allow you to practice and review at your own pace. Together, they offer a robust and adaptive learning experience, ensuring you are fully prepared to achieve your best score on the GMAT.
The best part of preparing for the GMAT is that, when done properly, it has carry over effects that will make you a more effective thinker and problem solver during your MBA and in your current and future professional roles.
The reason why so many people struggle with this exam is because their training from school tends to be narrow, incomplete, and domain specific. For instance, we often observe that engineers who are highly trained in quantitative skills find the GMAT challenging because their training is highly prescriptive. This methodical approach is too slow for the exam’s time constraints, but more importantly, emphasizes precision over understanding. Effective GMAT prep helps you develop the ability to recognize structural cues in questions and determine the quickest solution paths, making preparation with the proper focus essential for success.
Well structured preparation is also key to unlocking the doors to leading business schools and setting the foundation for a successful career in business.
Before you begin your GMAT preparation, we first recommend that you research MBA programs you want to apply to and check their average GMAT score for recently admitted candidates. From there, you can start to gather information regarding their application deadlines. This will give you a better idea of when to schedule your exam and how to adjust your study plan accordingly.
The most important piece of advice that we have is to not try to rush the process. Every year we speak with candidates deciding to apply to business school one to two months before the application deadlines, and hoping to both prepare for the GMAT and compile a strong application. This is often an unrealistic goal, and those who succeed in obtaining admission to top schools either plan ahead, or put off their application to the next round in order to give themselves enough time to succeed.
How to Choose the Right GMAT Prep
A good first step is understanding what you know and don’t know and ascertaining how far you are from your goal. Review the types of GMAT problems, their rules, and try out a few on mba.com. You’ll almost certainly need brushing up, but if the problems leave you unclear on even how to begin, that’s a signal that greater help and a longer timeline are required. From there, doing a bit of a refresh on stale concepts is a good way to then get a realistic sense of where your skill ends and learning must begin. Take a look at our guides on specific GMAT problem types:
- GMAT Prime Factorization
- GMAT Prime Number Rules
- Prime Factors of Perfect Squares
- GMAT Probability Problems and Questions
- GMAT Rate Problems
- GMAT Combinatorics
At Apex, we don’t suggest you take a practice exam right away. It will certainly provide an unreliable score that doesn’t reflect your current potential. Further, if you’re unfamiliar with the content, it won’t be very helpful. If you’re totally lost, a practice exam is a harrowing experience that won’t tell you much. Practice exams are best used later on to track progress and calibrate timing decisions.
When determining the preparation plan that’s right for you, consider the following factors:
Study Plan Customization: Prep materials should align with your time management needs, learning style, weaknesses, and strengths. Whether you’re opting for a self-paced course or private tutor guidance, check for the flexibility that matches your schedule and learning needs. Especially, realize that anything that’s “one size fits all” will almost certainly require supplementary guidance or materials.
Content Coverage: Ensure the materials cover all question types from all the 3 sections of the GMAT (Verbal, Quant, and Data Insights), with thorough explanations.
Additional Resources: Check if the prep companies offer extra services like a school search service or consultations with an admissions team. For example, here at Apex, we have admissions consulting to help you align your GMAT prep, school selection, application and more. Every enrollment with us also includes access to our proprietary GMAT Platform.
Reputation and Reviews: Research and read reviews for the best prep materials.
At Apex, we offer top-tier study materials and unparalleled learning support. Our countless testimonials from successful clients highlight our proven track record. With larger firms reviews are important, but whether you’ll get their top instructors should always be a big question. Similarly, beware of tutor matching services that are marketed as tutoring firms, but don’t have any materials of their own and don’t specialize in a particular exam.
Finally, seek GMAT prep that promises real education outcomes, bolstered by robust prep resources such as continuity with a single instructor, educational expertise, preparation materials that are well developed and align with your study plan, multiple practice tests, and that emphasize higher-level thinking strategies, not just content review.
Create a Study Plan for GMAT Preparation
Creating an effective plan for GMAT preparation is essential to achieving your target score. As you can probably tell by now, we are great believers in the one-size-doesn’t-fit-all approach to prep. The right study plan should be realistic in terms of the demands on your time without taking over your life. It should also emphasize the right skills, which should be at the approach level, not the content level. One of the surest ways to be unsuccessful in GMAT preparation is to build out a study plan around content. Focusing just on percentages or only on strengthening Critical Reasoning problems doesn’t prepare you for the random nature of the GMAT, and a key skill is recognizing what solution and content a problem calls for, not just knowing that content in a vaccuum.
At Apex, we offer a personalized, comprehensive assessment process to help you identify your strengths and weaknesses, ensuring your study plan is tailored to maximize your potential. Our expert instructors, who have all scored higher than 99th percentile, use this assessment to understand your learning style and cognitive abilities, allowing us to craft a personalized plan that addresses your specific needs.
Allocate sufficient prep time in your schedule, ideally 3-6 months prior to your test date, ensuring a balance between study and rest periods to optimize retention and avoid burnout. Check out our 3-month GMAT study plan and adapt it to your pace.
TIP: Remember, real education requires understanding concepts in depth. As part of your study strategy, make it a habit to thoroughly review every practice question you complete:
those you get wrong—to deeply grasp the underlying principles.
Those you get right – to understand the skills that you have at your disposal and how to transpose them to problems that are more challenging.
Adjust your plan periodically based on your progress, and maintain consistentcy in your practice and focus to ensure lasting retention and improvement.
Strategies and Techniques for Effective GMAT Preparation
Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning Strategies
To conquer the Verbal and Quantitative sections, a balance of content mastery and strategic approach is what’s called for. In both sections, focus first on getting problems right, in the right way. Then, and only then, practice under timed conditions to improve speed and accuracy in tandem (rectify the mistakes and iterate the effort until proficiency is achieved.)
We give our clients exclusive access to our comprehensive GMAT platform that allows them to develop their skills using strategies unique to Apex. Our clients tackle practice questions, track their progress, and fine-tune their skills with detailed performance evaluations conducted by their 770+ scoring tutor. Start practicing smarter and achieve your best score with our state-of-the-art resources, starting with the best instructors in the GMAT space.
Strategies for the Verbal section:
- Improve your Reading Comprehension by practicing with a range of GMAT-like passages, and make it a habit to summarize each block of text (sentence, idea, paragraph). Supplemental to GMAT materials, more sophisticated periodicals like the Economist often have articles of similar boredom inducing density to the GMAT.
- Develop a process for answering Reading Comprehension questions before their asked. Note in real time higher order characteristics such as the author’s tone, purpose of the passage, and scope.
- Mastering critical reasoning involves identifying assumptions, conclusions, and evidence. Practice breaking down each argument into premises and conclusions. Focus on each component’s role and on recognizing logical fallacies and common biases.
TIPS from Mike Diamond:
- Apply Deeper Logical Reasoning: The Verbal section tests deeper logical reasoning and comprehension skills, not just English proficiency and simple questions like “main idea”. Focus on understanding the logic and structure of arguments and passages. The “why” and “how” is almost always more important than the “what” that we’re trained to focus on in school.
- Non-Native English Speakers: Non-native English speakers should focus on the logical and comprehension aspects rather than worrying about language skills. Your performance in understanding logic and structure will be similar to that in your native language if you’re fluent in English, because the GMAT isn’t testing English specific skills.
Strategies for the Quantitative section:
- Solidify your grasp of fundamental math concepts before exploring more complex problems. Almost universally, we tend to think we understand more than we do. This is especially true because getting an A in math class only indicates that you’ve mastered everything introduced in that math class. We’re often unaware of all the subtleties that were not introduced and tested as we grew up.
- Exercise your judgement to find the quickest methods to solve common question types. It’s almost never the plodding, mathematical way.
- Practice mental math to improve speed. Online tools and apps can make this more engaging. This will help you differentiate math you must do (easy if mental math is well practiced) and math you can actively avoid (still cumbersome once mental math is fluent).
TIP from Mike Diamond:
Think of Problems as Riddles: Approach GMAT Quantitative problems as riddles that happen to involve math. This mindset shift helps in creative problem-solving and avoids getting bogged down by complex calculations.
Data Insights Tips and Tricks
Data Sufficiency Questions Tips
- Determine What’s Actually Needed: Decide which types of information you’re seeking first and place yourself in a position to evaluate the facts, rather than analyzing them.. Remember, you are only assessing if you have enough data to solve the problem, not actually solving it.
- Avoid Assumptions: Be careful not to make unwarranted assumptions based on hidden subtleties in mathematical properties and logic. For example, always consider if the value of a variable can be zero, negative, fractional, etc.
Multi-Source Reasoning Questions
- Learn the Material: Understand that you won’t be familiar with all the material presented. All the necessary data to answer the questions is provided within the question. Your job is to rapidly assess what’s need it, and quickly find that needle in the haystack.
- Analyze Each Source Carefully: Carefully analyze each source of data. Understand the sequence in which ideas are presented in text passages and note how each statement adds to the main idea. Graphic elements (tables, graphs, diagrams, charts) require detailed scrutiny.
- Read Questions for Detail: Understand what the question is asking. Some questions require identifying discrepancies among data sources, drawing inferences, or determining which data source is relevant. If you;re not certain what you’re seeking, go back to understand that before you begin your search.
- Support-Based Selection: Select answers that are most supported by the data provided. Avoid letting your prior knowledge of the subject matter influence your answers. This goes doubly for Critical Reasoning in the Verbal section.
Graphics Interpretation Questions
- Get to Know Data Better: Understand the data presented in the graphic. Note the scales, marked values, and labels on the axes. Pay attention to any unit discrepancies between the graphic and the text. There’s always clarity in the graphics, but it almost always requires exercising sound judgment to determine what’s “going on” in the graphical representations of data. For a fun additional resource, check out the The Visual Display of Quantitative Information book.
- Read Accompanying Text: The text may present additional data not contained in the graphic, which is necessary to answer the questions as they’re asked.
- Understand the Problem: Ensure you understand what the problem is asking. You will need to interpret and integrate data, discern relationships, and make inferences. Once again, taking a little time upfront to “get” the problem saves a lot of time in the processing department.
Two-Part Analysis Questions
- Understand the Relationship: Two part problems seem to require two separate answers. Realizing that these answers are always related
For example, in Data Insights, you might be presented with a data sufficiency question asking whether two given statements are enough to determine the value of a variable. Rather than bringing in outside knowledge or assumptions, rely strictly on the data given in the question and the statements provided.
- Determine Task Requirements: Pay close attention to the description of tasks in the question. Note that sometimes response column headings may lack detail.
- Review All Answers: Before making a final choice, review all available answers. Determine if the tasks are dependent or independent. Some questions may have two independent tasks, while others may have dependent parts.
- Consider Answer Overlap: The same answer choice might be correct for both columns. It is possible that one answer option satisfies the conditions for both response columns.
These strategies should help you navigate the Data Insights section effectively, ensuring you utilize the data provided and avoid common pitfalls.
Time Management Strategies for Test Day
When GMAT test day arrives, managing your time efficiently can be the difference between a rushed, stressful experience and a calm, confident performance. Familiarize yourself with the GMAT’s structure, knowing the time allotted for each section—this is essential for pacing yourself appropriately. Practice with timed sections during your preparation to build a strong sense of how long to spend on each question.
Here’s a strategic approach for effective test-taking:
- Start with a short, calm routine before the clock starts. Deep breathing can settle nerves and sharpen focus.
- Plan to spend a consistent amount of time on each question and be wary of spending too long on any single question. Based on the section’s total time and number of questions, approximate a time cap per question. If a question exceeds this cap, it might be wise to make an educated guess and move on.
We recommend taking your optional 10-minute break during the exam to maintain stamina.
Understand the GMAT Scoring System and Reporting
The Total GMAT Score scale for the GMAT has been updated. The GMAT Focus Edition now has a scale of 205–805, compared to the previous edition’s 200–800. This change helps distinguish between scores from the two versions of the exam.
Common Challenges in GMAT Preparation
Embarking on the path to a stellar GMAT score is not without its hurdles. A primary challenge many face is time management; balancing a study plan with personal and professional responsibilities can be daunting.
Understanding the array of question types—from Critical Reasoning to Data Sufficiency—requires dedicated focus and a strategic approach to learning.
Another major obstacle is test anxiety. While reaching for that 700+ score is admirable, maintaining your well-being is vital for peak performance.
Our licensed Performance & Test Anxiety Coach is an integral part of our tutoring program. She assists candidates in recognizing their anxiety triggers and creating strategies to improve their exam performance.
Retake the Test to Improve Your GMAT Score
If you receive a lower score than expected, don’t be discouraged—it’s a common experience for many test-takers. Many people take the GMAT multiple times to improve their scores. Retaking the exam is a normal part of the process and allows you to better understand the test format, refine your study strategies, and ultimately achieve a score that reflects your true abilities.
Remember, business schools often consider your highest score, so retaking the GMAT can be a strategic move to enhance your application.
Prepare for GMAT with a Professional Tutor
Get started by scheduling a free consultation with one of our senior instructors. These consultations are all about you and your goals. You’re likely only going to prepare for the GMAT once, and we do it hundreds of times a year.
The sooner you start preparing for the GMAT, the better. GMAT scores are valid for five years, so getting a head start is beneficial. Let’s discuss your GMAT prep!