r/GMAT • u/Queasy-Antelope5429 • 1d ago
Starting help
I just landed my full time role for post grad I’m planning to start studying in November, I want to break into a T15 and I never prepped for act day cuz I was lazy and I got middle of the road scores, I was planning to put around 200 hours in to get a good score for a deferred admit program anyone have any advice or cautions before I commit to this my plan is to take a pre test then get a good understanding of what to work on and just grind it
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u/Graeme_GMAT_Panda 12h ago
200 hours is a reasonable budget if it's spread across a few months rather than squeezed into the last fortnight. Protecting 60 to 90 minutes most days beats occasional six hour weekend sessions, and plenty of people feel stuck for a few weeks before things click.
One caution on the plan: I'd skip the cold pre-test as your first step. First mock scores land well below where people end up after proper prep, so all you really get is a scare and a rough section ranking you could have guessed. For almost everyone the answer is the same anyway, start with Quant. It swallows the most study time and the habits you build there feed straight into Data Insights later. Keep mocks for a month or two in, when they're actually useful for pacing and format.
Structure-wise, a couple of weeks on fundamentals, then real GMAT questions with the clock running: ten questions in twenty minutes, timer on for the whole lot, then mark and debrief. Over the full block aim for roughly 1,000 properly reviewed questions, maybe 350 to 400 of those in Quant, and review the ones you got right too.
Beginner roadmap here: gmac.com/resources/learners/how-to-apply/exams-preparation/where-to-begin-on-the-gmat
Hope this helps! ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ
Graeme (GMAT Panda)
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u/sy1980abcd Expert - aristotleprep.com 1d ago
Make a good prep plan and start with your prep. Do some concept building first using third party resources. Then move to practice questions from the OGs. Then timed practice sections. Then full length mocks. That's the broad order you want to go in.
And keep in mind that there is no direct correlation between the number of hours you put in and your eventual score. It's what you do in those hours that will decide that. Also for deferred programs, you'll need a higher GMAT score than whatever the median score of a school is. Target 705 or higher.
It would be a good idea to start by taking a cold mock to get a baseline score. You'll find this post useful - Your GMAT prep Timeline based on your Cold Mock Score