Study Guide

Important

Starting in "early" 2024 (the GMAT test-makers still aren't sure when exactly) the current version of the GMAT will be replaced by a very similar test called GMAT Focus. The GMAT Focus edition tests the same content the current edition tests, EXCEPT for Sentence Correction, Geometry and Analytical Writing. The format of the GMAT Focus is also a little different, the details of which can be found here

The layout of the course, including this Study Guide, will not be updated to reflect the upcoming changes to the test as Brent, the founder of GMAT Prep Now, has recently joined the team at Target Test Prep.  

That said, since our video course covers all of the content that will be tested on the Focus edition, it can still be used to prepare. The onus, however, will be on you to to familiarize yourself with the changes to the test which can be found here.   

Required resource

  • You can begin preparing as soon as you have an account, which will give you access to all videos in the course.

Course structure and methodology

  • The course consists of 500+ videos and 4,000+ practice questions.
  • Each video lesson (e.g., Right Triangles) covers a handful of concepts.
  • Beneath each lesson, you’ll find a Reinforcement Activities box with linked practiced questions, which are a mix of official and unofficial questions (here’s why both question types are important . . . for Quant that is, not for Verbal)    
  • Each link takes you to a practice question on GMAT Club, a free GMAT prep forum that contains practically every official and unofficial GMAT question ever asked. 
  • Brent, the creator of GMATPrepNow.com, has personally answered most of those linked questions, which means you can see his strategies in action. Here’s an example of one such question, with Brent’s response directly beneath. 
  • By creating a free account on GMAT Club, you’ll have your own personal dashboard that allows you to review various statistics related to your prep (time per question, success rate, areas of weakness, etc.).
  • In addition to the targeted practice questions beneath each video lesson in our course, you’ll find a comment board where you can ask questions related to that particular topic. This approach helps you master each concept, and it helps you see the many different ways the test-makers can test each concept. For more on the importance of a focused approach, read this article

Ready to begin? 

Step 1 (of 25 steps). Get to know the GMAT

  • Visit our About the GMAT page to learn all about the GMAT
  • Register an account on the MBA.com, the official GMAT website. You’ll need an account later to take official practice tests, as well as receive information regarding financial aid, recruiting events, and schedule your exam. 

Step 2. Establish your baseline score

  • Determining a baseline score early in your prep will help direct your studies in a variety of ways, including: 
    • How many practice questions you’ll need to answer to reach your target score
    • Which practice questions to answer
    • The rate at which your score is improving 
    • If you’re reluctant to take a practice test so early in the game, read Take a Practice Test Already! 
  • Before establishing your baseline score, you should first familiarize yourself with Data Sufficiency questions. Since this question type is unique to the GMAT, you’ll have not seen this question type anywhere else.  
  • Go to the Data Sufficiency module and watch video #1, Introduction to Data Sufficiency
  • Take practice test #1 
  • Feel free to skip the Analytical Writing section and the Integrated Reasoning section. For this activity, what matters most are your baseline scores for the Verbal and Quantitative sections.  
  • Note: you can take each official practice test more than once. Just know that, if you take a test a second time, you’ll see 4 to 6 repeated questions from the first time. 

Step 3. Learn how to maximize your study sessions

Step 4. Review some general GMAT strategies 

Step 5. Complete the Data Sufficiency module

  • Create a free account at GMAT Club so you can track your progress via your personal dashboard.
  • Watch all video lessons in the Data Sufficiency module
  • Take notes
  • Answer all practice questions in the Reinforcement Activities boxes beneath most lessons 
  • Read this article about when to test numbers

 Important: For the remainder of the study guide, feel free to alternate between quantitative and verbal modules. Just be sure to complete the quantitative modules in the order in which they appear, since many topics build on previous topics.

Step 6. Complete the Arithmetic module

Step 7. Complete the Powers & Roots module

Step 8. Complete the Algebra & Equation-Solving module

Step 9. Complete the Word Problems module

Step 10. Complete the Geometry module

Step 11. Complete the Integer Properties module

Step 12. Complete the Statistic module

  • Watch all video lessons in the Statistics module, and answer as many reinforcement questions as possible (more here)

Step 13. Complete the Counting module

Step 14. Complete the Probability module

  • Watch all video lessons in the Probability module, and answer as many reinforcement questions as possible (more here)

Step 15. Complete the Critical Reasoning module

Step 16. Complete the Reading Comprehension module

  • Watch all video lessons in the Reading Comprehension module.
  • Once you’ve watched all of the video lessons, answer the linked official practice questions at the bottom of the Reading Comprehension page.
  • If you require additional (official) practice questions, start here

Step 17. Complete the Sentence Correction module

Step 18. Complete the Integrated Reasoning (IR) module

Step 19. Complete the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) module

  • Watch all video lessons in the AWA module
  • Create your own essay template
  • Download the AWA essay prompts (pdf)
  • Practice for the AWA section by identifying 3 to 5 issues for each essay prompt
  • Try writing 2 or 3 essays (using official essay prompts)

Step 20. Complete the following activities before your next practice test

Step 21. Take a practice test 

It’s time to check your progress since taking a baseline test. 

  • First review all of your notes
  • Retake official practice test #1 (you’ll want to save the other tests for later, if necessary)
  • Note: When you retake practice test #1, you’ll see 4 to 6 repeated questions per section. Just remember that, if you see a repeated question (that you remember the answer to), wait 1.5 to 2 minutes before entering your response. Otherwise, the extra time will inflate your score.

Did you reach or exceed your target score?

If your answer is yes, then you’re almost ready to take the real deal GMAT. Before scheduling your test, however, it’s best to take another official practice test (or two) to make sure the latest test wasn’t a fluke. Your goal should be to exceed your target score on at least 2 of the remaining practice tests to be certain you’ll reach your target score on test day.

If you haven’t yet reached your target score, proceed to step 22

Step 22. Identify and strengthen remaining areas of weakness

From this point on, your prep will be guided by your areas of weakness. Below, you’ll find a variety of suggested activities to strengthen any remaining areas of weaknesses.

  • Review the questions you got wrong on your latest practice test and identify the topic(s) tested (e.g., inequalities, right triangles, etc.)
  • Review your personal dashboard on GMAT Club to identify problematic topics 

For each area of weakness you identify: 

  • Review your notes for that topic
  • Review the video lesson for that topic
  • Answer linked practice questions in the Reinforcement Activities beneath the related video lesson
  • Note: If you’ve already answered all of the linked questions, use GMAT Club’s question filter to isolate questions related to each area of weakness.    
  • If your time management skills are hurting your score, review the timing video 
  • If silly mistakes are hurting your score, reread this article about avoiding silly mistakes

Once you’ve spent at least 20 hours strengthening your remaining areas of weakness, it’s time to take another practice test. 

  • Repeat this process until you’ve reached your target score on at least two official practice tests, and then schedule your exam

Step 23. Avoid surprises on test day

Step 24. Test day!

  • Do your best!

Step 25. Tell us how you did

  • Send us an email. We’d love to hear from you! Even better, how about a video review?

Office Hours

On December 20, 2023, Brent will stop offering office hours. 

Official vs Unofficial

While practicing Quantitative topics, be sure to practice with both official and unofficial questions.

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