How to Prepare for GMAT at Home

Is it possible to prepare for GMAT at home? It is tough but not impossible. You need to be disciplined and allot proper time to every subject. First, you need to understand what your weak areas are where you need to give more time. 

So you want to prepare for GMAT at home? There are some advantages and disadvantages of preparing for GMAT at home. It is completely depends on your preferences.

Advantages of Preparing for GMAT at Home

• You can study flexibly based on your suitability and schedule
• Another big advantage is the cost-effectiveness of the GMAT preparation.
• You can easily tailor your GMAT study plan to your unique learning style.
• Most of best GMAT prep content, either official or third-party, is readily available online at discounted prices. 

These advantages are essential to understand that GMAT preparation at home is very much possible. Applicants who understand the benefits can now look at how to prepare for GMAT exam at home below.

Understanding the GMAT Focus Edition: What Has Changed?

Check out the changes that are now live for the GMAT Focus Edition. Key features and GMAT exam pattern are as follows:

How to Prepare for GMAT at Home

Once you understand everything about the latest edition of the GMAT exam, it's time to get to the central question of how to prepare for GMAT at home. Let us look at some of the strategies which can be significant in building a foolproof GMAT self study plan. 

1. Take a GMAT Diagnostic Test

A GMAT mock test, commonly referred to as the diagnostic test. It is a roadmap to understand your baseline score. Identify section wise strengths and weaknesses. Use GMAT Official Starter Kit which includes two free practice tests. After the test, thoroughly analyse the results.

2. Set Clear Goals and Build a GMAT Study Plan

To truly ace the GMAT exam preparation, one should be crystal clear about goal setting and planning. To identify a target GMAT score with reference to the chosen B-school abroad, some homework has to be done with respect to the average GMAT scores for your target business schools. Upon this, you set your goal, so it is a realistic benchmark.

Your target GMAT score should be set realistically, never going into the land of arbitrary. Instead, it should be somehow attainable yet with difficulty from your starting point. Base your study plan on this goal regarding giving priority to certain sections.

Create yourself a calendar that shows blocks of time carved out for various sections, and different types of study (concept learning, practice, review, mocks, etc.). Another option is to make it more grimy and detailed in everyday tasks and weekly goals.

3. Choose High-Quality GMAT Prep Materials

Your success in GMAT prep will be closely tied to the quality of GMAT study materials you use. You must begin with the Official GMAC resources, like:

• GMAT Official Guide Focus Edition
• GMAT Focus Practice Exams (paid)
• GMAT Question Bank/Review Tool

4. GMAT Section Wise Preparation Strategy

Each GMAT section tests distinct skills and requires unique preparation techniques. Here is the syllabus section-wise for GMAT preparation:

This is what GMAT syllabus looks like, now let use understand the GMAT preparation tips, section-wise:

Quantitative Reasoning Techniques for GMAT Preparation:

• Focus first on conceptual understanding before drilling problems.
• Practice test questions under timed conditions to develop speed and accuracy.
• Keep a formula and concept sheet to review daily.
• Practice estimating and approximating to save time.

Tips for Verbal Reasoning preparation:

• Read daily from Harvard Business Review, Wall Street Journal, or The Economist.
• Break down passages into structure, tone, and main idea.
• Exercise in recognising conclusions and premises in arguments.

Data Insights Section Preparation Tips:

• Practice with spreadsheet-like data structures.
• Practice scanning tables and charts quickly without reading all the numbers.
• Get used to multi-tabbed interfaces and text-heavy prompts. Use Official IR Sets to build exposure to question types.

5. Establishing an Error Log and Feedback Loop for GMAT Prep

It goes without saying that lasting progress only happens when mistakes are tracked down. Creating an Error Log is necessary, through which the following can be noted: question type, source, mistake type (conceptual, time management, misread, etc.), and correct approach. The Error Log should be reviewed monthly but preferably weekly. During these weekly review sessions:

• Identify patterns in the wrong answers.
• Try solving the same questions again after 3 to 5 days.
• Revisit the theory or watch videos relating to the questions.

6. Final Week GMAT Preparation at Home

Your last 7 days should be focused on polishing and calming nerves. Here is a day-by-day GMAT preparation breakdown:

Prepare your ID, test appointment, and exam-day logistics in advance. If taking the GMAT Online exam (at home), test your internet, update your system, check the setup, have a functional 360-degree working webcam, and a quiet environment.