How to Self-Study for the GMAT

Identify the official GMAT guide (2016/2017) as your primary material, supplement with free practice tests from mba.com, and search question texts online to study explanations and diagnose strengths and weaknesses.

Evaluate free online communities and select books, video courses, study plans, and tutors as helpful but not necessary resources for GMAT self-study.

Avoid in-person courses and non-GMO questions or practice tests by focusing on official GMAT materials and committing sufficient study time. Invest time over money to achieve meaningful score gains.

Keep an error log of GMAT questions, then apply a four-step process: learn the correct method, analyze mistakes, grasp deeper concepts, and repeat problems to strengthen strengths and fix weaknesses.

Discover key tips for the analytical writing assessment in GMAT prep, including using a proven template, memorizing it, and focusing on writing quality over worries about AWA scores.

Learn key integrated reasoning tips by interpreting repeated table data and multi-tab emails, and build reading comprehension skills, since IR questions are straightforward and don't require deeper connections.

Master basic grammar rules and quick error checking to improve GMAT sentence correction. Focus on correct subject-verb agreement, pronouns, verbs, and modifying phrases to convey meaning clearly and accurately.

Learn to break down arguments into facts and conclusions, identify the target part of the argument, and answer questions using scope and logic to sharpen GMAT critical reasoning.

Learn practical GMAT reading comprehension strategies, including reading the first and last sentences of each paragraph, using word search, and analyzing how source credibility and price affect perceived performance risk.

Learn when to plug in numbers versus use variables to solve gmat problems, with quick elimination tactics and probability and equations strategies from the clear simple guides.

Discover key data sufficiency tips for the GMAT by prioritizing solvability over solving, speeding up by doing only what’s necessary, and using the rule that equations equal variables.