I will appreciate very much any advice on how I can structure a realistic, but intensive study schedule which will enable me to take the GMAT by the end of October, or not later than November 5, 2010. I would like to get through all the lessons, workbooks and practice tests before the actual GMAT test (and of course, get a score over 700). My current plan is to cover all the lessons and practice questions in September and then all the practice tests in October. In October, I would also review the lessons and practice question which were the most difficult or incorrect in the previous month. Is that doable? What would be the approximate time per week required? Also, what will be the best way to structure the lessons in Sept and the practice tests in Oct?

Many thanks,
Violeta

I would definitely not do the books first and the exams second. These will both work better if staggered.
The amount of time per week will vary widely from student to student, and will depend on a number of factors including where you're starting, what kinds of issues you're having, and where your strengths and weaknesses are.
If I were you, and I had 2 months to cover it all, I would cover 1 math lecture, 1 verbal lecture, and 1 practice exam per week. Be sure you spend ample time reviewing all mistakes in both homework and practice exams and understanding not only why you got questions wrong, but also why you got questions right. A lucky guess won't help you prepare for the test, so be honest with yourself and be sure you understand how you got to the right answer.
You will then have a couple of weeks after this period to do more practice tests, more homework problems if necessary (I'd try Official Guide for these, but only if necessary...), and review any issues that are still giving you trouble.

Does that answer your question?

Veritas Help

Thanks for the quick reply. Yes, your answer helps and it makes sense. Though I am concerned I won't have enough weeks. But without at least reviewing all the lessons (even in a cursory fashion), I am concerned I will be getting the questions wrong on the practice exams and the explanations won't be enough and it may be frustrating. Perhaps it will help to just listen to the lessons online at first, they don't seem too long (30-80 mins) and then delve into a more detailed review as outlined by you and including practice questions, staggered with practice exams, etc. What do you think of that? I intend to use the answer sample in the intro lessons, which records how sure I was of the answer and why was I wrong. I hope this way, I can determine patterns and identify the weakest areas - which I want to review again in the last 2-3 weeks prior to taking the exam. Will the practice tests give me an analysis of the strongest and weakest areas at the end of the test? That could save me a ton of time.

As background, I did not take a practice test yet (I will soon), but I suspect I will start in the upper middle range. I have a strong math background (in high school though) and I should do decent on the verbal and analytical parts because of a BA in International Relations and a JD (Law). I did pretty good on the LSAT (can't remember the exact score, but probably in the 650 range), but I am not the greatest test taker as I can totally trick myself by over-thinking. Also, pacing will be an issue for me as my mind reasons too much and looks for perfection and certainty. I can invest as much time as necessary for the next 2 months.

So, knowing the above, do you still think I should stagger the lessons with the practice exams? If yes, where do practice questions fit in your scenario? I did not get the workbooks yet, but I am assuming they have practice questions in them. And when you say "1 math lecture, 1 verbal lecture" does that mean only listening to the lecture online or more?

Thanks,
Violeta

I still stand by my earlier recommendation. The course has been designed to be approached in this way -- yes, you'll miss some questions, but the pacing, structure, and variability of the exam is something you want to learn along the way -- ESPECIALLY if you're starting in the upper-middle range. We've been successful with many many many students following this path, a huge number of whom have scored in the 700+ range.
The tests will reinforce what you're learning in the lectures, and you'll get better at these over time. You won't build long term bad habits, but practicing questions within a test-like structure will help you hone the skills you're learning and enable you to see where you'd apply the techniques you're learning. It will also help you learn to look for shortcuts and faster approaches. (There's no rocket science on the test, and many students would do much better, given an unlimited amount of time, so the timing is really important to practice along the way - )

Your LSAT experience will help with the verbal section. You'll find that it's similar in many ways.

If you want to augment slightly at the front end, then do the Math Essentials Lecture and homework before your first practice exam to shake the dust off of your test-taking skills and math skills. Definitely take a practice test before you begin, so you know where you really need to focus. The sooner the better on that. If you want to weight the front toward lectures and the back toward tests, then do 1 test every 10 days (ish) for the first half of the course, and then ramp up to 1 per week.

Hope this helps!

If you have more specifics on where you are and what you need to do after you've taken your practice test, feel free to email us at help@veritasprep.com.

Veritas Help

Many thanks for your advice.

One more question: Do you think taking the Full Prep Course Online is a better way for me to prepare than the On Demand course? I thought that the On Demand Course has the live lectures recorded, but only now I realized that it only has an audio and a slide presentation component - which seems a little more difficult to follow than the interactive lectures. There is a Full Online course which ends right before the date when I would like to take the exam, so I am now thinking I may benefit more from the pacing set by the class syllabus. Will one week after the class ends of intensive practice exams and review be sufficient for me to take the test?

Violeta