There are plenty of posts written about how many hours you should devote to GMAT prep. However, if you decide to make up a chart with 100 or 125 hours on it, crossing it off as you go, you may be surprised that at the end you’re not scoring much better. That’s because it isn’t only the quantity of practice that ensures success. If you spend your GMAT prep hours efficiently, you can boost your score and meet your goals. But that efficiency requires a plan. Here are specific ways you can make your study time more effective and worthwhile.

Don’t Rely Solely on Practice

You could blow through thousands of practice questions and still not see an increase in your score. This is because the questions themselves won’t teach you much. It’s important to pause after each practice question you check and figure out why you got it right or wrong. That’s right, you should even check the “why” of your correct answers. Connecting your answers to the appropriate concepts in your head will cement the ones you have mastered and clarify the ones you still find challenging.

Stick to Official Materials

There are so many “GMAT prep questions” on the internet. It’s easy to find all that you can for study purposes. However, these questions could be written by anyone and could easily either be incorrect altogether or be written in a way that doesn’t really prepare you. This is why EMPOWERgmat uses real GMAT resources in our prep course. You need authentic questions and formats to genuinely prepare yourself for the exam.

Carve Out Real Time for GMAT Prep

If you are coming up on your test date, doubtless the GMAT is regularly on your mind. It can be tempting to carry your study materials with you and try to complete a question or two every time you have a free moment. Unfortunately, studying this way is not going to help your brain learn and absorb what you are studying. Additionally, you will be ill-prepared for the full-length exam if you only study in small snippets. Work to find an hour in your day when you can entirely focus. Shut off or put away electronics, sequester yourself away from others, and focus on your studies. You will reap far more benefits this way.

Study by Concept, Not by Question

It’s very tempting to use a practice test as the launching point for your study, taking the questions you miss as prompts for areas to focus on. However, this method can leave you with some big deficits in your knowledge. By studying only the questions you get incorrect, you risk misunderstanding a question that is worded differently or uses the concept a different way. Use practice tests and questions as benchmarks, but spend most of your time digging deeper into the skills the GMAT looks for. That’s the next best strategy to having the real test questions.

Study itself won’t get you the high score you’re looking for. Your GMAT prep needs to be focused, intentional, and tailored to your needs. If you are looking for the best tool to make the most of your study time, check out the EMPOWERgmat prep course. You can try it for an hour free and then pay if you’d like to continue. We believe so strongly in our methods that we offer a 70 point guarantee. Contact us today for more information!