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Last Updated on September 10, 2024
Many test-takers want to know, “How many hours should I study for the GMAT?” This is a challenging question. Students come from different walks of life and educational backgrounds and have different skill levels and GMAT score goals. Furthermore, students have varying levels of work, family, and personal commitments, rates of learning, and access to GMAT prep materials. Thus, the answer to the question of how many hours to study for the GMAT depends on many factors.
No matter what your unique situation is, you need to start with a tentative GMAT study schedule. In this article, I’ll discuss the factors that influence your GMAT timeline. Next, I’ll provide some guidance regarding how many hours you should study for the GMAT. Finally, I’ll offer some tips to help you optimize your GMAT prep time.
Here are the topics we’ll cover:
- Start With Your Goal in Mind
- Determine Your Current GMAT Ability
- Analyze Your Practice Test Results, but Don’t Over-Infer
- GMAT Timeline Example Scenarios
- Determine How Much You Can Study Each Day and Understand Your Learning Habits
- Create a Weekly Study Schedule
- Follow a Linear, Structured Study Plan
- Use Top-Notch Prep Materials
- Memorization Made Easy – Flashcards!
- Summary
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- What’s Next?
To begin, let’s discuss your first step: setting your GMAT score goal.
Start With Your Goal in Mind
Before you craft your GMAT study plan, it’s important to determine your GMAT score goal. After all, preparation duration can depend on your target score. If you’re aiming for 715, you’ll need more time to get there than you would to get to 655.
If you are unsure of your score goal, research GMAT scores at your desired schools. For example, do you plan to apply to a full-time M7 school? You will likely need a higher GMAT score than if you plan to apply to a top 30 part-time program.
TTP PRO TIP:
Start GMAT prep with your score goal in mind.
Once you have your score goal, your next step is to determine your starting point.
Determine Your Current GMAT Ability
Now that you have a GMAT target score, it’s time to determine where you currently stand. To get an accurate assessment of your current GMAT score, take a full-length official practice test. Keep in mind that this practice test will help you determine how long to prepare for the GMAT. Take it seriously and do your best!
Do you plan to take your GMAT at a test center? Take your practice exam in a quiet yet public spot, such as a library. Also, use a dry-erase pad and marker as you will at the test center.
Are you going to take the GMAT online? Use the same computer and whiteboard you plan to use on test day.
Finally, follow all test day rules, such as not pausing your test or taking unauthorized breaks.
TTP PRO TIP:
For an accurate starting point, be sure to take your practice exam seriously.
Next, let’s discuss how to interpret your practice test results.
Analyze Your Practice Test Results, but Don’t Over-Infer
Once your test is completed, conduct a high-level analysis of your results. What was your overall score? What were your Quant, Verbal, and Data Insights scores? Don’t worry too much about the specific questions you answer incorrectly; the sample size of these questions is small. In other words, this test will not provide a full picture of your strengths and weaknesses.
For example, perhaps you were presented with one Venn diagram question and you answered it correctly. That correct answer doesn’t mean you can skimp on your study of overlapping sets. Likewise, getting one Venn diagram question wrong doesn’t necessarily mean you’re terrible at overlapping set questions. The same can be said about Verbal and Data Insights topics. Getting a few Critical Reasoning questions wrong does not mean you are bad at Critical Reasoning.
To make such overarching statements about your weak areas and where to focus your study efforts, you’ll need more data. For now, keep your analysis simple. Just ask, “In general, how did I do?” Are you 100 points from your goal? 200 points?
Once you have that data, you can begin making some estimates of how much time to prepare for the GMAT.
TTP PRO TIP:
Use your practice test results as an indicator of your current capabilities.
Next, let’s discuss some example scenarios of how long to prepare for the GMAT.
GMAT Timeline Example Scenarios
When making our estimates, we are making a couple of assumptions:
- You are putting in 15 study hours per week.
- You are following many of the study suggestions that appear later in the article.
Certainly, with more intensive preparation, it’s possible that you can beat our estimates. In these scenarios, we are providing average GMAT preparation time.
You Need a 50-80 Point Increase for a GMAT score Less Than 615
You currently have a 525, and you’d like to increase your score to somewhere between 575 and 605. Most students would need 180 hours, or 3 months, to achieve a 50-80 point GMAT score increase.
Total GMAT Preparation Time = 180 hours
You Need a 100-150 Point Increase for a GMAT Score Less Than 655
You currently have a 505, and you’d like to increase your score to somewhere between 605 and 655. Most students would need 300 hours, or 5 months, of preparation to achieve a 100-150 point GMAT score increase.
Total GMAT Preparation Time = 300 hours
You Need a 50-80 Point Increase for a GMAT Score Greater than 655
You currently have a 605, and you’d like to increase your score to somewhere between 655 and 685. Most students would need 240 hours, or 4 months, to achieve a 50-80 point GMAT score increase.
Total GMAT Preparation Time = 240 hours
You Need a 100-150 Point Increase for a GMAT Score Greater than 655
You currently have a 605 and you’d like to increase your score to somewhere between 705 and 755. Most students would need 360 hours, or 6 months, to achieve a 50-80 point GMAT score increase.
Total GMAT Preparation Time = 360 hours
Keep in mind that these are average figures regarding how long to study for the GMAT in certain scenarios. Your personal situation affects how long you need to prepare.
For instance, you could be an exceptionally fast learner with a high aptitude for GMAT content and skills. Or perhaps you have time available to fit in more than 15 hours of study per week. In these cases, your study timeline could be significantly shorter than those I’ve described above.
On the other hand, maybe you learn more slowly or have a lower aptitude for GMAT content and skills. Or perhaps you are a busy working professional with limited study time. In these cases, you may require a longer timeline than those I’ve described. However, it does not mean that you can’t achieve your score goal!
TTP PRO TIP:
Use the difference between your practice test score and your score goal to estimate how long your GMAT prep will take.
Do you have your estimate in mind? Let’s discuss some tips to help make your GMAT prep as efficient as possible.
Determine How Much You Can Study Each Day and Understand Your Learning Habits
All students learn differently, so it’s important to know your learning style. For example, many students learn most efficiently when they spread out their studying. A good schedule for them might be an hour in the morning, at lunch, and in the evening. If you could keep such a schedule, you’d be logging about 3 hours per day, or 21 hours per week. At that rate, you could rack up 210 hours of studying in 10 weeks. If you could only average 2 hours each day, you would need 15 weeks to accumulate 210 hours of study.
Of course, it’s important not to cram the material in an attempt to shorten your study duration. Do a little bit each day, but make your studying count. Remember, it doesn’t do you any good to rush through a study session. At the end, you’ll realize that the information washed over you and you wasted your time. Instead, strive to build deep mastery by making the most of each study session.
TTP PRO TIP:
Spreading out your study time can improve learning and retention.
Create a Weekly Study Schedule
If you plan to get through your GMAT prep efficiently, a weekly prep routine is critical. Without a plan, you’ll have no time management for GMAT prep. As a result, you may find that your GMAT studying seems to go on forever, with no end in sight.
By having a weekly study plan in place, you make it easier to hold yourself accountable. On any given day, you’ll know what and when you should be studying, without fail!
When planning your study schedule, consider everything going on in your life, both professionally and personally. Doing so will help you balance work, personal commitments, and your GMAT preparation.
If you are wondering how much time should you spend studying for the GMAT each week, I recommend at least 15 hours. That may seem like a lot, but if you get creative with your study time, you can do it!
Let’s look at two examples of how to get in 15 hours of study time per week. These examples are for GMAT preparation time for working professionals. Of course, if you are not working, then you can likely put in more study time.
TTP PRO TIP:
Shoot for at least 15 hours of weekly GMAT study time.
I’m a Morning Studier
Let’s say you start your workday at 9:30 a.m. and prefer morning studying. In that case, it could be smart to study from 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and then go to work. That means you will be putting in 7.5 hours of GMAT prep from Monday to Friday. If your target is 15 hours of weekly studying, then studying for 8 hours on the weekend meets your goal.
Keep in mind that study hours do not account for breaks. If you take breaks, be sure to add back that time at the end of your study session.
I’m an Evening Studier
Let’s say you start your workday early but finish work around 5:30 p.m. each evening. In that case, you could study right after your workday ends, from 6 to 7:30 pm. Once again, if you put in 8 hours on the weekend, you’ll hit your 15-hour-per-week GMAT study quota.
Remember, these are just two examples, but I think you get the point. Craft a study plan that works with your schedule and allows you to hit your weekly goal.
TTP PRO TIP:
Before you start your GMAT prep, spend some time crafting an efficient study schedule.
Next, let’s discuss how you should study to achieve maximum efficiency.
Follow a Linear, Structured Study Plan
Here’s the thing: to achieve GMAT success, you must learn a TON of material. So, how long to prepare for the GMAT greatly depends on how efficient your study plan is. Unfortunately, many test-takers make the mistake of preparing in a random, haphazard way. Studying in such a way tends to lead to wasted time and insufficient GMAT preparedness. Instead, focus on one topic at a time and practice it until you achieve mastery.
TTP PRO TIP:
To master the volume of required GMAT knowledge, study one topic at a time.
Next, let’s discuss why topical learning and practice is a powerful strategy for GMAT preparation.
Topical Learning Is the Name of the Game
If you have read our other articles or looked at the Target Test Prep GMAT self-study course, you are familiar with our approach to learning GMAT Quant, Verbal, and Data Insights. Topical learning is the foundation of our GMAT prep strategy.
For example, let’s consider a GMAT Quant topic: rates. We have an entire chapter dedicated to just rate questions. Here is a list of the lessons:
- Introduction
- Rate-Time-Distance problems
- Rate-Time-Distance formula
- The matrix approach to solving rate-Time-Distance problems
- The major types of Rate-Time-Distance problems
- Elementary rate questions
- Elementary rate questions with variables
- Average rate questions
- Converging rate questions
- Variations of converging rate questions
- Variation 1: Both objects leave at the same time
- Variation 2: Two objects leave at different times
- Variation 3: One object travels faster than another object
- Variation 4: One object is relatively faster than another object
- Diverging rate questions
- Round-trip rate questions
- Catch-up rate questions
- Catch-up and pass rate questions
- Relative motion rate questions
- If/then rate questions
- Be careful of time-zone changes in Rate-Time-Distance problems
- Rate in miles per gallon
- Important relationships in the rate equation
- Distance is directly proportional to rate and time
- Rate is inversely proportional to time and directly proportional to distance
- Travel time is inversely proportional to rate and directly proportional to distance
As you can see, that’s a lot of lessons just for the rates chapter! However, by tackling concepts individually, you master rate questions before moving on to the next topic in your study plan.
KEY FACT:
Topical learning allows you to master every aspect of one topic before moving to the next.
While topical learning is important, it’s all for naught unless followed up with topical practice. Let’s discuss how topical practice ensures your mastery of a topic.
Topical Practice Brings It All Together
Let’s once again consider the TTP Rates chapter as an example. After completing all TTP Rates lessons, our students take easy, medium, and hard chapter tests containing 80+ rate questions. This practice serves two purposes. First, you ensure that you have mastered what you just learned. Second, you highlight any knowledge gaps you may still have.
Let’s say you get several converging rate questions wrong after finishing the chapter on rates. In that case, it’s clear that converging rates is a weak area for you. So, you would review converging rates before moving on. Once you have completed your topical learning, practice, and review, you move to the next topic in your study plan.
TTP PRO TIP:
Be sure to follow up your topical learning with topical practice and review of weak areas.
Next, let’s discuss the importance of choosing quality GMAT study resources.
Use Top-Notch Prep Materials
You’ve obtained your baseline GMAT score, and you have a solid study schedule in place. At this point, you’re ready to dive into your GMAT preparation, but there’s one more important step. To achieve your score goal, you will require excellent study resources. There’s nothing more costly than investing your time learning subpar content, strategies, skills, and techniques. You must get your GMAT studying off on the right foot in order to end on a successful note.
You might feel the desire to dive right into the Official Guide (OG) and start answering random practice problems. But you should fight that inclination: answering questions haphazardly won’t help you develop the knowledge and skills you need. Instead, research the GMAT study tools available. Then, you can select a comprehensive resource that works with your learning style.
Do your homework. Talk to people you know who have successfully prepared for the GMAT, such as friends or coworkers. Browse course reviews written by former GMAT students. Consider enrolling in a few free or low-cost trials for GMAT prep courses. When you have spent time with each of them, you’ll have a better idea of which one is best for you.
TTP PRO TIP:
Don’t spin your wheels using less-than-stellar study resources!
Next, let’s discuss a study tool that can help you retain what you’ve learned.
Memorization Made Easy – Flashcards!
There’s no way around it: you must absorb a lot of material in order to do well on the GMAT. Especially with GMAT Quant, it’s not enough just to learn the material and acquire the skills to answer a question. There are literally dozens, if not hundreds, of formulas and procedures that you must commit to memory. From the quadratic formula to the percent increase formula to the steps for completing the square, you’ll need them on test day. Using flashcards is an effective method to commit these items to memory.
One great thing about flashcards is that you can make them in many different ways. Do you prefer hand-writing them? Making them digitally, such as with the flashcard maker in the TTP course? Both are great options! Either way, have them available for those times when you might have a spare few minutes. You can squeeze in a lot of study time with your flashcards during these otherwise wasted moments.
TTP PRO TIP:
Use flashcards as a convenient tool to fit in study time when you can.
So, how do you make the best use of your flashcards?
Creating and Using GMAT Flashcards
There is not a one-size-fits-all approach to making a deck of flashcards. However, including important formulas you must recall on test day is a good place to start. For example:
=> The Difference of Squares Formula in Algebra
a^2 – b^2 = (a – b)(a + b)
=> The Addition Formula in Probability
P(A or B) = P(A) + P(B) – P(A and B)
These are just a couple of examples. You can, of course, personalize your flashcards to your unique situation. Keep in mind that you don’t have to limit your flashcards to formulas. For instance, you could create flashcards for facts or stepwise procedures. Also, if you miss a question, create a flashcard that will help you remember the procedure or formula.
For example, let’s say you failed to use the difference of squares formula in the following problem:
(82^2 – 1) / (81) = ?
Perhaps you tried solving by brute force and did not get the correct answer. What you should have done was to re-express (82^2 – 1) as a difference of squares:
((82 + 1)(82 – 1)) / 81
(83)(81) / 81 = 83
Your flashcard could use this example to remind you of the steps needed to complete this problem quickly. Doing so will help you ensure that you correctly solve similar problems in the future. For additional inspiration, check out the flashcard decks in the Target Test Prep GMAT course.
TTP PRO TIP:
Create personalized decks of flashcards to help you memorize key concepts and formulas.
Next, let’s review the main points to consider when determining how long you should study for the GMAT.
Summary
Preparing for the GMAT is a huge undertaking. The question of how much time you must devote to your study is paramount. The answer is unique to you and your particular situation.
First, determine your current GMAT ability. Take a practice test and determine how far you are from your target GMAT score.
Next, estimate your GMAT preparation timeline. Compare your practice test results with your GMAT score goal, and consider how much time you can devote to studying each week.
Finally, plan a weekly study schedule, and make sure to use high-quality GMAT prep materials. The best way to develop a deep understanding of the GMAT material is a topical approach, in which you study and practice one topic at a time. Use flashcards to complement your preparation, and study smart!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How much time is required to prepare for GMAT?
There are many factors that impact the amount of time you’ll need to adequately prepare for the GMAT. Consider your unique situation and ask yourself the following questions:
- What is my educational level?
- What are my GMAT skills?
- What is my current GMAT capability, compared to my score goal?
- What are my work/family commitments?
- How much time can I commit each week to my GMAT preparation?
Your answers will give you a sense of the amount of time you’ll need to prepare to rock the GMAT.
Is 3 months enough for GMAT?
If GMAT prep is your #1 priority and you have no other commitments, then 3 months is generally adequate for GMAT prep. However, most students have work and/or family commitments. As a result, they do not have 6-8 hours per day to commit to their prep. In these cases, 3 months may not be enough to earn a top score.
How long do you need to study for GMAT to score 655?
For many students, scoring 655+ on the GMAT can take 4-6 months of preparation. Keep in mind that this is just an estimate. Your prep time will vary based on your background, skills, baseline score, and available study time.
How Much Time Does a Working Professional Need to Prepare for the GMAT?
Is your baseline score close to your target score? If so, you may need just a month or two to prepare for the GMAT. As a working professional, however, you might have a limited number of hours to commit to your GMAT preparation. So, it could take you in excess of 3 months to adequately prepare for your GMAT.
What’s Next?
Looking for tips to help you study for the sections of the GMAT? Check out helpful insights into Quant, Verbal, and Data Insights preparation.
Need some additional motivation to get started with your GMAT prep? Learn some practical techniques to help you find and maintain the right mindset.
Interested in starting your GMAT prep with expert help? Sign up for a free consultation to learn how working with a TTP tutor can help ensure you get off to a strong start.
