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Last Updated on September 26, 2024
So you’re preparing for the GMAT — no easy task by itself — and also working a demanding job? Does your job have the uncanny ability to usurp your every waking moment? Do you worry about how to prepare for the GMAT efficiently without going bonkers? We’ve got you covered! With a few time-tested strategies, you can achieve a top GMAT Focus Edition score while balancing work demands.
In this article, I’ll give you 15 practical and highly effective strategies for preparing for the GMAT while working. From fitting in study time to managing stress, I’ll cover all the bases. At the end, you’ll have a great idea of how to prepare for the GMAT Focus while working full-time.
Here are the topics we’ll cover:
- Getting the Most Out of Your GMAT Focus Prep
- Creating a Weekly GMAT Study Schedule
- Balancing Work With Your GMAT Focus Prep
- Managing Your Stress
- Key Takeaways
- What’s Next?
Let’s begin with a discussion on the keys to maximizing your GMAT Focus prep.
Getting the Most Out of Your GMAT Focus Prep
Strategy 1: Commit to Your Prep and Be Proactive
Too many people get up each day, go to work, and come home, all without ever investing in themselves. Preparing for the GMAT is one of the most significant professional investments you’ll make in yourself. The knowledge and skills you develop via GMAT Focus prep will serve you for years to come, and earning an MBA from a top school will advance your life personally and professionally (and monetarily).
However, earning a competitive GMAT score requires time and effort. It’s all too easy to procrastinate, rationalizing that you’re “just too busy to study.” How often have you heard someone say, “I don’t have time for X” or “I’m too busy for Y”? Here’s the reality: we only have time for the things we make time for, GMAT Focus prep included. With a demanding job, it’s important to make time for your personal growth. Otherwise, you may find that your days become occupied with the demands of your job, and stagnation results.
We only have time for the things we make time for, GMAT Focus prep included.
Don’t let this stagnation happen! Your first step on the path to business school is to prioritize preparing for the GMAT. Often, the most difficult part of any process is getting started. Once you’re “in it to win it,” you’re already ahead of the competition.
TTP PRO TIP:
Your first step on the path to business school is to prioritize preparing for the GMAT Focus.
Once you’ve committed to prioritizing GMAT Focus prep, your next step is charting a realistic course of GMAT study. If you don’t, you risk burning out.
Strategy 2: Chart a Realistic Course of Study
So you’ve committed to making GMAT Focus prep a top priority. Now it’s time to be realistic about how long preparing for the GMAT will take.
If you’re unrealistic, you’ll commit yourself to an impractical GMAT study schedule. Most people preparing for the GMAT work long hours at demanding jobs. Once you’ve factored in the necessities — eating, sleeping, etc. — you don’t have much time left. Therefore, it’s important to be realistic about how long you’ll need to prepare for the GMAT. Otherwise, you’ll try to cram your study into too short a timeline, leading to stress, burnout, and test-day underperformance.
With a demanding job, studying for 5-6 hours a day on weekdays is probably unrealistic. To do so, you’ll invariably skip things that help you stay physically and mentally healthy. For example, people often decide to skip exercise to study. This is a bad idea! Exercise helps keep your mind and body fit, and mental and physical fitness can make your GMAT prep more productive. Other people skip cooking healthy food and instead eat unhealthy takeout. Others cut out all time with friends or family. Bad idea: your social support structure is an asset in your GMAT prep.
Additionally, diminishing returns set in when you study too long each day. Even under optimal conditions, It’s hard to maintain productivity for 5-6 hours each weekday and 7-8 hours on weekend days. When you attempt to increase your score from, say, 535 to 675 in 2 months, you force yourself to study long hours. Who wants to spend 40 hours a week preparing for the GMAT, anyway? A GMAT study plan for professionals that demands that many weekly hours isn’t realistic.
TTP PRO TIP:
Don’t make your GMAT Focus prep a full-time job on top of your full-time job.
What Is a Realistic Number of Hours Per Week?
Instead, start studying for the GMAT well in advance of when you need to take the test. Plan a course of study that allows you to reach your GMAT score goal by studying for 10 hours during the week and at least 5 hours on the weekend. If you can manage only 8 or 9 hours during the week, that’s okay. You can study a bit more on the weekend. Shoot for a total weekly study time of 15 hours or more.
By studying a little each day, you’ll avoid burnout, learn more, learn faster, and ultimately perform better. How do you fit in productive time each day? We all have our own schedules and commitments. The key? Find a schedule that works and stick with it. A routine makes studying for the GMAT while working easier and more effective.
TTP PRO TIP:
Plan to study for 10 hours during the week and 5 hours or more on the weekend, for at least 15 study hours per week.
Next, let’s explore how to make time to meet your weekly study time goal.
Strategy 3: Re-Prioritize Non-GMAT Activities
We all have different priorities in our lives. What is necessary for you may be unnecessary for me, and vice versa. However, we can’t change the fact that there are only 24 hours in a day. We also can’t ignore that proper sleep is critical to health and well-being. If we assume 8 hours of sleep a night, that leaves us 16 hours of awake time. That probably isn’t enough to do everything you’d like to.
So, before beginning your GMAT Focus prep, decide what activities are essential and what you can put on hold. For example, dinners with friends, happy hours, ski trips, and movie nights are all enjoyable activities, but they’re time-consuming. Only you can decide, but perhaps spending 2 hours in a dark theater is not the ideal way to spend your limited free time with your best friend. In that case, decide in advance to avoid the movies until you’re done with the GMAT. On the other hand, perhaps you value having coffee with friends, so you meet regularly at your local cafe instead. The beauty is that you get to decide what is and is not worthy of your free time.
Once you decide what to keep in your schedule and what to pause temporarily, stick to it. If your spouse invites you to Paris for the week, saying no will be hard, but it might be the best move for your GMAT prep. After all, a week in Paris here, a weekend in Cape Cod there, a dozen nights out…it adds up. By the time you know it, you’re way behind in your GMAT Focus prep.
TTP PRO TIP:
Before beginning your GMAT Focus prep, decide what activities are essential and what you can put on hold.
You Don’t Have to Cut Out Everything
Before you run off to a monastery for the ideal study environment, you don’t have to cut yourself off from the world. Here’s the point: adding GMAT study on top of your career means that your time is at a premium. To balance everything, you may have to make sacrifices. This does not mean that you must only work and study.
If a weekly brunch with your family is important to you, get up early and study beforehand. Want to schedule a weekly date night with your significant other? Get some studying done on your lunch break. While you won’t be able to do everything, you’ll still have room for important activities with some proactive planning.
Let your friends and family know that you’re preparing for the GMAT and you’ll be limiting your engagements with them to those that are most meaningful. Let your spouse know that a Paris trip will be a wonderful celebration once you earn a top GMAT score.
Keep in mind that the sacrifices you’re making are temporary. A top GMAT Focus score and a degree from a top-tier business school are assets that pay dividends for a lifetime. A little sacrifice now will go a long way in the future.
TTP PRO TIP:
With some proactive planning, you can make room for those activities most important to you.
Next, let’s talk about the importance of adaptability.
Strategy 4: Be Adaptable When Things Come Up
During the GMAT Focus prep process, it’s important to be adaptable. Things are going to come up, and some weeks will be busier than others. For example, maybe you need to stay late at the office each night during a particular week. Perhaps your boss tasks you with a time-consuming project that has you working on Saturday and Sunday. The key is to expect to have occasional lower-productivity GMAT prep weeks and not let them derail your plan.
Remember, your success on the GMAT will be determined by what you do often, not what you do occasionally. As long as you’re adhering to your GMAT prep schedule most of the time, don’t worry about what happens from time to time.
Don’t get locked into an “all or nothing” mindset. The last thing you want is to become anxious that you’re not getting in enough GMAT Focus prep during a given week. That anxiety will make the time you do spend studying less effective.
Keep yourself on track and stay accountable to yourself and your goals, but be realistic and flexible, too.
TTP PRO TIP:
Don’t get locked into an “all or nothing” mindset when it comes to your GMAT study schedule.
Next, let’s talk about the importance of using high-quality GMAT Focus study materials.
Strategy 5: Prepare with Accurate, Efficient Material
Nowadays, test-takers preparing for the GMAT have a number of test prep resources and study guides available to them. However, not all GMAT Focus resources are created equal.
The quality of your GMAT prep material matters! The materials you use while you study can be either assets or liabilities. So, do your due diligence on the courses and prep material you’re considering. See what other test-takers have said. Look at course reviews on sites such as Beat the GMAT and GMAT Club. Read what people say on MBA Insights. Or, see what Redditors are saying about GMAT Quant prep courses, GMAT Verbal prep courses, and GMAT prep courses in general.
Your goal is to find a course that presents clear, practical, and actionable content in a way that makes sense to you. Make sure it provides the necessary skills, strategies, and techniques for acing the exam.
If you’re looking for a top-rated GMAT prep course, sign up for a free trial of Target Test Prep’s GMAT Course, which is sure to be a game-changer for you. Whether you need to improve your GMAT score by 50 points or by 550 points, we’ve got you covered. Whether you’re completely new to the exam or you’ve been studying with limited success for some time is immaterial. Either way, Target Test Prep will provide you with the tools necessary to achieve an impressive GMAT Focus score.
TTP PRO TIP:
Find a GMAT prep course that presents clear, practical, and actionable content in a way that makes sense to you.
In our next section, we’ll discuss how to find study time to create a consistent weekly schedule.
Creating a Weekly GMAT Study Schedule
Strategy 6: Study Before or After Work
One smart GMAT Focus prep strategy is to go to bed early and wake up early on weekdays. When you wake up, get some coffee and get in some study time.
One great reason to study in the morning: you are well-rested and ready to absorb information. Also, it is very satisfying to begin the day by doing something positive for your future.
If you study for the GMAT in the morning, you’ll have put in a solid amount of time by the time you get to work. That’s a great feeling to have! By having already banked some GMAT Focus prep, you’re also setting yourself up for a more productive workday. If you aren’t worried about your GMAT prep, you’re freer to perform at your best. Conversely, not being worried about your job performance also allows you to be more productive in your studies.
If you can’t study before work because of an early start, plan a study schedule that includes studying after work. A good plan is to get a snack and cup of coffee and dive right into your GMAT Focus studying.
Studying immediately after work, instead of later on, is ideal because you’re still “in the zone” from your workday. As a result, you’ll have the right mindset to effectively tackle your GMAT Focus prep. If you push your studying until later, you may get tired and lose the motivation to study. So, if possible, try to knock out your GMAT studying right after you conclude your workday.
TTP PRO TIP:
During the week, study before work to take advantage of a fresh mind, or study right after work to capitalize on still being “in the zone.”
Now, let’s discuss some other great times to fit in study time during your work week.
Strategy 7: Fit in Study Time When You Can
If you commute to work (and you aren’t driving), use this time to study. Drill flashcards, review your notes, or solve some problems. In addition to using physical materials, you can review test material using apps or websites.
For example, you could answer Target Test Prep GMAT questions on your iPhone or watch TTP videos on topics you’re still trying to master. There are a number of ways to use this time effectively. You may even find that you start looking forward to the commute. That half-hour or hour-long trip could become your prime bonus time for GMAT Focus prep!
If you can’t study during your commute (or you don’t have one), your lunch hour is another great time to study. Find a quiet place where you can sit alone and continue studying the topics you worked on in your last session. Your lunch break is a great time to tackle practice questions and reinforce those topics.
Taking either of these study opportunities means you’ve already made great daily progress in your GMAT prep. As a result, you can go into the afternoon more relaxed and productive at work.
Finally, our daily lives often present other opportunities to get some studying done. We all have necessary appointments from time to time — the dentist, the doctor, renewing a driver’s license. Unfortunately, these appointments usually involve waiting. Not to worry!
Grab your study materials and get in a “quick hit” of learning and make progress toward your GMAT Focus goals. During brief waiting times, such as standing in a checkout line, review some quick facts or memorize a few formulas.
TTP PRO TIP:
To meet your daily GMAT study goal, be creative in finding chances to study.
Let’s now discuss the best way to use evening study time.
Strategy 8: Use Evenings to Reinforce Knowledge
Once you get home, study for another hour. Depending on your stamina, you may be a bit tired. So, instead of starting a new topic, use this GMAT Focus study session to reinforce what you’ve already learned. For example, let’s say that you studied Ratio questions in the morning or during lunch. The evening may be a good time to solve several high-value Ratio practice questions. Once you get tired, stop studying and relax. It makes no sense to study when you’re too tired to retain information.
TTP PRO TIP:
After you get home from work, take an hour to reinforce the topics you’ve learned that day with some practice questions.
Next, let’s talk about making the most of your weekend study time.
Strategy 9: Hit the Books Hard on Weekends
Get up on Saturday morning and head to your local coffee shop. Grab a light breakfast and whatever else you need, then spend the morning studying. You can cover new content areas, review material from that week, and run through a bunch of practice questions. Study until lunchtime.
If you’ve studied hard on Saturday morning, reward yourself by doing something enjoyable in the evening. Follow the same schedule on Sunday. If you’ve followed the GMAT Focus study schedule I’ve laid out so far in this article, by Sunday night, you’ll have logged at least 15 hours of quality study. Over a few months, that number can result in a substantial increase in your score. Always keep your eyes on the prize! These few months of commitment are an investment that will pay dividends throughout your career!
As your test date nears, you’ll want to spend some weekend time taking full-length practice tests. Keep your focus during the entire test and simulate test conditions as much as possible (no cell phone, no interruptions). Whether you’re using your free hours on the weekend to learn material or take practice tests, take that time seriously, avoid distractions, and put in your full effort.
TTP PRO TIP:
Study hard during the day on Saturdays and Sundays, then reward yourself by doing something enjoyable in the evening.
Let’s wrap up this section by putting together a sample weekly schedule.
Putting It All Together: Sample GMAT Focus Weekly Schedule
Following the guidelines laid out above, we are shooting for at least 15 hours of weekly study time: 10 during the week and at least 5 on weekends.
Let’s say that you’re not a morning person, but you can study on your lunch break and after work. On Friday evenings, you have a weekly date night with your significant other. So, you can’t quite get to 10 hours during the week, but you have time on the weekends to hit your weekly hours. Your weekly schedule could look something like this:
Monday-Thursday: 0.5 hours at lunch, 1.5 hours after work
Friday: 0.5 hours at lunch
Saturday-Sunday: 3.5 hours in the morning or afternoon, each day
Following this schedule would give you 15.5 hours of quality GMAT Focus study time each week. In addition, any extra “quick hits” of studying, such as reviewing flashcards while waiting for an appointment, increase the amount of progress you can make.
Before you begin the study process, take some time to consider when you can study. Then, design a weekly schedule that lets you make consistent progress toward your GMAT goals.
TTP PRO TIP:
Before you start studying, design a consistent weekly schedule that works with your other commitments.
In our next section, we’ll examine how to balance your GMAT Focus prep with your work schedule.
Balancing Work With Your GMAT Focus Prep
Strategy 10: Leverage Your Work Schedule
In designing your GMAT Focus study schedule, it’s worth considering your upcoming work commitments. With some advance planning, you can make your work schedule work for you.
For example, many jobs have a cyclical nature to them. Perhaps your job is considerably less demanding in Q4 than it is Q1. If so, it makes sense to plan your GMAT prep such that the bulk of your studying falls in Q4. Of course, doing so will take some advance planning, but it could help a lot.
Another opportunity to leverage your work schedule is a job change. Many people make career transitions around the time they are preparing for business school. If you find yourself switching jobs, try leaving some time between jobs for dedicated GMAT Focus study. Talk with your new employer and request to start some weeks after leaving your prior job.
Similarly, perhaps you just finished college and already know business school is in your future. Although not many people want to start preparing for the GMAT right after college, doing so can be a big help. Recent graduates are still in full-time study mode and typically have far fewer work commitments. This is a recipe for focused GMAT prep.
If you can, it might make sense to delay starting work to prep for the GMAT full-time. Imagine taking some time after graduation and earning a top GMAT Focus score. You’d begin your job with the satisfaction of knowing that you won’t have to prepare for the GMAT while working.
Just remember that GMAT scores are valid for 5 years, so plan accordingly.
TTP PRO TIP:
Plan your GMAT prep to take advantage of your work commitments (or lack thereof).
Let’s now discuss the option of using some vacation time to boost your GMAT Focus prep.
Strategy 11: Consider Using Some Vacation Time
Although it would be more enjoyable to spend two weeks in Positano sipping cocktails, one smart play to maximize your GMAT Focus score is to take time off from work to boost your progress.
Many people take a week off at the beginning of their GMAT Focus prep to jump-start their studies. Without job responsibilities, you’ll find that you can really focus on your studies for a full 7 days. Yes, studying for long hours each day begins to yield diminishing returns, but diminishing returns does not mean no returns. Unless you are completely fried, you can obtain value from your study hours.
In fact, depending on your available vacation time, you could strategically use another two weeks of dedicated study, one in the middle of your prep and one near the end, close to your GMAT Focus test date.
TTP PRO TIP:
Consider using vacation time to get in some dedicated GMAT Focus prep.
Next, let’s discuss working with your boss to free up some study time.
Strategy 12: Have an Honest Conversation With Your Boss
Depending on your work situation, consider having a discussion with your boss regarding your business school plans. Explain that you’ll be preparing for the GMAT and ask if some flexibility might be available for a few months.
Perhaps you could take some additional vacation time. Or maybe your boss could reroute some lower-priority tasks to other employees for a few weeks or months.
Only you know your work situation, but talking with your boss might help you better manage your GMAT Focus prep.
TTP PRO TIP:
Consider talking with your boss about getting some scheduling flexibility to better manage your GMAT Focus prep.
In our next section, we’ll examine ways to handle the stress that you may experience while preparing for the GMAT Focus.
Managing Your Stress
Strategy 13: Form a GMAT Study Group
One great way to fit in quality time with the people important to you is to share common objectives and work together to meet them. If you have friends or colleagues who are thinking about preparing for the GMAT, convince them to begin now. Then, form a study group that meets regularly to study at a coffee shop or each other’s homes. This kind of group study is a great form of multitasking! It allows you to continue enjoying your all-important social support while preparing for the GMAT.
TTP PRO TIP:
Form a GMAT study group with friends or colleagues and meet a few nights each week to study together.
Find Support Online If Needed
Of course, many people studying for the GMAT Focus may not have friends or colleagues who are also preparing for the exam. If that’s you, consider finding fellow test-takers on GMAT forums such as GMAT Club or the r/GMAT Reddit community.
Being active in such forums is a great way to discuss questions, exchange study techniques, and talk about pretty much anything else related to the prep process. Studying on your own doesn’t mean you’re alone: many other test-takers are in the same boat. Reaching out to them is a great way to establish a support network to help you through rough patches in your study process.
TTP PRO TIP:
If you can’t form an in-person study group, connect with fellow test-takers online.
Strategy 14: Get Some Exercise
Exercise has proven health benefits. In addition to being essential for the body, exercise is just as necessary for the brain. Exercise balances and recalibrates neurotransmitters such as dopamine. Without this adjustment, it’s easy to feel stressed and anxious. These emotions are never optimal for learning and growth. Furthermore, exercise substantially improves your ability to learn and process new information. Obviously, this can make a big difference as you prepare for the GMAT Focus.
Since you know all this, get some exercise! Go for a run after work, take a long walk, hit the weights, or do some yoga. If you’re a multitasker, hit the elliptical or the treadmill and review your notes or flashcards — just be careful! Or, while you’re running, mentally review all the math formulas you have memorized. Exercise is a great way to destress and prepare for a productive study session.
TTP PRO TIP:
Exercising is a great way to destress and prepare for a productive study session.
Next, let’s discuss when to give yourself a break from the study grind.
Strategy 15: Reward Yourself
Let’s face it: GMAT Focus studying will consume much of your time and energy each week. If you use the scheduling guidelines discussed earlier, you will be studying for at least 15 hours each week. On top of a full-time job, that much studying can certainly take a toll. So, every so often, reward yourself for a good, consistent stretch of studying.
Perhaps for two straight weeks, you have stuck to your GMAT study schedule to the letter, studying every day, Sunday to Monday. After those two weeks, you might benefit from a day off from studying. Use that day off to do something fun or relaxing. Meet up with some friends, go to dinner, or go to the movies. Do anything that will give your brain a rest so you can come back refreshed and ready to go.
TTP PRO TIP:
Every so often, reward yourself for a good stretch of studying with a day off to relax, clear your head, and lower your stress.
Key Takeaways
In this article, we’ve discussed 15 practical strategies to help you balance GMAT Focus preparation with your full-time job.
- Commit to Your Prep and Be Proactive
- Chart a Realistic Course of Study
- Re-prioritize Non-GMAT Activities
- Be Adaptable When Things Come Up
- Prepare with Accurate, Efficient Material
- Study Before or After Work
- Fit in Study Time When You Can
- Use Evenings to Reinforce Knowledge
- Hit the Books Hard on Weekends
- Leverage Your Work Schedule
- Consider Using Some Vacation Time
- Have an Honest Conversation With Your Boss
- Form a GMAT Study Group
- Get Some Exercise
- Reward Yourself
Armed with these strategies, you can design a smart, efficient GMAT Focus study plan to get you to your score goal!
What’s Next?
Interested in the most effective ways to prepare? Get some tips on how to start studying for the GMAT and learn the best way to study.
Looking for expert help with designing a study schedule and studying effectively? Sign up for a free consultation to see whether private tutoring can help take your GMAT Focus prep to the next level.
