Hi MGMAT,

I had taken GMAT a few years bak and had scored a 710, however that score is now obsolete and I want to score even higher this time.

I am looking to give the exam latest by April/May 2012 so that i can apply for early or round 1 applications.

I was planning to join MGMAT classes however I am thoughly confused as to which course I should join.

The 9 week inperson course in Seattle Starts in Jan and ends in March - I am not sure how the course is paced. Are all concepts covered in the initial weeks or is it spread across 9 weeks.

And not sure how online course or self study would help.

My main aim is to cover all concepts soon and then focus on giving tests.

Can you please provide some info as to how each course is paced ?

The regular 9-week course covers all of the material spread out over the 9 weeks, but it is not targeted specifically toward hitting 750+. Most people aren't aiming that high.

In your case, I would recommend that you first take a practice test to see where you stand right now. If you're already scoring 700+, then I would recommend putting together a different program. If, on the other hand, you've forgotten a lot of stuff since the time that you last took the exam, then you could go down one of two paths that includes the regular program.

Let's say that you've forgotten a lot of stuff. You'll either want to take the regular 9-week program or you'll want to do the self-study plan, which includes everything from the 9-week program but lets you do it on your own. Both are fine - just depends whether you'd rather study on your own (which allows you to set your own pace but also doesn't give you access to instructors) or study with a class (which gives you lots of access to an instructor but then you also have to go at the pace of the class).

On the other hand, let's say that you're already 700+ right now. Then you'd want to pick out just the books and resources that you need based on your weaknesses, and you'd likely want to either self-study or work with a tutor. We have three workshops (2 quant, 1 for SC) that are geared towards those who are looking for very high scores, as well as a quant book (Advanced Quant) for the same group.

As a general rule, someone who's already good at these tests and looking to push for the stratosphere can usually do pretty well with self study, possibly with occasional tutoring sessions to work through particular areas of weakness.

Also, read this:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/articles/7 ... erence.cfm

So. Go take one of our practice tests under 100% official conditions, including essays. (This is crucial - skipping the essays can artificially inflate your multiple choice score.) Use this article to analyze your results:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... ice-tests/

And set up your study plan from there. Take a look at the various resources linked in this article:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... ould-i-do/

Oh, and read this (first): http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... to-win-it/

Finally, of course, continue to use the forums as a resource! Good luck!

_________________
Stacey Koprince
Instructor
Director of Online Community
ManhattanGMAT