this post was updated in 2024 for the new gmat.
suppose you need to prepare for gmat in 1 month, starting from square one. you’ll need a good gmat study guide, dedication, and the willingness to study hard for the next ~30 days. studying for gmat in one month might not give you a whole lot of time, but we’re here to help you with this 1 month gmat study plan to make the best of what you have. 🙂
table of contents
- how to use this 1 month gmat study plan
- essential study materials
- abbreviations
- the 1-month gmat study schedule
getting started
how to use this 1 month gmat study plan
this gmat study plan is not for the faint of heart. it supposes that you study between 1.5 and 2.5 hours per day, though it occasionally requires slightly more time, 6-7 days a week, and take a practice test every week.
i know it will be hard to stick to this gmat schedule if you have a full-time job, children, or other family obligations. if any (or all) of these are the case, we’d suggest reconsidering your gmat test date. yes, it’s a little annoying to pay the gmat rescheduling fee–but it’s far better than taking the exam before you have time to fully prepare and needing to pay for a retake.
- if possible, follow a three-month or six-month plan.
if you are committed to a 1-month schedule this plan will be time-consuming and require hard work, dedication, and focus to get through, but we know you can do it.
now, you can just dive into this plan! however, you’ll find it more effective if you use it methodically. to get the most out of this gmat study plan, approach it with as follows:
- make sure you have all the essential materials.
- maintain your motivation. writing down why you want a particular score on the gmat—and reviewing your reasons often—can be a powerful reminder to keep you going!
- maintain your physical health. eat well and get physical activity as much as you can!
- sleep for eight hours! get enough sleep during this three month period. rem sleep plays an important role in encoding long term memory!
- in an eight hour period of sleep, the last hour has the most rem.
- avoid artificial crutches: caffeine and energy drinks will keep you feeling awake if you don’t get enough sleep, but they don’t do bupkis to replace the lost opportunity to encode more information into long term memory.
- bring it all together for test day! review magoosh’s tips at the end of this post for how to make sure you do your best when it (officially) counts.
essential study materials
here are our recommendations for resources that will provide you with test-like practice:
a premium subscription to magoosh
magoosh’s complete gmat guide: this comprehensive web-based guide gives you a quick and useful overview. you’ll see how the gmat is designed and scored, what skills it tests, how to find and use the best gmat prep, and how to study for each test section.
gmac’s gmat official guide (og)–the newest edition of the e-book and online question bank is here: og 2023-2024. if you are going to buy a new guide, get that one. want a paper copy? check out this link.
word to the wise: don’t write in the official guide or any prep books. do all your work on separate paper or on a computer. you will want to keep the books clean, so that later, if you need to look at a problem again, it is still fresh and unmarked.
an error log. not sure what’s up with an error log. the link at the beginning of this sentence will walk you through the benefits and provide you with access to a free template.
note: the gmat underwent major changes in 2023. so, you might be wondering what to do if you have prep materials that were produced for older versions of the gmat. good news! you can absolutely keep and use those older materials; however, there are a few topics and subject areas that you should skip if you do choose to use older materials. here’s what you should leave out:
- lessons/practice for sentence corrections
- lessons/practice for the analytical writing assessment (awa)
- lessons/practice for quantitative questions that test plane geometry concepts
- lessons/practice that use the data sufficiency (ds) question type to test purely algebraic or numeric property concepts. ds questions now all either test verbal reasoning skills or math in a real-world context (aka) word problems based on realistic scenarios.
optional materials
the magoosh mobile app for your iphone or android
the og verbal review 2023-2024, the og quantitative review 2023-2024, and the og data insights review 2023-2024. these links will take you to the e-book and online question banks available from the exam prep section of mba.com. you cannot go wrong if you use materials produced by the folks who write the exam.
gmat’s additional official practice exams, which are now entirely digital.
the magoosh gmat math flashcards. if you happen to see a deck for plane geometry concepts, remember to skip those since those concepts are no longer tested on the gmat.
if you’ve exhausted the og and magoosh materials, another credible option is manhattan’s all the gmat book set. it is an excellent prep source. (don’t write in these books either!)
the two online forums:
these are great places to ask questions about anything gmat related, or simply to check out the discussions and see how others are preparing.
abbreviations
og = the gmac official guide
qr = quantitative reasoning, the multiple-choice math questions
vr = verbal reasoning, which is broken down into the following two question types:
rc = reading comprehension verbal question
cr = critical reasoning verbal question
di = data insights questions
ds = data sufficiency, which is a type of di question
1 month gmat study schedule
*the large majority of the lessons included in this schedule are only available to magoosh students—sign up here for a free trial!
day 1: diagnostic test, review, and gmat basics
- take magoosh’s free gmat diagnostic. when you are done, note your score, then check your answers.
- if you haven’t done so already, build your error log and add questions from the diagnostic you just took. you’ll be using your error log throughout this study plan. today, you are going to do your first in-depth review. for each question you entered into your log do the following:
- try to determine and make note of why you missed the question
- read any related text explanations and watch any related video explanations
- watch any recommended lesson videos (don’t worry about watching them out of order. you’ll likely be watching the videos a few times, especially those that relate to your weaker areas.)
- be aware of any trends that help you identify your strengths and weaknesses.
go to the test-maker’s website, and read all about the gmat. click on each of the quick links on the sidebar of that page to explore the exam structure, content, and to check out a few sample questions.
in magoosh, watch the following videos:
gmat focus introduction: all seven videos in this section
gmat focus intro: quantitative section
gmat focus intro: verbal section
gmat focus intro: data insights section
pacing, skipping, and guessing
day 2: quantitative reasoning basics
note: you might find that some of the content in magoosh videos may seem super easy or very challenging. some folks will find the verbal information obvious and the math hard-going; other folks will have the reverse experience. if the material is relatively easy for you, feel free to click to the end and simply read the summary. if the material is new to you, take notes on what you are learning, and if possible, watch that video a second time.
note ii: after most magoosh questions is a text and/or video explanation. if you got the question right, just skim the text summary of the video to verify you understand it. if you got the question wrong, watch the video explanation right away. if you don’t understand a question after reviewing the text and video explanations, email us at www.catharsisit.com. due to a high volume of questions, please allow up to 48-hours for a response.
getting questions wrong at the beginning may be frustrating, but remember that you are playing a “longer game”: the point is not instant success at the beginning, but building deeper understanding overtime. remember to add all incorrect questions to your error log!
watch the following videos:
in quantitative reasoning (qr), watch the following general math strategies videos and complete any associated practice quizzes:
mental math: doubling and halving
mental math: squaring shortcuts
mixed numerals and improper fractions
quiz: arithmetic and fractions
error log review: arithmetic and fractions quiz
magoosh custom practice:
from your dashboard select practice → custom practice → all quantitative reasoning. select “clear all” and then check the box for arithmetic and fractions.
- 10 qr questions. subject: arithmetic and fractions
review
if you have not done so as you worked through the questions, be sure you review all the practice questions you’ve attempted.
add any that you missed to your error log, and remember to be sure that for each question you do the following:
- try to determine and make note of why you missed the question
- read any related text explanations and watch any related video explanations
- watch any recommended lesson videos (don’t worry about watching them out of order. you’ll likely be watching the videos a few times, especially those that relate to your weaker areas.)
- be aware of any trends that help you identify your strengths and weaknesses.
day 3: verbal reasoning
watch the following videos and complete any associated practice quizzes:
magoosh custom practice:
from your dashboard select practice → custom practice→verbal reasoning→ critical reasoning. select “clear all” and then check the boxes for strengthening and weakening & assumption questions.
- 10 vr questions. subject: critical reasoning, strengthening and weakening & assumption.
review
if you have not done so as you worked through the questions, be sure you review all the practice questions you’ve attempted this week.
day 4: quantitative reasoning
in qr, watch the following videos and complete any associated practice quizzes:
error log review: ratio and percents quiz
error log review: integer properties quiz
magoosh custom practice:
from your dashboard select practice → custom practice→ quantitative reasoning→ all quantitative reasoning. select “clear all” and then check the boxes for percents and ratios & integer properties questions.
- 10 qr questions. subject: all qr, percents and ratios & integer properties.
review
if you have not done so as you worked through the questions, be sure you review all the practice questions you’ve attempted.
day 5: data insights
watch the following videos and complete any associated practice quizzes:
fundamentals of data sufficiency
word problems, summarizing information
error log review: data sufficiency quiz
magoosh custom practice:
from your dashboard select practice → custom practice → data insights (di) → data sufficiency. select “select all.”
- 10 di questions. subject: data sufficiency
review
if you have not done so as you worked through the questions, be sure you review all the practice questions you’ve attempted this week.
day 6: og question bank diagnostic test
og diagnostic practice tests!
if you haven’t already done so, in the og online question bank, navigate to practice exams on the sidebar. take all three diagnostic practice exams.
go through the answers after you are done, taking notes on anything you got wrong.
at this early stage of practice, it is not as important to mimic the real gmat conditions. pay attention to how well you maintain focus within each section. note your energy level during different sections, and how this affects your concentration.
day 7: og diagnostic test review
review
if you didn’t do this yesterday, open your error log for a deep-dive review of the practice test. during this session with your error log, determine which question types you are currently struggling with the most in regards to timing. if running out of time is not an issue for you, review your error log to find the questions where you should have spent more time. can you find any patterns? where do you make careless mistakes? figure out where you should slow down when testing.
*you can also use this day to catch-up on or review any of this week’s assignments.
day 8: take a break
relax and prepare for the next round of studying!
day 9: quantitative reasoning
watch the following videos and complete any associated practice quizzes:
factoring-rational expressions
two equations, two unknowns-ii
three equations with three unknowns
quiz: algebra, equations, and inequalities
error log review: algebra, equations, and inequalities quiz
magoosh custom practice:
from your dashboard select practice → custom practice → all quantitative reasoning. select “clear all” and then check the box for algebra.
- 10 qr questions. subject: algebra
review
if you have not done so as you worked through the questions, be sure you review all the practice questions you’ve attempted.
day 10: verbal reasoning
watch the following videos and complete any associated quizzes:
intro to reading comprehension
magoosh custom practice:
from your dashboard select practice → custom practice→verbal reasoning→ reading comprehension. select “select all.”
- 10 vr questions. subject: reading comprehension.
review
if you have not done so as you worked through the questions, be sure you review all the practice questions you’ve attempted.
day 11: quantitative reasoning
watch the following videos and complete any associated quizzes:
intro to sets and venn diagrams
day 12: data insights
watch the following videos and complete any associated quizzes:
bradley metalworks 1 (practice)
bradley metalworks 2 (practice)
numerical flowchart (practice)
day 13: mock test
in magoosh, take a full-length practice test!
in your dashboard, navigate to practice → practice test, choose the order in which you want to take the sections, and then start your practice test.
try to mimic the gmat conditions. you can review your test immediately after completion or save it for tomorrow.
day 14: mock test review
review
if you didn’t do this yesterday, open your error log for a deep-dive review of the practice test. during this session with your error log, determine which question types you are running out of time on, and also review your error log to find the questions where you should have spent more time. can you find any patterns? where do you make careless mistakes? figure out where you should slow down when testing.
*you can also use this day to catch-up on or review any of this week’s assignments.
day 15: take a break
relax and prepare for the next round of studying!
day 16: quantitative reasoning
watch the following videos and complete any associated quizzes:
error log review: word problems quiz
error log review: powers and roots quiz
magoosh custom practice:
from your dashboard select practice → custom practice → all quantitative reasoning. select “clear all” and then check the boxes for word problems & powers and roots.
- 10 qr questions. subjects: word problems & powers and roots
review
if you have not done so as you worked through the questions, be sure you review all the practice questions you’ve attempted.
day 17: verbal reasoning
watch the following videos and complete any associated quizzes:
error log review: critical reasoning quiz
magoosh custom practice:
from your dashboard select practice → custom practice→verbal reasoning→ critical reasoning. select “clear all” and then check the boxes for evaluating, paradox, conclusion/inference, flawed argument, and structure.
- 10 vr questions. subject: critical reasoning, evaluating, paradox, conclusion/inference, flawed argument, and structure.
day 18: quantitative reasoning
watch the following videos and complete any associated quizzes:
weighted averages ii (advanced)
error log review: statistics quiz
fundamental counting principle
magoosh custom practice:
from your dashboard select practice → custom practice → all quantitative reasoning. select “clear all” and then check the box for statistics.
- 10 qr questions. subject: statistics
review
if you have not done so as you worked through the questions, be sure you review all the practice questions you’ve attempted.
day 19: data insights
watch the following videos and complete any associated quizzes:
highway to hillsborough (practice)
error log review: integrated reasoning
magoosh custom practice:
from your dashboard select practice → custom practice→data insights → integrated reasoning. select “select all.”
- 10 di questions. subject: data insights, integrated reasoning
day 20: mock test
in magoosh, take a full-length practice test!
in your dashboard, navigate to practice → practice test, choose the order in which you want to take the sections, and then start your practice test.
try to mimic the gmat conditions. you can review your test immediately after completion or save it for tomorrow.
day 21: mock test review
review
if you didn’t do this yesterday, open your error log for a deep-dive review of the practice test. during this session with your error log, determine which question types you are currently struggling with the most in regards to timing. if running out of time is not an issue for you, review your error log to find the questions where you should have spent more time. can you find any patterns? where do you make careless mistakes? figure out where you should slow down when testing.
*you can also use this day to catch-up on or review any of this week’s assignments.
day 22: take a break
relax and prepare for the next round of studying!
day 23: quantitative reasoning
watch the following videos and complete any associated quizzes:
error log review: counting quiz
complementary events and simple rules
error log review: probability quiz
magoosh custom practice:
from your dashboard select practice → custom practice → all quantitative reasoning. select “clear all” and then check the boxes for probability and counting.
10 qr questions. subject: probability and counting.
day 24: verbal reasoning
watch the following videos and complete any associated quizzes:
rc example, passage #1 path dependence
rc example, passage #1, question #1
rc example, passage #1, question #2
rc example, passage #2, office organization
rc example, passage #2, question #1
rc example, passage #2, question #2
error log review: reading comprehension quiz
magoosh custom practice:
from your dashboard select practice → custom practice→verbal reasoning→ reading comprehension. select “select all.”
- 10 vr questions. subject: reading comprehension
review
if you have not done so as you worked through the questions, be sure you review all the practice questions you’ve attempted.
day 25: practice
miscellaneous practice:
take a qr, vr, or di section test and then break out your error log for analysis of any questions that you missed.
day 26: practice
miscellaneous practice:
take a qr, vr, or di section test and then break out your error log for analysis of any questions that you missed.
day 27: mock test
in magoosh, take a full-length practice test!
in your dashboard, navigate to practice → practice test, choose the order in which you want to take the sections, and then start your practice test.
try to mimic the gmat conditions. you can review your test immediately after completion or save it for tomorrow.
day 28: mock test review
review
if you didn’t do this yesterday, open your error log for a deep-dive review of the practice test. during this session with your error log, determine which question types you are currently struggling with the most in regards to timing. if running out of time is not an issue for you, review your error log to find the questions where you should have spent more time. can you find any patterns? where do you make careless mistakes? figure out where you should slow down when testing.
*you can also use this day to catch-up on or review any of this week’s assignments.
day 29: take a break
relax and prepare for your official gmat test!
countdown to the exam:
day before the test
no gmat preparation all day!
eat a large, healthy, leisurely dinner – no alcohol!
go to bed earlier than usual.
day of test
absolutely no last-minute gmat preparation!
eat a large breakfast, full of protein
do relaxing, fun activities to pass time until the test
bring to the test
a liter of water
healthy energy-packed snacks (nuts, protein bar, etc.)
take the optional break and be sure to get up, move & stretch – moving & stretching the large muscles of the body (legs & torso) will get oxygen flowing throughout, which will help keep you awake and keep you thinking clearly.
good luck!
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