Every GMAT aspirant faces this initial dilemma before his advent into actual GMAT preparation for the test, and while each to his own is how it eventually works out, the best solution is to go for tutoring of some sort to come up trumps on the test. An experienced tutor is like a beacon who guides you on your journey through the books and the tests that you would have to take as part of your preparation. Hence a coaching institute that promises a perfect combination of hand-holding teaching and challenging courseware in terms of near simulated mock tests and practice workshops would be a good option to consider with no holds barred!
The GMAT student who wishes to embark on his journey all by himself would still have options available to him such as the option of unobtrusive help that companies like Manya Abroad – The Princeton Review, Kaplan and Manhattan GMAT offer via online modular teaching or the option of a few personalized sessions with experienced GMAT trainers. While this support is not as effective as regular classroom sessions are, it is like manna dew for one who is battling in the void. So a self-study student can study the Official guide 15th edition on his own, and get professional help for a few topics that he feels unsure about from the leading test preparation companies such as Manya–The Princeton Review, Kaplan, and Manhattan GMAT on payment of a certain fee. Professional help sessions with the expert GMAT Instructor and at the coaching center itself is what the Manya–The Princeton Review offers to students who enroll for self-study programs. However, the onus of reviewing tests, modifying test-taking approach and improving the pacing of the test would lie majorly with the student himself.
The self-study student can also sign up for modular teaching online or attend subject-specific workshops sessions, which would help harness the subject knowledge of the test. Many test prep companies have revamped their online programs to live online programs which would give the student the feel of a live classroom in progress since the student would be able to chat with the others and hold break out chats with their instructor for additional help and support. The greatest advantage would be flexibility in time and distance. The students log in from home so they save on travel hassles and get to do urgent chores such as taking care of the baby at home or picking up kids from school which is no doubt equally important tasks!
“It’s not just the knowledge being tested,” says John Fulmer, national content director for GMAT at The Princeton Review USA.”It’s the approach to the problem.’ So true! Cracking the GMAT is all about getting a good score and the only way to do so would be to learn one technique that would help you to identify a trap answer and another technique that would help you to avoid the trap. While books help you to recognize the important areas of study and give the necessary knowledge to understand the concepts better, the age-old medium of teacher/student classroom learning certainly enables perfect transference of test-taking skills from the tutor to the taught. It is easier to use a plug in techniques in Quant problems and look out for pronoun ambiguities in verbose sentences if the teacher demonstrates these techniques on the whiteboard than if the student has to grapple with this knowledge on his own. A structured approach on the use of the elimination process, which is getting rid of 4 wrong answers and picking the best one, is easy to say, but the way it needs to be done has to be perfectly taught to enable a student to achieve accuracy on the test.
If the dilemma still persists, walk into any of our test prep centers near your home and seek an appointment with the GMAT Instructor available at the center. You would be better informed!
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