<p>I plan to apply for the one-year Master's of Finance program at Tulane next spring. I intend to prepare for the GMAT this summer; however, I am not sure if my preparation should extend to a prep course given the outstanding costs. Thus, to perform well on the GMAT, does one absolutely need to enroll in a course? Wouldn't prep books and computer programs be sufficient?</p>
<p>P.S. I am motivated to study the material on my own w/o instructor's guidance.</p>
<p>Nobody wants to advise me? At all? Not even give me a referral? C'mon guys. Please help me out.</p>
<p>A class is not necessary. Use princeton review, official GMAT, and Kaplan 800 books. Also, take practice tests periodically.</p>
<p>Is one absolutely necessary? Of course not. Might it be helpful to the prospective candidate when it comes time to take the GMAT? Entirely possible. I guess it depends on whether you have the time/motivation to do things on your own or whether a classroom setting fits your learning style better.</p>
<p>I took a Kaplan GMAT review course about 4 years ago and I didn't put the time and effort necessary into it to get anything out of it. I will say that the instructor was very helpful, gave good instruction on how to quickly narrow down the list of possible answers, etc. Would I do it again? Absolutely, and this time I'd actually study and take the exam.</p>
<p>As they say in the fine print "your mileage may vary".</p>
<p>I took the GMAT prep from mba.com, scored a 490. Bought the Official GMAT guide, Princeton rview and GMAT 800-spent 4 months studying and scored a 670 on the GMAT. I'm sure I can do better, should I take it again if I study more. So, no you don't need a class just do EVERY problem in the study guides and if you get a queston wrong, do it 3 times untl you recognize the pattern of the question. Now if you want to score a 700+, I really don't know a source that gives enough of the hard quant questions, specifically progressions.</p>
<p>The quality and usefulness of GMAT prep classes vary widely. If you do look at different programs, be sure to look past the cost of the program and see what value the program really delivers. For example, what are the qualifications of the instructors? </p>
<p>Of course, you could stick solely to the books but a book can only provide so much help. What are your goals? I checked out Tulane for you and their average GMAT is 656 for full-time students.</p>
<p>Classes are pretty expensive, so I suggest prep books such as The Official Guide for GMAT Review. It has a lot of practice questions and two practice exams that will give you an idea of the kinds of questions to expect. You can also download practice test software from the GMAC web site, which is designed just like the real test (computer adaptive, timed, etc).</p>
<p>I suggest taking the first software practice test and noting your score. Then, spend the next few months working through the Official Guide and do as many practice questions you can and take the tests in the book. Then, take the second software practice test again to see if you've improved. Ultimately, it comes down to being comfortable with the test format and managing the time spent on each question. If you don't get the score jump you hoped for after studying, then you may want to take a class to learn more.</p>
<p>Classes are not necessary if you practice sample tests on your own. You must get hold of some books like The Official Guide from GMAC and Manhattan Books. These two are enough. Manhattan Books have good explanations and the Official Guide from GMAC has a number of practice sets having questions exactly resembling those in the actual GMAT. You can also refer to the following to get some tips for your GMAT preparation:</p>
<p>[Ten</a> Important Tips for GMAT group](<a href=“http://igotdinged.com/viewTopics.php?id=37&categoryid=1]Ten”>http://igotdinged.com/viewTopics.php?id=37&categoryid=1)</p>
<p>I got a 730 on one try using just the Kaplan books. That said, work & study & work & study & work & study until you are sick of the stuff, then you are about 30% there. Live the books, answer every question until you know them in your head, and if you get software take the practice test under real conditions at least 5 times. Yes it will be rough but when you take it for real you will be fine.</p>