Hi all,
Jennifer from Bright Outlook Global Prep here, based in Berlin. I'd encourage you to make a clear distinction between LEARNING materials and PRACTICE materials. Official resources published by GMAC, the makers of the GMAT, are important for practice but they are NOT learning materials.
For learning materials, many of my students like either Target Test Prep or Magoosh as online learning platforms. I also like the learning materials from Manhattan Prep (careful, not Manhattan Review), like their "All the GMAT" series. It's important to learn not only the theory but also GMAT-specific techniques to save you time and energy in organizing and calculating.
As you master the theory, THEN it's time to work with the official practice materials to test your ability to match theory to practice, and put those GMAT-specific strategies to good use. It's also a chance to get used to the GMAT style of question wording and phrasing. ("What does this even mean?") Please remember that the official explanations are not there to teach you HOW to approach that question on the GMAT. They prove what the answer is, but do not necessarily show you methods that would be efficient to use on test day.
Finally, it's time to try an official practice test and then analyze your performance. I recommend using an Error Log to help uncover the patterns in why you make mistakes and how to improve. You can download a free one from my website (brightoutlook.global)
(Note: it can also work well to take a practice test at the very beginning of your prep to see what the questions are like and get a baseline measurement of your strengths and weaknesses. However, please don't use the practice tests as a source of daily practice. That's not what they're made for! You'll run out of official practice tests and then won't have the resource you need in the final stages of your preparation.)
If your performance hits a plateau and you aren't sure how to improve, working with a professional tutor can help. I strongly suggest working with a true GMAT professional, not just a math or English teacher who happens to do a little GMAT tutoring on the side. Working with a GMAT expert can save you hours and hours of time and frustration, and help you unlock your very best performance on the exam. I have a personal score of 770 on GMAT Classic (99th percentile) and have coached more than 200 students on the exam. You're welcome to schedule a free 30-minute video call with me to discuss your situation - I'm happy to share my knowledge.
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