When to Start Test (GMAT or GRE) Prep and How Long it Takes
If you’re applying to business school and are aiming for the top full-time MBA programs in the U.S. and Europe, you probably already know that you’ll have to take the GMAT or the GRE. But what you might not realize is that test prep is not a linear, straightforward process for most applicants. You might assume that you’ll take the test once, achieve your target score, and move on to the rest of your applications. While we agree that’s an ideal scenario, in reality, test prep is usually more iterative. Scores plateau. Study plans need to be adjusted. Some applicants discover they’re taking the wrong exam altogether and switch gears after months of studying. It’s all par for the course.
So, When Should I Start GMAT or GRE Prep?
We generally recommend beginning GMAT or GRE prep 6-9 months before your target application deadlines. Why so early? Because most applicants underestimate how long the process really takes. Studying for your first exam is only the starting point. Building in time to adjust your strategy and retake the exam, if needed, is what gives you the best chance of reaching your target score.
Every year, we see applicants in what we call the “test prep emergency room.” They’ve spent months studying on their own and completed dozens of practice exams, yet their scores remain stubbornly below their target range. At that point, the challenge isn’t only trying to improve their score. It becomes undoing months of inefficient habits while racing against application deadlines.
The good news is that this situation is preventable. The key is starting early enough to give yourself options.
Why Test Prep Takes Longer Than Most Applicants Expect
One of the biggest misconceptions we see about the GMAT and GRE is that your target score is only a few weeks away. In reality, most applicants need several months to prepare effectively. As a general rule, you should plan to study for 8-12 weeks before taking the exam for the first time, dedicating at least 15 hours a week to preparation. (And many test prep experts recommend closer to 20 hours a week for the most efficient progress.) The challenge is that you’re probably also working a demanding job, making it difficult to sustain that level of effort.
In addition, most applicants take the exam more than once, either out of necessity (i.e. their first score was too low) or out of belief that they can do better. We typically recommend scheduling test attempts 4-6 weeks apart to give yourself enough time to learn from each result and address areas for improvement.
Practice testing also takes longer than most applicants realize. You should plan to take at least six full-length practice exams before your first official exam and several additional practice exams before each subsequent attempt. These exams should be spaced out, ideally at least a week apart, to allow time for thorough review and targeted improvement. When you add all this together, the timeline can stretch far beyond what most applicants initially expect.
Starting Early Gives You Options
When you begin test preparation early, you create room to make adjustments when things don’t go according to plan.
Starting early gives you time to:
- Switch from the GMAT to the GRE if one exam proves to be a better fit
- Hire a tutor if you hit a plateau
- Experiment with different study methods and resources
- Take multiple official exams without deadline pressure
- Complete supplemental coursework if needed
- Shift your application round if needed
When It’s Time to Reassess Your Strategy
If your score isn’t improving, the natural reaction is often to study longer, complete more practice problems, or simply push harder. Sometimes that is the right answer. But oftentimes, it’s not that simple.
As test prep expert Stuart Park of Simply Brilliant Prep puts it: “One of the biggest mistakes I see MBA applicants make is assuming that if they just work harder, they’ll eventually get the score they need. Often the issue isn’t effort – it’s strategy. The candidates who are most successful start early, are honest with themselves about their progress, and aren’t afraid to change course when something isn’t working.”
When progress stalls, it’s worth taking a step back and asking:
- Am I studying efficiently?
- Am I using the right resources?
- Am I preparing for the right exam?
- Do I have a clear understanding of my weaknesses?
- Am I actually improving, or simply spending more time?
This is the point at which some applicants may benefit from working with a tutor. A tutor may be worth considering if you’ve plateaued, have limited study time, are deciding between exams, or need help with timing, pacing, and test-day strategy. A good tutor can provide a customized approach, real-time feedback, and help you avoid spending months mastering concepts that have little impact on your score.
One recent example illustrates this well. A Vantage Point client had spent weeks working through the Manhattan Prep GRE course and felt she was making progress. However, after beginning work with a tutor and learning several new quantitative problem-solving approaches, she remarked, “I’ve learned more in the last 10 minutes than I have in all of my weeks of studying so far.”
The point isn’t that she chose the wrong resource (Manhattan Prep is one of the best). Rather, she had reached a point where a new perspective and different problem-solving strategies helped her make progress much more quickly.
Recommended Test Prep Resources
If your budget allows, our strongest recommendation is to work one-on-one with an experienced GMAT or GRE tutor. While problem sets and self-paced courses can teach the material, a tutor provides a personalized strategy.
That said, we recognize that one-on-one tutoring isn’t the right fit for everyone. If you’re just getting started or prefer a more budget-friendly approach, here are the self-paced resources that we’ve found to be the most effective.
Best Content Review Resources
These remain some of the strongest resources for learning and reviewing core concepts.
Best Self-Paced Online Course
For highly motivated self-studiers who want a comprehensive curriculum, these self-serve platforms are our top recommendation.
Best Practice Problems For Learning Content
Excellent for reinforcing concepts as you learn them and building repetition.
Best Practice Problems After Content Mastery
- Official Guide (OG)
- Official Quant and Verbal Question Books
Once you have learned the material, official questions provide the most accurate representation of how the exam actually tests concepts.
Best Community Resource
- GMAT Club
GMAT Club contains an enormous repository of practice questions, explanations, study plans, debriefs, and discussions. It can be particularly helpful when researching study strategies, comparing resources, or finding explanations for difficult problems.
Best Practice Tests
Save the official practice tests for later in your preparation. Many applicants use them too early, before they have mastered the content or developed proper pacing.
Final Thoughts
Everyone will have a different experience with the GMAT or GRE. A few will reach their target score on the first attempt. Others will benefit from multiple attempts, working with a tutor, or even switching exams. Our hope is that you give yourself enough time to get the score you’re capable of achieving.
The earlier you begin, the more flexibility you’ll have to adapt your strategy without negatively impacting the rest of your application.
If you’re still deciding when to get started or how testing fits into your overall application timeline, request a complimentary consultation with our team. We’ll help you map out a realistic plan, discuss the pros and cons of the GMAT vs. GRE, and identify the highest-impact next steps in your application process.
Gina believes that the MBA admissions process is an opportunity to step back, reflect on your strengths and passions, and discover your “why” – outside the expectations and bar set by family and peers. As a writer and marketer, Gina enjoys helping clients tell the stories that make them unique and exciting applicants. As someone who has pivoted more than once in her career, Gina particularly enjoys working with people who are interested in changing careers after business school but are unsure of how to pitch themselves or what transferable skills they bring.
