A 8 min read

Attending classroom coaching for GMAT preparation used to be one of the biggest challenges for MBA aspirants, especially if they were full-time working professionals. But, after the Covid-19 outbreak, classroom coaching has become redundant, and preparing online at home is the new normal. Not only preparing but taking the GMAT at home has become the new normal. To prepare for GMAT online, you need reliable and time-tested resources and best practices.

But, still, working professionals have a hectic schedule that makes it cumbersome to find time and energy to prepare for their target GMAT score. Moreover, since time is the most important resource for any busy individual, efficiency becomes the most crucial factor in successfully preparing for the GMAT.

In this article, we will give you helpful tips to prepare for the GMAT from home effectively and at your own pace. To help you reach your target GMAT score, we will discuss:

If you are planning to take the GMAT, we can help you with a personalized study plan and give you access to quality online content to prepare. Write to us at acethegmat@e-gmat.com. We are the most reviewed GMAT prep company on GMAT club with more than 2500 reviews and are the only prep company that has delivered more than 700+ scores than any other GMAT club partner. Why don’t you take a free trial and judge for yourself?

3 Tips – How to prepare for GMAT at home

1. Tip 1- Find a designated study zone
2. Tip 2- Make sure you don’t get distracted
3. Tip 3- Take breaks during preparation

Keeping yourself focused during your GMAT preparation is the most crucial factor to make your GMAT preparation from home successful. Here are our three dependable tips to keep you organized and attentive during your GMAT preparation.

Tip #1 – Find a designated study zone

The place of study plays a crucial role in your preparation. If you don’t find a designated zone to study, it can hamper your preparation efficiency. If you change the study spot frequently, you’ll end up spending additional time to get accustomed to the new zone every time. Follow this checklist when you choose a study zone at your home:

1. Quiet area – Make sure the spot is away from external noise disturbances like traffic, construction areas.
2. Well-lit – Spot must have ambient light throughout the day. Low light will put a strain on your eyes and reduce the efficiency of learning.
3. Fewer things to distract – it should be a clear workspace with only essential items needed to study and write.
4. Alternate study zone – Always find a backup study zone which meets all the requirement mentioned above. In case you need to shift your current study zone, you don’t have to spend time to find a new appropriate place.

Tip #2 – Make sure you don’t get distracted

Focus is the key to having an efficient GMAT preparation from home.  It is easy to get distracted during your preparation and lose your focus. Notification from any app you use is enough to take your attention away. Rather than just being physically present in your study zone, you must make sure you are mentally focused. Here are a few tips to stay focused during your GMAT preparation at home:

1. Keep your mobile phone on ‘Do not disturb’ mode – You are just a social media notification away from getting distracted. Therefore, before you start studying, make sure you keep away your mobile device. If you are waiting for an urgent call and don’t want to keep your phone on Do Not Disturb mode, there are numerous mobile applications available to help you remained focused.
2. Close all irrelevant browser tabs – If you are preparing using Online courses, chances to get distracted through other browser tabs are very high. One of our favourite tab management application, which can be the right solution for this is OneTab.
3. Maintain your energy levels – Never start your study with an empty stomach. Lack of food may cause low blood sugar and will reduce the efficiency of your brain. So, make sure you eat nutritious food and keep yourself hydrated before you start studying.
4. Use noise-cancelling headphones – You can wear noise-cancelling headphones to isolate yourself from external disturbances.
5. Finish your to-do list – Get done with your chores before starting your studies so that your mind doesn’t keep bugging you with unfinished work.

Tip #3 – Take breaks during preparation

Taking timed breaks have a positive impact on the quality of your preparation. According to a medical study, taking breaks boost the overall productivity and help you to focus more. Follow the below-given tips to take a constructive study break.

1. Reward yourself – According to the Department of Psychiatry of the University of California, Reward-motivated learning improves your memory. Break down your study chapters into small checkpoints. Reward yourself with a break when you reach the checkpoints.
2. Take regular short breaks – Always make sure your study breaks are short and frequent. Long study breaks may take away your attention. Aspirants struggle to get back to study mood after taking a more extended break as it disrupts the study pattern.
3. Stay away from social media – You must curb the tendency to surf through social media during the break. Features like Infinite Scrolling (loading content uninterruptedly as the user scrolls down) and Auto-play (playing video one after another).
4. Get moving – Getting up and stretching your body will help you to improve your blood circulation to the brain after sitting for a longer duration. According to a Harvard Medical School study, exercise improves those parts of your brain which control thinking and memory. Physical activities will also:
   1. Enhances sleep quality
   2. Reduces stress & anxiety
   3. Improve your mood

Recommended Further Reading: GMAT Preparation Tips and Best Practices

How to start your GMAT preparation at home?

Now that you are equipped to start your preparation. We will discuss how you should start the preparation.

Three steps to start your GMAT preparation at home:

1. To begin with, you can attend a Free Strategy Webinar in which GMAT experts will give you clarity about GMAT testing algorithm, skill sets required to score high on the GMAT, and how to create a personalized study plan.
2. Next, assess your current ability level. If you have taken your GMAT already, you can consider your current score as your starting score. If you are preparing for your first GMAT attempt, you can take a free online Verbal diagnostic quiz and Quant diagnostic quiz to find your starting point. Diagnostic quizzes will help you to determine your strength and weakness.
3. If you haven’t decided on your target GMAT score yet, we can help you with the GMAT Personalized Study Planner. This session will also help you determine the quant and verbal scores you should get to reach your target GMAT score. Below given is a sample output provided by the tool for an aspirant whose starting score is 600, and the target score is GMAT 730.

The purpose of finding your target GMAT score is to identify the gap you would have to fill.

At e-GMAT, we strive to make the students’ life easier at every level and therefore, we have built this fantastic tool called the GMAT Personalized Study Planner. With this tool, you can not only find out the Quant and Verbal Sectional scores but also Sub-sectional scores in Quant (Algebra, Arithmetic, etc.) and Verbal (CR, RC, and SC) to achieve your target GMAT Score! Moreover, this tool will craft your very own study plan in 5 minutes. Register for our FREE Trial and create your personalized study plan in 5 mins!

Why should you prepare for GMAT online?

GMAT online preparation resources are better than preparing using GMAT books based on our experience of interacting with over 10,000 GMAT aspirants who have used both GMAT Books and Online Resources. Based on our findings, here are the top reasons why you should prefer GMAT Online resources over GMAT Books:

1. Engaging your visual and audio senses will help you focus more and learn a concept more effectively as compared to books. You will take less time for GMAT preparation using online resources as it will help you to save time during revision.
2. GMAT is an Online test. If you are preparing only from books, you need to put extra effort into the transition from books to preparing on a computer. Training yourself on a computer during GMAT preparation will help you to save the time you need to spend on the transition.
3. Online GMAT content always keeps updating according to changes GMAC makes in the GMAT exam. But, for a book to adapt, it should be reprinted.
4. If you are preparing using online courses, you can ask queries to GMAT experts on forums like e-GMAT. Most of the time, you will find answers to common doubts already answered by the expert in such forums. You don’t need to wait for days to get your doubts cleared — this will help you to save time during preparation.

Read our detailed article on comparing the best books and resources for GMAT preparation.

How much time do you need to reach your target GMAT score?

GMAT aspirants find it difficult to create a study plan based on target GMAT score, and the time they have. We recommend you to use the GMAT Personalized Study Planner tool to create a customized study plan. You need to enter your target score, your estimated GMAT date, and the time you can allocate for your preparation. This tool will provide you with a study plan which will even elaborate on how much time you must spend on each subsection.

While allocating time for preparation, make sure to be realistic. Never underestimate the time required for your preparation. Rigorous and stretched plans can discourage you and reduce efficiency. You should find a balance between your work, social life, and home. A balanced lifestyle will keep you energetic, and improve your focus.

There can be a few instances where you are not able to keep up with the plan. If you are not able to find time during weekdays, compensate for that by putting extra effort during the weekend.

Here’s another article that you may find useful – How long does it take to prepare for the GMAT?

Can I prepare for GMAT on my own?

Preparing for the GMAT from home could have sounded impractical a decade back. But with the help of technology and Online Resources available, most of the GMAT aspirants prefer preparing for GMAT from home. You can also successfully prepare for the GMAT from your home and reach your target score by following these tips:

1. Find a designated Study zone that is quiet, well lit, and keep you focused.
2. Make sure you don’t get distracted.
3. Take timed short breaks during preparation to improve productivity.

We can help you prepare for the GMAT with quality online content to prepare. We are the most reviewed GMAT prep company on gmatclub with more than 2500 reviews. Why don’t you take a free trial and judge for yourself? Write to us at acethegmat@e-gmat.com in case of any queries.