u/VegetableDivide7623

I’m looking for advice on the best GMAT prep program for my situation.

Current score: around 530
Target score: 650–680
Timeline: ideally 4–6 months
Study time available: around 12–15 hours/week

I’m very busy with work and other responsibilities, so I don’t want to spend time building my own study schedule or constantly figuring out what to study next.

What I’m looking for is a very structured, disciplined program that basically tells me:

• on Monday, study this for 2 hours
• on Tuesday, do these exercises
• this week focus on this topic
• next week move to this topic
• etc.

I learn best with video explanations and a centralized platform where everything is organized:

• lessons
• practice questions
• mocks
• analytics
• study plan
• revision structure

Basically, I want something I can just follow consistently without overthinking the process, complete the program over 4–6 months, take the exam, hit 650–680, and move on with my life.

I’ve been looking at e-GMAT, Target Test Prep, Manhattan Prep, etc., but I’d love feedback from people who had a similar profile (busy schedule + limited weekly study hours + need for strong structure).

Which program would you recommend most in my case and why?

thanks a lot for any advice guys.

Hey everyone,

I just took my first GMAT mock exam and got a 530, which honestly feels pretty bad. I realized very quickly that I don’t really know what I’m doing yet, especially on Quant. English is also not my first language, so I struggled quite a bit with the Verbal section as well.

My target score would ideally be around 700 by February. I know that’s a big jump, but I’m usually a pretty quick learner when I have the right structure and materials.

The challenge is that I currently work two jobs full time, so my schedule is pretty busy. Realistically, I can dedicate around 12 hours per week consistently to studying.

I’d really appreciate advice from people who improved significantly from a lower starting score:

• What materials would you personally recommend?
• If you had around a $1000 budget, how would you allocate it?
• Is something like Target Test Prep worth it?
• What would you prioritize first for someone at my level?
• Do you think 530 → 700 by February is realistically achievable with ~12 hours/week?

Would love any honest advice or study plans that worked for you.