Having a GMAT strategy is crucial for your GMAT study plans. Before you take the GMAT, you’re going to need a game plan. Otherwise, you’ll easily waste a lot of valuable time. How much time will you budget? What resources will you use? How much time will you spend on each section? How many practice exams will you try to take and from where? When during the calendar year will you study for the exam and when will you actually register to take it?

These are all questions that you as an MBA candidate need to juggle with. Generally, first round applications for MBA programs are due in September/October while second round applications are due in January. For the prudent test taker, you’re going to want to allocate at least 1 month for the GMAT and 1 month for essays. So if you are applying for round 1 applications, then you should plan on taking your GMAT in July or August. So that means you need to start studying for the GMAT in June. Perhaps you should start researching which GMAT program you should take in May to find which program is most suitable for you.

So you see there’s quite a bit of planning. Then again, the dates suggested above are in the middle of the summer. Do you really want to spend your summer studying instead of enjoying the great weather outside? If you want to plan to enjoy your summer, then you’re going to need to plan to study for the GMAT earlier in the year. Taking the GMAT as early as April is possible. You would then preparing during the cold winter months from January to March. Coincidentally, this is also the time when round 2 applications are due for the previous year.

Whatever the case may be, make sure you plan out your calendar so you know which calendar month you want to take the GMAT. Besides planning to take the GMAT, there’s also quite a bit of strategy involved with the GMAT itself. If you’re aiming for a score above 700, you’re going to need to recognize the importance of doing well on the verbal section of the exam.

If you’re an engineer with a strong quant score but a weak verbal score, you should watch out. Admissions committees want a balanced score. So depend on doing really well on one section so that your overall score looks good. Admissions members actually look at the breakdown of your score to make sure you appear to be a balanced MBA candidate before looking at the rest of your application.