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  4. How Long Does It Take to Prepare for the GMAT Exam

How long does it take to prepare for the GMAT™ exam?

Preparation is key to a successful GMAT™ exam and good preparation starts with a solid study plan. Use our interactive tool to estimate your required study time and receive a study plan tailored to your available time.

The tool is based on self-reported data from GMAT test takers around the world – while this can provide a good indication of the preparation required, the exact amount of study time to achieve a certain score will vary from candidate to candidate.

Get started by providing us with a little information about yourself in the panel below.

About you

hours per week is equal to…

Watching episodes of
the Big Bang Theory

Don’t worry, you don’t need to be as smart as Sheldon to do well on the GMAT exam!

hours per week is equal to…

Commuting minutes per day

People around the world spend on average 69 minutes commuting every day. The longest commutes can be found in Israel with 97 minutes daily while Japan has the lowest average with only 39 minutes.

hours per week is equal to…

Browsing minutes per day on Instagram

There are 95 million new photos and videos shared every day!

Or reading tweets every day

On average people read 250 words per minute.

With hours per week it would take you weeks to prepare for the GMAT exam.

The median hours of preparation for candidates in who achieve a score of is hours of total preparation.

Is the application deadline approaching and do you need your GMAT score sooner? Maybe you can free up more time than you think!

(Tip: It takes up to 20 days for the schools to receive your GMAT score after you take the exam, if you plan to sit the exam a second time you need to wait for 16 days – it is advisable to schedule your first GMAT exam well ahead of any application deadlines!)

Could you reduce the time you watch TV (Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Youku etc.) or play video games?

Free up hours per week

Could you study for the GMAT while traveling or commuting to work/university?

Official GMAT Prep is available via an app for study on-the-go – but safety comes first, don’t do this while driving, cycling or walking!

Free up hours per week

Could you reduce the time you spend on social media?

On average, people spend 2 hours 22 minutes on social media every day!

Free up hours per week

You’ve added more hours per week to study for the GMAT exam – you’re now spending hours every week to prepare for the GMAT exam and it will take you about weeks to prepare.

How best to structure your preparation? Download your personalized study plan below!

Fill in the form below to download your study plan