Whether you’re an active student who loves to participate in class or a passive student who keenly observes what is being taught, GMAT classes today are tailored to suit your specific needs. Enrolling in a GMAT prep class has great benefits. From access to various study materials to getting doubts solved instantly by experts, GMAT prep classes provide you all the necessary resources to help you prepare for the test. Read this article to learn more about how to find a GMAT prep programme that’s tailored for you and helps you study at your pace and convenience.

What Do GMAT Prep Programmes Include?

Each GMAT prep programme offered by an institute has its own unique feature. While some may deploy advanced technological software to help you understand and take tests, others may offer industry-leading faculty to offer you the support and guidance to overcome any challenges. Either way, you should be aware of what you need to help you prepare for the GMAT. Here is a list of features we’ve gathered to help you analyse a GMAT prep course and whether it has what you’re looking for.  

• Classroom learning: Provides access to faculty, a healthy competitive environment with fellow students, study groups and the sharing of information are all positive aspects of classroom coaching. Solutions and explanations to problems are easy to find because you can directly address the questions to the faculty. However, the major drawback to classroom learning is that you have to move along with the pace of the class. Hence, if you need to hurry up or slow down in your preparation the next feature on our list will be more beneficial to you.
• Online Prep: Includes mostly video lectures, sometimes interactive through chat interfaces or limited-access microphones. The main advantage is that you can pick and choose the time and place that is convenient to you. Many institutions, including CareerLabs, offer easy doubt solving over video chat so that there is no delay in clearing your doubts and keeping you waiting.
• Books: When you enrol with any GMAT prep programme you will be provided with a set of books to help you prepare. It is essential that you are provided with the official GMAT guide since the official guide includes the exact exam questions for you to practice and a self-diagnosis test to prepare from.    
• Tablets: With the outbreak of COVID-19 and the lockdowns implemented by governments across the globe, more and more test-prep courses have gone mobile and offer coaching over apps. This mode has gained popularity especially when you can work with dynamic question sets. The biggest attraction, of course, is the learn-as-you-go feature that offers you great flexibility.
• Personal tutoring: Much like attending tuition classes, personal tutoring offers personalized attention and helps to overcome challenges associated with specific topics of the GMAT syllabus. However, finding good tutors is hard and could cost a lot. Furthermore, you may not have the luxury to study at your own pace and may have to end up taking the classes on the time and terms stated by the tutor.

While each method of preparation has its advantages and drawbacks, there is honestly no one solution that fits everyone. Most test takers do well by opting for a classroom course and augmenting it with some self-prep of their own. Others take a basic classroom course and then take a refresher course or advanced course online. If money and scheduling is not a problem, you could even consider working with a personal tutor for the more complicated topics, and then self-prep through online courses and practice tests.

However, if there’s one solution that works for everyone then it is to choose the GMAT prep programme that works for you and not what worked for your friend or relative. Hence, you must try out each prep course by enrolling in a trial session before making your decision. So, sign up for free demos of online courses and attend trial sessions of classroom courses to understand what works best for you. You should also definitely talk to GMAT experts to create a tailor-made program that suits your learning style and schedule.

Now that we have mentioned the features of a personalised GMAT prep programme and what to look for when selecting one, you’re better positioned to carry out your own research and enrol in a course that works best for you.