GMAT · Learn · 30 October 2026 · 6 min read
A 10-week GMAT Focus study plan
A ten-week GMAT Focus study plan: a diagnostic test, Quant, Verbal and Data Insights blocks, error logs, timed sections and full practice exams.
Most people preparing for the GMAT Focus Edition are fitting study around work or classes. The plan below spreads preparation over ten weeks at about 8 to 10 hours a week: short sessions on weekdays and a longer one on the weekend. If you have more time each week, you can compress it; if you have less, stretch it, but keep the order.
The plan is built for the current exam: three 45-minute sections, Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning and Data Insights, with no essay, no Sentence Correction and no geometry. If your materials were written for the older GMAT, check them against our GMAT Focus format guide before you use them.
Before you start: a diagnostic test
In week 1, take a full-length practice exam under real conditions: all three sections, timed, with the optional break. The free official practice exams on mba.com are the closest match to the real test. Our GMAT hub also has practice in the real format.
Record:
- your score in each section;
- the question types where you missed the most;
- whether you finished each section, and how much time you had left.
Also set a target. Look up the scores reported by the programs you are interested in, then decide on a realistic goal. Your diagnostic tells you how far you have to go.
The shape of the ten weeks
| Weeks | Focus |
|---|---|
| 1 | Diagnostic, format and error log |
| 2–3 | Quantitative Reasoning |
| 4–5 | Verbal Reasoning |
| 6–7 | Data Insights |
| 8 | Weakest section, mixed timed sets |
| 9 | Full practice exams and section order |
| 10 | Final exam, light review, rest |
You may want to reorder weeks 2 to 7 so your weakest section comes first. That is fine, as long as each section gets its block.
Week 1: diagnostic and setup
- Take the diagnostic exam.
- Read our guides to pacing, review and score reporting and the three section guides.
- Set up an error log: for every missed or guessed question, record the section, question type, topic, time spent and the reason (concept gap, misread, careless, timing).
Tip: log your guesses, not just your misses. A correct guess hides a gap that will show up later.
Weeks 2–3: Quantitative Reasoning
Quant has 21 questions, all problem solving, with no calculator. Read our Quantitative Reasoning guide.
Week 2: arithmetic. Number properties (factors, multiples, primes, odd and even, divisibility), fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios, rates and averages.
Week 3: algebra and word problems. Linear and quadratic equations, inequalities, exponents and roots, functions, and word problems on work, mixtures, interest and sets.
In each week:
- review concepts in short sessions;
- do untimed sets until the method is clear, then timed sets of 10 questions in about 21 minutes;
- practice mental arithmetic and estimation, because there is no calculator.
Weeks 4–5: Verbal Reasoning
Verbal has 23 questions: Reading Comprehension and Critical Reasoning. Read our Verbal Reasoning guide.
Week 4: Critical Reasoning. Learn to find the conclusion and premises of an argument, and to spot the assumption linking them. Practice the main question families: strengthen, weaken, assumption, evaluate, inference, and explain a discrepancy.
Week 5: Reading Comprehension. Read for structure: the main point, the purpose of each paragraph and the author's attitude. Practice main idea, detail, inference and function questions.
Tip: for Critical Reasoning, write the conclusion in a few words before looking at the choices. Many wrong answers are attractive because they relate to the topic, not to the conclusion.
Weeks 6–7: Data Insights
Data Insights has 20 questions across five types, with an on-screen calculator. Read our Data Insights overview and our guide to how to approach Data Insights.
Week 6: Data Sufficiency and Two-Part Analysis. Learn the Data Sufficiency method in our Data Sufficiency guide, then the Two-Part Analysis guide.
Week 7: Multi-Source Reasoning, Table Analysis and Graphics Interpretation. Use our guide to Multi-Source Reasoning, Table Analysis and Graphics Interpretation. Practice sorting tables, reading graph scales and moving between tabs.
Remember that multi-part questions give no partial credit: every part must be right.
Week 8: weakest section and mixed sets
Go back to your error log and identify:
- your weakest section;
- your three most-missed question types;
- your most common reason for errors.
Spend half the week on these. Use the other half for mixed timed sets from all three sections, so earlier work stays fresh.
If careless errors or misreads dominate your log, the fix is process, not more content: slow down on reading the question, and check what is actually asked before calculating.
Week 9: full exams and section order
- Take two full practice exams, several days apart.
- Try a different section order in each. You choose the order on test day; find the one that suits you.
- Practice using review and edit: bookmark questions as you go, and if you have time left at the end of a section, review them. You can change up to three answers per section.
- Review each exam thoroughly before the next.
Week 10: final exam and rest
- Early in the week: a final full practice exam in your chosen section order.
- Midweek: short sets on your error log topics only.
- Two days before: check your appointment, ID requirements and test-day rules on mba.com. If you are testing online, check your equipment and room.
- The day before: rest.
Pacing reminders
- Each section is 45 minutes. That is about 2 minutes per question in Quant, a little less in Verbal and a little more in Data Insights.
- Unanswered questions at the end of a section count against you, so finish every section.
- If a question has taken about three minutes without a clear path, make your best choice, bookmark it and move on.
If you have less time
- Six weeks: combine weeks 2–3, 4–5 and 6–7 into one week each, and keep weeks 8–10.
- Four weeks: one week per section focusing on your error log, then a final week of full exams.
If your score is stuck
- Review more and test less. A full exam without careful review teaches little. Our note on practice tests and active recall explains why.
- Look at timing in your error log. Many scores are held down by a few questions that take far too long.
- Make sure all your practice material matches the Focus Edition.
For registration, test dates, fees and score policies, always check mba.com.