How do I prepare for the GAT? A practical 8-week plan

01Week 1: diagnose your level before you study

Start with a full timed GAT practice test. Do not study anything before it. The goal is to learn your real percentage in quantitative and in verbal, and which question types are costing you marks. That result is the baseline you will measure your progress against.

02Weeks 2–3: close the biggest gaps

Take your two weakest question types (say geometry and analogies) and give them 20 minutes a day. In quantitative: revise the formulas and solve 10 questions of the same type. In verbal: read a short passage and answer its questions, and practise stating the relationship in analogies.

Do not try to cover everything; the biggest gaps come first because they give the largest jump in score.

03Weeks 4–7: a weekly test plus review

This is where the pattern that makes the difference begins: one timed practice test each week, then one hour reviewing every mistake. Write the reason next to each one: forgotten formula, rushed reading, misunderstood relationship. After four weeks you will notice your reasons repeat — and that is exactly what you fix.

Watch your percentage curve week by week; if it stops climbing, change the question type you are focusing on.

04Week 8: a full simulation and enough sleep

One last simulation at a time similar to your real exam slot, then a light revision of formulas only. Do not solve new questions in the final two days; a good night’s sleep raises your score more than 50 extra questions.

05Common preparation mistakes

• Solving hundreds of questions without reviewing mistakes.
• Memorising old papers instead of understanding the method.
• Neglecting verbal because it is “just language”.
• Leaving timed practice until the last week.