If you plan on going to business school, then you’ll have to successfully complete the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) that is now taken by about 250,000 people annually.

How you do will help determine whether or not you get accepted into business school to pursue an MBA. So, you obviously need to take the GMAT seriously. That means studying hard.

But how do you juggle all the assignments, course readings and presentations you need to keep up with during the school year with the exhaustive task of studying for the GMAT? The answer is that you should do most of your GMAT studying during the summer break.

While there is no doubt more enjoyable things to do when the weather is balmy, the benefits of using the summer break to prepare for the exam will definitely be worth it in the long run. Here are some tips to get the most out of your GMAT study sessions this summer:

Maximize Study Time

Using your summer break to prepare for the GMAT will help you to make the most of your study time since there will likely be fewer things to do on your schedule once final exams are wrapped up. With more time on your hands, you’ll really be able to hit the books.

In 2013, more than 50% of test takers said that they spent no less than 51 hours studying for the GMAT. Also, consider that some people actually need several months — even up to a year — to prepare. Whether you need one month or several months, studying over the course of the summer break can provide you with more time to focus on studying for the GMAT.

Choose Proper Study Material

While it might be tempting to buy any and all preparation materials that you can get your hands on, you may end up with information overload, which can hamper your study efforts. Your best best is to do some research and to select a few study materials produced by reputable companies.

Develop a Study Plan

It’s been said that people who fail to plan, plan to fail. There’s more truth to that statement than you might think. You definitely need to develop a study plan when preparing for the GMAT. Again, it might be easier for you to do this during the summer break than during the school year since you will be able to focus more on GMAT preparation without having to worry about classwork.

Practice, Practice, Practice

As part of your studying, you should take practice GMAT exams, and be sure to time yourself so that you can get used to completing the test within the allowable time frame. When the time arrives for you to take the real test, you’ll get docked points if any questions are left unanswered, so it makes sense to practice not only answering the questions, but also completing everything on time.

Get Help as Needed

The GMAT will focus on various subject areas, and this means that there may be one or more areas where you might need a bit of help. If, say, you need to brush up on your mathematics skills, then you should consider getting some help from a tutor or a GMAT prep course. Your summer break schedule should provide you with the flexibility needed to get whatever help you need.

The GMAT is obviously a serious matter, and you’ll want to study properly to be prepared. If you really want to give yourself the best possible chance of scoring well, then it makes sense to incorporate your summer break months into your preparation period. It’ll be worth it in the end.