Away from maths for roughly 20 yrs
Away from maths for roughly 20 yrs
Mon Nov 28, 2011 8:08 am
Mon Nov 28, 2011 8:08 am
QuoteHi all!
Apologies in advance if this type of question has been posted before. I searched the forum and wasn't able to find any relevant posts.
I come from humanities and haven't studied any maths for roughly 20 years. So, I was wondering:
1. Considering my current maths level is fairly basic, how feasible is it to take the GMAT? Has this been attempted before?
2. What's the best way to prepare for the GMAT? Can I teach myself by means of textbooks/guides or should I also consider getting lessons?
3. In case this has been attempted before, any clue how long the GMAT preparation took (in months & hours/day)?
I'm not in a hurry to take the GMAT. For the time being I'm only exploring my career options, but I'd like to know how realistic a plan this is.
Many thanks!
Apologies in advance if this type of question has been posted before. I searched the forum and wasn't able to find any relevant posts.
I come from humanities and haven't studied any maths for roughly 20 years. So, I was wondering:
1. Considering my current maths level is fairly basic, how feasible is it to take the GMAT? Has this been attempted before?
2. What's the best way to prepare for the GMAT? Can I teach myself by means of textbooks/guides or should I also consider getting lessons?
3. In case this has been attempted before, any clue how long the GMAT preparation took (in months & hours/day)?
I'm not in a hurry to take the GMAT. For the time being I'm only exploring my career options, but I'd like to know how realistic a plan this is.
Many thanks!
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chieftang
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Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:59 am
ecabral wrote:
Howdy! Well, how strong is your basic math foundation from high school? Think algebra and geometry primarily. If you were strong in math back then and understood the concepts, then I'd think it will all come back fairly quickly with some practice. There are some other college level concepts such as combinatorics and probability (at least they were college level for me), that you may or may not be familiar with. But these are not tricky in concept.
Hi all!
Apologies in advance if this type of question has been posted before. I searched the forum and wasn't able to find any relevant posts.
I come from humanities and haven't studied any maths for roughly 20 years. So, I was wondering:
1. Considering my current maths level is fairly basic, how feasible is it to take the GMAT? Has this been attempted before?
2. What's the best way to prepare for the GMAT? Can I teach myself by means of textbooks/guides or should I also consider getting lessons?
3. In case this has been attempted before, any clue how long the GMAT preparation took (in months & hours/day)?
I'm not in a hurry to take the GMAT. For the time being I'm only exploring my career options, but I'd like to know how realistic a plan this is.
Many thanks!
Apologies in advance if this type of question has been posted before. I searched the forum and wasn't able to find any relevant posts.
I come from humanities and haven't studied any maths for roughly 20 years. So, I was wondering:
1. Considering my current maths level is fairly basic, how feasible is it to take the GMAT? Has this been attempted before?
2. What's the best way to prepare for the GMAT? Can I teach myself by means of textbooks/guides or should I also consider getting lessons?
3. In case this has been attempted before, any clue how long the GMAT preparation took (in months & hours/day)?
I'm not in a hurry to take the GMAT. For the time being I'm only exploring my career options, but I'd like to know how realistic a plan this is.
Many thanks!
I can't vouch for it personally, but the Manhattan Math Foundations text gets great reviews, and is probably a good starting place for yourself in order to relearn the concepts, and specifically those pertinent to the GMAT. Go to the Manhattan GMAT website, register, and then take the Basic Math Diagnostic test. Based on your score (out of 20 questions) you'll know how strong you are in the basics and how to get started studying. If you don't score at least 16 or so on these basic questions, then I'd think working through the Foundations text is warranted.
Fri Dec 02, 2011 3:06 am
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VivianKerr
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Tue Dec 20, 2011 11:46 am
Hi ecabral! Welcome!
1. Definitely feasible, but you may need to give yourself extra prep time. I'd plan for at least 6 months.
2. I'd start with self-study. After about 3 months of that, you'll be in a good position to determine what extra help you may need.
3. It's different for everyone, but I'd plan a basic structure of 10 hours a week for 6 months, with more hours as needed.
I suggest you pick up the OG Quantitative Review, Kaplan Math Workbook, and MGMAT Number Properties. Start with the first two, then move onto MGMAT NP.
Here are the main concepts you'll need to review:
Number Properties. The properties of odds and evens, integers, fractions, positives, and negatives will all appear in various questions on your GMAT test. Don’t ever make assumptions about unknown variables. Unless you are told otherwise by the limitations in the question, variables can be negative integers, negative fractions, zero, positive fractions, or positive integer. You may need to Pick Numbers from multiple categories before you can arrive at a correct answer.
Inequalities. Some of the hardest Data Sufficiency questions on the GMAT will involve inequalities. Usually they are combined with Number Properties to make them even more challenging. Remember that when you multiply or divide by a negative number, you must reverse the direction of the inequality.
Coordinate Geometry. Not only will you need to know the standard equations for a line, parabola, and circle, but also you will need to memorize the distance formula, the midpoint formula, the slope formula, the relationship between slopes and the different quadrants, properties of parallel, perpendicular, vertical, and horizontal lines, as well as the quadratic formula/discriminant.
Plane Geometry. Triangles are tested a lot on the GMAT. You should know the Pythagorean Theorem, Triangle Inequality Theorem, the special right triangles: 45-45-90 and 30-60-90, as well as the properties of isosceles and equilateral triangles. Other plane geometry concepts to review include angles, circles, and polygons. Make sure you know how to find the perimeter and area of all shapes, and be comfortable dividing irregular shapes into manageable pieces.
Rates & Work. The classic need-to-know formula on the GMAT is D = R x T, Distance = Rate x Time. This concept is most-tested in Word Problems, so you'll also need to build your confidence in translating Math to English.
Probability. The probability of an event occurring is the desired outcomes/total possible outcomes. The probability of two events occurring together is the product of the two probabilities. Memorize the combination and permutation formula and do a little digging around Beat the GMAT to tackle some harder Combinatorics questions.
Ratios and Proportions. A ratio is a relationship between two things. Given a ratio and one “real world” number, you can always set up a proportion to solve for the other missing “real world” number. Sometimes you will need to do this for similar triangles in Geometry, and sometimes in algebraic word problems.
Percents. For percent question with unknown starting values, always pick 100. Make sure to review profit and interest concepts and know the formulas for simple and compound interest. Remember to calculate percent questions carefully, step by step, especially in long Problem Solving questions.
Statistics. Although standard deviation is not really tested in-depth (you won't need to calculate it), you will need to know generally how it is calculated, how it relates to the mean, and what percent of a group falls within each standard deviation. The GMAT will test more often mean, median, mode, range, domain, and other questions involving sets. Make sure you know how to use a Venn diagram.
Systems of Linear Equations. You will need to be able to solve for a system of equations. Remember the “n equations with n variables” rule. If you have 2 variables, x and y, then you will need 2 equations with those 2 variables to solve for both. Familiarize yourself with Substitution and Combination.
You may also find resources like GMAT Club's Mathbook, Purple Math, Grockit, and these BTG forums helpful! Good luck with the prep!
1. Definitely feasible, but you may need to give yourself extra prep time. I'd plan for at least 6 months.
2. I'd start with self-study. After about 3 months of that, you'll be in a good position to determine what extra help you may need.
3. It's different for everyone, but I'd plan a basic structure of 10 hours a week for 6 months, with more hours as needed.
I suggest you pick up the OG Quantitative Review, Kaplan Math Workbook, and MGMAT Number Properties. Start with the first two, then move onto MGMAT NP.
Here are the main concepts you'll need to review:
Number Properties. The properties of odds and evens, integers, fractions, positives, and negatives will all appear in various questions on your GMAT test. Don’t ever make assumptions about unknown variables. Unless you are told otherwise by the limitations in the question, variables can be negative integers, negative fractions, zero, positive fractions, or positive integer. You may need to Pick Numbers from multiple categories before you can arrive at a correct answer.
Inequalities. Some of the hardest Data Sufficiency questions on the GMAT will involve inequalities. Usually they are combined with Number Properties to make them even more challenging. Remember that when you multiply or divide by a negative number, you must reverse the direction of the inequality.
Coordinate Geometry. Not only will you need to know the standard equations for a line, parabola, and circle, but also you will need to memorize the distance formula, the midpoint formula, the slope formula, the relationship between slopes and the different quadrants, properties of parallel, perpendicular, vertical, and horizontal lines, as well as the quadratic formula/discriminant.
Plane Geometry. Triangles are tested a lot on the GMAT. You should know the Pythagorean Theorem, Triangle Inequality Theorem, the special right triangles: 45-45-90 and 30-60-90, as well as the properties of isosceles and equilateral triangles. Other plane geometry concepts to review include angles, circles, and polygons. Make sure you know how to find the perimeter and area of all shapes, and be comfortable dividing irregular shapes into manageable pieces.
Rates & Work. The classic need-to-know formula on the GMAT is D = R x T, Distance = Rate x Time. This concept is most-tested in Word Problems, so you'll also need to build your confidence in translating Math to English.
Probability. The probability of an event occurring is the desired outcomes/total possible outcomes. The probability of two events occurring together is the product of the two probabilities. Memorize the combination and permutation formula and do a little digging around Beat the GMAT to tackle some harder Combinatorics questions.
Ratios and Proportions. A ratio is a relationship between two things. Given a ratio and one “real world” number, you can always set up a proportion to solve for the other missing “real world” number. Sometimes you will need to do this for similar triangles in Geometry, and sometimes in algebraic word problems.
Percents. For percent question with unknown starting values, always pick 100. Make sure to review profit and interest concepts and know the formulas for simple and compound interest. Remember to calculate percent questions carefully, step by step, especially in long Problem Solving questions.
Statistics. Although standard deviation is not really tested in-depth (you won't need to calculate it), you will need to know generally how it is calculated, how it relates to the mean, and what percent of a group falls within each standard deviation. The GMAT will test more often mean, median, mode, range, domain, and other questions involving sets. Make sure you know how to use a Venn diagram.
Systems of Linear Equations. You will need to be able to solve for a system of equations. Remember the “n equations with n variables” rule. If you have 2 variables, x and y, then you will need 2 equations with those 2 variables to solve for both. Familiarize yourself with Substitution and Combination.
You may also find resources like GMAT Club's Mathbook, Purple Math, Grockit, and these BTG forums helpful! Good luck with the prep!
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