GMAT Strategy

Hi abhishekshukla195,

With a 620 score, you're closer to a 650 score than you probably realize. As such, you really have to take a good look at WHY you're getting questions wrong when you take your practice CATs. Fixing the 'little mistakes' you make is probably all that you'll need to fix to pick up those missing points. Before I can offer you the specific advice that you're looking for, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

Studies:
1) How long have you studied?
2) What materials have you used?
3) How have you scored on each of your CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)?

Goals:
4) What is your goal score?
5) When are you planning to take the GMAT?
6) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
7) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Hi abhishekshukla195,

From your original post, it was not clear that you wanted to focus on improving your math skills. For free math practice and help, I recommend that you set up an account at Khan Academy (www.khanacademy.org). The site is completely free and makes the learning a bit more fun and 'game-like' (as opposed to the dry academic approach taken by most books). While the site is vast, you should limit your studies to basic Arithmetic, Algebra and Geometry. After spending a little time re-building those math skills, you can start your GMAT studies.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

There are a lot of great websites out there to learn basic math concepts (like Khan Academy), however none of them address GMAT-specific concepts and strategies (data sufficiency strategies for one). Also, users are often exposed to concepts that are not tested on the GMAT. For example, if you look at the Basic Geometry module on Khan Academy, you'll find that many of the concepts covered are not tested on the GMAT. Finally, many of Khan's modules assume that you have a calculator available, but you don't get to use a calculator for the quant section of the GMAT.

If possible, I suggest that you stick with resources that were specifically created for the GMAT. Our free video course starts with the most basic concepts and works up to 800-level concepts. I'm sure there are other courses that do the same.

NOTE: Throughout our videos, we often direct students to reinforce learning via very specific Khan Academy videos and quizzes, but the goal is to first present concepts in the context of preparing for the GMAT.

Cheers,
Brent

Hi abhishekshukla1995,

Since you have not studied math in quite some time, you probably want to take a slow and steady approach to relearning the math tested on the GMAT, ensuring that you are able to master the fundamental concepts of GMAT quant prior to moving on to more advanced topics. So, for example, you might start with basic fraction operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division), manipulation of base algebraic equations, solving quadratic equations, basics of data sufficiency, etc. Once you master those basic concepts, you will find it much easier to learn more advanced GMAT quant topics.

When studying GMAT quant, since there is so much content to learn, you may find it helpful to take an approach that allows you to learn one topic at a time and follow up your learning with specific practice. In other words, you want to master one topic before you move to the next.

For example, if you are reviewing percents, you want to make sure you cover as much as possible about percents: percent less than, percent greater than, variable percents, and percent change. Then you will want to do many practice problems on percents (50 or more). The results of that practice will help you determine how well you have mastered that topic. Such a process will be helpful for all topics tested on the GMAT.

With regard to study materials, there are many options to help you with GMAT quant. To determine which course may be the best fit for you, you can check out the verified course reviews here.

Most online study courses also offer some sort of free or low-cost trial. My course, Target Test Prep, offers a full-access $1 trial that expires after 5 days. The course is quite robust, with 20 chapters and 3,000+ practice GMAT quant questions. Additionally, we've been able to help students who, like you, have needed help relearning all aspects of GMAT quant.

If you have any further questions, feel free to contact me directly.