GMAT Strategy

Hi Beat the GMAT folks,

After studying since early July I took the GMAT for the first time yesterday and got the VERY lopsided score of 48 on Verbal and 39 on Quant. While I'm relatively happy with the composite score of 710, I'm pretty sure the more competitive B schools would cringe at that bottom 43 percentile Quant score, especially because I have a pretty weak quantitative background in general.

Ironically, I didn't study Verbal for more than 20 minutes beyond taking full practice exams and I've studied Quant every single day for 3+ hours a day since July. I hadn't studied any math since high school and it basically felt like re-learning everything from the beginning, not to mention that I have very little natural affinity for it. My practice test scores started very low at around 36 for Quant, but as time went on I was consistently scoring respectable 44-46's on practice exams (my last 5 practice tests were all in this range). I was really hoping to at least get in the low 40's and squeak by with a 60th percentile Quant score but apparently under pressure I wasn't able to do it. Obviously most people take the test multiple times but before I start studying again I would like to change my patterns so I get more return on my time.

If anyone has any advice around these points specifically I would really appreciate it:

1. Approaches for people who are good at verbal and just can't seem to "get" math. Obviously I am not a bad test taker in general, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to pull off that Verbal score. But as soon as I start doing math I feel like my reasoning skills evaporate and I just stand there blinking like a deer in headlights. I'm generally good at logic but when I need to do a DS question, even one that requires very few calculations, my brain feels clumsy and all of a sudden I'm like the Incredible Hulk trying to perform open heart surgery with my giant monster hands. What can I do to apply my generally strong reasoning skills to mathematical concepts without getting so flustered? No matter how many practice questions I do it just feels like they rarely become clearer...

2. Advice for people who really struggle doing math quickly/in their heads. This one is trickier - I think that a lot of my issues with the Quant section have stem from the fact that I have a slight visual learning disability, sort of akin to dyslexia, where I think one symbol but actually end up writing a different symbol... for example I could not, for the life of me, tell the difference between a "b" and a "d" until I was about 9 years old. With the use of calculators and word processors this problem barely affected my academic performance throughout high school and college, but now that I'm studying for the GMAT and I can't use a calculator to keep my numbers straight I am kind of screwed. I've found that with a lot of problems I'm getting all the way to the end of my calculations and realizing that I messed up somewhere by writing something ridiculous like 5 x 8 is 30, wasting tons of time in the process. I know that rote practice is supposed to help address this, but I feel like I really need to go beyond that. On the majority of the practice tests I've ended up rushing significantly towards the end and guessing on the last few questions because the math just takes me so long.

3. Staying focused on math when you loathe every godawful, excruciating second of it. Both 1 and 2 contribute to a looming sense of discomfort and anxiety when it comes to math and this both clouds my judgement and makes it difficult to use good time management. I did a whole lot of meditation leading up to the test, almost completely stopped drinking coffee and alcohol, and cut down significantly on social media use, all in order to cut down on my anxiety and have a clear head for the exam. On test day I was calm, but somehow not completely present for the Quant section. After I walked out of the test center I realized that I couldn't recall a single math question I had answered on the test, so while I wasn't sitting there hyperventilating I also wasn't fully focused and engaged. How do I say focused on concepts that are so hard for me to engage with to begin with?

My study regimen thus far:
-Veritas course July-August, completed all problems sets, attended all lessons, followed up with refreshers by watching their online lessons. I think their content was good but the class was very fast-paced and I was so behind in math to begin with that I think a lot of the higher-level concepts were lost on me.
- During the course I did a good number of really basic math drills to practice mental math (this helped a little but felt too tedious... maybe not continuing here was my mistake).
-After the course ended, I started prepping with Magoosh. This helped a lot because I felt that the Magoosh videos did a good job of breaking down the math concepts into much more digestible parts than Vertias. However, even when I felt like I had a pretty good foundation in the basics, I still struggled a lot to access my knowledge under time pressure.
- 1-2 practice tests a week since August (Scores: GMAC 630, Veritas 730, Magoosh 680, GMAC 680, Veritas 740, GMAC 740, Veritas 730, Veritas 740, Veritas 740).
- Flash cards to remember basic math concepts
- Practice problems every day
- OG 2014, but I used Magoosh and Veritas questions more because I prefer their online interfaces

Thanks so much for any advice!!!

Katherine

Hi Katherine,

First of all, a 710 is super-respectable, so congrats!! It's not uncommon for students to be "lopsided" in the way you describe.

When you reviewed your practice CATs, did you do any type of Error Log to track specifically what TYPE of Quant questions you were getting wrong, both by Q-type AND Concepts Tested? See attachment for example.

A few more specific notes on your points:

1) What is your Step-by-Step approach for DS and PS questions? If you had to break it down ("Step 1...Step 2..., etc.) how would you? Esp. for DS, I find that carefully considering the difference between Y/N and Value questions is KEY. Also, it might help you to start writing down what kind of information you need in order to have sufficiency BEFORE evaluating the statements. In effect writing down a prediction for DS just like you likely do in RC and CR.

2) Who says it has to be done in your head? Your scratch pad is your BEST FRIEND on the GMAT. Don't do ANYTHING in your head. I'd also suggest including more pacing drills in your practice so you can challenge yourself under timed conditions. It's usually when we're 1) rushing, and 2) trying to do math in our heads, that we make simple math errors. You may also find it helpful to create flashcards to drill multiplication tables/divisibility rules/formulas/etc. so they "stick" a bit better for you. I am sure there are also Math videos geared towards those with dsylexia, etc. but I think you're beyond most of that stuff, tbh.

3) Find the FUN in calling the GMAT on their b/s (pardon my language). The most successful GMAT test-takers recognize exactly what a question is testing and can *SEE* what the GMAT is trying to do. Think of it like finding out how a magician performs his tricks. You may also need to challenge yourself with alternate solving methods. Check out MGMAT's Advanced Quant book.

Feel free to email me if you have more specific questions. I think pinpointing via an Error Log what types of Quant you miss the most often and honing in on those concepts, 1-2 at a time, will yield the most results.

Good luck!