BREAKING: Target Test Prep releases Brand New 2026 On Demand GMAT prep course

Redeem

Quant help

This topic has expert replies
Post new topic Post Reply
Previous Topic Next Topic
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 78
Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2013 5:03 am
Thanked: 9 times
Followed by:4 members
GMAT Score:700

Quant help

by shenoydevika » Wed Jan 23, 2013 9:28 pm
Hi all!

Ok. So my GMAT test date is Feb 21, 2013 and at this point, I feel absolutely unprepared. It is the quant section that is killing me. I have been doing consistently well on Verbal and I believe that with a little more practice, I can ace it. But Quant, ohmygawd QUANT!!!!

I haven't done math for 7 years and my skills are rusty. I have been brushing up on my basics for the past two weeks but I don't see much of an improvement. Right now, I have all these methods and strategies and formulae running through my brain and I am so confused as to what fits where!!!! Does anyone know of any strategy that could help me improve my math skills? I can devote upto 6 hours a day for math.
Top
Source: — GMAT Strategy |

GMAT/MBA Expert

User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 451
Joined: Thu Jan 21, 2010 11:58 am
Location: New York City
Thanked: 188 times
Followed by:120 members
GMAT Score:770

by Tommy Wallach » Wed Jan 23, 2013 10:08 pm
Hey Shenoy,

So, first the bad news, then the good news.

Bad news: Even though a month may feel like a long time, our student typically prepare for 3-4 months for the GMAT. So if you need to see massive improvement (I don't know what your current score or your goal is), it might be a stretch.

Good news: If you don't need to see massive improvement super quickly, there are tons of great ways to improve. Your question has been answered a lot of times here on the forums, so I encourage you to have a look around. What you need is a good set of GMAT books, and maybe a class. Also, if you feel you are really rusty, we have a book called Foundations of Math which will reintroduce you to all of the basics that are necessary for scoring well on the test. And just so you don't think I'm trying to sell you anything, there are plenty of other books out there that do the same thing. Just pick one, then pick up some more books, and start studying!

Oh, and one great advantage of a class is that it takes you through where and how every single math strategy shows up on the test.

Good luck!

-t
Tommy Wallach, Company Expert
ManhattanGMAT

If you found this posting mega-helpful, feel free to thank and/or follow me!
Top
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 38
Joined: Mon Mar 15, 2010 8:38 pm
Location: Mumbai
Thanked: 7 times
GMAT Score:710

by eki » Thu Jan 24, 2013 12:58 am
Hi Devika,

Since you just have about a month to prepare for Quant, I would advise you to keep it simple. Please stay away from things such as brutal quant, toughest PS/DS sets, 700+ quant questions. Your aim should be to reach a decent level. Please get your hands on Manhattan quant books. They are perfect for you as they have simple way of explaining things yet help you master the content. Finish the manhattan books (set of 5 ) and then start solving OG questions. Get OG12/13 and OG quant supplement. Solve them thoroughly and revise the incorrect ones properly.

Few more suggestions :
1. Stay away from non authentic sources. Stick to OG and GMAT Prep questions.
2. Do not ignore Verbal. This point is very important. Since you are already scoring well in verbal, capitalize on it.

All the Best.

regards,
Eki
Top

GMAT/MBA Expert

User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 16207
Joined: Mon Dec 08, 2008 6:26 pm
Location: Vancouver, BC
Thanked: 5254 times
Followed by:1268 members
GMAT Score:770

by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Thu Jan 24, 2013 7:55 am
As far as how one goes about improving in math, I believe that you should compartmentalize your learning and take the time to master each topic (e.g., percents, ratios, exponents, statistics, etc.).

This means that, for each topic, you should:
1) Learn the underlying concepts (rules, attributes, notation, etc.)
2) Learn GMAT-specific strategies related to that topic
3) Practice dozens of questions all related to that one topic.
4) Don't stop working on that topic until you have mastered it
Then, and only then, move on to the next topic.

I also suggest that you spend a lot of time reviewing the responses from the Experts on this site. They model the steps you should be taking when tackling math problems.

If you're interested, our online course starts with the most fundamental concepts and slowly builds on these foundations to cover everything the GMAT can throw at you.

Cheers,
Brent
Brent Hanneson - Creator of GMATPrepNow.com
Image
Top
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 78
Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2013 5:03 am
Thanked: 9 times
Followed by:4 members
GMAT Score:700

by shenoydevika » Thu Jan 24, 2013 10:07 pm
Thank you so much Tommy, Eki and Brent for your replies.

My target score is 680. I took the Princeton Review's free online GMAT exam yesterday and scored a 600 (V-32, Q-41) I scored low on verbal because I did that section when my neighbours were having repair work done.(After a point, I felt like they were hammering nails in my head) Also, I couldn't do the timed version of the test as there were a lot of unscheduled power cuts at home. But I tried to stick to two minutes per question on the Quant section and 1.5 minutes per question on the Verbal section.

I have the Foundations of Math, and the set of 10 Manhattan GMAT strategy books that I borrowed from a friend. I have been studying these in addition to Kaplan and the OG- 13th edition. But I'm still struggling on math questions and I haven't even moved to the tough questions. I study the concepts, even refer to my old text books from school, and work on problems. Once I feel I am pretty strong on a topic, I move on. But when I try a set of mixed problems, I get confused.

I am taking a class. I'm an Indian and this Centre (I don't want to name it) is famous for it's various training/coaching classes for competitive exams. But I don't think they are great at their GMAT coaching.

Is there anything else I can do to improve on my math?



I haven't stopped studying up on Verbal. I take a little too long on SC and I'm working on that. (I think I find SC a little tough because I have spent too much time speaking in slang Indian-English with my friends)
Top

GMAT/MBA Expert

User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 451
Joined: Thu Jan 21, 2010 11:58 am
Location: New York City
Thanked: 188 times
Followed by:120 members
GMAT Score:770

by Tommy Wallach » Thu Jan 24, 2013 11:11 pm
Hey Shenoy,

Lots of important advice here.

1) A practice test without test conditions is 100% useless. If there's noise from the neighbors, stop, and reset the test. And NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER take a test without the timer on. It's utterly useless. That score you posted doesn't mean anything at all. However much you think you kept to time, you didn't actually have any time pressure, so it's not mimicking the real test.

2) I would never use two company's books. This is for two reasons: 1) Sometimes there are disagreements, and that can get confusing. 2) You should not need that much material. No one does. So, whether you go with our books or someone else's, that should be plenty, along with the OGs, to get you where you need to go.

3) I like your process in terms of working a concept and then moving on. Reviewing your mixed set work will provide the key to improvement. Also, I recommend you go to your practice tests, and while reviewing them, make sure you can identify every question type ON SIGHT (the second you see it, you know what KIND of question it is). This is the key to not having confusion as you switch between questions. Keep in mind, it's difficult to be great at this before you've seen every category in your studies.

4) If you don't like the training options at your center, you should consider taking an online course with one of the reputable companies.

Hope that helps!

-t
Tommy Wallach, Company Expert
ManhattanGMAT

If you found this posting mega-helpful, feel free to thank and/or follow me!
Top
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 78
Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2013 5:03 am
Thanked: 9 times
Followed by:4 members
GMAT Score:700

by shenoydevika » Fri Jan 25, 2013 2:17 am
Thank you Tommy. That DOES help!

I am planning to take another practice test in the coming week and this time under proper testing conditions.
Top
User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 194
Joined: Mon Aug 20, 2012 6:05 pm
Location: India
Thanked: 26 times
Followed by:8 members
GMAT Score:730

by vomhorizon » Fri Jan 25, 2013 6:44 am
A practice test without test conditions is 100% useless. If there's noise from the neighbors, stop, and reset the test. And NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER take a test without the timer on. It's utterly useless. That score you posted doesn't mean anything at all. However much you think you kept to time, you didn't actually have any time pressure, so it's not mimicking the real test.
Totally agree , Took a MGMAT CAT some time back and got 14 incorrect when timed (75 mins per section) .. Immediately after the CAT ended (Both Q and V) I reviewed my performace and decided to re do the entire Q section without the timer ... I got only 5 questions incorrect and 1 not answered (did not finish the section) ... So the time definitly is an important factor with the GMAT as the tougher questions (both in Q and V, but more in Q) will push you to the limits and you need to have a firm hold on EXECUTION strategies in addition to grasping the concepts..

I am planning to take another practice test in the coming week and this time under proper testing conditions.
Have you taken a GMAT PREP Test ? If not then do so, to see where you are in both Q and V. Prep companies are not as good as the official CAT when it comes to accurate prediction of performance (they are great for practice). If you can ID'd areas where you are weak in and formulate a targeted program then it is possible to see an improvement in about a month. I am also aiming for a Mid-End Feb test date and have scored 45 , 47 Q on GMAT PREP , and 40 42 MGMAT so far . I am hoping that my targeted practice on areas which the MGMAT CAT's id'd as weak would get me towards the illusive 80th percentile in the real thing so with about 3-4 weeks left before G-Day i am in a similar boat as you.[/quote]
"When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you'll be successful." - Eric Thomas
Top
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 78
Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2013 5:03 am
Thanked: 9 times
Followed by:4 members
GMAT Score:700

by shenoydevika » Fri Jan 25, 2013 11:49 pm
Hello vomhorizon, I took a GMAT Prep Test two weeks ago and got a horribly low score on Quant. Will be attempting it again next week. I seem to be weak in almost all areas of math. It's so sad that it's funny. Anyway I have a lot of free time now which means more time for practice.

I hope you achieve your target score. All the best to you :)
Last edited by shenoydevika on Sat Jan 26, 2013 12:44 am, edited 1 time in total.
Top
User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 194
Joined: Mon Aug 20, 2012 6:05 pm
Location: India
Thanked: 26 times
Followed by:8 members
GMAT Score:730

by vomhorizon » Sat Jan 26, 2013 12:07 am
Hit the strategy guides ( I prefer MGMAT) and practice from the OG..Once you are able to solve all the OG13 questions within 2 minutes you will do very well. The tougher questions are essentially more complicated versions of easier questions (layered questions that test the same concepts as easy - medium level questions but involve grater degree of logic and deductive ability) so practice on easy-medium level questions the most. One advise i got was to practice 70% of my prep on Easy - Medium level question and only 30% on tougher 700-800 questions and that really helped me to improve from a q42 to a q47.
"When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you'll be successful." - Eric Thomas
Top
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 78
Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2013 5:03 am
Thanked: 9 times
Followed by:4 members
GMAT Score:700

by shenoydevika » Thu Feb 21, 2013 10:04 pm
Hey Tommy, Brent, Eki and Vomhorizon!

I gave the GMAT yesterday and received a raw score of 700 (Those scores won't change in the official total right?)

I got a 42 on Quant and 44 on Verbal. I'm quite happy with my scores though the Quant percentile isn't very high.(57%) But then again, I wasn't expecting a superb score on the Quant.

I took your advice and worked on my Quant systematically and did pretty ok (I think!)

So, thank you so much guys!! :D
Top

GMAT/MBA Expert

User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 451
Joined: Thu Jan 21, 2010 11:58 am
Location: New York City
Thanked: 188 times
Followed by:120 members
GMAT Score:770

by Tommy Wallach » Thu Feb 21, 2013 10:07 pm
Congrats on your 700 (and with your whole application)!

-t
Tommy Wallach, Company Expert
ManhattanGMAT

If you found this posting mega-helpful, feel free to thank and/or follow me!
Top
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 78
Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2013 5:03 am
Thanked: 9 times
Followed by:4 members
GMAT Score:700

by shenoydevika » Thu Feb 21, 2013 10:38 pm
Thanks Tommy! :D
Top
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 38
Joined: Mon Mar 15, 2010 8:38 pm
Location: Mumbai
Thanked: 7 times
GMAT Score:710

by eki » Thu Feb 21, 2013 10:42 pm
Hey Devika,

Congratulations !!

I am sure you would have never been so happy to see the digit "7" ever in your life as on the test day :)

I still get excited when I remember my test day experience.

so....what next...which schools ?

regards,
Top
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 78
Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2013 5:03 am
Thanked: 9 times
Followed by:4 members
GMAT Score:700

by shenoydevika » Thu Feb 21, 2013 11:15 pm
Hey Eki,

You're so right.. I sat there for a few seconds making sure I wasn't just seeing things. As I was going through the Quant section, I was losing hope question by question. But managed a score in the 40s.

Schools.. I don't know... I will have to do a round of e-mails to many schools as my Quant-Verbal split isn't great.. Most schools expect a good quant score.(And I do not want to retake the exam!!!!)
Top
Post new topic Post Reply