Having trouble retaining some info...Manhatten approach

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DCS80: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 33; Joined: Mon Dec 03, 2012 6:08 pmFollowed by: 2 members; Thanked: 2 times

by DCS80 » Tue Jan 15, 2013 6:54 pm

maybe someone could help me supplement my studying; at this time, I am doing roughly an hour a day in the Manhatten guides, be it reading, chapter problems, or corresponding O.G./Quant samples provided in the appendix.

I am having difficulty with a few topics- exponents, quadratics mostly.

Certain things just ARENT sticking with me! I don't know what it is, but still seems foreign when I see these phrased in a problem sample.

Anyone have a good approach for these components of quant?

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Source: Beat The GMAT — GMAT Strategy | Tue Jan 15, 2013 6:54 pm

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brianlange77: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 417; Joined: Mon Jan 07, 2013 8:49 pmFollowed by: 93 members; Location: Chapel Hill, NC; Thanked: 132 times; GMAT Score:750

by brianlange77 » Tue Jan 15, 2013 8:26 pm

DCS80 wrote:Certain things just ARENT sticking with me! I don't know what it is, but still seems foreign when I see these phrased in a problem sample.

DCS80 -- Good question. I think you could get a lot of interesting replies here, but the biggest thing I'd offer is that you need to somehow 'change up' how you are studying this. Take a look at Stacey's blog post -- https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... our-study/. It provides some great tips on how to consider fine-tuning your study approach.

Additionally, consider mixing up the time/way you are spending on problems -- try morning instead of night, record it and play it back on your commute to work, etc.

Lastly, are you a note-taker? If not, try it out -- research shows time and time again that when you write something down, the effects are quite impactful.

Hope this helps.

-Brian

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DCS80: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 33; Joined: Mon Dec 03, 2012 6:08 pmFollowed by: 2 members; Thanked: 2 times

by DCS80 » Wed Jan 16, 2013 7:26 am

ya know, brian, I actually do take notes. any particular recommendations for an effective note-taking strat for quant stuff?

some components of the quant stick like glue, others are disposed in short term memory. it's aggrivating

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Brent@GMATPrepNow: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 16207; Joined: Mon Dec 08, 2008 6:26 pmFollowed by: 1268 members; Location: Vancouver, BC; Thanked: 5254 times; GMAT Score:770

by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Wed Jan 16, 2013 8:04 am

To help with retention, I suggest a systematic (even methodical) approach, in which you take the time to master each topic/concept (e.g., percents, ratios, exponents, etc).

So, for each topic/concept, 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.

You should also use an Error Log (aka Improvement Chart) while completing questions from the Official Guide (OG). You can find a free downloadable Improvement Chart here: https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/gmat-error-log. This will help you identify and strengthen your weak areas.

I also suggest that you spend a lot of time reviewing the responses from the Experts on this site, since they often model the steps you should be taking when answering question.

Cheers,
Brent

Brent Hanneson - Creator of GMATPrepNow.com

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Tommy Wallach: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 451; Joined: Thu Jan 21, 2010 11:58 amFollowed by: 120 members; Location: New York City; Thanked: 188 times; GMAT Score:770

by Tommy Wallach » Wed Jan 16, 2013 6:22 pm

Hey Guys,

I also want to throw something else out there. An hour a day is good if you're really doing it daily. But if you're taking a couple days off a week, you're moving into an amount of work time that, I would argue, is not enough to allow you to retain stuff. Think of it this way: when people are taking our class, we expect 8-10 hours a week of homework, plus 3 hours of actual class. That's 11 to 14 hours a week, which is 1.5-2 hours a day. That's 50-100% more than you're currently doing, even if you're never taking a day off.

Hope that helps!

-t

Tommy Wallach, Company Expert
ManhattanGMAT

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brianlange77: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 417; Joined: Mon Jan 07, 2013 8:49 pmFollowed by: 93 members; Location: Chapel Hill, NC; Thanked: 132 times; GMAT Score:750

by brianlange77 » Wed Jan 16, 2013 8:19 pm

DCS80:

Good question on the note-taking front. Obviously, there are some basics -- always draw the geometry problems, bring over key information from question, write-down the letters and cross out the ones you eliminate (esp on DS.)

Other than that, the suggestion I'd make is you to forcibly alter your degree of note-taking during some of your prep work (i.e. one day, go crazy on notes... the next day, barely take any notes.) What feels more comfortable -- where can you get the best balance?

Hope this helps.

-Brian

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