8 days left.. quant still an issue

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8 days left.. quant still an issue

by dime0000 » Fri Nov 14, 2008 10:11 am
Hey folks. 2nd time poster, 1st real post though. :lol:

I'll briefly explain my goals and where I'm at. I'll follow with my issue.

Goal of the GMAT:
I am applying to a local business school, so my score goal may not be as high as many other posters. To be concidered in to the program, I need a 400. I realize that would be a lousy score. Still, my goal is *not* 700+. If I can be near 600, I'll be more than happy.

Where I'm at:
I'm at week 3 (of 4) right now. I have the OG, read through most of it, and am in the process of working through the quantitative test questions.

I took the GMAT Prep Test 1 last weekend. The verbal was fine - I did miss a few questions, but I completed it on time.

My quantitative, on the other hand, was horrid. Not only did I only get to Q25, but many questions were wrong. My overall score: 480. After studying a bit more throughout the week, I took the quantitative portion of Manhattan's free online exam. I believe I only made it to 30 this time, and still got half of the answered questions wrong.

So, that's the issue:
Quantitative. I will have some time to study this weekend, and about 2 hours a night throughout the week. My test date is in 8 days - 11/22.

Any tips/tricks/ideas to boost my score up a bit?

Like I said - I'm not looking to get in to Harvard. I just want to surpass a local business school's minimum of 400 with some decent room to spare.

Thanks!
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by cmf1202 » Fri Nov 14, 2008 2:50 pm
For me, the key to a better math score was practicing my pacing in small steps. Try practicing sets of 10 questions, a mix of PS and DS, and finishing them in 10 minutes. Then, take the alloted time down to 25 minutes, then 20. This will get you used to finishing math with the pressure of the clock.

Also, with the adaptive nature of this test, you're going to get some problems above your skill range. That's a fact. Learn to recognize when a problems is WAY too hard for you, and sacrifice that to have more time to spend on the questions you know you can get with some extra time.

Finally, when there's 30 seconds left...GUESS! You'll lose a whole lot of points for not answering a questions, but at least you have a 1 in 5 chance of getting it right when you guess.

Good luck!