Many students who have strong math backgrounds (engineers, financial types, etc.) have trouble on the GMAT quant section. I think the reason is that the GMAT does not test very difficult math; nearly every question can be answered with arithmetic or, at worst, very simple algebra.
Students with strong quant backgrounds tend to approach questions in very methodical, formulaic ways. This is not usually the best way to do GMAT questions. GMAT questions often hinge upon some sort of trick or shortcut that is lost upon students who dive right in and start setting up equations.
I'd spend some time working on developing your ability to do questions without "real math" - devise tricks and shortcuts as often as you can. Certainly, some problems are best solved using traditional math - but most aren't.
Jim S. | GMAT Instructor | Veritas Prep
