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Math Help

Problem Solving — algebra and arithmetic (GMAT Focus Edition)
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Math Help

by alois12 » Mon Jul 18, 2016 5:41 pm
Hi all,

I've just recently started studying for my GMAT and have been averaging about 1.5-2 hours per day after work plus some full days on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. I'm currently at about a 530 score and would like to get up to 600-650 but I am having a really hard time with the quant section. I've always struggled with math and I'm finding that I am making simple arithmetic errors throughout. Wondering if anyone has had similar challenges before and what they did to address it? Are there any useful resources you'd recommend? I wanted to write the exam Aug 27th, however, with the necessary increase in my score I am thinking I would be better served to write in October after I return from a trip and have a few more weeks to study. Any tips would be greatly appreciated!
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by OptimusPrep » Mon Jul 18, 2016 8:24 pm
alois12 wrote:Hi all,

I've just recently started studying for my GMAT and have been averaging about 1.5-2 hours per day after work plus some full days on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. I'm currently at about a 530 score and would like to get up to 600-650 but I am having a really hard time with the quant section. I've always struggled with math and I'm finding that I am making simple arithmetic errors throughout. Wondering if anyone has had similar challenges before and what they did to address it? Are there any useful resources you'd recommend? I wanted to write the exam Aug 27th, however, with the necessary increase in my score I am thinking I would be better served to write in October after I return from a trip and have a few more weeks to study. Any tips would be greatly appreciated!
The best way to improve is by drilling down deep and understanding your pain points.
Dissect the quants section into topics such as: Algebra, Number System, Geometry, PnC etc. Go through the theory of each section and then practice the questions.

1. What books have you been using?
2. What is your score in the Verbal section? Looking at the overall score, i feel that you can improve in the Verbal section too.
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by alois12 » Thu Jul 21, 2016 6:16 pm
Hey,

Thank you for your suggestion, much appreciated. I'm taking a Kaplan course once a week and studying with the OG, the Kaplan premier book and their online resources.

for verbal I'm at about 70% in the mid-high difficulty questions, but would ideally like to get that to 90%. I've been doing lots of practice questions but if you have any recommendations of books/resources or other ways to study I'd love to hear that as well!

OptimusPrep wrote:
alois12 wrote:Hi all,

I've just recently started studying for my GMAT and have been averaging about 1.5-2 hours per day after work plus some full days on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. I'm currently at about a 530 score and would like to get up to 600-650 but I am having a really hard time with the quant section. I've always struggled with math and I'm finding that I am making simple arithmetic errors throughout. Wondering if anyone has had similar challenges before and what they did to address it? Are there any useful resources you'd recommend? I wanted to write the exam Aug 27th, however, with the necessary increase in my score I am thinking I would be better served to write in October after I return from a trip and have a few more weeks to study. Any tips would be greatly appreciated!
The best way to improve is by drilling down deep and understanding your pain points.
Dissect the quants section into topics such as: Algebra, Number System, Geometry, PnC etc. Go through the theory of each section and then practice the questions.

1. What books have you been using?
2. What is your score in the Verbal section? Looking at the overall score, i feel that you can improve in the Verbal section too.
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by [email protected] » Thu Jul 21, 2016 9:40 pm
Hi alois12,

Since you're early on in your studies, and you're already enrolled in a Course, you might want to complete that Course before you make any big changes to your study routine. Many Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent, guided study before they hit their 'peak' scores, so you might want to consider pushing back your Test Date to October (as you've mentioned).

1) How have you scored on each of your CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for each)?
2) Are your math errors based on not knowing how to do the math or in little mistakes in your calculations (meaning that you DO know how to do the math, but you make little mistakes in the work)?

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by alois12 » Fri Jul 22, 2016 4:33 pm
Hi Rich,

I have only taken 2 CATS. The first was a diagnostic and the second CAT was 2 weeks after studying. I'm going to be taking a third CAT tomorrow - trying to take one every other week. My score only went up 20 points between the 2 CATs. In my diagnostic I scored 15% quant and 70% verbal. Second time around I scored 24% quant and 61% verbal and those two weeks I primarily studied algebra.

I was thinking I would try to improve my verbal to around 90% which I think I can achieve and just try to focus on a few topics for quant so I can achieve around 40-45% to get my target score.

The past 2 weeks I focused primarily on sentence correction and reading comprehension plus a bit of number properties and more of a basic arithmetic review, since I am finding that my basic math skills are causing little mistakes on my calculations. I feel more comfortable solving algebra questions because I understand what I am being asked. For number properties for example I find I am unsure WHAT I need to do.

Thank you for your guidance! I find this GMAT is also just a test of endurance and perseverance - very helpful to have someone like you to discuss studying strategies.
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by [email protected] » Fri Jul 22, 2016 6:22 pm
Hi alois12,

There are a variety of score 'combinations' that will get you to your score goal, so you could conceivably hit your goal with what you've described. However, it's important to note that some Business Schools place extra consideration on an applicant's Quant Scaled Score/Percentile. You might want to research the Schools that you're interested in in a bit more detail - if they expect you to be at a certain Quant 'level', then you need to know so that you can adjust your studies and raise your Quant scores accordingly.

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by Matt@VeritasPrep » Thu May 11, 2017 7:59 pm
It also *seems* to be the case that a balanced score (50th percentile in both, for instance) is better than an imbalanced score (20th percentile in Q, 80th percentile in V), and that, given a balanced score, the verbal section has slightly more weight the quant section does.
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