Best course for improving fundamental math

This topic has expert replies
Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Dec 11, 2009 8:53 am

Best course for improving fundamental math

by bpenn » Fri Dec 11, 2009 9:29 am
Hello all,

I recently took the GMAT and scored a paltry 570. The only semi redeeming fact of this exam was a moderate verbal score of 39, placing me in the 87th percentile. My quant score was unbelievably poor at 29, or 24th percentile.

I had been studying at home and took an online course from a small test prep company. If I'm completely honest with myself, I did not train for success. I waited far too long after taking the online course, didn't dedicate enough time to practice and was ineffective in my home studies. I focused exclusively on quant since that is my weak area, though I know I could make some gains in verbal as well since I spent a grand total of 2 hours studying it. Unfortunately for me, my particular mixture of studying did very little if anything to improve my quant score.

My question is what prep course (classroom if possible) will do the most good toward helping me build a solid foundation to tackle the quant problems? I dont want the tricks and tips style stuff, I want to spend a couple months of real study to learn the right way to solve these problems. With a 24th percentile score in quant, it should be obvious that I need the basics before I can even think of learning the tips and tricks to speed up the process and leave more time for the harder stuff. I'm currently considering the Manhattan 9-session class because they also include the 2 fundamental mathematics workshops.

I just took a graduate extension course in business mathematics through a local top ranked university and received an A, so I know I can learn, but apparently it has to be in a live classroom setting for me. Self study or online is not working.

Thanks,
B

For your reference, I've taken 3 CAT exams plus the actual GMAT. These exams were taken within one week of the actual exam. As you can see, I shouldn't be very surprised by my actual score (other than the 690 where I guessed accurately several times).

MGMAT Exam #1
Q44
V39
Score 690

MGMAT Exam #2
Q30
V35
Score 540

GMAC GMAT Exam #2
Q21
V33
Score 640
Source: — GMAT Strategy |

User avatar
Community Manager
Posts: 1537
Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2009 6:10 pm
Thanked: 653 times
Followed by:252 members

by papgust » Fri Dec 11, 2009 10:31 pm
The answer is short. Your high school math book is the best book available for math fundamentals. Instead of shelling many dollars for a course, try studying this book.