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Geometry Guides

Problem Solving — algebra and arithmetic (GMAT Focus Edition)
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Geometry Guides

by bml1105 » Tue Apr 15, 2014 11:09 pm
Geometry is my downfall on the Quant section. Does anyone have any recommendations for guides that can help specifically with that topic?

I have the MGMAT Geometry and the OG Guides.

Also, I think some of my problem now is that, as soon as I see a Geometry question, I feel defeated. Any source that may have some easy, beginner Geometry questions would be a big help too.

Thanks!
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by [email protected] » Wed Apr 16, 2014 11:49 am
Hi bml1105,

Can you define WHY geometry is such a "problem category" for you?

Here's what Geometry ultimately comes down to:
1) Know the formulas/rules. It's tough to answer a question about circles if you can't remember the circle formulas that you need to use.
2) Draw pictures. This is part of the "organizational aspect" of answering a GMAT question. Whether you're taking notes, drawing pictures, doing math, etc., you have to write everything down and stay organized. When answering ANY geometry question, try drawing a picture and write down any formulas that are referenced by the prompt.
3) Do the math that's required. Many geometry questions are just about "plugging in" information and doing the handful of math "steps" that are required to get to the answer. Sometimes geometry questions can be solved by TESTing Values or TESTING THE ANSWERS, but that's dependent on how the question is written.

Before you put too much energy into Geometry though, you need to respect that other categories in the Quant section are usually "bigger" and worth more overall points than Geometry. Algebra, Number Properties, Arithmetic and Data Sufficiency will appear more often than Geometry will, so if you're not great at any of these categories, then you should put your energy there first.

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Rich
Contact Rich at [email protected]
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by bml1105 » Wed Apr 16, 2014 12:39 pm
Triangles are my Achilles heel. The second hardest topic for me, would be shapes within shapes, however I do think that has to do with the fact that most of them have triangles in them! Other geometry topics, I do well enough that with extended practice I think I would be fine. But when it comes to triangles, my mind just doesn't get it. I know the formulas, but I don't understand how to find the answer.

Here is a question I posted before: https://www.beatthegmat.com/mgmat-geomet ... tml#707536

When I read the explanations they made sense, but on my own I would have never thought to make 7 the base, x the height and then compare with a base of 12 and a height of 3.

Additionally, now, that I've gotten so many of them wrong, when I see a triangles question I immediately feel defeated. Which I fully understand is a horrible attitude to have. I was just hoping that maybe reading some extra information or starting with some very basic questions could help build my confidence.
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by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Wed Apr 16, 2014 7:14 pm
If you want to focus on Geometry, you can use BTG's tagging feature to isolate one concept at a time.
For example, here are all of the questions tagged as statistics questions: https://www.beatthegmat.com/forums/tags/ ... statistics
See the left side of that linked page for more tag options (such as triangles, circles, etc).

Be sure to spend a lot of time reviewing the responses from the Experts. They often model the steps you should be taking when answering question.

Cheers,
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