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best way to master content in math?

Problem Solving — algebra and arithmetic (GMAT Focus Edition)
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best way to master content in math?

by hutch27 » Sat Jan 26, 2013 12:11 pm
Hi, I'm just starting to study for math and i'm not too strong on content so I wanted to sharpen that skill up before I start doing practice questions. However learning content, for me, takes longer than I think normal. Are there any teaching methods experts can recommend for helping to learn/memorize content?

note: i definitely do do supplemental practice questions to reinforce what I learned. But i find that what I learned slips off of my mind easily and I always have to come and visit it again til I have the content memorized.
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by brianlange77 » Sat Jan 26, 2013 6:11 pm
hutch27 wrote:Hi, I'm just starting to study for math and i'm not too strong on content so I wanted to sharpen that skill up before I start doing practice questions. However learning content, for me, takes longer than I think normal. Are there any teaching methods experts can recommend for helping to learn/memorize content?

note: i definitely do do supplemental practice questions to reinforce what I learned. But i find that what I learned slips off of my mind easily and I always have to come and visit it again til I have the content memorized.
Hutch -- Welcome aboard. A few thoughts to share with you -- first off, I'll tweak your words a bit... I don't think you want to frame this as sharpening your skill, but rather, ensuring that you've got a great foundation in place.

I'd encourage you to read these two articles that I'm pasting in links for below...

1. https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... ould-i-do/ will help provide you with some tips/suggestions on how to build a solid study plan. A good study plan is 'alive' and allows you to learn/customize/optimize as you move forward.

2. https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... our-study/ You might find this second-article a little "New-Age", but it really works and helps maximize your study time.

Enjoy and good luck.

-Brian
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by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Sun Jan 27, 2013 7:37 am
As far as how one goes about improving in math, I believe that you should compartmentalize your learning and take the time to master each topic (e.g., percents, ratios, exponents, statistics, etc.).

This means that, for each topic, you should:
1) Learn the underlying concepts (rules, attributes, notation, etc.)
2) Learn GMAT-specific strategies related to that topic
3) Practice dozens of questions all related to that one topic.
4) Don't stop working on that topic until you have mastered it
Then, and only then, move on to the next topic.

BTG's free 60-Day Study Guide (https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/gmat-guide) follows this strategy (in which each day focuses on one concept). Each day you receive an email with a series of learning activities that will guide you, step-by-step, from Day 1 to test day (an outline of all 60 emails is here: https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/gmat-guide-outline).

This will ensure that you will cover everything that the GMAT tests.

Cheers,
Brent
Brent Hanneson - Creator of GMATPrepNow.com
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by HerrGrau » Wed Jan 30, 2013 9:17 am
Hi Hutch,

All excellent recommendations above. My tiny two cents on the subject: Until you reach a critical mass of understanding do all of your studying open book so that you are always reinforcing the formulas, concepts, and proper methodologies. Our brains retain information better when the information is connected to something (hence mnemonic devices and other memory tricks).

One thing that you could to make this "open book" idea easier is to make a few "cheat sheets" (make one for each subject, geometry, number properties...) with content that you are struggling with. Not only will your reinforce and condense the information by making the cheat sheet but you will have a great study companion.

I hope this helps!

A.
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by ceilidh.erickson » Wed Jan 30, 2013 1:01 pm
hutch27 wrote:Hi, I'm just starting to study for math and i'm not too strong on content so I wanted to sharpen that skill up before I start doing practice questions. However learning content, for me, takes longer than I think normal. Are there any teaching methods experts can recommend for helping to learn/memorize content?

note: i definitely do do supplemental practice questions to reinforce what I learned. But i find that what I learned slips off of my mind easily and I always have to come and visit it again til I have the content memorized.
Math is just like a muscle - it can atrophy without use! And if it's been many years since high school, it's not usual to find that those math skills have atrophied. You're wise to want to brush up on those skills before diving into the nitty-gritty of the GMAT content.

One place that you should start is with a guide that reinforces foundational skills. Manhattan GMAT has a book called Foundations of Math that would be really helpful (other companies may have similar resources, but I'm not as familiar with those). It takes practice to master these skills, so you shouldn't expect to get them right away. You should expect that it takes a lot of repetition - don't beat yourself up for not memorizing things the first time around!

I find that it's helpful to make yourself flashcards of concepts and problems that you want to revisit. But mostly, practice, practice, practice!
Ceilidh Erickson
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Harvard Graduate School of Education
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by noyj91 » Thu Feb 14, 2013 7:37 pm
Hi guys,

I am also wondering how to improve in certain math concepts and of course understand that practice makes perfect. That being said I do not want to repeat the math problems and memorize the answer or method to solve that specific question but still fall short of mastering the concept.

I need to have a solid understanding of the concepts and will check out Ceilidh's recommendation to use the Manhattan GMAT "Foundations of Math" but are there any other resources to improve in concepts I am struggling with?


Thank you very much for all you guys do!
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by ceilidh.erickson » Fri Feb 15, 2013 12:38 pm
There are probably dozens of reputable sources to brush up on your quant... but don't go overboard! Don't think that you have to go through every book out there - most will contain the same information.

GMAT studying is about quality, not quantity. Pick one resource and go through it carefully and thoughtfully, until you've mastered the content.
Ceilidh Erickson
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by Jim@StratusPrep » Sun Feb 17, 2013 8:42 am
I agree, do not try to consume too many resources.
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