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Testing Answers

by carey » Wed Sep 30, 2015 7:06 am
Many organizations recommend plugging in the answers instead of working through the Algebra equations. After studying so long to understand these equations, I feel comfortable (excited) to see these problems. If I see an age problem or a work problem, then I know the formulas to make them work, and so I don't have to really commit my brain to having to figure out what the problem means.

But because many of these problems are time-consuming, the recommendation is testing the given answers. How do I change how I approach these questions. The testing method, even though faster, seems to require so much more work & investment in the problem. Is it just another skill that will come with practice?
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by DavidG@VeritasPrep » Wed Sep 30, 2015 8:02 am
I wrote a blog post on this topic that you might find helpful: https://www.veritasprep.com/blog/2015/02 ... questions/
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by MartyMurray » Wed Sep 30, 2015 8:09 am
Hi Carey.

Each problem has it's unique best way of handling it, and on top of that every person has his own style.

I personally rarely use actual algebra, and at the same time I rarely work back from the answer choices either.

Instead I often come up with numbers that fit the problem and use those rather than working through time consuming algebraic calculations.

For instance, if a problem involves 50% price increase, I often just call the original price $100 and the new price $150. At second price change of -20% would require merely subtracting $30. If instead I had used x as the original price, I may have had to perform two calculations involving multiplying decimals. Wow, the time difference between the two methods.

I can't imagine seeking to get through the GMAT quant section using algebra right and left. LOL

The upshot here is that the GMAT quant section is not a math test. It is a test of finding creative ways to get from information provided to answers. So in a sense using algebra all the time is almost contrary to what the test is about.

Regarding this question, "The testing method, even though faster, seems to require so much more work & investment in the problem. Is it just another skill that will come with practice?" the answer is, yes. By practicing seeking to find quick, efficient ways to do problem after problem, you will develop skill in doing that.

The Beat the GMAT forums are a great resource for getting ideas for developing ways to solve problems. Often a thread will contain multiple cool ways to get to the answer to one problem. You can even cut and paste words from problems you are working on into the Beat the GMAT search or a general internet search to get to threads containing the types of cool methods you are looking to develop skill in using.
Last edited by MartyMurray on Fri Oct 02, 2015 4:11 am, edited 1 time in total.
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by [email protected] » Wed Sep 30, 2015 10:54 am
Hi carey,

On any given GMAT question, there are 2 goals:

1) Get the question correct, if possible (within a reasonable amount of time).
2) Get to the correct answer (or dump the question) in the most efficient way possible, so that you have enough time to get to all of the other questions in the section.

If you haven't hit your score goals yet, then you have to take a good look at what is keeping you from doing so. If "your way" of approaching certain prompts is costing you too much time (and it's hurting your overall performance), then you MUST make the necessary adjustments to how you're handling that type of prompt (and likely the overall section). This could very well mean learning/practicing different approaches.

The GMAT is a remarkably predictable Exam - the content, patterns, Tactics, etc. are consistent, so you CAN train to score at a higher level. If you refuse to train properly NOW though, then you won't be ready to perform at a high level when you face the Official GMAT.

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by carey » Thu Oct 01, 2015 3:04 pm
As I work through problems and try the test-it method, I find myself facing a new hurdle. David shared in his blog how his students often ask him the same thing. How do I know whether to go the algebra route or the insert-number route? Or should I always try to find smart numbers to test whenever I can? Is this always the fastest method?
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by [email protected] » Thu Oct 01, 2015 8:34 pm
HI carey,

Unfortunately, one method isn't 'always' faster than another. However, the 'design' of each question can often help you to determine which approach will help you get to the correct answer in the fastest way possible. This is all meant to say that for you to maximize your performance on Test Day, YOU have to practice a variety of approaches during your studies (and that will include redoing questions that you've already answered, but using a different approach). In that way, you'll build up multiple 'skills' and you'll then be better trained to spot the 'clues' that will tip you off as to what approach to use.

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by MartyMurray » Fri Oct 02, 2015 4:24 am
Carey,

Regarding your question about how to know which method to use when, as you do more practice questions you will get better at assessing questions and making the call as to what approach to use.

Often some simple method involving smart numbers will be the best way to go, but I have seen people burn through the work by going with algebra.

And here's another thought, one that I got from Akil at BellCurves years ago.

Yes, there are multiple ways to get to the answers to the questions in GMAT quant. At the same time, you don't have to worry so much about finding the BEST one ALL of the time. All you really need to do is come up with A method that's reasonable and then get that question answered. You can have all kinds of methods in mind when you are looking over a question, and much of the time part of the recipe for getting to that answer quickly is just to PICK ONE OF THEM, and get that question done!!!
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by DavidG@VeritasPrep » Fri Oct 02, 2015 7:48 am
Wouldn't it be nice if there were a way to identify what strategy would always be fastest? The GMAT is, to some extent, a test of mental flexibility. As Marty said, there's no reason to worry about always finding the best way to solve a question. All you need is one that will work in a reasonable amount of time. There are no style points here. As you do more questions, you'll develop an intuition based on structural clues about which strategy might be most appropriate, but it's good to accept that sometimes you'll start a question and it'll turn out that your first strategy wasn't great. The examples I included on that blog post were questions that I'd initially set up algebraically, before realizing that there had to be a better/faster way to solve them, so I altered my strategy mid-stream. The upshot is that questions on the GMAT rarely require more than a minute of actual work once you see a decent way to attack them. When you're doing practice questions, always try to solve them multiple ways. Note the features of questions that were more easily solved by picking numbers or back-solving (variables in the answer choices, etc.) On your practice tests, go with the strategy that feels most appropriate, but be prepared to make adjustments if you need. The more you practice, the more agile you'll become.
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