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very minor improvements.. getting a little nervous..

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very minor improvements.. getting a little nervous..

by saadiagha » Wed Nov 28, 2012 4:21 pm
Hello

so i posted here a few weeks ago, and since then have been working on my quant skills quite a lot.

I got the Kaplan math workbook, and have gone half way through it, and feel there have been minor improvements in my concepts.

However, whenever I attempt online DS questions from either the GMAT Prep software or Veritas online questions bank, I do seem to get many wrong, which as you can imagine is very demotivating, especially after practicing.
However I attempt a few DS and problems from the OG and seem to get at least 60% correct. I am not going crazy practicing these because I realize I need to solidify my concepts, but I do want to keep myself in the loop, and thats why I practice them off and on.

I was hoping you could guide me in a couple of things

1. How long should I spend studying for the GMAT? Its been about a month, with minor progress, should I work for 6 months or so? I do not want to burn out

2. Should I take an online course for math, like knewtons, as a refresher? Or should I do it, after I have practiced from kaplan, and other books?

It would be great to get some guidance!
Thank You


I fear that I will never be able to do the DS questions, and never be able to think the way the test makers want me to..
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by StevenJ@Manhattangmat » Thu Nov 29, 2012 8:31 am
Hi there

You're certainly not the only one who struggles with Data Sufficiency. It's a weird question type that requires a particular way of thinking. You don't specify whether you're getting these problems wrong because you make computational errors or because you're unsure how to think about Data Sufficiency -- each of these problems would require a different remedy. If it's computational, then it might make sense to devote your time to working on your math mechanics: just get in the habit of doing math every day. You can use OG problems (or those from other sources), but the point isn't to be able to figure out the logic of a GMAT problem -- it's just to acclimate yourself to doing math by hand. The more you do it, the easier it gets. It's like a muscle: if you don't exercise it, it gets weak. More likely, though, is that the specific mindset of Data Sufficiency isn't clear to you yet. The point of Data Sufficiency is NOT to find the answer but just to see WHETHER an answer can be found. Ask yourself whether you've been approaching DS as if it were Problem Solving -- more focused on actually solving the math than on trying to determine what kind of math would need to be done. Also, as GMAT math questions get harder, they tend to be less about computation and more about logic. In order to get the harder ones, you need to be able to see what concepts the questions are testing. It's not necessarily an easy task, but identifying the underlying concept will make it much easier for you to know how to interpret the information in the statements. Don't rush to the statements without first picking apart the question to figure out what type of information would allow you to answer it. We call this skill "rephrasing the question" and it can crack open many tough DS problems.

Regarding how long to study...it all depends on your goals and how far you are from them. Without that info, it's hard to set a specific time frame. Generally speaking, though, you should work until you're able to answer most questions at the difficulty level you're shooting for. If you're looking to break 700, you would need to be able to correctly answer most of the last 1/3 of each OG math section. If you're able to tackle the first 2/3 of the sections, spend your time focusing on the harder problems. Don't try to do everything in 2 minutes at this point. It's more important to perfect your technique than to zip through it all right now. A major mistake many GMAT students make is trying to do everything too quickly at first, before they've had a chance to really understand the logic of the question type. If you understand the mindset of Data Sufficiency, many of these questions (even the hard ones) can be done surprisingly quickly.

Hope this helps.

Best,

Steven
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by saadiagha » Thu Nov 29, 2012 10:24 am
Thanks for the extremely helpful reply Steven.

I have a decent understanding of how to answer the DS questions, I am not looking to "solve" them, but I think I have weak concepts which prevents solid reasoning when answering some of the questions.

I am working through the Kaplan math workbook, and have also just got my Manhattan number properties study guide- I feel the GMAC people love that topic, and base more than 6-7 questions on that topic, maybe even more!

Do you reccomend I start attempting questions right away from the OG? Or wait till I have read the workbook, practiced all questions from it, and also done the number properties book?
I dont want to waste the question bank I guess by attempting them and getting most incorrect..

A little confused there..

Also thanks for the advice on taking my time with the qaunt questions, its just that so many people on GMAT insisted that time was key, and most students make a mistake by taking too much time in practicing questions and thus never develop the ability to manage time.
I believe what you are saying is I should initially take my time in answering DS and Problem solving questions, but closer to the test date start focusing on time management?
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by StevenJ@Manhattangmat » Thu Nov 29, 2012 10:47 am
Time management IS essential to success on the GMAT, but when you're first learning any skill it's more important to learn HOW to do it than to do it quickly. After you've improved your skills, your timing will improve as a direct result. Forcing yourself to answer questions too quickly at this point is likely to cause you to make careless mistakes or misinterpret information in the questions.

If you really feel that the main issue at this point is your shaky mastery of some of the math concepts, do the workbook and the Manhattan GMAT Number Properties strategy guide (including the end-of-chapter problems) before you continue to practice from the OG, as there are a limited number of OG problems out there. And you're correct that the GMAT tends to weight the exam pretty heavily with Number Props.

How do you fare in Problem Solving (as opposed to Data Sufficiency)? Is there a marked difference (either positive or negative)?
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by saadiagha » Thu Nov 29, 2012 11:07 am
You are spot on here, I make ridiculous mistakes on the DS sometimes, like not reading the entire questions, missing out on a key word etc.

My problem solving skills are much better- I am not great at them but the initial prep test I took, I got 70-80 percent of the problem solving questions correct, but I think 20% of DS questions.

However, being not excellent in basic math concepts, I am not taking the problem solving lightly at all. Thankfully my verbal is pretty decent and I can devote most of my attention on math.
I just dont want to continue studying endlessly since I fear ill start burning out- GMAT has a tendency of doing that to you!

I took my GRE before this so I know how difficult it can be.

I was also wondering, do you think it is a good idea to take a prep course, online (since I cant afford the pvt tutor until I find a job early next year), AFTER I have studied from various books, and feel I have a general and basic understanding of concepts, or should I take the lessons BEFORE I study from the books?
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by StevenJ@Manhattangmat » Thu Nov 29, 2012 1:42 pm
If your performance in Problem Solving is that much better than that in DS, my hunch is that you still haven't quite gotten the hang of DS on a conceptual level. In order to perform as well as you have in PS, you must have some solid math skills already, so probably it's more an issue of getting into the DS mindset, as I mentioned earlier, and slowing down a bit for the time being. Any decent course (whether it be live or online) will give you plenty of material to help you learn the concepts and, more importantly, how to apply what you know accurately and efficiently in all GMAT question types. There probably wouldn't be much need to study outside of what the course provides while you're in the course -- you'll likely have plenty of homework to keep you busy.
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