AS an instructor, I see students "run into this wall" all the time.
Unfortunately there is no easy fix to this problem.
My advice is to use the
most comprehensive GMAT material you can find - the one that would cover the word problems in as much detail as possible. Even more important than the detailed coverage is the breakdown of the word problems into
distinct question types.
To master the word problems one must master each distinct type of the word problem that is typical to the GMAT.
In the first 10 to 20 seconds of looking at the problem one needs to recognize what type of question it is.
For example, I might see a word problem and right away mentally label it as "overlapping sets" or as "rate" or "ratio", etc... based on that classification I will choose a strategy to efficiently solve the problem.
The way to develop such skill of "
recognizing" the question and applying the "
right strategy" is developed by working on each question type separately before attempting to handle a mix of word problems.
So to sum up, here is a possible plan of action:
1. Choose a question type.
For example - "Overlapping sets".
2. Choose a GMAT material that has a separate section devoted to the "Overlapping sets"
3. Read about and Practice the "Overlapping sets" problems until you feel comfortable with this question type.
4. Do the same for the next type of question. For example - "rates".
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