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first look at GMAT math - scared

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first look at GMAT math - scared

by vanesslondon » Tue May 22, 2007 4:31 am
Hey all,

Firstly, Eric, this forum is amazing - thank you for your generosity. What a great online community! I hope to be able to contribute later down the line.

I have just decided to take the GMAT... I only have about a month and a half, but I have every day of that time free so it should *hopefully* be enough, if not I'll defer.

I have just looked at the math for the first time and honestly, I remember nothing from high school. I will have to teach myself all of this (and some new stuff) again.

I'm determined and have got a lot of books etc...

I am just wondering whether any of you were in this position and had to start from scratch like me, or whether most of the high scorers here have a quant background. I need encouragement that it can be done!

Thank you in advance,

Vanessa
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Right there with you

by dwilliam » Tue May 22, 2007 5:47 am
Hi Vanessa,

As far as math goes I am right there with you. I'm not sure what your background in math is like, but here is mine, as well as what I am doing to get ready.

When I saw the math in the GMAT, I knew I had a long way to go. I had some issues with math in college as well, so I am taking a college algebra class at a local community college. This is great to do for your application as well if you don't have a quant background. Just make sure to earn an A, which is my plan. To get ready for the class, as well as GMAT math, I have been working through a book called "Algebra Demystified" by Rhonda Huettenmueller. This is a great book! There are a couple chapters dedicated to word problems, and a lot of the problems look like the GMAT problems. She has another book called "College Algebra Demystified" which I just started. This is also great. I think it is imperative to build up your foundation before starting the conventional means of studying. All of the tips on here are awesome though. The thing with math is if you are weak in a certain area, it invariably leads to weakness in more advanced areas.

Now even the advanced GMAT math problems look "doable" to me. There is still a lot of practice I need to do, but I at least know how to approach some of them.
DWilliam
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by f2001290 » Tue May 22, 2007 5:48 am
Vaness

Nothing much to worry if you have to start from the scratch. I was in a similar position few days ago. But today I am comfortable working with most of the problems in Quant. This forum will be of great help to you.
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by beatthegmat » Tue May 22, 2007 9:40 am
Hi Vanessa:

Welcome to the Beat The GMAT community!

For book recommendations, I'd start by examing the Beat The GMAT resource wiki: https://www.beatthegmat.com/wiki/

This should be a great place to begin your research. Best of luck!
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by vanesslondon » Tue May 22, 2007 9:57 am
Thank you all for your kind replies.

My maths background is limited indeed - in England most people stop studying maths at age 16 (unless they choose to take it to a higher level). Since I pursued a literature degree I was not one of them :)

8 years later (I am 24) I am astounded by how much I have forgotten. I literally started with fractions yesterday. I don't think I ever learnt some of the stuff tested. arghhh!

I am currently working through Kaplan GMAT/GRE (as that is the only book I have) but the OG stuff and Kaplan Maths workbook plus a ton of general high school maths books are on their way to me... I don't know how I'll get through them all!

Glad to know it is possibl eto overcome though! Unfortunately here in the UK we don't have community college, but kudos to the poster who is doing that - *great* idea!

Good luck to you all and thank you!

Vanessa
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by aim-wsc » Tue May 22, 2007 10:09 am
Venessa :)
the book you've is just perfect for beginners at math. 8)
...and you want to start from scratch and want to excel doesnt necessarily mean that you have to have tons of study material.
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by vanesslondon » Tue May 22, 2007 11:09 am
thanks guys...
so demoralising that I'm re-learning fractions and decimals!!!! Stuff I knew when I was 11 but that after two degrees I no longer know!
The irony :)

Thanks for confirming that my book is ok.

So glad I found this forum! I hope that once I get better (here's hoping) I'l lbe able to contribute.

A quick question I hope you don't mind me asking: what should I use out of the Wiki resources?
I feel a little lost in an ocean of prep materials and would love some wiki guidance!

Thank you all again!
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by beatthegmat » Tue May 22, 2007 12:48 pm
vanesslondon wrote:thanks guys...
so demoralising that I'm re-learning fractions and decimals!!!! Stuff I knew when I was 11 but that after two degrees I no longer know!
The irony :)

Thanks for confirming that my book is ok.

So glad I found this forum! I hope that once I get better (here's hoping) I'l lbe able to contribute.

A quick question I hope you don't mind me asking: what should I use out of the Wiki resources?
I feel a little lost in an ocean of prep materials and would love some wiki guidance!

Thank you all again!
Start first with the book recommendations and materials around GMAT strategy. As you get deeper into your studies, then you'll want to dive in to the subject-matter materials a little more.

If you'd like to see what a GMAT self-study strategy looks like end to end, spend some time reading: https://beatthegmat.blocked.

Best of luck!
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by vanesslondon » Tue May 22, 2007 1:26 pm
Thanks, Eric!
So helpful! Back to burying my head in long-forgetten math!!!

:o)

Well done on a terrific score!
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by beatthegmat » Tue May 22, 2007 1:36 pm
vanesslondon wrote:Thanks, Eric!
So helpful! Back to burying my head in long-forgetten math!!!

:o)

Well done on a terrific score!
It will come back to you, believe me. Think of it as a trip down memory lane, back to your highschool days. :)
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Beginning math

by GCHall840 » Tue May 22, 2007 4:20 pm
I know exactly how you feel about having to start from scratch with the math part of studying for the GMAT. There seems to be so much to learn all in a short period of time. But, I think that coming up with a step by step study plan for your GMAT prep work is a big key to success. I found that way worked the best for me when I had to relearn the basic math that you have to know for the test. You also have a good math study guide at your disposal. I would concentrate the most on math study material that is written with the GMAT in mind. That way, you won't get side tracked into other kinds of math that aren't tested on the GMAT.

Greg
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by vanesslondon » Wed May 23, 2007 6:23 am
you're absolutely right - using specific GMAT materials has got to be the best route.
I'm hesitant to set a schedule yet because I don't yet know how much time I will need for what. For example, I am weaker in math than the average person I think, but probably stronger in the verbal part and in sentence correction etc.
So I think I may wait and see how I do in the various sections when the OG comes to devise a schedule
Slowly working through Kaplan now... long way to go but you guys have really helped and encouraged me - thank you.
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The Official Guide to the GMAT: 11th edition

by GCHall840 » Wed May 23, 2007 11:32 am
Hi Vanessa,
I wanted to help you here with some important things that you may want to think about, too. I think that you are going to study on your own, right?

Well, I have a copy of the Kaplan GMAT Math Workbook, so I am familiar with their process. The one thing that I don't like about Kaplan, is that they don't use the Official Guide to the GMAT as a part of anything that they do. After you finish that math review, I think that you should concentrate almost exclusively on practicing problems in the Official Guide. You should also go to mba.com, register there, and download the free study material that includes two GMAT CAT's. What other tests do you plan to take?

The only problem for you is that I know how Kaplan goes over arithmetic, algebra, word problems, and geometry. The problem comes when you want to figure out which problems that you need or want to do in the Official Guide. I don't like the idea of just picking a set of OG problems to do without knowing what question type that each question was. That is what several GMAT test prep companies do: They tell you to do 50 random problems from the Official Guide for each class meeting. The problem there is if you have taken the time to do a diagnostic test before you begin your study, how are you going to be able to work on your weaknesses if you don't know which kind of Official Guide questions you need to work on? That is one of the biggest reasons why I took the Manhattan GMAT prep course because their 5 math strategy guides organize all the Official Guide questions for you by breaking them down into subject areas. That in itself saved me a whole lot of valuable time that would have been wasted if I had to do all of that sorting out myself.
I was going to tell you to go to Barnes and Noble bookstore to check them out, but you live in the UK. I am not sure if Barnes and Noble has branches in the UK, either?

I hope that what I told you about helps you in your trip to the GMAT.

Greg
Last edited by GCHall840 on Wed May 23, 2007 10:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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by vanesslondon » Wed May 23, 2007 1:02 pm
Thanks, Greg,

What a great post!
So do you recommend I do a diagnostic? And then focus on specific areas (the Kaplan flaw being that OG qs aren't grouped)?

That is a great idea.

Whilst we don't have Barnes and Noble here, I can order anything from Amazon.com, so please do recommend the book you think I should get!
The Manhattan Review? Is it one math book?

again, I'm so grateful for your advice.

Best wishes,

Vanessa
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Manhattan GMAT

by GCHall840 » Wed May 23, 2007 9:01 pm
Hi Vanessa,
There are 5 math strategy guides and 2 verbal strategy guides written by Manhattan GMAT. I think that Amazon.com does sell those. Manhattan GMAT also has other online material available for sale. They have a 1,000 bank, online computer adaptive, test bank for $39. I especially like those strategy guides because they have a section in the back of each one that lists all of the OG problems according to each subject area.
Please let me know if you need anything because I'd be happy to help.
Greg

By the way, I went to Amazon.com just now. They have all of the Manhattan GMAT strategy guides on there for $17.16 each. I would buy them if you want that structure for your study plan, that should include doing as many problems from the OG that you can. Buying those will bring real order to your preparation process in that regard.
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