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How do I improve on a Q49

Problem Solving — algebra and arithmetic (GMAT Focus Edition)
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How do I improve on a Q49

by rahulmathur9818 » Wed Nov 12, 2014 7:01 am
Hi everyone!!

So I scored a Q49 on my first attempt and a Q47 on my second attempt. I think my fundamentals in quant are pretty good but I have a serious time management issue. I think I'm capable of atleast getting a Q50 if not Q51. I've attempted questions from all over the place- OG13, Quant review 2nd edition, Manhattan advance gmat, kaplan gmat 800, veritas, gmatclub math book and gmatclub.com

Besides time management what else can I do? and from where else can I practice quant questions?

Planning to give my gmat around the 10th of december so need to figure out a plan of action asap.

Thanks in advance
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by [email protected] » Wed Nov 12, 2014 8:18 pm
Hi rahulmathur9818,

When you mention "time management", what do you mean exactly? Are you having pacing problems in the Quant section? Do you finish early or have to rush through the last few questions just to finish?

At that high scoring level, the GMAT becomes really "sensitive" to little mistakes, so raising your score to a Q50-51 is more about precision and thoroughness than anything else.

I suggest that you look at every Quant question that you got wrong on your last practice CAT and figure out WHY you got those questions wrong. Was it due to a little mistake, was it because you didn't know a particular math rule, or was it because you were low on time? Defining those issues will give you something to work on.

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by dabral » Wed Nov 19, 2014 7:23 am
I posted a reply to a similar question on gmatclub and I am copying it here. I hope posting links to gmatclub forum is okay.

https://gmatclub.com/forum/q49-to-q51-17 ... l#p1364299
https://gmatclub.com/forum/flexible-thinking-143208.html

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by MartyMurray » Sun Nov 23, 2014 3:48 pm
I have been having similar issues. I understand the math rather well, but get beat up on time and end up getting 49 rather than 51 on quant.

One thing I have noticed is that certain types of problems, such as groups problems, I have not really worked on. These types may seem easy, but since they seem easy I haven't really practiced them, and so when I see them on the test I sometimes burn up time figuring out how to do them. Algebra is another thing that appears on many problems and that I didn't work on that much.

Another good source of quant problems is the BellCurves question bank. While there are errors in a significant percentage of them, I have been working with the BellCurves team to correct those errors, and anyway there are many cool problems, all with timers, just a great resource, especially if you are good enough at math to catch any errors that remain at this point.

I also suggest the Veritas question bank and practice tests. Plenty of cool questions there too. Veritas quant practice test sections seem to take a little longer than official GMAT quant, but not that much longer.

One of the best things I have done on quant is go where the worry or discomfort is. I consider the question types and figure out which ones I am least comfortable with. Then I do a bunch of those types of questions until I am super comfortable with them. Then I figure out what other types worry me when I see them, and I do many of them. So increasingly I am comfortable with all types.

Beyond just knowing the math better, you may need to work on speed in general and quick ways of doing problems. That's a skillset slightly different from just understanding the math.

One thing along those lines that I have noticed is that I could be more efficient in how I handle problems. For instance, sometimes I read parts of questions repeatedly, when I already know what they say. Seems like fear or some kind of psychological resistance to just doing the problem, or maybe partly just a habit.

To address these types of things, I have been meditating to find and deal with blocks I have to doing the problems. That's probably helping.

I am pretty sure I will get 51 on quant next time I take the test and maybe these ideas will help you too.
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by ceilidh.erickson » Sat Nov 29, 2014 10:45 am
Rich is right - the difference between a 49 and a 51 is about eliminating all careless errors and having spotless technique. Many students tend to gloss over careless mistakes and focus on the more difficult conceptual hurdles, but sloppiness on the little stuff will keep you from getting that perfect or near-perfect score! For more on tracking your mistakes, see here: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog/ ... -studying/

But perhaps more importantly... there is a margin of error of +/- 2 points in raw scores, so a 49 and a 51 are effectively the same score. There's no business school out there that would say "well, we would have accepted him if he got a 51, but we're not going to accept him with a 49." A 49 is indicative of a VERY high level of quantitative mastery! Even a 47 would indicate that.

So my question for you is: why are you so focused on going from a near-perfect score on the quant to a perfect score, rather than focusing on improving your verbal? Or on improving the other aspects of your application?
Ceilidh Erickson
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Harvard Graduate School of Education
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