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Manhattan GMat Quant. Help. Mind Jumble

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Manhattan GMat Quant. Help. Mind Jumble

by oquiella » Tue Jul 21, 2015 4:53 am
Hi,

I've recently been studyn for the GMAT quant with Manhattan GMAT editions and find the word problem book very useful but the problems very hard, every other book was fine but word problems became the most mind jumbling. Once I read the question if the question gives too many varaibles and constraints my mind get boggled or if it is too simple i am not sure if I am writing out the right equation to solve the problem at hand (except when I look at the explanation I have the equations right but get stuck on how to solve the entire question using those 2 equations. It usually ends up being a question where I have to combine the 2 equations but It doesnt make sense to me why. Word Problems are the hardest for me to translate, is there better study material or a process that will help me? Other than "just focus more".


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by [email protected] » Tue Jul 21, 2015 7:29 am
Hi oquiella,

I have a few question about how you've been studying and your timeline/goals:

1) How long have you been studying?
2) Have you used any resources besides the books you mentioned?

3) What is your goal score?
4) How have you been scoring on your CATs?
5) When are you planning to take the GMAT?

In general, 'word problems' in the Quant section are best done in 'pieces' - since most Quant questions require 3-5 'steps' to complete, and you don't have to do all of the steps at once, you should start off each question by taking some notes on the first piece(s) of information you receive. Then move on to the next piece of information and so on.

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by oquiella » Tue Jul 21, 2015 7:42 am
[email protected] wrote:Hi oquiella,

I have a few question about how you've been studying and your timeline/goals:

1) How long have you been studying? 20 days
2) Have you used any resources besides the books you mentioned? Kaplan and Princeton. will start veritas quiz bank. Just ordered official gmat for more practice on questions.

3) What is your goal score? 780
4) How have you been scoring on your CATs? havent taken CATs my brain doesnt remember much from high school afraid to score low. wanted to brush up on concepts first.will take one soon.
5) When are you planning to take the GMAT? Aug 22

In general, 'word problems' in the Quant section are best done in 'pieces' - since most Quant questions require 3-5 'steps' to complete, and you don't have to do all of the steps at once, you should start off each question by taking some notes on the first piece(s) of information you receive. Then move on to the next piece of information and so on.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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by [email protected] » Tue Jul 21, 2015 7:57 am
Hi oquiella,

To start, a 780 is likely an unrealistic score goal - especially since we have NO IDEA how well you're actually scoring right now. As such, you really should plan to take a FULL-LENGTH CAT (including the Essay and IR sections) sometime soon - perhaps this weekend. Once you have those scores, you should report back here.

Since you've been studying for just 20 days, it's not surprising that you're still having some trouble in certain areas. Many Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) on their studies to hit their 'peak' scores. With an August 22nd Test Date, you have a little over 4 weeks remaining, which is not much time.

Do you have the flexibility to push your Test Date back?

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by oquiella » Tue Jul 21, 2015 8:07 am
[email protected] wrote:Hi oquiella,

To start, a 780 is likely an unrealistic score goal - especially since we have NO IDEA how well you're actually scoring right now. As such, you really should plan to take a FULL-LENGTH CAT (including the Essay and IR sections) sometime soon - perhaps this weekend. Once you have those scores, you should report back here.

Since you've been studying for just 20 days, it's not surprising that you're still having some trouble in certain areas. Many Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) on their studies to hit their 'peak' scores. With an August 22nd Test Date, you have a little over 4 weeks remaining, which is not much time.

Do you have the flexibility to push your Test Date back?



I can. What would you suggest?

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by [email protected] » Tue Jul 21, 2015 8:17 am
Hi oquiella,

To start, we need to see how you handle a FULL-LENGTH CAT. Remember that a FULL CAT takes about 4 hours to complete, so you have to make sure to set aside enough time to do so in one sitting. You should also try to take it at the same time of day as your Official GMAT and take it under realistic and test-like conditions. That initial score is necessary to evaluate your overall study plan/timeline.

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by oquiella » Tue Jul 21, 2015 8:19 am
Ok. I can do that this week. I have Manhattan GMAT practice test. Will this suffice?

[email protected] wrote:Hi oquiella,

To start, we need to see how you handle a FULL-LENGTH CAT. Remember that a FULL CAT takes about 4 hours to complete, so you have to make sure to set aside enough time to do so in one sitting. You should also try to take it at the same time of day as your Official GMAT and take it under realistic and test-like conditions. That initial score is necessary to evaluate your overall study plan/timeline.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
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by oquiella » Tue Jul 21, 2015 8:38 am
Oh my first CAT in Manhattan Gmat does not offer the essay with it. Do you know of a really good CAT that can give me a diagnostics afterward? That includes essay and IR?
oquiella wrote:Ok. I can do that this week. I have Manhattan GMAT practice test. Will this suffice?

[email protected] wrote:Hi oquiella,

To start, we need to see how you handle a FULL-LENGTH CAT. Remember that a FULL CAT takes about 4 hours to complete, so you have to make sure to set aside enough time to do so in one sitting. You should also try to take it at the same time of day as your Official GMAT and take it under realistic and test-like conditions. That initial score is necessary to evaluate your overall study plan/timeline.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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by [email protected] » Tue Jul 21, 2015 7:06 pm
Hi oquiella,

Have you downloaded the 2 free CATs from www.mba.com yet? If you haven't used either of those CATs, then I recommend that you use the first (they include the FULL CAT).

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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