I actually disagree with that. If you have finished doing the problems in OG but still don't like your score, you haven't actually studied what you needed to study from those problems. Continuing to do a bunch of new problems without really studying them isn't going to get you much further.
Note: I'm not saying you shouldn't do any new problems. I'm saying that you haven't been studying in the most effective way. If you don't remedy that problem, it doesn't matter much what you do study. And if you haven't studied OG in the most effective way, you want to return and study those, because questions from the real source are better than any other source.
Most of the learning we get from a problem comes from the thought and analysis we put into it after we have tried it for the first time. You're not actually done studying a problem until you can answer these questions:
(if you got it wrong)
- Why did I get it wrong (as specifically as possible)?
- What could I do to minimize the chance of making that error (or those errors) again? How will I make whatever that is a habit so that I really do minimize chances of making the same error again?
(if you got it right)
- Did I thoroughly know what I was doing or did I get lucky in any way?
(whether you got it wrong or right)
- What are the right ways to do it? (for math, there's always more than one way to do a problem)
- Is there anything I need to review from a content (math, grammar) or process (different question types or sub-types) perspective?
- Of the right ways, which one is the best way for me (combining both efficiency and effectiveness) given my strengths and weaknesses?
- What are the traps or tricks built into this problem? How will I recognize and avoid similar traps or tricks in the future?
- How could I make an educated guess (identify and eliminate some of the wrong answers)? What connections or patterns can I make with other problems I've done of the same type? (eg, on RC, I can usually eliminate answer choices with extreme words, such as always or never. On CR, by contrast, I can't eliminate a choice simply because it uses an extreme word, because these are sometimes right on CR.)
Ultimately: - How will I recognize problems of similar type in future so that I can remember the "best way" to do that problem without having to figure it out from scratch, avoid the traps, make effective educated guesses, etc.
I can easily take 10 minutes to review a single problem after spending 2 minutes to try it for the first time. Most of my learning comes during that latter 10 minutes.
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Stacey Koprince
GMAT Instructor
Director of Online Community
Manhattan GMAT
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