GMAT Strategy

Hi Guys,

Firstly thank you so much for your time and help on this.

To summarize started GMAT prep 20 days ago and scored a 500 on the Kaplan Diagnostic, subsequently starting referring to the Manhattan Strategy guides for quants. Took a week and went through the Manhattan quant guides (Basic not the advanced section) and gave in another mock exam and scored a 570. (Overall 57% - Quant - 55% and verbal 43%).

My GMAT is scheduled for the 23rd of this month and i am off work from today till my exam.

I have only referred to the Manhattan guides up til now and face a lot of problem specifically with number properties, geometry and algebra which unfortunately dominate most of the quants section. I seem to have understood the concepts from the strategy guides well but when presented on the exam with various sub topics tested at the same time, i get a good number of questions incorrect!

So kind of confused as to how i should proceed on quants as well as verbal sections on the GMAT.

Additionally have attached a screen shot of my strengths and weaknesses.

Looking forward to hearing from youl soon and thanks once again.

Tarun

Hello Tarun,

Although some people say that lots of memorization isn't necessary for the GMAT, the fact is that the more you have memorized the better you *can* do.

Some things to memorize are:
1. Positive and Negative -- if a DS question states that xy < 0 or a/b < 1, that means that either x or y is negative and usually the key to solving the problem is realizing that fact. If in the second one, b is positive, then a < b. If, on the other hand, b is negative, then a > b.
2. If a number, when squared is less than the number (x^2 < x) that means that x is between 0 and 1 (0 < x < 1).
3. Odd and Even combinations. All that you need to know is Odd * Odd = Odd and Odd ± Even = Odd. Everything else (aside from division) is Even.
4. Learn how to use the slot method: https://vimeo.com/11327864 Thursday with Ron December 3, 2009.
5. Treat RCs like big CR problems. I am not able to do well on verbal when I write down any information. I've tried writing down things for each paragraph, main ideas, tone, scope, etc., but it is a waste for me. Instead, I imagine that each RC is a part of a Wikipedia article which I've just stumbled across. That instantly gets me interested and I read everything like how I would normally read one of those articles. If I'm able to understand things on the first time around, I spend less time re-reading the passage afterward. If you're able to write down and find it helpful then go for it -- this is just in case you needed another approach.
6. For SC's -- Read through MGMAT's SC book and do all of the problem sets. Go through the Idioms list in chapter 9 and read each correct one. Use your ear to hear if it sounds correct. If you review it enough, eventually the correct ones will start to sound correct and then you can just trust your ear. If there are any incorrect ones which sound correct to you, you must train yourself to avoid them. You're already typing out everything nicely, which is a plus. Continue writing and speaking properly from now until test day and correct any mistakes you make along the way.
7. Geometry -- Memorize 30:60:90 (x:x√3:2x) and 45:45:90 (xx√2). Memorize different right triangle combos: 3-4-5, 6-8-10, 9-12-15, 12-16-20, 8-15-17, 5-12-13, 10-24-26. Memorize the formula for Area of Equilateral Triangles: A = [s^2(√3)]/4. Memorize all other area, surface area, and volume formulas you can.
8. Factors and FOILs -- Memorize (a^2 - b^2) = (a + b)(a - b), (a + b)^2 = a^2 + 2ab + b^2, etc..

And don't worry too much about the test scores. Kaplan tests seem to have a lower test score than what people actually get.

If I could start my prep over, I would use the MGMAT OG Archer alot more than I did. It has some really good analysis tools. Also, do your practice problems this way: https://www.gmathacks.com/study-tips/how ... blems.html. It really makes a difference.

Hope these couple pointers helps out!
--Rishi

Hey Rishi,

Thank you so much once again. These were exactly the problems i am facing - including the RC issue.

The way you recommend reading an RC passage like a wikipidea article seems to be a very good idea and i am just going to start following that.

Thanks

Tarun

Hello again Tarun,
I saw a post by Dabral today about his site -- it's definitely a great addition to learn from. I watched a ton of them today!

He explains each of the OG and Quantitative Review PS and DS problems on video (along with other features which are paid/member only):
https://www.gmatquantum.com/og12problemsolving/
and
https://www.gmatquantum.com/og2main/
He also has them broken down by section, if you want to focus more on one problem type.

I'll be taking the exam on Saturday, Sept. 10th, so I'm wrapping up with my studying. I'll take the second GMAT prep practice exam tomorrow, review on Friday, and kill the exam on Saturday (I hope)!!

When I did the first ten odd practice exams, I did the AWA section fully so I know my stamina is there. Now when I'm taking any practice exams, I glance at the essays for a few minutes. I try to find 4-5 flaws in the argument, and I try to piece together content/examples/ideas for the issue. This usually takes about 10 - 15 minutes, which then gives me more time to review the Quant and Verbal after the test. So, if you feel your essays are on par, you can use this approach as well.

One thing I sort of regret now is scheduling the exam before preparing, which it seems like you have done also. I don't know if I am just nervous about it, but at certain times I'm doubting my readiness. Hopefully you will maximize your study during your time off; but definitely be sure to take breaks!

All the best!
--Rishi

Just to add my thoughts...I believe that notes on RC are essential to getting EVERY RC question correct. Most students think of "notes" negatively because they (1) try to summarize, (2) have no idea WHY they are taking "notes", or (3) don't know what to write.

We know the things that RC passages ask about: the scope/focus, the author's opinions, logical structure (purpose of individual paragraphs), function of details, the main idea, etc, so why WOULDN'T we FIND those things and WRITE THEM DOWN as we read? It takes no more time to jot them down than it does to read, and I argue that in fact you will end up moving more quickly through the passages as you read because you are NOT skimming and looking to "understand" but rather breaking down the passage and extracting exactly the information the questions will ask about.

I suggest checking out these articles:

https://grockit.com/blog/gre/2010/12/16/ ... -passages/

https://grockit.com/blog/gmat/2011/03/21 ... te-taking/

You can see an example of my notes here: https://www.beatthegmat.com/rc-99-passage-39-t81093.html

If you treat each RC like a wikipedia article, you aren't doing anything different strategy-wise. You will only gather a cursory understanding of the passage. This will work for easy and maybe even medium passages, but you will be totally lost on harder ones.

Rishi,

Thanks for the link of the videos - that is exactly what should help me!! To be very honest haven't even thought about the AWA as yet - its high time I get going on that front as well, and i am very sure your strategy will help there. Thanks

Rishi, all the best for tomorrow, and i will keep you posted on further developments.

Tarun

VivianKerr,

Thank you so much for your view on tacking the RC section. To be honest, i probably until now thought of taking notes as a negative thing on the RC section as it was too time consuming, but i think i will have to change my strategy a bit, if in case my accuracy needs to increase.

The links will be really helpful and i thank you for sharing them.

Tarun