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Math Strategy (Expert / fellow test takers advice needed)

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Math Strategy (Expert / fellow test takers advice needed)

by RumpelThickSkin » Thu Mar 18, 2010 6:21 am
Hi All,

Let me make one thing clear - I am not quantatively inclined. Never have been - so when I started my prep a month back I dreaded studying Math ...

So far I have finished a book by Nova (for basics - highly recommend it) and all the questions in OG 12 ( i could solve most of them with relative ease after grasping the basics from Nova). P & C questions were the only ones I had problems with. I am planning to do a revision of the OG questions once again and perhaps the advanced questions in the Kaplan workbook and stop there. Is this enough?

My PowerPrep Test 1 score 690 (46Q 38V). I am sure I can pump up the verbal score a couple of points but need my Quant to remain the same.

Based on the facts given, do you guys think my prep will be enough? Is it possible to get a 45 - 47 Quant score on the actual GMAT with this little prep for a non- Quant person like me?

Look forward to hearing from some of you.

Thank you!!!
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by KapTeacherEli » Thu Mar 18, 2010 7:24 am
Hi RTS,

My first suggestion is to take one or two more tests. While the adaptive tests are a lot more reliable and less swingy the paper based tests, its still best to know where you're at with more certainty.

That being said, it is possible for non-quant people to have that level of score. Math is a very important skill for the Quant section, but it also relies on lateral thinking for alternate solutions, critical reading to parse difficult questions, and taking advantage of the test format. If you're naturally good at theses skills, or if you've developed them through prep for other tests or through Verbal prep, you'll have a leg up.

Speaking of which, how strategic are you being? Sounds liek you're already pretty close to your goal, but the adaptive tests can throw you curveballs. Definitely take a look at the Kaplan books; our hallmark strategies of Picking Numbers and Backsolving will go a long way towards cracking those complex, high-difficulty problems.

One last question: how much of your prep has been timed? At this point, as you get closer to the test, you should be focusing not just on content but on pacing. For that reason, I recommend that you keep a kitchen timer as you work through the Kaplan workbook.

Whatever you do, good luck on your GMAT!
Eli Meyer
Kaplan GMAT Teacher
Cambridge, MA
www.kaptest.com/gmat

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by RumpelThickSkin » Thu Mar 18, 2010 10:16 am
Eli,

Thank you very much for your detailed response!

I will continue to take practice test after I finish one more time (especially focus on the questions that I got wrong). People keep telling me that the OG level is lower than the actual GMAT? Is that a resonable claim to make?

Timing - I've been timing for verbal especially RC ( I really lose time on this section) but not math. Will start timing myself ...
Do you think I need more material than this problems or just keeping taking as many tests as I can? I've heard the level of the Kaplan tests is quite high. Will take one when I am done with the workbook.

Thanks again for your response and kind advice,
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by KapTeacherEli » Thu Mar 18, 2010 10:10 pm
The "level" of our tests aren't nearly as high as rumors would have you believe. If our results are off, it's by a few percentile points at most.

That being said, it's very hard for me to evalutate without seeing your results. But here are two questions to ask yourself. First: how many questions do you do the actual math on? If you take a peek at our explanations, you'll notice that a number of problems offer our strategies as alternatives to grinding out tough algebra and arithmetic. If you find you're missing a lot of those opportunities, then focusing on Kaplan's methods could be a time saver. Second, are there any specific areas that need improvement? If you're generally doing okay on the Math, that's one thing, but if you're missing (hypothetically) every single coordinate geometry problem, then focusing on content might be correct.

Let me know what else I can do to help!
Eli Meyer
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Cambridge, MA
www.kaptest.com/gmat

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by Stacey Koprince » Fri Mar 19, 2010 11:37 am
Received a PM asking me to respond.

Did you take PowerPrep or GMATPrep? PowerPrep is the old version of the software and it's not nearly as reliable as GMATPrep.

Did you take the test under full official conditions? (Essays, two 8-min breaks, etc) If you didn't then your score might be inflated (depending upon how, exactly, you deviated from the official conditions).

I'll echo Eli in suggesting another test, in particular if you did not take your first test under full official conditions. If you want to stick with an official practice test, I'd recommend GMATPrep over PowerPrep. If you don't do one of those, though, then make sure that the test you take is adaptive and was constructed using the same algorithmic theory as the real test.

I'll also echo Eli with respect to timing yourself. Saying that you got through OG pretty easily is great... but that still may not translate into a great test score if you weren't timing yourself. The issue is not just whether you can do the problems but whether you can do them in the given timeframe.

Overall, it sounds like you're doing really well. You may benefit from this article, which talks about how to develop a study plan: https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/02/ ... study-plan

Note: this article is useful for anyone, no matter how long you've been studying, because we have to keep revising our study plans every few weeks as our skills change! That article also gives a link to another article about how to analyze your practice tests, so that would be another good place to start if you're trying to figure out what, exactly, you need to do when you study!
Please note: I do not use the Private Messaging system! I will not see any PMs that you send to me!!

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by RumpelThickSkin » Fri Mar 19, 2010 12:05 pm
Stacey,

Many thanks for your response. Yes, I took the old ETS PowerPrep and in test conditions. Did not do the essays!

I wanted to start off with an easier test before taking the other adaptive tests. I am planning to take the GMAT IN 45 days and wanted to keep atleast one GMAT Prep tests towards the end.

And thanks for the link. I am sure it will help other test takers as well.

Thanks again for your detailed post!!!
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