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How to achieve 45 in Quantitative

Problem Solving — algebra and arithmetic (GMAT Focus Edition)
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How to achieve 45 in Quantitative

by Tega1984 » Thu Jun 16, 2011 5:58 am
Hey guys. I just wanted to ask what can you advice me in order to raise my quant from 41 to 45(which is my target score). I have only 2 weeks left and I'm planning to devote 4 hours a day to quant. Here's the list of topics that I'm going to concentrate most.
Ratios
Factors and multiples
Systems of equations
Rates
Overlapping sets
Right Triangles
Inequalities
Exponents
Percents
Coordinate geometry
P.S. Should I practice 700+ questions too or it's better to concentrate on easier one's?
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by Tega1984 » Thu Jun 16, 2011 8:59 am
any ideas?
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by phoenix111 » Thu Jun 16, 2011 9:07 am
Dude, Score of 41 suggests that either there are certain topics that you find difficult to tackle or else there are some common silly mistakes that u make. Identify your issues and then wrk . Simple slogging wont work. Moreover, 4 hrs a day is too much , u wud burn urself out. I guess 2 hr/day would suffice.
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by Tega1984 » Thu Jun 16, 2011 9:16 am
Well the issue is that I find it hard to master the concepts truly 100% in-depth I guess. And, Yes, I make silly mistakes here and there. Do you think 2 hours a day will be enough to raise the score to 45 in two weeks?(That is If I really work efficiently).I don't rally think about the burnout. I'm already kind of frustrated, but I think I will endure for these two weeks before the test.
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by phoenix111 » Thu Jun 16, 2011 9:32 am
Mastering the concepts is better done by scrutinizing questions rather than praticing a lot of them.
Go over OG and the GMAT prep test. Dont bother about scores. Instead, try to solve and analyse each n every question/concept u come across. Try twisting the question and figure out wht else could have been asked or in wht other way cud the same question be put etc etc. This will also help in generating interest and thereby reducing frustation. Chill dude. Afterall , its all simple logic :)
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by Tega1984 » Thu Jun 16, 2011 9:39 am
I agree thanks very much!
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by Brian@VeritasPrep » Thu Jun 16, 2011 12:20 pm
Great answer, Phoenix! Exactly right - the GMAT isn't testing your ability to "know" those concepts that Tega listed, but rather your ability to make decisions using them. I think it's pretty telling that it's not labeled "Math" as a noun but rather "Quantitative" as an adjective - it's not a math test, but rather a test that uses numbers!!

One other suggestion right in line with your point - as you do problems that involve math rules, try to learn the rule before you look it up. Just looking up rules falls in to that "give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day; teach a man to fish and he'll eat for a lifetimes" logic. If you look up a math rule, you can solve that problem. But if you struggle through it and ultimately prove it to yourself, you'll never forget it, and even if you do you'll know that you can prove it again. So for the 45-45-90 triangle ratios, yeah, it's x, x, xsqrt 2. But if you blank on that, think it through:

Pythagorean theorem says that a^2 + b^2 = c^2.
But in an isosceles right triangle, a = b, so we actually have:

a^2 + a^2 = c^2
2a^2 = c^2
a*sqrt2 = c

And you've just proven that rule...now you OWN it, you're not just hoping to remember it.

Like Phoenix says, do fewer problems but dig in and really learn from them and you'll find that you develop the kind of flexible, analytical knowledge that's really powerful on this test!
Brian Galvin
GMAT Instructor
Chief Academic Officer
Veritas Prep

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