alright guys, i feel your pain so i'd like to provide some tips.
just some background, i took the gmat twice, went from a 710 to 770...had to take it again because my gpa is pretty damn bad
improved my quantitative from 48 (82%) to 50 (93%)
first of all, this is a standardized test under time restraints, some people just perform well under these circumstances, others don't, some people are good at math, others aren't, so take my advice for what its worth
1) do as many problems as you can
-this is an aptitude test. it doesn't test specific information that just has to be memorized. there are an infinite number of ways a math concept can be tested so the best way to find out what types of problems give you the most difficulty is to do as many as possible. undoubtedly you will encounter problems during the real thing that are unlike any problem you've practiced, the goal is to cover all your bases, do as many different problems as you can so you minimize the number of "new" problems that you'll inevitably come across. find a book store with a cafe where you can sit and use all the test prep books they have!
2) Label the problems you miss on practice exams
For me, there were 3 types of incorrect answers: careless mistakes, problems that I knew how to solve - but my method was taking too long, and problems that I wouldn't know how to solve unless I look at the solution. Use a red marker and violently circle your careless mistakes, these are the killers. Mistakes such as not flipping an inequality, not multiplying a negative through, simple addition/multiplication/division/subtraction errors, etc. There's nothing you can do about these when you're under the clock except to be MORE CAREFUL. For me, about half of my incorrect problems were careless mistakes. Make yourself aware of how these easily preventable issues are holding your scores back and you'll slowly eliminate careless mistakes. For the problems that were taking you too long and you just decided to guess and move on, this just means you need to strengthen your mastery of the concept. Learn shortcuts, memorize simple squares and square roots, memorize dimensions of right triangles, anything to shave seconds off these problems. These seconds add up and may allow you to answer 2-3 more problems before the guess-fest at the end. The first time I took the test, I had 10 seconds to click through the last 6-7 problems, the second time, I only had to click through the last 3, which might have made all the difference. Lastly are the problems that you just don't know how to solve, which is a great thing. These are the problems that you want to discover as many of before you take the real thing (see my first tip). If you see these problems once, you'll know how to solve them when you see them again, and you won't miss them if they come up during the real thing.
3) Strategy during the test, I know it's obvious, but be able to finish the damn test! or be within striking distance of an index-finger-injuring mouse-clicking frenzy. Again be VERY CAREFUL when you read and work the problem so that ideally, you work through the problem once, the answer you come up with is one of the options, select that option and move on. Rechecking your work when you've already arrived at one of the possible answers is like doing two problems to get one answer. The worst thing that can happen is not finishing.
ok, these are my tips, hopefully I'm not just repeating the obvious, and hopefully it'll help some of you guys
just some background, i took the gmat twice, went from a 710 to 770...had to take it again because my gpa is pretty damn bad
improved my quantitative from 48 (82%) to 50 (93%)
first of all, this is a standardized test under time restraints, some people just perform well under these circumstances, others don't, some people are good at math, others aren't, so take my advice for what its worth
1) do as many problems as you can
-this is an aptitude test. it doesn't test specific information that just has to be memorized. there are an infinite number of ways a math concept can be tested so the best way to find out what types of problems give you the most difficulty is to do as many as possible. undoubtedly you will encounter problems during the real thing that are unlike any problem you've practiced, the goal is to cover all your bases, do as many different problems as you can so you minimize the number of "new" problems that you'll inevitably come across. find a book store with a cafe where you can sit and use all the test prep books they have!
2) Label the problems you miss on practice exams
For me, there were 3 types of incorrect answers: careless mistakes, problems that I knew how to solve - but my method was taking too long, and problems that I wouldn't know how to solve unless I look at the solution. Use a red marker and violently circle your careless mistakes, these are the killers. Mistakes such as not flipping an inequality, not multiplying a negative through, simple addition/multiplication/division/subtraction errors, etc. There's nothing you can do about these when you're under the clock except to be MORE CAREFUL. For me, about half of my incorrect problems were careless mistakes. Make yourself aware of how these easily preventable issues are holding your scores back and you'll slowly eliminate careless mistakes. For the problems that were taking you too long and you just decided to guess and move on, this just means you need to strengthen your mastery of the concept. Learn shortcuts, memorize simple squares and square roots, memorize dimensions of right triangles, anything to shave seconds off these problems. These seconds add up and may allow you to answer 2-3 more problems before the guess-fest at the end. The first time I took the test, I had 10 seconds to click through the last 6-7 problems, the second time, I only had to click through the last 3, which might have made all the difference. Lastly are the problems that you just don't know how to solve, which is a great thing. These are the problems that you want to discover as many of before you take the real thing (see my first tip). If you see these problems once, you'll know how to solve them when you see them again, and you won't miss them if they come up during the real thing.
3) Strategy during the test, I know it's obvious, but be able to finish the damn test! or be within striking distance of an index-finger-injuring mouse-clicking frenzy. Again be VERY CAREFUL when you read and work the problem so that ideally, you work through the problem once, the answer you come up with is one of the options, select that option and move on. Rechecking your work when you've already arrived at one of the possible answers is like doing two problems to get one answer. The worst thing that can happen is not finishing.
ok, these are my tips, hopefully I'm not just repeating the obvious, and hopefully it'll help some of you guys
