GMAT Strategy

Hey guys,
Just gave the GMAT, got a 49 in Quant.

I think that I can increase it up to 51.
Any strategies?

Also should I buy the additional 2 GMATPrep tests?
Are the useful?

Thanks in advance

Since your already doing SO WELL in Quant (congrats!), you'll only be able to improve in 3 ways:

1) Content. Honing in on exactly what you don't know. What are the Top 5 Quant concepts you miss the most? For example:

- DS: Exponents
- PS: Rates and Work
- DS: Odds and Evens
- PS: Coordinate Geo
- PS: Mixtures

To find these, you have to go back and do an Error Log for your last 3-4 practice CATs. Identify the Primary Concept tested for EVERY incorrect question. Then "sort" the spreadsheet and look for the concepts that appear the most often. Study the heck out of them. (See sample template attached.)

2) Strategy. What is your Step 1....Step 2....Step 3...knee-jerk, default reaction to EVERY DS and PS question you see on Test Day? Can you write it out systematically, or do you approach the questions willy-nilly? Now is the time to codify your approach. Do you find yourself cutting corners? Are you organizing your scratch pad as neatly as you could, and is it REALLY serving you to its highest ability? You may want to review your Quant strategies with a tutor. Are you extremely comfortable picking number and backsolving/plugging in when appropriate? (Check out an example of Picking numbers here: https://gmatrockstar.com/2014/04/15/gmat ... the-day-2/)

3) Pacing. We all have questions that terrify us -- are you consistently able to finish the Quant section of your CATs? Are you finishing TOO early and rushing through problems? Are you racing to complete the last third of the section? The ideal pacing sees you clicking and confirming the last question with just a few seconds to spare. Time management is HUGE. Are you taking your practice CATs with benchmarks in front of you so you always stay on track? Are you doing pacing drills with harder Quant concepts so that you can ensure even in the face of difficult questions you are able to "walk away" from a question for the sake of the entire exam? Are you good at approximation and estimation and using the PS answer choices to your advantage?

Beyond the Quant section, it might help you to see if you can pick up a few more Verbal points to boost your overall score. Obviously you're a high-scorer, so it's just a question of self-evaluation, dedicated attack of weaker concepts, and brutal pacing discipline on extremely hard questions. You have to become the "Rocky Balboa" of Advanced GMAT Quant now. It might help to work through the Adv. Quant book from MGMAT already if you haven't yet.

Good luck!

I think you can definitely improve to a 51. 49 is already a really strong score, so congrats!

I agree with previous posts that the next step is to really look at your weak spots. Go over your past CATs in detail and find out which topics are giving you the most trouble, and review those topics.

Another thing you should be thinking about is timing. Are you finishing the section with a lot of extra time, having to guess the last few or somewhere in between? Pacing is so important! Speed is nothing without accuracy and accuracy is nothing if you are not finishing the section and getting penalized. So when you are looking to improve that last little bit pacing may be the key. I would suggest taking a few practice quant sections with pacing in mind and try to find the optimal speed/accuracy balance.

Finally, if you are looking form more questions/strategies I would recommend the MGMAT advances quant books as it may give you the strategies you need to get those last few points.

Hope this helps!!

You also might find it helpful you focus on Word Problems -- they tend to slow down even the most advanced GMAT Quant students! I'd recommend getting the Veritas Prep Word Problems book as well as the MGMAT Adv. Quant.