Horrible at Arithmetic, is there hope?

This topic has expert replies
Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Jul 17, 2017 6:57 pm

Horrible at Arithmetic, is there hope?

by adunsworth » Sun Jul 23, 2017 11:38 am
Ok so some background. I've been out of college for about 6-7 years. I have a BS in Accounting and my CPA certification, but even with all of that I don't really do basic arithmetic in my head these days. My life has become a crazy mix of theory based projections and debits and credits. That being said, I find basic math very challenging because, unless it's an applied problem my brain, doesn't think that way. This all being said am I just crazy? am I looking at this wrong? Has anyone else had this issue?

I'm only on day 5 of the 60 day study guide from GMAT Prep Now and I really like it but I'm getting frustrated that I seem to struggle so much with basic concepts.

Thanks in advance :)

GMAT Instructor
Posts: 2630
Joined: Wed Sep 12, 2012 3:32 pm
Location: East Bay all the way
Thanked: 625 times
Followed by:119 members
GMAT Score:780

by Matt@VeritasPrep » Sun Jul 23, 2017 2:25 pm
You can totally improve! Day 5 is a little early to declare the patient DOA. :)

I've found that *most* of my students these days are better at the conceptual side of math than the computational side, and the conceptual side is much more important for this test. I think you'll find that the numbers start to fit together the more you practice everything else in math, so don't sweat it, just keep pressing on. Try not to do too many mindless arithmetic drill though: let the arithmetic come together unconsciously in the process of working on more conceptual problems.

GMAT Instructor
Posts: 2630
Joined: Wed Sep 12, 2012 3:32 pm
Location: East Bay all the way
Thanked: 625 times
Followed by:119 members
GMAT Score:780

by Matt@VeritasPrep » Sun Jul 23, 2017 2:33 pm
Another quick point: if you've got a good memory and an eye for details (and as a CPA, I'd assume that you do), you'll find that a lot of arithmetic is just memorization. One of the great calculators in the world, Shakuntala Devi, was actually faster than most contemporary computers but she credited her success to lots and lots of practice, memorization, and pattern recognition. (She also wrote a few good books on the basics, the Joy of Numbers and the Book of Numbers, if you're interested.)

User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1100
Joined: Sat May 10, 2014 11:34 pm
Location: New Delhi, India
Thanked: 205 times
Followed by:24 members

by GMATinsight » Sun Mar 11, 2018 12:11 am
adunsworth wrote:Ok so some background. I've been out of college for about 6-7 years. I have a BS in Accounting and my CPA certification, but even with all of that I don't really do basic arithmetic in my head these days. My life has become a crazy mix of theory based projections and debits and credits. That being said, I find basic math very challenging because, unless it's an applied problem my brain, doesn't think that way. This all being said am I just crazy? am I looking at this wrong? Has anyone else had this issue?

I'm only on day 5 of the 60 day study guide from GMAT Prep Now and I really like it but I'm getting frustrated that I seem to struggle so much with basic concepts.

Thanks in advance :)
Arithmetic is pretty simple if things are explained to you with help of practical examples. So while talking about Ratio and Mixtures you need to imagine a few realistic scenarior

Also on you tube you might find video explanations with figure which might be a good help for you,

Hope this helps!!!
"GMATinsight"Bhoopendra Singh & Sushma Jha
Most Comprehensive and Affordable Video Course 2000+ CONCEPT Videos and Video Solutions
Whatsapp/Mobile: +91-9999687183 l [email protected]
Contact for One-on-One FREE ONLINE DEMO Class Call/e-mail
Most Efficient and affordable One-On-One Private tutoring fee - US$40-50 per hour

User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 2131
Joined: Mon Feb 03, 2014 9:26 am
Location: https://martymurraycoaching.com/
Thanked: 955 times
Followed by:140 members
GMAT Score:800

GMAT Arithmetic

by MartyMurray » Fri Aug 03, 2018 4:49 pm
adunsworth wrote:Ok so some background. I've been out of college for about 6-7 years. I have a BS in Accounting and my CPA certification, but even with all of that I don't really do basic arithmetic in my head these days. My life has become a crazy mix of theory based projections and debits and credits. That being said, I find basic math very challenging because, unless it's an applied problem my brain, doesn't think that way. This all being said am I just crazy? am I looking at this wrong? Has anyone else had this issue?

I'm only on day 5 of the 60 day study guide from GMAT Prep Now and I really like it but I'm getting frustrated that I seem to struggle so much with basic concepts.

Thanks in advance :)
In case the following is not clear, the issue here is not "your brain". The issue is what you have been practicing. You have not been practicing doing arithmetic in your head or on paper, and so, you are not that great at it at the moment.

Getting frustrated about this issue will get you nowhere. To hit your GMAT Score goal, figure out what you have to get better at and work on it. In this case, you may have to focus on some GMAT math basics for a while. If doing so means that you can't just go through the 60 Day program on schedule, so be it. One of the biggest and most common mistakes that people make when preparing for the GMAT is deciding that doing so will take an amount of work or or an amount of time other than what it will take for that person. For someone who has been doing a lot of arithmetic recently, preparing for GMAT quant may not take as much time as it will for someone who has to do some basic math practice. For someone whose first language is English, preparing for GMAT verbal may not take as long as it will for someone who is not as familiar with English.

You have some skills that will serve you well in GMAT quant. Handling arithmetic is not one of them at the moment. No big deal. You can develop that skill as you did the others, with some practice. If you are not getting sufficient practice in handling the arithmetic aspects of GMAT quant via using the 60 Day program, then go outside that program and use some other resources. There are plenty of resources that you can use to practice GMAT quant basics.
Marty Murray
Perfect Scoring Tutor With Over a Decade of Experience
MartyMurrayCoaching.com
Contact me at [email protected] for a free consultation.

User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 1449
Joined: Sat Oct 09, 2010 2:16 pm
Thanked: 59 times
Followed by:33 members

by fskilnik@GMATH » Sun Aug 26, 2018 2:06 pm
adunsworth wrote:Ok so some background. I've been out of college for about 6-7 years. I have a BS in Accounting and my CPA certification, but even with all of that I don't really do basic arithmetic in my head these days. My life has become a crazy mix of theory based projections and debits and credits. That being said, I find basic math very challenging because, unless it's an applied problem my brain, doesn't think that way. This all being said am I just crazy? am I looking at this wrong? Has anyone else had this issue?

I'm only on day 5 of the 60 day study guide from GMAT Prep Now and I really like it but I'm getting frustrated that I seem to struggle so much with basic concepts.

Thanks in advance :)
Hi adunsworth,

(At least) The quant section of the GMAT is about "making good decisions", and this ability is also needed when you perform "simple" tasks like explicit numerical calculations, for instance.

You may (and should) consider "choosing the approach/technique/concept/property" in dealing with any question of the quant section as an applied problem! Not applied in the sense of Accounting, for instance (of course), but applied in the sense of satisfying the problem´s needs, I mean, its FOCUS.

May I suggest you do the test drive of my course? It´s free and I really believe you will get my point quickly.

(Even without choosing my preparation, I believe the ideas I present there will help you a lot!)

Regards and success!
Fabio.
Fabio Skilnik :: GMATH method creator ( Math for the GMAT)
English-speakers :: https://www.gmath.net
Portuguese-speakers :: https://www.gmath.com.br