Just got beat by the GMAT!!!!!!!!! ugh 640

[spwildmba]

Just took my first GMAT. Was scoring consistently in mid to high 90% for verbal and mid 70% for quant PowerPrep, GMATPrep, etc.

Got Q32 50% and V43 93% for 640 80% overall.

I have been in the 90% plus on Verbal since my very first test so focused nearly entirely on Quant during prep.

Got in the test and just FROZE on quant..could not set up anything!

I studied hard in Feb and March but really coasted in April and early May due to work going crazy. Crammed for 2 weeks pretest..so really about 2 1/2 months total prep but separated.

I now have to take another month off basically due to moving, etc. have a 3 year old daughter, work, etc.

My question..how to drill down on what I need to prep for quant...want a 700 but I really blew on the real test at math. When I prepped consistent...Feb and April..got feel for when 2 minutes was coming, when to jump ship and take educated guess, how to set up quickly, etc...I normally don't get test jitters but Quant this time freaked me...should I time everything I do? Write down all my solutions and compare to answers to see what I am doing wrong? How many hours per week? (probably put in 10 per week in Mar and April and then 20 per week last 2 weeks before test)

Anyone here raised their quant from 50% to 80% or above? I am targeting a top tier school and heard you need 80% plus on Quant.

Thanks!!!

[Sadowski]

Never fear...a higher quant score is definitely within reach. I've found the following methods, outlined in this website and others, to be the most valuable when practicing quant problems.

1) Make a physical worksheet or spreadsheet that helps you keep track of all the problems you've done and especially which ones you felt you solved too slowly or you didn't conceptually understand. The importance of keeping track of what you've done cannot be stressed too highly.

2) Solve a set of ~40 questions at a time. Studying too many questions will lead to conceptual haziness at the end of the day. Also, keep track of the time it takes to finish a set of problems.

3) When you're done with the 40 questions, grade yourself but don't write down the correct answers or look at the explanations. Go back over the questions you missed and try to solve them again. Did you make a stupid mistake or was it a conceptual error? Were you able to get it the second time? Finally, review the explanations in the book.

4) The next day, or later on in the same day, go back over the questions you got wrong and continue to study these as the weeks go by.

The key is that you won't learn or retain much information just by looking at answer explanations. You have to struggle through them over and over until the concepts are cemented in your brain.

Keeping track of all the problems you've done (including CAT tests) will tell you exactly which concepts and types of problems will require the most study time. For instance, do you know if you struggle more with DS or PS? Geometry or number principles? Knowing your weakness is half the battle in studying efficiently.

Best of luck to you!

[drhomler]

Great idea Sandowski. I spent part of tonight after work looging the info in an excel sheet. its agreat way to keep track and give discipline. I also like the idea of not reading the answers when you miss a problem, but reworking it instead, I know I fall nto that trap and it does not help you learn I am taking that advice to the bank, I really thikn it is going to help. Thank you, thank you. This website is great for tips on everything related to the gmat-truly proves the notion of teamwork.

I might also add, that when working math problems on the test and in practice there is a finite amount of info being tested(this goes for the verbal too) so if you see something that you dont immediately recognize take a moment and pause(albeit a brief one) and see if you can manipulate it, factor it, reword it, turn it into algebra........etc. Just get started and know it isnt something completely out of the scope of what you already know.

[Shaki]

Got Q32 50% and V43 93% for 640 80% overall.

WoW! You cracked the verbal part! Congrats at least on that! Its so rare!
Wish you tons of improvements in Math part !!! Beleive me, its easier to advance in it than in Verbal part.