How to study which materials for Quantative

[TheGuest]

Hello,

I have OG 12 and 11. I went through all 12 and currently starting 11 and it does not seem to have much effect. I tried test software and have about 17 wrong out of 37 questions. What would you suggest?

Thanks,
TheGuest

[Osirus@VeritasPrep]

I would recommend getting all of the Manhattan GMAT math guides. They are the best in the business when it comes to quant. I would get each guide and go through all of the chapters. As you go through new material, make sure that you constantly revisit old material. This will ensure that you dont' forget anything that you learn. Good luck.

[komal]

From what u have said i assume that u need to build a solid foundation in quants. Here's what i would suggest :

1. Kaplan GMAT Math Workbook - A solid supplement to the Official Guide

Strengths:
a. Fairly comprehensive review of the basic math concepts needed for the GMAT
b. Structure of the book allows you to work from start to finish, building on previous skills learned
c. Sections devoted to Word problem and Data Sufficiency questions

Weaknesses:
a. Statistics, Combinations/Permutations and Probability are not covered
b. Questions do not reflect GMAT questions, but rather are designed to insure that the material is mastered

2. Manhattan GMAT Foundations of GMAT Math

Strengths:
a. Best book for brushing up on long forgotten math concepts (fractions, powers, etc)
b. Great for refreshing math concepts and building confidence in math

Weaknesses:
a. The book has 400 practice questions but they are not in a GMAT format, rather a math-textbook format

3. Math Review For Standardized Tests (Cliffs Test Prep)

Strengths:
a. Great for a zero-knowledge start or for those who did not deal with maths problems for a long time.
b. Simple,straightforward and relevant
c. Extremely low price

Weaknesses:
a. Technically not a GMAT-dedicated book
b. Lacks some of the more advanced areas

4. Manhattan GMAT Math Guides - All 5

Strengths:
a. These books don't emphasize tricks or easy ways to 700+ score, instead they methodically cover areas tested, and should be pretty much all you will need (besides the Official Guides).

Weaknesses:
a. As with all MGMAT Guides, lacks practice questions and relies on the Official Guide for additional practice.

Hope this helps : )

[ccairncross]

If I understand you correctly it seems like you are trying to learn the math through taking the practice tests. This is not the best way to do it. To beat the GMAT quant you need, or I think you need, two components. The first is understanding the underlying math and the second is identifying questions and knowing what they are asking. The latter is improved through test taking, the former is improved through studying the math.

I found getting flash cards and working through them over and over is a great way to do this. Once you know the math then practice. This will help you see where you need more math studying and also how to identify question types. The faster you identify the question the faster you know which math formula to apply basically.

You have to learn the fundamentals first, even if you feel like you already learned them in prep school.

Enjoy
Chase