Help! 5 Week to Study - 40 Point Goal

[mill1469]

Hi everyone- I took the GMAT a few months back and got a 660 (38Q- yikes!, 41V)... of course I was super happy with the verbal score but disappointed on the quant. In general though my test scores prior to the exam date ranged from 650 - 720 so while 660 was on the low end, not a huge surprise.

I've been studying again for a few weeks now but have realized that without the "time crunch" I tend to be really dedicated for a few days, slack a few, on and off so I've just re-scheduled my second GMAT in 6 weeks... I have a long weekend trip planned next weekend so I'm going to consider it more like 5 full weeks. If I feel really unprepared 10 days out, I'll just pay the $50 and reschedule.

I'm just wondering if anyone can give me advice on how to really beef up my quant score in this time. I work full time so I am aiming to have 12 hours of study time a week... 60+ hours, I feel like that should be enough time to get the bump I need... honestly even 20 points would be a win in my book.

Overall when I look at recent CATs for practice there isn't one subject I truly struggle with, it's more like I'm only okay at all of them. Does anyone have any ideas for ways to just really drill and practice overall quant skills in this time frame??

Thank you!!!

[Brent@GMATPrepNow]

I suggest that you compartmentalize your learning and take the time to master each topic (e.g., percents, ratios, exponents, statistics, etc.).

This means that, for each topic, you should:
1) Learn the underlying concepts (rules, attributes, notation, etc.)
2) Learn GMAT-specific strategies related to that topic
3) Practice dozens of questions all related to that one topic.
4) Don't stop working on that topic until you have mastered it
Then, and only then, move on to the next topic.

I also suggest that you spend a lot of time reviewing the responses from the Experts on this site. They model the steps you should be taking when tackling math problems.

If you want to focus on one topic at a time, you can use BTG's tagging feature to isolate one concept. For example, here are all of the questions tagged as statistics questions: https://www.beatthegmat.com/forums/tags/ ... statistics
See the left side of that linked page for more tag options.

In addition to learning the core concepts and GMAT-specific strategies, be sure to work on your endurance and test-taking skills (e.g., time management) by taking several practice tests.

Cheers,
Brent

[mill1469]

Thanks for your quick reply... I've avoided this method again b/c this was how i studied for the first GMAT... I felt like I'd spend tons of time on Geometry, be getting them right, but then as time would pass and I'd move on to other topics that knowledge would slip. I suppose this means I didn't really "master" it to begin with, but it felt like if I wasn't practicing that topic almost daily then I'd start to lose the speed & accuracy which is why I was looking for a more well rounded study plan, but maybe you have tips for this issue as well.

[Brent@GMATPrepNow]

To keep things reasonably fresh, perhaps you can try something like 1 hour per concept. As you suggested, there appears to be a lack of mastery.

Cheers,
Brent