mickeyd wrote:
Hi all,
I've been studying for the GMAT a few hours each week since September now that I've decided to apply to business school. So far I have focused entirely on quant, given that I did pretty well on the LSAT (175) and I've read that GMAT CR is easier (seems easier from my samplings).
I have completed the 5
MGMAT quant guides and the corresponding
OG questions for each type. My strategy to this point has been to focus only on accuracy- I consider myself good at math but am admittedly rusty (no math other than Statistics for the past 5 years). Thus, I've just been slowly going through each book, taking notes, and completing the
OG questions in a completely untimed setting. I have not yet taken a practice exam.
After 450+
OG quant questions I answered roughly 89% correct (224/253) in problem solving and 85% (172/203) in data sufficiency. What should my next steps be? Would it be helpful for me to complete all 450 again or should I just focus on my incorrect answers? As I go back through them, should I do them grouped by type again, or should I begin to practice switching between different types? I also have the official quant review book- should I go through these questions first? If I'm shooting for Q44+, is my accuracy good enough (or on pace to potentially be?)
I am in absolutely no rush to take the test, so I have no problem taking the longer, more thorough approach if necessary. With that said, I've learned from my LSAT studies that untimed accuracy only gets you so far, so if I should start practicing going at pace, or take a practice test, I'm open to that as well.
Thanks in advance for your help- and let me know if you need any LSAT tips!
Dear
mickeyd,
I'm happy to help.
The first thing I'll say is: don't underestimate GMAT Verbal. Yes, the RC about the same as on the LSAT and the CR is a tad easier, but absolutely do not underestimate the challenge that GMAT SC presents.
It sounds like you are already in pretty good shape with the Quant. A few pieces of advice.
1) From this point forward, do absolutely everything under a strict time limit. Do not allow yourself the luxury of untimed practice any more. That's a perniciously bad habit. Accuracy when you are sauntering through the problems and accuracy when you are sprinting are two different beasts, and the former only does so much to prepare you for the latter. You may find this post helpful:
https://magoosh.com/gmat/2013/how-to-do- ... th-faster/2) Go back to the problems you got wrong. Each one contains potential gold for you. Each one in a separate post, post them here in GMAT club (search to make sure they haven't been posted already), and explain ---
when I did this problem, I forgot this, and got this answer --- explain your whole thought process when first doing the problem as well as your current understanding of the mistake. Then ask for feedback from experts --- you are more than welcome to send me a private message with a link if you would like my feedback. Recognize that your understanding of why you got any particular question wrong may or may not be the full story, and may not even contain the most important parts of the story. I would often see this with students --- a student would say, "I got this question wrong because I needed to use A and I didn't remember to use A", but then I would see that the student needed to use not only A but also B & C.
3) One excellent source of challenge problems would be Nova's Math Prep Course:
https://magoosh.com/gmat/2013/novas-gmat ... ok-review/This is a large collection of practice problems with answers. There are NO explanations --- if you don't understand why you got something wrong, you will have to post it here to get an explanation.
4) I'll also recommend
Magoosh. We have a large bank of math lessons, that would help to reinforce content and expose you to time-saving strategies. WE have 400+ practice questions, each with it's own video explanation, for accelerated learning. Here's a PS question:
https://gmat.magoosh.com/questions/100Here's a DS question:
https://gmat.magoosh.com/questions/1024When you submit your answer to each of those, the next page will contain the video explanation.
I hope all this helps. Feel free to let me know if you have any further questions.
Mike