Advanced GMAT Quant from Manhattan GMAT

Question

I'm currently going through Advanced GMAT Quant from Manhattan GMAT. I had a consistent quant score of 47-48 on my practice tests. I'm looking to improve my score to 50 or above. I've been going through the problem sets with 150 questions and found those questions manageable. However, I'm just wondering if these questions are representative of the 90th percentile difficulty-level questions. For half of the questions in the problem set, I'm unable to complete within 2 minutes. Some questions might take me as long as 5-10 minutes to solve. Just wondering if the difficulty level of the questions in the book are comparable to the top 90th percentile questions on the real GMAT exams? Thanks!

Anonymous · Answer

If you're scoring a 47 and above on mgmat quant (assuming it's timed) then you will have no problem scoring a 50 or 51 on the real GMAT. The difference will come down to how focused you are and how much you minimize silly mistakes. With that said, I think the advanced quant is unnecessary and over the top. If your fundamentals are strong and you know how to approach most problems then you should be fine...

bb · Answer

I felt they were almost a bit beyond the GMAT/requirements - definitely good and up there. See my review: advanced-gmat-quant-from-manhattan-gmat-114166.html

DmitryFarber · Answer

The book is designed to provide instruction in advanced GMAT topics. The problems aren't necessarily designed to simulate 700-800 level GMAT questions. The idea is that if you have strategies to tackle everything in that book, you should be well-prepared for the hardest GMAT quant. Having said that, many people also spend 5-10 minutes on real GMAT problems! Part of what you should get out of this kind of advanced practice is an instinct for when to let a problem go, and when to switch to a different mode of problem solving. I know that if I spend 5-10 minutes on a problem, my response is to go back and keep working through the problem until I can see a quicker way to approach it.

ebonn101 · Answer

Advanced GMAT Quant is very complex. The problems are definitely challenging and worth reviewing for high-level concepts and multi-step solutions.

The difference is that the real GMAT presents problems that are equal in difficulty but much more "elegant" than MGMAT, or any other prep company, for that matter.

GMAC finds ways to give you problems at the high levels that seem deceptively easy in their nature, but contain 2-4 levels of easy mistakes that you can make, tripping you up and making you draw incorrect conclusions that lead you to a wrong answer.

I would do MGMAT Quant to become very proficient at tougher concepts and harder problems, but to score high on the real thing, you need to do a lot of practice at paying close attention to detail on real GMAT problems, and identifying the subtle but devastating mistakes they will often lead you to make. That's ultimately how you'll get a higher quant score. The concepts are the same, but the trickery goes up, significantly.

bb · Answer

Very well put! Kudos.

AbhiJ · Answer

Why do weight lifters do body building ? Because it helps them indirectly. You don't know exactly what curevballs GMAT will throw at you. What you can do it to train your mind to practise convoluted problems that are not copies of OG and GMAT Prep. Hence Advanced Quant will prove helpful. Same for MGMAT Challenge Archive.

tripledegree · Answer

Thanks very much for the insights. I just took the GMAT Prep test yesterday and scored a 50 on it. I definitely agree that the questions from the advanced Manhattan GMAT are much more challenging than the real GMAT prep questions.

vomhorizon · Answer

Some of the problems in the work sets are BRUTAL, however you cannot categorize each problem to say a GMAT Difficulty level. This is a strategy book and must be used as such, to gain key insight into multiple strategies and approaches to solve tough Quant problems (DS and PS) irrespective of whether you are taking a GMAT , a GRE or any other Admission test that involves similar syllabus. They are designed to get you to think out of the box and become better. They are definitely not designed to be indicative of what MGMAT thinks GMAT will throw at you if you are headed towards say a 50, for that MGMAT has their CAT's.

Having said that, the problems are perhaps as tough as any that could be designed given the time limit so if you do well with them, you are sure to do well on the GMAT (all things remaining equal), However if you do poorly on them, then you may still do well on the GMAT, however if you review the problems you got wrong and follow the strategy you will definitely improve your score.

CrackZGMAT · Answer

Hi BB,

Is there any difference between the 4th Edition Manhattan Advanced Quant and the 5th edition Advanced Quant. I am asking as I was thinking of buying the new one and one of my friends has the old one to give to me. So, which one should I go for?

AA2014 · Answer

certainly a useful book for advanced topics...however i remain confused that while planning for a retake after scoring Q49 and q48 in first two attempts, should i polish my basics or should i take a plunge into adv quants...

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi AA2014,

Since you've referenced a Q49 and Q48 already and you're talking about retaking, I'm curious about how you performed in the OTHER areas of the GMAT and your goals:

1) What were your overall scores and Verbal Scaled Scores on each of those Tests?
2) What is your goal score?
3) When are you planning to apply to Business School?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

AA2014 · Answer

My attempts were as follows:

1) 580 (Q49, V21)
2) 690 (Q48, V35)

Yes, im planning for ISB and INSEAD this year but many have suggested that a sub-700 score is not enough for either of them.
It would be helpful if you can suggest something for this situation.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi AA2014,

A 690/Q48 is a really strong score (it's just shy of the 90th percentile overall), so that score could very well be enough to get you into School. Your OVERALL application needs to be strong though, especially when applying to competitive programs. As such, before you retake the GMAT, you might want to review your application/profile with an Admissions Expert - it might be that you have a strong enough profile already and you're good to apply as is. There's a Forum full of those experts here:

ask-admission-consultants-124/

If you do end up choosing to retest, then you have a much greater opportunity to pick up missing points in the Verbal section than in the Quant section, so focusing on materials that would help you improve in SC, RC and CR would be the better investment.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

AA2014 · Answer

Thanks for the valuable advice.
I'll look into the consulting options...

DmitryFarber · Answer

CrackZGMAT, you're fine with the 4th edition.

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