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laborumpossimus
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Advice Request for ds 02 Sep 2026, 10:44
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Hi
I am in the final stage of my GMAT preparation. My core Quant concepts are fine, and I perform well on Problem Solving, but I am consistently getting Data Sufficiency (DS) questions wrong.

When I review the solutions, I completely understand the math. This tells me my bottleneck isn't conceptual math, but rather my logical process, trapping mechanisms, or management of DS-specific constraints during live practice.
I would love to get your strategic advice on how to break through this plateau in my final weeks.
  • What daily drills can I do to strictly isolate Statement 2 and stop carrying over information from Statement 1?
  • How should I adjust my error log to focus purely on DS process errors rather than content errors?
  • Are there specific structural or logical patterns I should look out for that separate high-level DS questions from standard math problems?


Thank you for your time and guidance!
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MarkGMATMentor
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Advice Request for ds 02 Sep 2026, 19:53
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laborumpossimus
Hi
I am in the final stage of my GMAT preparation. My core Quant concepts are fine, and I perform well on Problem Solving, but I am consistently getting Data Sufficiency (DS) questions wrong.

When I review the solutions, I completely understand the math. This tells me my bottleneck isn't conceptual math, but rather my logical process, trapping mechanisms, or management of DS-specific constraints during live practice.
I would love to get your strategic advice on how to break through this plateau in my final weeks.
  • What daily drills can I do to strictly isolate Statement 2 and stop carrying over information from Statement 1?
  • How should I adjust my error log to focus purely on DS process errors rather than content errors?
  • Are there specific structural or logical patterns I should look out for that separate high-level DS questions from standard math problems?


Thank you for your time and guidance!
Show more
Hi laborumpossimus,

Without seeing the way you solve DS problems, I can only give general advice, but these are the most common DS issues I see with students:

Logic, Not Math:
To improve, it really begins with a mindset shift. These aren't math problems, but rather logic puzzles. You're not solving, you're determining whether you CAN solve. Don't do any unnecessary calculations and only go as far as you need to know whether you can definitively get one answer only.

This mindset shift should also help you with isolating Statement 2. If you're not trying to solve, you'll focus more on what the statement is actually telling you rather than trying to find the answer.

Process is Key:
Second, it sounds like you need to rebuild or at least renovate your process. In particular, when you start a problem, unless the prompt is very simple, you should spend time with it before going to the statements. You may need to read it 2 or 3 times.

What deductions can you make? Can you restate the question into simpler form? What do you need to answer the question definitively? Investing the time up front will often save you time and mistakes later. Many DS problems can be solved quickly with a minimum of calculations, but only if you truly understand the setup and what the question is asking.

What is Sufficient vs Insufficient?:
When working with the statements, remember: sufficient doesn't mean "I can get an answer", it means "I can't get any other answers." Make sure that you're playing devil's advocate, testing to see if any other answers are possible.

Likewise, insufficient doesn't mean "I can't get an answer", it means "I can get at least two answers". Just because a statement seems unhelpful isn't enough -- make sure that you can get (in theory at least) two different answers.

Based on the above, you could use categories in your error log like the following:
  • Overcalculation Led to Error
  • Didn't Isolate Statement 2
  • Misunderstood / Rushed the Prompt
  • Didn't Play Devil's Advocate for Sufficiency
  • Didn't Find Two Answers for Insufficiency

In terms of drills / practice, you could try the following:
  • Do a DS set very slowly, focusing on every step of the process
  • Do a DS set quickly, avoiding calculations entirely and focusing only on question logic
  • Do a DS set but only address whether Statement 2 is sufficient, then go back through the set and look at Statement 1

Data Sufficiency is tough, but if you can get it to click, it can be a huge differentiator for you, since these are the most common questions on the DI section and most students never get truly comfortable with the DS thinking process. It's worth the effort.

Hope that's helpful! Let me know if you have further questions.

~Mark
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laborumpossimus
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Advice Request for ds 02 Sep 2026, 23:21
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Thank you so much Mark this is very helpful
Also rn i am practicing DS in the quiz section where i do not include algebra and graph table and do all the questions in a mixed practised set
i have practiced og too i am scoring fine in that but whenever i solve 650+ questions i get them wrong

Do you think i need to change my current practice session or is it fine



MarkGMATMentor

Hi laborumpossimus,

Without seeing the way you solve DS problems, I can only give general advice, but these are the most common DS issues I see with students:

Logic, Not Math:
To improve, it really begins with a mindset shift. These aren't math problems, but rather logic puzzles. You're not solving, you're determining whether you CAN solve. Don't do any unnecessary calculations and only go as far as you need to know whether you can definitively get one answer only.

This mindset shift should also help you with isolating Statement 2. If you're not trying to solve, you'll focus more on what the statement is actually telling you rather than trying to find the answer.

Process is Key:
Second, it sounds like you need to rebuild or at least renovate your process. In particular, when you start a problem, unless the prompt is very simple, you should spend time with it before going to the statements. You may need to read it 2 or 3 times.

What deductions can you make? Can you restate the question into simpler form? What do you need to answer the question definitively? Investing the time up front will often save you time and mistakes later. Many DS problems can be solved quickly with a minimum of calculations, but only if you truly understand the setup and what the question is asking.

What is Sufficient vs Insufficient?:
When working with the statements, remember: sufficient doesn't mean "I can get an answer", it means "I can't get any other answers." Make sure that you're playing devil's advocate, testing to see if any other answers are possible.

Likewise, insufficient doesn't mean "I can't get an answer", it means "I can get at least two answers". Just because a statement seems unhelpful isn't enough -- make sure that you can get (in theory at least) two different answers.

Based on the above, you could use categories in your error log like the following:
  • Overcalculation Led to Error
  • Didn't Isolate Statement 2
  • Misunderstood / Rushed the Prompt
  • Didn't Play Devil's Advocate for Sufficiency
  • Didn't Find Two Answers for Insufficiency

In terms of drills / practice, you could try the following:
  • Do a DS set very slowly, focusing on every step of the process
  • Do a DS set quickly, avoiding calculations entirely and focusing only on question logic
  • Do a DS set but only address whether Statement 2 is sufficient, then go back through the set and look at Statement 1

Data Sufficiency is tough, but if you can get it to click, it can be a huge differentiator for you, since these are the most common questions on the DI section and most students never get truly comfortable with the DS thinking process. It's worth the effort.

Hope that's helpful! Let me know if you have further questions.

~Mark
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MarkGMATMentor
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Advice Request for ds 03 Sep 2026, 15:48
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You're welcome!

Mixed practice is helpful because it is more testlike, and forces you to identify the type of problem and choose an approach. So, you should sometimes include subjects like algebra, graphs, and tables to get the full breadth of possibilities. That said, targeting an area of weakness is also valuable (for example, focusing just on DS questions), so you should do both mixed practice and targeted practice.

If you're doing well on Medium and even Hard OG questions, I wouldn't worry too much about the 650+ questions. The important question is why you are missing them. After each missed DS question, ask yourself if your error fell into one of the categories I mentioned.

If you notice the same errors over and over, do another set where you carefully and deliberately address the area of concern. More broadly speaking, you should alternate mixed sets with targeted practice based on the patterns in your mistakes.

Let me know if that helps!

~Mark

laborumpossimus
Thank you so much Mark this is very helpful
Also rn i am practicing DS in the quiz section where i do not include algebra and graph table and do all the questions in a mixed practised set
i have practiced og too i am scoring fine in that but whenever i solve 650+ questions i get them wrong

Do you think i need to change my current practice session or is it fine




Show more
User avatar
laborumpossimus
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Joined: 07 Jan 2026
Last visit: 04 Sep 2026
Posts: 45
Own Kudos:
22
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Location: India
Concentration: Marketing, Strategy
Schools: IIM NUS MiM '27 ISB '27
GPA: 3.8
Products:
GMAT Club Tests Forum Quiz
Schools: IIM NUS MiM '27 ISB '27
Posts: 45
Kudos: 22
Advice Request for ds 03 Sep 2026, 23:14
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Thank you so much
I'll make nthe effective changes

MarkGMATMentor
You're welcome!

Mixed practice is helpful because it is more testlike, and forces you to identify the type of problem and choose an approach. So, you should sometimes include subjects like algebra, graphs, and tables to get the full breadth of possibilities. That said, targeting an area of weakness is also valuable (for example, focusing just on DS questions), so you should do both mixed practice and targeted practice.

If you're doing well on Medium and even Hard OG questions, I wouldn't worry too much about the 650+ questions. The important question is why you are missing them. After each missed DS question, ask yourself if your error fell into one of the categories I mentioned.

If you notice the same errors over and over, do another set where you carefully and deliberately address the area of concern. More broadly speaking, you should alternate mixed sets with targeted practice based on the patterns in your mistakes.

Let me know if that helps!

~Mark


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