Failing to ...?

Question

This is what happened from middle of October to this date: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/iczxch7udq0p ... ZiUUa?dl=0
I've gone through only four chapter with a lot of mistakes in mgmat problem set. The mistakes were lower in previous mgmat books but this number properties book is just putting me in depression!! Well, in addition to this, i think i haven't sit for more than 4-5 hours during last 10 days although I have enough time to put on, spent no time in verbal. I missed three weeks of study due to a family problem in september..& i think i am giving myself excuses. even, i can't get angry on myself. it happens sometimes when i get angry at myself and then sit for studying but I lost that anger in two to three days and get back into lazyness/or some form of procrastination. i had a very low score in my first gmat due to not covering the mgmat content and i am retaking it, i haven't decided when I can do that but I think i need to finish mgmat guides first..

I have little planning but I am too poor in executing.. what is wrong with me? Is there anyone can help me to get rid of this situation and stop failing continuously?
sorry for unorganized thoughts, i can't hold myself anymore. thanks
i am an average student.. should i quit from gmat? I can't take gre because i can't memorize anything for too long,

I have little planning but I am too poor in executing.. what is wrong with me? Is there anyone can help me to get rid of this situation and stop failing continuously? sorry for unorganized thoughts, i can't hold myself anymore. thanks i am an average student.. should i quit from gmat? I can't take gre because i can't memorize anything for too long,

DmitryFarberMPrep · Answer

Why do you think you're having such a hard time with the books? Do you find the content too difficult? Do you simply not enjoy studying? Maybe there is some other goal you really want to be pursuing.

Without knowing more about your situation, I would never tell you to drop the GMAT, but what I will tell you is that making a serious improvement on the GMAT takes a great deal of work. It's actually quite a bit harder than most people realize. I usually recommend that students commit to at least 2 hours/day 6 days a week. During that time, it's important to mix things up rather than just slave away at one book. Switch between quant and verbal. Move from reading to solving problems and reviewing. Set aside some problems each week to do again in a week or two. Make flash cards or notes to go back over. Do easier skill drills (our Foundations of GMAT Math book is a great resource for this).

So, in short, if you are going to work on the GMAT, you need to really make room for it. Otherwise, it will just be a source of frustration and guilt, with not much to show for it. If you don't have the time or the energy to work on the GMAT now, set it aside and come back to it when you're ready.

If you want to go into further detail, let me know more about your situation and maybe I can help. You should also talk this over with family or friends who will listen and support you (and not just tell you to hurry up and do it).

All the best,

appleid · Answer

Why do you think you're having such a hard time with the books? Do you find the content too difficult?
 - Not with all the books, only some contents, specially number properties book. I haven't started verbal.

Do you simply not enjoy studying? Maybe there is some other goal you really want to be pursuing.
- Sometimes I do enjoy when I am doing good. But when I do average in problem set or half understand the topics I get encouraged that I can improve. Sometimes, it's just frustration and I can't sit for studying, I feel am not persistent enough.. feeling of guilt comes back. Other goals: 1) Get into Finance or investment analysis related profession 2) Get a good balanced social life. I have a feeling that I can't have 1 & 2 right now because I am not worthy or experienced of them both, I even think its not time and I need a good gmat score (as I have a very low cgpa) to fulfill these and go ahead, even I don't have this 'go ahead' thinking all the time. I am a bit anti-social so I think can't talk these with family or friends, I have no one who will listen and understand what I am going through. .

I finished number properties today, with approximately 40-50 percent wrong in each chapter's problem set. I can't study verbal, because when i sit for verbal, i keep thinking about that I am weak in quant and I always wanted to get back in quant during my verbal study time, so I decided to finish quant books first then start verbal. I've skipped geometry book which I am going to start tomorrow.

Do you need to know anything more? Please ask. I really want to get rid of my current situation.

Notes on October 26: Finished mgmat number properties extra probability problem set, only did 3 math of the chapter. Time spent: 1 hour max

DmitryFarberMPrep · Answer

First, I'd recommend that you make sure your mba plans fit in with your larger goals. Are you working now? Are you trying to break into a new field? If you are not very social, you might find an mba program difficult unless you are already in a position and trying to advance. A lot of what you're paying for in getting into a competitive program is access to people, so to make the most of your investment you will want to network.

If you are not currently on the track you want, you may consider pursuing some new work experiences and/or taking a few related college courses. This will improve your application (especially if you get good grades) and put you in a better position to see if an mba is the right choice. Remember, business school is a huge investment and it doesn't pay off for everybody.

As for your studies (if you're going forward), again I strongly recommend that you start verbal and do a bit of each section each day--for instance, 1 hour quant & 1 hour verbal. Even if you are scoring at the 90th percentile in verbal, it's worth some of your time every day. (And if you're not, all the more reason.) It seems like you are letting anxiety drive your decisions, and you don't want to do that. Rely on logic and the experience of folks who know a lot about this test. Keep finding areas that you can improve in both sections. Don't worry about the extra chapters at the ends of the guides right now. Come back to those if you have conquered all the main curriculum. In general, don't spend much time on the most intimidating and difficult concepts. Work on what makes sense, and then cycle back through at a higher level later, as needed. For now, work on a few topics in each session, and don't just work from the strategy guide. Do some corresponding official guide q's and review all your work thoroughly. The best time to do this is after your timed set (e.g. 5 quant problems in 10 minutes) but *before* you check the answers, so that you can make sure you're doing the most you can to make sense of each problem and identify the optimal solution.

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