Final 7 Weeks Prep - Seeking 40+ Points via Quant

Question

Hello all,

Began studying for the GMAT January 5th by taking my first GMAT Official Prep Practice Exam. Scored a 640 Q:37 (34th percentile) V:40 (91st percentile).

For the last 6 weeks, I have reviewed all Magoosh Math Video Lessons and done about an hour of Quant problems and an hour of Verbal problems per day, with some additional weekend practice.

I just took my second GMAT Official Prep Practice Exam on Feb 17th and scored a 680 Q:39 (37th percentile) V:44 (98th percentile). My test is scheduled April 8th.

At this point, it is apparent that I do not need to spend much time with Verbal and will likely just review Verbal questions once per weekend as a refresher. All other prep will be devoted to intense Math review and a significant amount of practice problems. I plan on doing this via Magoosh, OG, and a Manhattan Prep Quant book I purchased. In seeking a 720+ score, these additional points will all obviously have to come from my Quant score. Luckily I have 7 full weeks left.

Does anyone have tips/recommendations for extracting 40+ points from ones math score in about 7 weeks (from the ~30 - 40th percentile)? I've considered a 6 weekend Veritas Prep live course, but don't necessarily think I need to spend the $1,500 to improve. Thank you to all for any advice.

AjiteshArun · Answer

Prioritizing quant is the right thing to do, but increasing the number of prep resources you are using may not be necessary, at least as far as quant concepts go. Unless you think that your current prep material is lacking when it comes to the basics, continue using it.

As for practice questions, I'd suggest incorporating more official material (OGs,  question pack ) if you need more practice questions.  More official practice tests  also, of course.

rohan2345 · Answer

Hi 19applicant003, You can try out the TTP course as it is phenomenal and covers the entire syllabus really well. Plus it has great reviews on GMATCLUB. I must add that if you are particularly looking to discover and improve on your weak areas in Quant; a subscription to GMATCLUB tests is the best way to do that. They are indeed phenomenal and will not only pinpoint your weak areas but also help you improve on them. Further taking multiple mocks might help. Apart from the GMATPREP, Manhattan GMAT tests and Veritas Prep Tests in my experience have good verbal and Quant section and will certainly help you point out and improve your weak areas. Further another advantage of taking many mocks is to build up your stamina. Apart from the GMATPREP tests, taking practice tests of any major GMATPREP company ought to do that. Lastly I would also encourage you to purchase the GMATPREP QP 1 for some great additional practice. Here is a link that will help you with your decision. https://gmatclub.com/forum/best-gmat-ma ... ml?fl=menu Hope this helps. All the best.

vyascd · Answer

Hello,
I have increased my score from Q29 to Q49 just by using Gmatclub tests and Gmatclub Forum.
I really think Gmatclub is sufficient for Quant.
Hope it helps

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi 19applicant003,

Assuming that your Verbal skills are strong enough that you can consistently score at that high level in the Verbal section, then you are closer to a 680+ than you probably realize.

"Review" is an exceptionally important part of the GMAT training process; your ability to define WHY you're getting questions wrong is essential to defining the areas that you need to work on (and the specific things that you need to 'fix'). As such, I'd like to know a bit more about your last CAT. While a full Mistake Tracker would provide a lot more information, there are some basic questions that you should be able to answer (and the more EXACT you can be with your answers, the better):

After reviewing the Quant section of this recent CAT, how many questions did you get wrong....
1) Because of a silly/little mistake?
2) Because there was some math that you just could not remember how to do?
3) Because the question was too hard?
4) Because you were low on time and had to guess?

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

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi 19applicant003,

I’m glad you reached out, and I’m happy to help. So first off, you must understand that you’ve been studying for only about 6 weeks, which really is not all that much time considering your score goal. Remember many test takers study for 3+ months to achieve 720+ GMAT scores. That said, the fact that your quant score does not seem to be budging is a sign that you have quant weaknesses, across the board, that must be addressed. Thus, the best path forward is to ensure that you are following a linear study plan that allows you to individually learn each GMAT quant topic and then practice each topic until you’ve gained mastery. The only issue is that you may need more than 4 weeks to do so. If necessary would you be able to take the GMAT at a later date? In any case, here is some advice that you can follow to improve your GMAT quant skills.

For example, say you’re learning about Number Properties. First, you should develop as much conceptual knowledge about Number Properties as possible. In other words, your goal will be to completely understand properties of factorials, perfect squares, quadratic patterns, LCM, GCF, units digit patterns, divisibility, and remainders, to name a few concepts. After carefully reviewing the conceptual underpinnings of how to answer Number Properties questions, practice by answering 50 or more questions just from Number Properties. When you do dozens of questions of the same type one after the other, you learn just what it takes to get questions of that type correct consistently. If you aren't getting close to 90 percent of questions of a certain type correct, go back and seek to better understand how that type of question works, and then do more questions of that type until you get to around at least 90 percent accuracy in your training. If you get 100 percent of some sets correct, even better. Number Properties is just one example; follow this process for all quant and verbal topics.

When you are working on learning to answer questions of a particular type, start off taking your time, and then seek to speed up as you get more comfortable answering questions of that type. As you do such practice, do a thorough analysis of each question that you don't get right. If you got a remainder question wrong, for instance, ask yourself why. Did you make a careless mistake? Did you not properly apply the remainder formula? Was there a concept you did not understand in the question? By carefully analyzing your mistakes, you will be able to efficiently fix your weaknesses and in turn improve your GMAT skills.

So, work on accuracy and generally finding correct answers, work on specific weaker areas one by one to make them strong areas, and when you take a practice GMAT or the real thing, take all the time per question available to do your absolute best to get right answers consistently. The GMAT is essentially a game of seeing how many right answers you can get in the time allotted. Approach the test with that conception in mind, and focus intently on the question in front of you with one goal in mind: getting a CORRECT answer.

In order to follow the path described above, you may need some new quant materials. Thus, I agree with @rohan2345; since you need quant help, you should use Target Test Prep. We are the  top-rated quant course here on GMAT Club .

You also may find it helpful to read this article about  how to increase your GMAT quant score .

If you have any questions, feel to reach back out.

19applicant003 · Answer

Thanks all for the advice. I have a plan to improve Quant during these final 7 weeks based on the input you provided - it is much appreciated.

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