Getting practice scores ~650...best way to improve quant score?

Question

I have taken a few practice exams and looking to get up into the 700 range. Here is where I am at:

GMAT Prep 1: 600 (37,35) (Pretest)
Veritas Free Exam: 670 (43, 40)
Kaplan CAT 1: 650 (45,40)

My verbal scores have been ~90th percentile, so I would like to focus my efforts on improving my quantitative score and pushing the 700 envelope. I have gone through the Manhattan Foundations of Math book once to brush up on basics, and done some limited practice problems directly off the GMATPrep software. Can anybody help me with what would be the best use of my time, considering where I am at? Should I go back through the Manhattan book again and really hammer down concepts, or is there another material that would be better? I have plenty of time before my exam, so really any suggestion is welcome.

Thank you in advance!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi KSWolf,

I'll be happy to offer some suggestions, but I'd like to know a bit more about your studies and your overall timeline first:

1) How long have you been studying?
2) When are you planning to take the GMAT?
3) Did these CATs include the Essay and IR sections? And if so, then did you take those sections?
4) Have you used any other resources besides the book and the practice problems that you mentioned?

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

KSWolf · Answer

I have been studying for a couple weeks now and planning to take the GMAT in a little over a month (May 4th). I have full-time to devote to my studies, so time isn't so much of a factor. In my practice exams I have taken all sections as to most accurately replicate the test day experience and build stamina. The other resource I have, but haven't used, is Kaplan's 2015 GMAT book.

itsmedavidv · Answer

My Recommendations:

- Advanced GMAT Quant book from Manhattan 
- OG GMAT Quant Review
- Pay for the Quant GMATPrep Practice problems
- Subscribe to daily GMAT Questions on this forum to help others. When you start to teach others, you realize different approaches to questions.

https://gmatclub.com/forum/best-gmat-math-prep-books-reviews-recommendations-77291.html

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi KSWolf,

Assuming that your practice CATs were taken in a realistic and test-like way, your scores are quite promising. With a bit more focused practice (primarily on tactics, patterns, Number Properties, etc.), you could very easily be scoring 700+.

Since you're still fairly early on in your studies, you also show a fairly strong ability with the overall material. Your Quant Scaled Scores show that you're probably great when it comes to straight-forward "math" questions, but you're missing out on some DS points and you're likely making a few silly/little mistakes when you work through the section - those will be a couple of the areas that you'll need to work on.

I have a few follow-up questions: 
1) When you took these CATs, did you finish any of the sections early?
2) Did you have to rush to finish any of the sections (and guess on a bunch of questions)?
3) During the Quant section, how many times did you spend MORE than 3 minutes on a question?

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

KSWolf · Answer

Thanks for the reply! I have been noticing some silly mistakes, but am slowly eliminating those as I practice more problems and regain some sharpness in manipulating expressions/variables. You're right that I do have a strangle-hold on straight-forward math. Additionally, I am familiar with the concepts tested on quant--where I get tripped up is recognizing that first step in attack a problem. On problems that I make that first connection, I nearly always head down the right path and most often calculate correctly. It's just the ones that I look at and don't know where to begin. This is something that I am getting sharper with as I do more problems and start to recognize patterns in how the GMAT asks questions and what to be on the lookout for.

I have been hitting the GMAT Prep practice problems and purchased the extra quant problems, which I intend to complete (~500 total I believe). I've also done some of the problems linked in the quant bank on this website.

Ultimately, I just want to make sure I am attacking my quant studies as efficiently as possible and not allowing myself to plateau.

To directly answer your questions: 
1) I have finished all sections in nearly exact given time.
2) No, guesswork has not been a detractor to my practice exam scores.
3) This question identifies my issue. It is not infrequent that I come across a problem that I just simply do not know how to begin. On these I can waste anywhere from 3-5 minutes (although like I said, it hasn't forced me to guess a bunch at the end because I make up the time with efficiency on other problems).

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