samvit
Hi Mike,
I have completed my basics once, but still i get many questions wrong or fumble with the basics. I find my self at a very hard place cause i have my exams coming up,mostly confused with " how to proceed". Let me clarify-- My basics are over, but there are many topics i need to revisit. I cant decide how to divide my time between revisiting weak topics, practise other topics, do higher level questions so that i can move up the GMAT ladder. Not to forget i have to find time for VERBAL. My last test score-600 (Q35 V31) Any suggestions are welcome.
Thanks, Samvit
Dear
Samvit,
First of all, your statement "
My basics are over" raises my suspicions and concerns. I think anyone who is not scoring in the high 50s should not say they are "done" with the basics --- it is all too easy to underestimate the importance of the basics. Here's an article I will recommend about levels of understanding that clarifies what I am saying.
https://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/understand ... rformance/In particular, often folks who struggle in math have a weak grasp of the basics. They may understand, say, exponents, but not understand basic parentheses use. There are so many different levels in any math problem, and problems with the basics can cause widespread problems.
You see, math in particular is an unforgiving topic. If you need to know, say, 20 mathematical facts to answer a question, and you know 18 or 19 of those 20 facts, you probably will get the question wrong. For each question you get wrong, it's important to identify precisely which facts you were missing. If you don't understand this, post it here on GC ---- post the question, and what you did, and what you understand and don't understand. It takes more work to post a long question like this, but it's a good way to get focused help from the experts. Forcing yourself to articulate exactly what you understand and what you don't understand is an excellent way to close gaps in your understanding. When you post questions like this, asking for detailed help on a single problem, feel free to send me a pm to solicit my help.
Again, I would highly recommend reading through all the math articles on this free blog:
https://magoosh.com/gmat/I review many math facts as well as common mistake and common traps on GMAT math questions.
Finally, for overall balance --- math vs. verbal, review vs. challenge material --- I believe that 30-day study plan above provides an excellent framework.
Does all this make sense?
Mike