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05 Jul 2020, 22:34
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi Gmat Fam,
I'm really struggling with preparing for the Quant section of the GMAT, and could use any helpful tips or referrals to affordable resources. Myself, I currently work in HR and my undergraduate degree was in humanities and I haven't taken a math class is about 5 years. A lot of the concepts are definitely familiar, but I'm missing the strong foundation of basic math fundamentals that are required to score well on Quant. I feel confident about my ability to score well on Verbal, but as I'm going through most of these forums I'm seeing that most people are more worried about the Verbal than the Quant, and so I'm not finding a lot of help related to my situation. I scored 610 Q35 and V35 on my practice test, which is a good start but like everyone else in the world, I want to do better!
So far I have been studying pretty casually over the past 1.5 months, usually 1 hour a day during the week and a few hours during the weekend. The majority of my time is spent studying for Quant since I know that's my weakest area. I have a pretty good memory so as I'm doing the practice problems I'm usually able to remember when and where I went wrong and avoid making the same mistakes on similar problems in the future. However, because my foundation is so weak I am typically unable to successfully solve new or different problems correctly the first time around. Memorization of how to solve a specific problem will only get me so far on the GMAT, I know that I need to develop a strong understanding of the fundamentals in order to succeed. It should probably also be noted that I am targeting to take the GMAT for the first time in around a month.
Here is how I have been studying so far:
I used the Prep Expert (from Shark Tank) online GMAT course (had a coupon so it was free). It gave some really useful test taking strategies that I think will help me to improve, but didn't go over the math fundamentals to the extent that I need. I would say that it more so helped me to improve with DS problems than PS. The problems that I'm still getting wrong are due to my lack of knowledge.
I also purchased the OG bundle including the extension of additional quant questions and additional verbal questions. I started by answering the questions in the book in consecutive order, and checked the answer explanations for each question in the following section to understand why I got it right, got it wrong, etc. However, I felt that this technique was flawed because when I take the GMAT, it'll be timed and on a computer, so I switched to using the online question bank that is included in the bundle. I had been answering the "Medium" questions and then some of the "Hard" questions, but realized that I was still getting a lot of them wrong because I lacked a strong foundation.
Here is what my approach is now:
Work on practice questions everyday to keep my brain active. I am going back to the easy questions and am going to answer all of them correctly before moving onto the Medium ones. I Google every question that I am unsure of or miss and try to understand what happened or why they did it that way. I also try to read through all the different solving techniques on GMAT club to see which one would work the best for me. This still doesn't work for me a lot of the time because the explanations are too brief or just still don't make sense. It seems like everyone explaining the solution is a genius and I can't keep up. I am planning on doing at least 50 practice questions on weekdays (30 Quant, 20 Verbal) and 100 per day on weekends. The plan is to finish all of the questions offered from GMAC, and then go back and re-answer the ones that I missed, or the Medium/Hard ones as time allows.
I am also searching for more resources online to help me to build a stronger foundation for math. I've split up the quant section into: Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, and Word Problems. I'm planning on spending about 3 days working on each of these areas, and have the different topics in each section listed. So far I have just been watching Youtube videos and reading online articles, watching people solve problems, etc. I'm trying to read and research these topics until I feel comfortable with them, but it always seems simple until you are faced with a challenging GMAT problem.
I purchased the Official GMAT Practice Tests 3-6, and am planning on taking 1 every week to monitor my progress. I'm also reviewing all of the questions that I miss in order to improve in the future.
My study plan is to spend the next 12 days or so really focusing on math, and going through each of these areas as much as possible. Then spend about 1 week reviewing verbal, and then the last week strengthening my weak areas in both. I am working full-time but can dedicate as much time as needed outside of work towards studying. Ideally it would only be up to 2 hours a day on the weekdays and up to 10 hours on weekends, but can adjust as needed (perks of being young, single, and having minimal outside obligations). I've already been studying Quant for over a month, so a lot of my fundamentals have already improved, but I still think I have a long way to go.
I would really like to find some sort of book, youtube series, or some other resource that can just walk me through all of the concepts that I need to understand for Quant. I don't mind spending some money, but I am also trying to be cost-effective (meaning I can't spend $1500 on a prep course).
I would also really appreciate any feedback or tips on my study plan/technique or ways to help me improve! Any referrals to useful resources would be great too!
I'm really struggling with preparing for the Quant section of the GMAT, and could use any helpful tips or referrals to affordable resources. Myself, I currently work in HR and my undergraduate degree was in humanities and I haven't taken a math class is about 5 years. A lot of the concepts are definitely familiar, but I'm missing the strong foundation of basic math fundamentals that are required to score well on Quant. I feel confident about my ability to score well on Verbal, but as I'm going through most of these forums I'm seeing that most people are more worried about the Verbal than the Quant, and so I'm not finding a lot of help related to my situation. I scored 610 Q35 and V35 on my practice test, which is a good start but like everyone else in the world, I want to do better!
So far I have been studying pretty casually over the past 1.5 months, usually 1 hour a day during the week and a few hours during the weekend. The majority of my time is spent studying for Quant since I know that's my weakest area. I have a pretty good memory so as I'm doing the practice problems I'm usually able to remember when and where I went wrong and avoid making the same mistakes on similar problems in the future. However, because my foundation is so weak I am typically unable to successfully solve new or different problems correctly the first time around. Memorization of how to solve a specific problem will only get me so far on the GMAT, I know that I need to develop a strong understanding of the fundamentals in order to succeed. It should probably also be noted that I am targeting to take the GMAT for the first time in around a month.
Here is how I have been studying so far:
I used the Prep Expert (from Shark Tank) online GMAT course (had a coupon so it was free). It gave some really useful test taking strategies that I think will help me to improve, but didn't go over the math fundamentals to the extent that I need. I would say that it more so helped me to improve with DS problems than PS. The problems that I'm still getting wrong are due to my lack of knowledge.
I also purchased the OG bundle including the extension of additional quant questions and additional verbal questions. I started by answering the questions in the book in consecutive order, and checked the answer explanations for each question in the following section to understand why I got it right, got it wrong, etc. However, I felt that this technique was flawed because when I take the GMAT, it'll be timed and on a computer, so I switched to using the online question bank that is included in the bundle. I had been answering the "Medium" questions and then some of the "Hard" questions, but realized that I was still getting a lot of them wrong because I lacked a strong foundation.
Here is what my approach is now:
Work on practice questions everyday to keep my brain active. I am going back to the easy questions and am going to answer all of them correctly before moving onto the Medium ones. I Google every question that I am unsure of or miss and try to understand what happened or why they did it that way. I also try to read through all the different solving techniques on GMAT club to see which one would work the best for me. This still doesn't work for me a lot of the time because the explanations are too brief or just still don't make sense. It seems like everyone explaining the solution is a genius and I can't keep up. I am planning on doing at least 50 practice questions on weekdays (30 Quant, 20 Verbal) and 100 per day on weekends. The plan is to finish all of the questions offered from GMAC, and then go back and re-answer the ones that I missed, or the Medium/Hard ones as time allows.
I am also searching for more resources online to help me to build a stronger foundation for math. I've split up the quant section into: Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, and Word Problems. I'm planning on spending about 3 days working on each of these areas, and have the different topics in each section listed. So far I have just been watching Youtube videos and reading online articles, watching people solve problems, etc. I'm trying to read and research these topics until I feel comfortable with them, but it always seems simple until you are faced with a challenging GMAT problem.
I purchased the Official GMAT Practice Tests 3-6, and am planning on taking 1 every week to monitor my progress. I'm also reviewing all of the questions that I miss in order to improve in the future.
My study plan is to spend the next 12 days or so really focusing on math, and going through each of these areas as much as possible. Then spend about 1 week reviewing verbal, and then the last week strengthening my weak areas in both. I am working full-time but can dedicate as much time as needed outside of work towards studying. Ideally it would only be up to 2 hours a day on the weekdays and up to 10 hours on weekends, but can adjust as needed (perks of being young, single, and having minimal outside obligations). I've already been studying Quant for over a month, so a lot of my fundamentals have already improved, but I still think I have a long way to go.
I would really like to find some sort of book, youtube series, or some other resource that can just walk me through all of the concepts that I need to understand for Quant. I don't mind spending some money, but I am also trying to be cost-effective (meaning I can't spend $1500 on a prep course).
I would also really appreciate any feedback or tips on my study plan/technique or ways to help me improve! Any referrals to useful resources would be great too!
06 Jul 2020, 02:13
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi JulieHarmon
Thanks for reaching out on the forum, it feels good to see you coming out and asking for advice.
Looking at your scores, I can say that you need significant improvement in both Verbal and Quant. Majority of students falter in their GMAT exam because they start their preparation with OG.
This is a major mistake because if you start your preparation by solving OG questions, you are skipping to practicing questions without learning the concepts. This is a trial-and-error based preparation methodology which cause a two-fold problem:
Murali (740) started his GMAT journey only by practicing questions from OG. Soon realized that it required a methodical approach to ace GMAT and set out to do just that.
I would be happy to build a personalized strategy that will help you crush the GMAT based on your strengths and weaknesses. Please book some time to connect here.
Hope to hear from you soon
Karan
e-GMAT Strategy Expert
Thanks for reaching out on the forum, it feels good to see you coming out and asking for advice.
Looking at your scores, I can say that you need significant improvement in both Verbal and Quant. Majority of students falter in their GMAT exam because they start their preparation with OG.
This is a major mistake because if you start your preparation by solving OG questions, you are skipping to practicing questions without learning the concepts. This is a trial-and-error based preparation methodology which cause a two-fold problem:
- 1. It increases your preparation time by up-to 5X.
2. You tend to miss out on concepts even after solving many questions.
Murali (740) started his GMAT journey only by practicing questions from OG. Soon realized that it required a methodical approach to ace GMAT and set out to do just that.
I would be happy to build a personalized strategy that will help you crush the GMAT based on your strengths and weaknesses. Please book some time to connect here.
Hope to hear from you soon
Karan
e-GMAT Strategy Expert
06 Jul 2020, 20:55
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi JulieHarmon,
To start, a 610 is a solid initial CAT score (the average score on the Official GMAT hovers around 550 most years). In addition, many GMATers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores, so if you've been studying for just 1.5 months (and some 'casually' at that), then you shouldn't expect to have mastered any of the major Quant content areas just yet. The GMAT is a remarkably consistent, predictable Test though, so you CAN train to score at a higher level.
One of the great aspects of the Quant section is that it is NOT a 'math test'; it's a 'critical thinking test' that requires lots of little calculations as you work through it. Most GMAT questions can be approached in more than one way, so you may be inadvertently making the test more difficult if you're focusing on technical math most of the time when that approach isn't actually required.
Before I can offer you the specific advice that you’re looking for, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on your timeline and your goals:
1) What is your overall goal score?
2) When are you planning to take the GMAT?
3) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to?
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
To start, a 610 is a solid initial CAT score (the average score on the Official GMAT hovers around 550 most years). In addition, many GMATers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores, so if you've been studying for just 1.5 months (and some 'casually' at that), then you shouldn't expect to have mastered any of the major Quant content areas just yet. The GMAT is a remarkably consistent, predictable Test though, so you CAN train to score at a higher level.
One of the great aspects of the Quant section is that it is NOT a 'math test'; it's a 'critical thinking test' that requires lots of little calculations as you work through it. Most GMAT questions can be approached in more than one way, so you may be inadvertently making the test more difficult if you're focusing on technical math most of the time when that approach isn't actually required.
Before I can offer you the specific advice that you’re looking for, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on your timeline and your goals:
1) What is your overall goal score?
2) When are you planning to take the GMAT?
3) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to?
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
