Just not "getting" the GMAT

Question

I'll keep my rant short :
I scored a 620 in my first GMAT attempt.Took a break and attempting the GMAT again in a month's time before the new IE section.
I have been studying for the last month and a half and have gone through all the quant basics.
My arch nemesis in the GMAT seems to be the quant section.No matter how well I understand the concepts,how many problems I get correct in my practice, I botch it all up during practice tests.
when I review my practice tests, I can solve the same problems correctly that I answered wrong during the test.
I don't know what it is about the test, my brain always seems to switch to the "dumb" mode during the test.If its not a test/timed,I can solve the same set of problems with high accuracy.
Quant score are really affecting me badly (34-39 range).I really need to improve it in a months time that I have.
 I would appreciate any suggestions or advice from people who have experienced a similar situation.
Thanks in advance

vsrsankar · Answer

Hi Zynga, I will express my views here:
First of all be cool while taking the test. only "Keeping cool" ensures 100% of one's output.
To get a grip on quant is quite possible in a month's time as GMAT tests only basic things and no great knowledge is required to crack it.
First get to know your strong and week areas of quant. Go for a topic wise approach. Know where you are faulting regularly. Concentrate on those topics and get a grip. 
If time-management is a real concern for you in the test, try to practice calculations in mind. Most of the problems in GMAT can be solved by this method, which saves a lot of time.
I understood that you can solve the problems more accurately when there is no exam pressure. This indicates that you are not week in Math-fundas and letting your pressure down makes things much better.
All the best.

Zynga · Answer

Thanks for the tips vsrsankar.
I think keeping your cool is the key to scoring well on the GMAT. 
Also, I have noticed that if I dont get a problem right, it will affect the next question in term of time/accuracy.
hopefully a couple more practice tests should help calm down my nerves...easier said than done though

AbhiJ · Answer

Use Grockit.com for quant to gauge your weak areas, then buy the topic wise sets from Jeff Sacksman.

destroyerofgmat · Answer

Also, as you know, timing is everything on the test. you have to be able to know when to let questions go so that you'll have more time for the questions that you can get right within 2-2.5 mins. I used to do the same thing as you and until I learned to let questions go i never saw much improvement in quant (before 37-39 now 46-48). i know it sounds crazy to guess, or make an educated guess, and move on and basically give up on a question but unless you're Bunuel or another quant genius on this forum, you're not going to get every question right and finish the test anyway so you'll need to practice this "technique" -if you will- when taking practice CATS.

Zynga · Answer

Thanks AbhiJ, I'll keep grockit.com and Jeff Sackmann's sets in mind. I was looking for feedback on Jeff's sets and they seem to have pretty good reviews.I think I am going to spend the cash and get all his sets.

Zynga · Answer

Thanks for the useful tip destroyerofgmat.
In my last practice test I did try the guessing strategy and it did work well for finishing all the problems in time but my accuracy was pretty low.I guess its just a matter of practice till you master the guessing/mental math.
I have seen that my guessing strategy falls short especially on DS problems which need to take into consideration a lot of cases/possibilities. 
Say,if there are 5 logical steps to come to a correct solution : 1->2->3->4->5
by mental math/guessing I can easily reach from 1->2->3 then I tend to miss the next crucial logical step and end up with a haywire value/solution.

any tips to train your brain to stretch your thinking to solve using an "aware"/including all possibilities approach for GMAT quant ? similar to solving a sudoku puzzle mentally?

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