My weird situation: hard to believe

Question

I am a fully licensed CPA who can do percentages and fractions in my head with ease. In fact, I won a national championship in the 5th grade for calculating what I consider basic math (multiplication and division) based on speed. I was quite literally 1st out of thousands of fifth graders.

Now the interesting part: I don't know ANYTHING about what I would call basic high school math. I pretty much quit in junior high and am completely lost looking at quant questions.

So here is my question: Given that I am actually gifted in basic math, is that likely to actually be WORSE for me in trying to learn how to pass this exam? I'm worried that I will try to tie everything back to "what I'm good at"...and I'm so ignorant I don't even know if that is a good thing or (more likely) a bad thing, lol.

If anyone can advise me on a program that could possibly work for me based on the above I would greatly appreciate it. I am needing to start a doctoral program (yes, I actually made it through 4 CPA exams and an AACSB masters program knowing nothing about real math).

Thank you

Anurag997 · Answer

Hi,

First of all don’t be upset about anything. Even the best in the lot can struggle sometimes and you just need to practice hard to make yourself good enough just like others. If you are that good in maths than I am sure you’ll pick up soon and will be able to solve quickly and correctly. Aa far as practoce goes buy some decent question bank and start doing it from as early as possible. Watch youtube videos on various topics to gain the concept and apply till it becomes your muscle memory.

Hit kudos if you found this helpful and ellaborate more on the weak concept so that I can help you better

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yashikaaggarwal · Answer

Your question is actually contradicting, while you are claiming to be good in mathematics on other hand you say you don't know anything about mathematics. It will be better for experts to resolve your query if its pointing in one direction. And if you want to pursue master's or doctorate program, both points are polar opposite.

AndrewN · Answer

Hello,  accountingbozo . I can relate to your story, although I was never anywhere near national-level talented in mathematics when I was younger. I was strong at basic computation, the same sort it sounds as though you excelled at. I was fortunate to have strong mathematics teachers through most of high school. But just before my senior year, the teacher who had taught calculus for decades retired, and the school district, in a scramble to find a replacement, plucked some graduate student out of a local community college. My AP Calculus course was a joke. The teacher had no handle on the class, and he did not understand some of the very problems he assigned us, so no one respected him or wanted to listen to what he had to say. Calculus has been an achilles heel ever since. I never took the time to study it properly, so every few years, I come back to it and remind myself that I can learn it if I want to. This type of undisciplined approach affected my GMAT™ preparation. When you say that you will likely attempt to steer each problem back into "what you are good at," that is  exactly  what you will do, and you will only reinforce bad habits that you might develop early on.

To keep from being your own worst enemy, I would suggest one of a few possible avenues:

1) Read through the  Ultimate GMAT Quantitative Megathread  on this site. Comb through the theory, step by step, asking questions any time you need clarification, until you have reached the end.

2) Read through the  GRE® Math Review packet  on the ETS website if the above proves too advanced. I think the PDF does an excellent job of explaining relevant terms and properties from the ground up, and the overlap between GRE® and GMAT™ quant is quite high. (The former may focus more on data tables and statistics, more pertinent to the IR section on the latter.)

3) Purchase a subscription to a dedicated online learning module, such as Target Test Prep. You will go through, lesson by lesson, everything you need to cover for the test, and the cost is a fraction of that for tutoring.

4) If self-study is not getting the job done, hire a professional to assist you. Some well-qualified tutors can run as low as $30 an hour, while the more expensive ones can charge several hundred an hour. (I have no idea what your preferences or budget may be.)

5) Again, if self-study will not work for you, then you could always sign up for a full course. Both Manhattan Prep and Veritas Prep offer such courses, and although they are expensive (in the eyes of many), you are guaranteed to be taught the ins and outs of the test by a 99th-percentile instructor.

6) Purchase an Official Guide and cross your fingers that the Math Review chapter will be sufficient. Accept that some concepts may elude you, but practice to the point of becoming adept at the question types that suit your strengths.

Depending on your target scores and schools, you may find any of these approaches acceptable. Good luck, whatever you decide.

- Andrew

accountingbozo · Answer

yashikaaggarwal ,

I actually did not contradict. Quite clearly rather, I stated that I am extremely good at very basic math such as multiplication and division (everyday, functional type math). Alternatively, I have very little understanding of slightly complex algebra (college algebra was a long time ago), and NO understanding of geometry or calculus. They're clearly very different things/types of math. Hopefully that clears things up. Thank you

GMATWhizTeam · Answer

Hi,
First of all, that achievement in 5th grade speaks a lot about your ability. It’s nice that you have good conceptual knowledge of basic math. But let me share a few insights on what is stopping you from solving the GMAT Quant questions.

What GMAT actually tests on Quant: 
Having a conceptual knowledge is definitely helpful on GMAT. But what GMAT actually tests is the application of those concepts. For example, GMAT doesn’t give you questions which can be solved directly by using formulae. One needs to draw certain inferences by doing pre-analysis, and then identify what would be the best way to solve the question. Again, there can be multiple ways to solve a particular question, but identifying the best method so that you can solve it under 2 minutes is what you have to be good at. Moreover, while solving word problems, you need to read the question carefully, draw the right inferences and form the equations based on them. Faltering in any of the steps can get you an incorrect answer.

The other tricky part about GMAT quant is the Data Sufficiency (DS) questions. GMAT test makers set a lot of traps to confuse students. Students who are not aware of the right method generally read the question stem and directly jump into the statements. This would often cost you valuable time and there are high chances that you might not solve the question under 2 minutes. The right thing to do is to perform a certain pre-analysis after reading the question stem and identify the exact information needed to solve the question. Once you are clear about the information, you can move ahead to solve the individual statements.

What can be done! 
Now let me tell you the good part about GMAT quant. GMAT only tests specific types of questions from each topic. So, if you know the questions types and learn the right methodology to solve those questions, you are likely to score well on Quant. To do this, you have to plan your preparation in such a way that, you learn the concepts along with the methodology. The resource you use for the preparation must be standardized and has to teach you the right strategies to solve the questions. While preparing, you have to make sure to focus on your weaker areas. For example, when you start with a specific concept, you have to make sure that
  You learn the concepts 
 Learn the right methodologies to solve the questions 
 Take sectional quizzes for the topic and identify the weaknesses based on the result and work on them.

Only after you do all the three steps, you are supposed to move to the next topic.

If you are open to suggestions, I would recommend you to check the Quant course of GMATWhiz. It comes with a personalized study plan which is integrated with the course. It is an application driven course which teaches you the concepts in a methodical way. The concept booster and the practice quizzes help you to solve GMAT like questions using the right methodology.

I would recommend you take a decision after checking the free trial. If you have any more doubts regarding the study strategy, you can schedule a free consultation call using the below link.

Click here to access

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