quant section suffering

Question

Hello all,

I was looking for advice on how to improve my quant score. I've taken 2 CAT exams through manhattan GMAT - and my quant is not even close to my level of verbal:

Exam 1: (2 weeks ago)
Score 700
Quant 45, 63% percentile
Verbal 40, 91st percentile

Exam 2: (today)
Score 710
Quant 44, 58th percentile
Verbal 42, 96th percentile

Although I am happy with the overall number, I know I can do better than this (every standardized test I've ever taken, it was my quant section that buoyed my verbal score!!).

I started off with Kaplan question banks, doing timed sets of 10 q's of DS, PS. Once I completed that, I started working through the OG stuff - I've gone all the way through the little book (GMAT Quant Review) and am most of the way through the Big OG book (GMAT Review). I've been doing timed sets from the OG books of about 10-15 questions, 20 min or so.

My time spent for quant to verbal is probably about 60:40.

Has anyone else gone through this same struggle? Getting a little frustrated

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mikemcgarry · Answer

Dear md4mba , I'm happy to respond. :-)

First of all, I'm curious if, in your CATs, you notice any significant difference between your performance on ordinary PS and your performance on DS? The Data Sufficiency format is one of the uniquely challenging things about the GMAT Quant section, and I don't know whether that is giving you trouble. Here's a blog about that: https://magoosh.com/gmat/2013/gmat-data- ... ency-tips/ OK, here are some general resources: 1) a three-month study plan for Quant help: https://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/3-month-gm ... h-focused/ 2) free GMAT math flashcards: https://gmat.magoosh.com/flashcards/math/ 3) A blog on mathematical thinking: https://magoosh.com/gmat/2013/mathematic ... -the-gmat/ 4) A blog about doing GMAT math faster: https://magoosh.com/gmat/2013/how-to-do- ... th-faster/ It may be that Magoosh can help you. We have +150 video lessons, covering all the Q & V content and strategies you need. Here's a practice PS question: https://gmat.magoosh.com/questions/4248 Here's a practice DS question: https://gmat.magoosh.com/questions/999 When you submit your answer to each question, the following screen will have a complete video explanation for the question. Each one of Magoosh's 800+ questions has its own VE, for accelerated learning. That sort of immediate and detailed feedback could be just the thing to accelerate you in your math. I would also recommend checking out other math articles on that free blog. Even if you decide not to purchase Magoosh, there's a ton on that free blog that can help you. I wish you the best of luck, my friend! Please let me know if you have any further questions. Mike :-)

WoundedTiger · Answer

md4mba, MGMAT Quant are actually tougher than Actual GMAT. One of the reasons that the questions on MGMAT quant are to convoluted. I never scorde more than 47 on MGMAT quant because of timing issues but that made me realize that rather than spending too much time on a problem I should decide to move on...(Math score was higher in Actual GMAT :-D

) So don't fret on low score but you should be concerned if the score is low because of repeated silly mistakes, too many mistakes in earlier questions or longer approach to solve questions...Identigy your pain area whether PS or DS and then work on the concepts and get down to practicing question on that topic. Check out these links timing-strategies-on-the-gmat-80176.html how-to-review-and-analyze-your-mistakes-167118.html gmat-prep-software-analysis-and-what-if-scenarios-146146.html best-gmat-books-118706.html ATB!!

md4mba · Answer

Thank you all for the feedback!

The main thing I've noticed after reviewing the exams is that timing is a big issue. I struggle with taking less than 2 min on each question...There's an occasional mistake where I fall for a trap, but for the most part, I've noticed that it takes too long for me to get revved up in the right direction to solve the question, and thus I find myself answering questions in just over 2 min, for questions I get right or wrong.

I don't think it's a PS vs DS per se, it seems that the difficulty level of the questions I'm answering for each is similar. I have to agree with wounded tiger that the questions on mgmat feel a little convoluted compared to the OG material, but then again, the OG material covers the entire spectrum, so my focus should really be the 700-800 level questions anyway.

On verbal - it's a little easier to manage time because if I look at it and don't know it right away, I can usually eliminate most of the choices and narrow it down to a couple of choices, make a decision, and move on. With quant, I think I get stubborn, because I think I can figure it out, and sometimes I can, sometimes I can't.

Thanks for the resources posted. I think maybe I just need more practice with regard to time management and recognizing how to solve questions quickly.

What other practice exams would you recommend? I've heard the mock exams from Kaplan, Gmatprep, and Veritas are good - any recommendations? Also is Kaplan800 worth it? I did the online questions from Kaplan's question bank, and they felt a little easy.

I also have the mgmat advanced quant book, but it looks like a beast, and I'm not sure it's worth my time to read through.

And while I have a Magoosh rep - do you have online mock exams?

Ironically, I studied for the exam over a year ago, improved my score from a 610 to a 710, then got side-tracked by work, and didn't take it. Started studying again a couple of months ago, and it's like riding a bike. So those of you who felt derailed, don't be discouraged!

mikemcgarry · Answer

Dear md4mba , I'm happy to respond. :-)

Yes, Magoosh has a mock test for the Q and V sections; also, when you go through our questions in ordinary practice, you can select to practice in "Adaptive" mode. Here's a review we did of the Kaplan 800 book: https://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/kaplan-gma ... ok-review/ I don't think we specifically have a review of the MGMAT Advanced Quant book, but I would highly recommend all their material. The MGMAT books are consistently of superb quality. Magoosh doesn't do physical books, so if one of our customers wants to use a physical book, we always recommend MGMAT. I hope that helps. Mike :-)

Ashishmathew01081987 · Answer

Hi md4mba,

Here i would like to tell you about your query regarding Kaplan 800 and MGMAT advanced math guide. I have practiced from both books. Kaplan 800, unlike the name, doesn't offer 700 + level questions for practice. Its just a guide to show how to recognize and understand the so-called patterns of GMAT Quant and Verbal. I don't think its worth the try to go through this book. Initially, MGMAT Advanced Quant seemed to me as a beast too, but when i understood the line of thinking portrayed in the guide, the quant problems became quite manageable. Though I was not able to solve each and every problem correctly and within 2 mins, I was fairly able to solve almost 80 - 85 % of the problems correctly within 2 mins.

quant section suffering

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