Suggestions to build foundations before actually studying for the GMAT

Question

Hello,

As I have a bit of time before actually studying for the GMAT, I was wondering what are the best resources and textbooks to study and build math and verbal foundations/theory. I've been out of school for a few years so I'm rusty when it comes to quick math thinking and logic. Hopefully the resources are comprehensive and hard enough to have a strong start when preparing for the GMAT, but not specifically target it in order to not exhaust GMAT material when the time comes.

Thanks in advance!

Asianyc · Answer

I’ve been out school for more than 15+ years 
Could not even recognize lots of the maths symbols ...lol
I used gmatclub maths book which covers basically everything

Gmat maths doesn’t require lots of maths knowledge,but rather focus on logical thinking ... very tricky

Very different from what I learned in my country in mid- school or high school. ... very tricky ,challenging and interesting

Posted from my mobile device

AjiteshArun · Answer

You could take a look at  this post . Avoid GMATPrep questions at this stage as those are what your best tests depend on.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

For Math:  Manhattan Foundations of GMAT Math

For Verbal:  Manhattan Foundations of GMAT Verbal

Manhattan Math book is more valuable than verbal book in my opinion.

Good Luck

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi ConnieM,

You posted a similar message about 9 months ago. Have you done any studying/prep between then and now?

For free math practice and help, I recommend that you set up an account at Khan Academy (www.khanacademy.org). The site is completely free and makes the learning a bit more fun and 'game-like' (as opposed to the dry academic approach taken by most books). While the site is vast, you should limit your studies to basic Arithmetic, Algebra and Geometry.

Before I can offer you any additional advice, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on your timeline and your goals:

1) When are you planning to take the GMAT?
2) What is your goal score?
3) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
4) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

EducationAisle · Answer

Hi  ConnieM , you could pick up High School Mathematics books and familiarize yourself with basic topics such as Number Systems (Prime numbers, HCF, GCF etc.), ratio, proportion, average, set theory, Geometry etc.

Asianyc · Answer

remeber we talked about kaplan ?

i took the real test .... I choked ,but still got Q50... well , even If I had truly performed, I would still expect a Q50 ..lol 
I will work on my weaknesses ,and hope i can get to 51 next time.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi ConnieM,

In addition to seeking advice in this thread, take a look at the GMAT Club reviews for  the best quant  and  verbal courses , and also read through some  GMAT success stories  to see what materials have worked well for other test-takers.

Additionally, you may find it helpful to read this article about 
 how to score a 700+ on the GMAT .

Good luck!

CAMANISHPARMAR · Answer

Since you want to focus more on GMAT Quant, it would be nice if you make a note of the following points. 1) GMAT Quant is a reasoning test NOT a math test. Having said that it would be nice that you have the foundation of math basic concepts. 2) You should develop an understanding of various topics and specially how to approach these questions in less time. 3) Once you have spent enough time laying a foundation & improving your understanding of the various topics then you may do a MGMAT advanced quant book. 4) GMAT OG questions are like gold mine. Try to do sets of 20-30 questions daily from OG under timed conditions. (Kindly note that there is a main OG & a seprate Quant & Verbal OG). 5) You may like to practice more of data sufficiency questions. These questions are specific to GMAT. You may like to refer to the following post for better understanding :- https://gmatclub.com/forum/data-suffici ... ufficiency 6) Periodically (once a week) take a mock to evaluate your weak areas and keep working on them. All the best in your prep!

CMIREK · Answer

I know! I was really good at math in school but somehow I managed to forget some fundamentals LOL. It is indeed very challenging.

CMIREK · Answer

Thank you so much for that blog post, I loved the GMAT Math Book! I will indeed GMATPrep questions as I want to leave all GMAT related material to the very end!

CMIREK · Answer

I did some research as I had not heard of them yet and your recommendation was on point! I will definitely get them, so thank you!

CMIREK · Answer

Hi Rich!

I did make a similar post 9 months ago, but I did not start studying up until now. I guess the New Year kicked my anxiety into taking action! To answer your questions:

1) I'm planning to take the GMAT at the beginning of 2021.
2) I really want to get +700 points as I think I can get to that level. 
3) Hopefully I will have everything ready to apply in 2021. 
4) I have my eye set on NYU, but I will apply to multiple Top 20 schools in the US.

Thank you so much for responding!

CMIREK · Answer

I was actually thinking into doing that! Also because english is not my first language and I want to get used to in case I get tricky word problems. Do you think I should use the SAT as a base to study or should I take AP Math syllabi as a foundation?

CMIREK · Answer

I will read everything you posted. Thank you for the help!

CMIREK · Answer

I will get my foundations at top level before GMAT prepping, as you said the OG material is a gold mine and I don't want to waste it when i'm actually applying in two years! So everything you said was on point. Thank you for the advice!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi ConnieM,

Many Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores. While you might need more time than that, you probably won't need a year (or more) to hit your peak. If you're planning to commit to study routine now - a couple of years before you will actually need a GMAT Score, then that would be a smart choice. You can focus on just the Exam in the near-term, lock up a high Score now and work on other aspects of your applications later on.

I want to reiterate that Khan Academy (https://www.khanacademy.org) would likely be a useful site to help you (re)learn and hone your general 'math' skills - so spending some time there before you focused on the GMAT would probably be a good idea.

After you've done that work, then it would be a good idea to take a FULL-LENGTH practice CAT Test; you can take 2 for free at www.mba.com (and they come with some additional practice materials). If you want to do a little studying first, so that you can familiarize yourself with the basic content and question types, then that's okay - but you shouldn't wait too long to take that initial CAT. That score will give us a good sense of your natural strengths and weaknesses and will help provide a basis for comparison as you continue to study. A FULL CAT takes about 3.5 hours to complete, so make sure that you've set aside enough time to take it in one sitting. Once you have that initial Score, you should report back here and we can come up with a study plan.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

MathRevolution · Answer

Hi, ConnieM

Welcome to GMAT club. I’m glad to hear that you are going to prepare for GMAT test. I want to say that studying GMAT is long-term journey and you should put a lot of effort into it. In this vein, your passion to paying attention to it is really great. Solving GMAT questions is a bit different from solving questions on high school textbooks, since Quant more requires logical thinking ability. But you should keep mind that fundamental concepts are not different and fully understanding those concepts is useful when you study Quant in earnest. Textbook is one good material you can use, but it could be too comprehensive since it explain all the concepts that are not necessary for the real GMAT test, Focus on 5 key topics (Integer, Statistics, Inequality, Probability, and Absolute Value) that account for 80% of the GMAT exam. Also, I recommend you to refer to this. This free video teach you particular topics which are fundamental and important.: https://www.mathrevolution.com/gmat/lesson

Don’t waste your time on studying and understanding every topic.
Please let us know if you have further questions.
You can reach us at [email protected]

Success is within your reach,
Good luck!

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Suggestions to build foundations before actually studying for the GMAT

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