Topic-wise breakup of Quant section: Most important to least important

Hello Rich,

I took the GMATClub CAT after that and my total score was the same (610) with the split being Q41 and V33. The first time it was Q44 and V31 on the Manhattan CAT. I couldn't attempt the last 3 questions on the GC CAT, which I think was the reason for the lower score. It might also have something to do with me barely having time to study between the two CATs.

I identified the common questions that I got wrong on both tests. They were mostly from Word Problems (Work/Rate, Sets, Consecutive Integers), Number Properties (Odd/Even, Divisibility/Primes, Remainders), Probability, Algebra and Geometry. I'm trying to find a way to get the right weight of topics in order to decide priority.

Hi makshinde,

Beyond knowing the general 'category' of question that you got wrong in the Quant section, it's important to define WHY you're getting questions wrong.

On each of these CATs, after reviewing each section, how many questions did you get wrong....
1) Because of a silly/little mistake?
2) Because there was some math/verbal that you just could not remember how to do?
3) Because the question was too hard?
4) Because you were low on time and had to guess?

This data is important because it helps to define whether you need to work more on your content/knowledge or on your Tactics and organization.

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

Hello Rich,

The mistakes are split in four parts:

1) 40% of the time it was a silly mistake. (Some of these were because of lack of time)
2) 30% of the time it was because I did not know how to solve the problems.
3) 20% of the time it was because I couldn't remember how to solve those problems.
4) 10% of the time it was because I guessed since I did not have enough time.

Thank you.

Hi makshinde,

You didn't quite answer the questions that I asked (I asked for information on each section - not cumulative; I also asked for the NUMBER of questions that fell into each category, not the approximate percentage), but there's enough data to imply that your big 'issues' are likely Tactical and organizational in nature. In basic terms, "your way" of approaching the Test takes too long and can potentially lead to little mistakes. You likely know most of the math content just fine, but you're treating the Quant section as if it were a 'math test', when it's really not that at all (it's a 'critical thinking test' that involves a lot of little calculations). As such, to score at a significantly higher level, you'll need to put a greater emphasis on Quant Tactics and patterns - and work with materials that help you to stay focused on those concepts.

1) When are you planning to take the Official GMAT?

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

can any another expert add in this below comment?

You ask a great question, but providing a definitive answer is difficult. The reality is that when you are dealing with a test comprised of only 31 quant questions, with about 25 main topics (Exponents, Roots, Work questions, Overlapping Sets, etc.), it’s difficult to say what is likely or unlikely to appear on any given exam.

Consider this quote from “The Art of War”:

"The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy's not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable."

The best thing you can do is cast a wide net, so that you learn all aspects of GMAT quant and will be successful regardless of what is thrown your way on test day. You also may find it helpful to read my article about [how to increase your GMAT quant score](https://blog.targettestprep.com/improve-gmat-score/) for more tips on dominating the GMAT.

Feel free to reach out with further questions.