Stuck between Hard and Very Hard Quant Questions

Question

In my recent Mock, I observed that I am stuck between Hard and Very Hard Level Questions. There is no any Topic/Type I am getting all right or wrong. It is like alternate right wrong at the border of Hard and Very Hard Level.

Do I need to change my Books or Strategy ?
I studied Quantitative Review for the GMAT by The Princeton Review, and I am practicing on OG Questions.

Please Suggest.

Zhenek · Answer

Best suggestion I can make is to hone ur skills(practice, practice and practice) and make sure you know the fundamentals (Bunuel seems to have covered pretty much everything you need to know in his signature, check it out)
Sometimes very simple things can sway your way of thinking or confuse you to the point where you have to guess things(and get them wrong 80% of times), for example, something like 0! = 1 or the fact that 0 is an even integer. Alooooot of times in DS questions you will end up getting an answer wrong due to being unaware of pretty much basics.
Also its worth mentioning that you really need to pay attention to the details of the question. Alot of times you will see traps that will lure any inexperienced person into them, thats veeery common in PS questions I'd say. And another thing, really really pay attention to the numbers you are working with. If its integers or primes or any numbers, that aswell is sometimes a killer. 
For instance, a question where its asked whether integer X is greater than 1 and then you get a solution in a given inequality: (x < -5) or (X > 4 and X < 5), you should not get tricked by that positive part because u are asked about integers and that part contains 0 integers.
I wish you luck and I hope I helped at least a litle bit.

RichEconomistGMAT · Answer

Hi pawanCEO,

I think Zhenek has made some good suggestions here. However, I'd still suggest that you review all the practice exams you've taken to this point. Although there might not have been an obvious concept/question type you struggled with on your most recent practice exam, reviewing all your practice exams might reveal patterns in your test taking that will point you in the right direction towards handling the tougher questions. Start by re-reviewing the basics and then go back and review your practice exams. You might be surprised by what patterns you uncover.

Best of luck,
Rich

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi pawanCEO,

Before we talk more about the specific issue you're asking about, I'd like to know a bit more about your overall studies and goals:

1) What is your goal score?
2) What practice materials have you been studying with?
3) How have you been scoring on your practice CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)?

4) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
5) Have you thought about which Schools you want to apply to?

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

KarishmaB · Answer

Check out the blog posts on the link given in my signature below. 
I discuss a lot of intellectual approaches (very useful for someone targeting Q50/51).

pawanCEO · Answer

Thank You all for the replies.
Decided to go through BASICS of Maths again.
Will update my status after next mock.

pawanCEO · Answer

Dear "EMPOWERgmatRichC",
I am aiming to score 700+ and aiming for Q50.
I am studying "Quantitative Review for the GMAT" by Princeton Review, Practicing with OG13 Questions and Planing to purchase MGMAT books (But not sure if I should go with books again or try online course).
This was my second mock test, and my score is Q41. In my first mock my score was Q34, and this was before I finish my Quantitative Review Book.
I am planning to apply from this September.
Yes, I am targeting Schools with European MBA (1 Year MBA Programs).

Thank You.

pawanCEO · Answer

Dear VeritasPrepKarishma,
I am going through the link given by you. It is very helpful.
Thank for that.
I like this approach from one of your previous post, and I am trying to use that.
"it is not simply a math question. It’s a logic puzzle that hinges on math concepts, and your ability to embrace that subtle difference might just be the difference between reaching your goal score and falling short."

Thank You.

PrepTap · Answer

Hi Pawan,

I think it is a great idea that you have decided to go through the basics again because GMAT tests how well you understand the fundamentals and their applications.
You can also analyze your mistakes to get an idea about what you are doing wrong or where you are getting stuck.
Along with this obviously don't forget to practice questions regularly. You will find a lot of them on gmatclub.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi pawanCEO,

Taking a Q34 up to a Q41 is a nice improvement, but you still have a great deal of work to do to hit a Q50. With a Q41, you're likely performing well on prompts that are built on straight-forward "math", but you're missing out on a lot of strategy-based questions and DS points. As such, you probably need to focus more on tactics, pattern-matching, etc. than on practicing more math.

In that same way, questions that you think are "hard" might not be that hard, but "your way" of approaching the Quant section is making the process harder than it needs to be. I think that you would find the EMPOWERgmat Quant Score booster to be quite helpful. Most of our clients can complete that Study Plan in less than a month, so it's not too time consuming AND it will help you to pick up those strategy-based points that you're looking for.

Since you're planning on applying in September, when are you planning to take the GMAT?

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

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