GMAT Club Math Book question

Question

I have been going through the Math Book that is highly recommended on here.

Indeed, the first half of it has been very rewarding and easy to go through. However, about halfway through starting at the Triangles section, I seem to be overwhelmed with knowledge and information. For example, for something as simple as an Equilateral Triangle, there are a bunch of formulas to calculate Area, Perimeter, Radius of Circumscribed Circle, Radius of Inscribed Circle, etc.. Then there are a bunch of rules for isosceles, scalene, right triangles. And then there are tons of rules for other shapes, etc.

How is it recommended that I can approach this?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi allenh98,

Geometry is a subject that is all about the formulas! Some Geometry questions have strategic approaches to them, while others are just about doing the necessary calculations - but ALL Geometry questions will require you to use a formula (or several) to get to the correct answer. As such, I suggest that you start with the 'standard' formulas (re: area, perimeter, etc.) for circles, rectangles, squares and triangles. Once you've got those rules 'down', then you can move onto the rarer rules/formulas. As you continue to study, you'll come across additional concepts/formulas that you'll find necessary for certain situations, but you can't worry about those just yet.

How long have you been studying?
What resources have you been studying with?

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

allenh98 · Answer

Hi Rich, thanks for your reply.

Im using the 6th ed of the Manhattan GMAT set. Id like to think that I have a good background in math/logic, because I only graduated from engineering school 1-2 years ago.

I think the Math club book is a great summary of concepts and rules, but I am not well versed enough in the geometry section to fully appreciate the information conveyed to me.

I must say, the MGMAT books are really dam good, I can honestly say that I enjoy studying and I can't wait to pick up the book to learn more! Hopefully I dont burn out and I have the same enthusiasm for the verbal half.
Allen

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Allen,

If you're still fairly early-on in your studies, then you shouldn't worry too much about the volume of material that you still have to memorize/learn - it will all come with time.

1) How long have you been studying?
2) When are you planning to take the GMAT?
3) When are you planning to apply to Business School?

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

allenh98 · Answer

I'm definitely early-on in my studies. I would say I've been studying for about a week now.

I plan to take the GMAT in about 3 months, around November this year. Ideally I'd like to start my full time MBA in Sept 2016, where I will have 2.5 years of full time experience in IT Consulting + 4 internships, so hopefully they can see me as with 3-4 years of exp.

I got pretty poor marks in undergrad, like a C+ in my last two years, so I really need to kill the GMAT to have a realistic chance at the school I want to get into.

As I go through the 6e books, what is the best way for me to practice? I read that I shouldnt read a section e.g., number theorey - odd/even, and then do only questions for that category because on the actual exam, figuring out the category of the question is part of the solution. I found some copies of earlier editions, they have a much larger number of relatively simple questions at the end of each chapter. I found it VERY helpful to do 15 questions after I finish the chapter. But I'm told that it isnt so good to do this... so I'm kind of confused.

So I know Im not supposed to finish a chapter -> go to OG and do questions for that chapter. So should I finish an entire book, like number theory, and then do questions for number theory? Or is that doing the same thing Im told not to do, just at a broader level? So then should I finish the entire section, quantitative, and then do questions?

Thanks in advance for your time.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi allenh98,

Since you're just starting out, much of the work you'll be doing in the immediate timeframe will be reading/learning and then doing practice questions. To build skills in any particular area, you have to focus on that area, so doing quizzes that focus on one particular subject IS a good idea. As you get further into your studies, you'll want to do 'broader' quizzes and take FULL-LENGTH CATs at regular intervals, so that you can test your accumulated skills.

Since you already seem to know what your first-choice School is, you can reach out to representatives and ask whatever specific questions interest you. Since you mention some concern over your grade point average, there might still be some things that you can do about it. Certain Schools take it as a good sign when an applicant completes Extension classes (or equivalent) in Calculus, Statistics, etc. before attending an MBA Program. You might be able to make a pro-active move in this regard, but you'll want to know how that School interprets that type of activity.

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

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GMAT Club Math Book question

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