Quant not improving

Question

Hello, 
I started preparing for GMAT about 4 weeks ago. My Verbal is improving without much effort BUT my quant skills are not improving at all, no matter how much I focus on Quant. I have Magoosh premium and have seen all videos once or twice. Also, I had studied most GMAT topics in high school and it feels that on GMAT they are even simpler than what I used to do in high school and University. What am I doing wrong? Is it better to focus on exercises or reviewing the theory?

My Quant varies between 34 and 41 on different CATs/tests.

Thank you!

sananoor · Answer

Do not worry...it happens..do you know if u make mistakes in questions that are below 650 level u wont be able to score high....so make a plan..here are some tips and sources that will be useful for you
All the sources are more or less the same however i found Manhattan and Gmatclub good. Manhattan is good for basic level and Gmatclub book and gmatclub tests helps u boost ur score.
Revise one section at a time such as arithmetic and attempt nearly 30+ related to that topic. once done with concepts, its time for you to do OG and quant guide
If you think you are making mistakes in 650 below level questions, grab jeff sackmann practice files..these are good
dont forget to make your error log and revise your mistakes once or twice a week
once done with OG, try to attempt gmatclub quant tests on alternate days and revise your mistakes. 
Believe me you will be able to score 47 or above in quant.

giuliab3 · Answer

Thank you for your valuable suggestions. I am basically over 650 questions but below 700, and getting quite a few wrong. A lot of the problem is my time, I take sooo long to do the problems and the timed CATs are too fast for me!
Thank you for your suggestions, I was lucky a friend gave me the Manhattan and Veritas books free and I am using both + Magoosh. Magoosh is great but quite synthetic, sometimes I like to watch additional videos on Youtube to review more details and additional formulas. Thanks!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi giuliab3,

Many Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores; since you have studied for just 4 weeks, you will likely continue to improve as you study (although the amount of that improvement will depend on a variety of factors). It's also worth noting that 'pacing issues' don't exist on their own - they're the results of OTHER issues. GMAT questions can often be approached in more than one way, so it's possible that "your way" is taking too long - and that other, more strategic options are needed. Before I can offer you the specific advice that you’re looking for, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

Studies:
1) How have you scored on each of your CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for each)?

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

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

giuliab3 · Answer

Dear Rich,
Thank you for your reply. I focused only on math (so in some tests I don´t even read all the verbal questions) and I am just taking the verbal part when I do CAT. I am trying to do about 1 test per week to see the improvements, although the improvements are none for now! lol
1. GMAT test 1 (diagnostic):560 Q39 V27
2. The Economist free test: 590 Q41 V32
3. ManhattanPrep test 1: 550 Q32 V34

I viewed all Magoosh videos on Quant, did not start verbal yet. Using also Khan Academy on Youtube to supplement the math.
I studied only weekends before but now I am doing about 2 hours per day + 4 hours on weekends.

I have not chosen BSchool yet but I have INSEAD, CEIBS, and Stern in mind. My GPA was 3.8 and I am Female Italian working in Singapore. No timeline because without a proper GMAT score I can´t plan much, so anything between 1 and 5 months of preparation is ok as long as I get there (also for personal satisfaction).

I did check EmpowerGMAT by the way, but I am asking myself if more resources are going to help or not. I have all Veritas and Manhattan books + magoosh so the problem is probably my study method rather than the materials?

Thanks a lot!

Gnpth · Answer

I think you lack basics quants. I would suggest you not to dive into CAT's or tough problems. Try to read the basics of Arithmetics, Algebra, Geometry. Basically all the basics of topic tested on GMAT.

And try solving 500 level problems. You need to get those correct all the time. And proceed to 600+ problems. Then try to read the advance concepts. Mostly if you can get to 45 to 46 in Quant, then you know all the basics. After Q46 or Q47 it is more of timing and silly mistakes, which you can rectify as you proceed.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi giuliab3,

There are a variety of different ways that you can study for the GMAT, so it might be that the materials that you have now will be enough to help you get to your score goal. That having been said, based on what you described in your last post, there are two areas that you should look to change immediately:

1) Consistency in your studies. It's not clear how long you studied "just weekends only", but considering you've been studying for just 4 weeks, the amount of time that you've consistently studied (throughout the week) is relatively small. It's also not clear what your actual score goal is, but assuming it's around 700 or so, then you'll have to put in a significant amount of consistent study and effort to hit that goal. The sooner you can build a proper study routine (that you can stick to), the better.

2) Taking your CATs in a realistic fashion. Taking a CAT to 'see how you handle' just one section is a WASTE of a CAT. We need to assess your overall skills at regular intervals throughout the study process, so you have to be disciplined enough to take each CAT in a realistic fashion. There are aspects to the GMAT that you can really only learn to deal with by taking FULL CATs in a realistic way - and so far, it does not sound like you've done that (and as such, there is a question as to how accurate these CAT results really are). For now, you should focus on your studies for at least another 2 weeks, then take a new FULL-LENGTH CAT. Once you have that score, you should report back and we can discuss the results.

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

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Quant in GMAT is something different and should be prepared in different way so by learning just the concept is not everything. You should be able to do math with maximum possible shortcut way. So first learn all the concept tested on GMAT and then do handsome practice. What is proportion of your correct answers in DATA SUFFICIENCY?
because DS Is some thing very different.

k1414 · Answer

Just my two cents, I wouldn't move beyond structured review of topics until you're confident with your ability. Once I got my score to Q42 (with using magoosh and Manhattan for theory), I began to use the GMAT club tests to test my ability to apply my knowledge. After a long problem set, it's valuable to get into the habit of not only reviewing why you got the question wrong, but also review the topic. All the best on your future improvements that I'm sure will come

giuliab3 · Answer

Thanks a lot for your valuable suggestion! How many questions/exercises did you do during your preparation? I currently do about 20 for verbal and 20 for quant per day (with review of mistakes and explanations), is it enough? How many CATs did you do and with what frequency? Thanks!

k1414 · Answer

I have done both of the official GMATPREP CATs which are available for free, as well as 10 of the Quant CATs through GMAT Club. I think the amount of questions you are doing per day is excellent! Specifically, your review of the material afterwards is a step many forget, but will benefit you in the long term. Once you start to notice patterns in which questions you get wrong, I would double back to a lesson where you can learn more about that topic. Best of luck in getting to your goal score!

giuliab3 · Answer

Thanks to all of you for your replies! GmatClub has been a great support during my GMAT journey

I did improve a bit since my last post and here are my CAT scores for now: 26 July: 550 (Q32,V34) Manhattan Prep CAT 1 4 August: 600 (Q40, V33) Manhattan Prep CAT 2 10 August: 650 (Q41, V37) Manhattan Prep CAT 3 Few questions: - My quant is not improving still

And I did review the concepts and did ALL magoosh quant questions - I am not using the full time on Verbal and often have 3-4 minutes left - I am targeting a 700 score in 1 month. Although my verbal is lower in absolute terms (33-34-37 vs 32-40-41) it is higher in percentile (83% vs 45%). What shall I focus on? - I am studying consistently: 2 hours per day minimum, often even 3-4 hours for weekdays and 4-5 hours per day on weekends Thanks!

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