MGMAT books - Discrepancy between material taught and problem sets

Question

I have been using the Manhattan books to study for Quant. I have noticed that I am able to understand the concepts taught when going through the chapter but once I get to the problem set it seems to jump into a much more complicated version of the material covered by the chapter. Haven't checked out the question banks online, but does anyone have any advice for me? It is making me lose my confidence in how well I know the material in each chapter.

Also, are there any topics that these books don't really cover that I should really study?

Also, are there any topics that these books don't really cover that I should really study?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

HI bgbeidas,

For anyone who is interested in a bit more of the 'backstory', here's some additional information:

personalise-my-program-211540.html#p1627705

Since you took that CAT this past Sunday, have you been focused on the 'weak areas' that you pinpointed when reviewing that CAT or are you just working through these books sequentially?

It's also worth noting that this CAT result was your first, so since it's been just a few days since that time, you shouldn't necessarily be expecting a huge improvement in overall Quant ability just yet. With a Q42, you were actually pretty good at most of the 'math' questions that you faced, but you would have made some little mistakes throughout the section AND you missed out on LOTS of the 'strategy-based' points. This is all meant to say that you might benefit more by focusing on Tactics at this point than on continuing to focus on math knowledge/skills.

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

bgbeidas · Answer

Hey Rich,

I didn't actually pinpoint my weaknesses. How would one do that? I believe the CAT that I took doesn't have a detailed analysis report the way the Manhattan ones supposedly have. So would I just go through the test and determine the type/topic of questions I struggled with/got wrong and go from there?

I am currently working on the OG problem sets recommended by the Manhattan Strategy Guides because I didn't do them while I was going through the Strategy Guides. I think once I go through these and have a well built up error log it may be easier to pinpoint my weaknesses. Flawed logic?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi bgbeidas,

Some CATs provide more 'data' than others (regarding pacing, question types, etc.) - regardless of whether the CAT you took offered this type of information, you can (and should) do your own question-by-question review of the CAT. Many Test Takers use a Mistake Tracker or 'error log' of some type. In that way, you can define the types of questions you have trouble with, revisit them later on, practice to hone your skills (and eliminate mistakes), etc.

Since you didn't mention the specific areas that you're currently studying, it's possible that you're focusing on rare issues or ones that are not currently impacting your scores. In that same way, you might be working through content that you handled just fine when you took the CAT. This is all meant to say that some analysis of that CAT performance is in order and you should probably do that analysis before you work through any more practice sets.

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

bgbeidas · Answer

Would you suggest I try the diagnostic test found on this forum? The excel file that comes with it seems to have a good breakdown analysis.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi bgbeidas,

Taking another CAT so that you can have the extra data/breakdown is fine. Once you have a bit of experience with that data, you should be able to go back to that last CAT and evaluate the results yourself. Even if you don't know all of the material perfectly well just yet, you should be able to define when you made a silly/little mistake. Those are the types of errors that anyone should be able to identify and fix. That's something to think about when you take this next CAT - don't focus on your pacing just yet - work on your 'precision.'

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

bgbeidas · Answer

Rich,

I have decided to take the Empower GMAT course. Considering my score of 42 on Quant and 41 on Verbal, I assumed I had far more to gain by focusing solely on Quant. I have come to the conclusion that I can still squeeze more on my Verbal and read that your course may be a good place to raise that score. However, I know that if I want to achieve a GMAT score of 730+, it will most likely be easier to get my Quant up to the high 40s than my Verbal.

That being said, do you have any advice on which study schedule to download? I am planning on taking the test at the end of April or in early May (so about 3-4 months from now). Also, I want to follow the course in the order it is given but feel as though I should begin with Quant given that my focus for the past 3 weeks has been on Quant.

Let me know if you have any input on the above questions.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi bgbeidas,

3-4 months of additional study time is great to have - and it will likely be more time than you actually need (so you might be able to complete all of this earlier than planned). Given that you're not in a huge rush, you can afford to pace yourself and really master the Tactics that you're going to learn. Based on everything that you've described, I think that you would find the EMPOWERgmat Quant Score Booster to be quite helpful. Most of our clients complete that Study Plan in under a month (although again - you don't have to try to rush through the material), so the time commitment wouldn't be too intense. We have a variety of free resources on our site (www.empowergmat.com), so you can 'test out' the Course before setting up an account.

If you have any additional questions, then you can feel free to contact me directly.

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

	Target Test Prep - Save up to $599 $400 Discount + $99 Bonus GMAT Club Tests
	e-GMAT: 60% Off on GMAT Focus Get to 735+ from any starting point
	Magoosh increases your score, guaranteed - 15% off ALL Magoosh GMAT plans with code GMATCLUB15 + Free GMAT Club Tests.
	Manhattan Prep: $99 Bonus Score Higher on Your GMAT Exam. Guaranteed.
	Experts' Global - ~~$1720~~ $960 End-to-End GMAT Prep + App Support: 150+ Videos, 2000+ Questions, 15 FLTs +
	GMATWhiz - $299 ~~$499~~ Experience the course through a free trial.
	GMAT Club Tests - Free Included with every course purchase of $149+ View all deals

MGMAT books - Discrepancy between material taught and problem sets

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards