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scottT31
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How do you finish? Updated on: 01 Mar 2017, 14:39
Originally posted by scottT31 on 29 Jun 2016, 13:37.
Last edited by scottT31 on 01 Mar 2017, 14:39, edited 1 time in total.
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Edit: nvm

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mikemcgarry
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How do you finish? 29 Jun 2016, 17:36
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omnxbeast
Hello All,

I am engineering major from HYPSM, who scored an 800 on the SAT/36 ACT math. While GMAT math is undoubtedly different, I feel extremely confident in my mathematical abilities, yet cannot finish or even score well whatsoever. Is there some approach that I am missing? I admit that I have not prepped extensively, but I have taken 4 practice tests (3MGMAT, 1 GmatPrep) and carefully reviewed answers and my score is not really improving (45/46 ish e.g. 60th percentile).

Is it possible I am approaching questions totally wrong? All of the answers show detailed step-by-step solutions - is that not how you should solve problems in practice, because if so I have no idea how you ever finish. Specifically, the data sufficiency -- looking at my test report every one of the questions which took me 3 minutes or more is a DS question. How do you solve DS quickly and accurately

Thank you.
Show more
Dear omnxbeast,
I'm happy to respond. :-)

Yes, the GMAT Quant section is a different beast. You are in good shape as a starter, because of your strong math background, but it's important to understand what makes the GMAT different.

One big difference is the Data Sufficiency question format. This is NOT to be underestimated. It is not enough simply to know the rules, any more than knowing the rules for how the chess pieces move makes you a chess master. See the blog article:
GMAT Data Sufficiency Tips
Because you have a mathematical mind, over time you will learn more about the subtleties of this question format.

Another concerns the way the GMAT asks question. The GMAT Quant is not so much interested in straightforward "do you know this math fact?" kinds of questions. They are much more interested, especially on more advanced questions, in framing a question in an offbeat way, so that it takes time to decipher what to do. Sometimes, the way the question is framed suggests one solution method, a step-by-step plodding method that would be long & tedious, but if you are creative enough to see another perspective, you realize you can solve the problem in seconds without any calculations. See:
How to do GMAT Math Faster
Pay attention to what that article say about left-brain vs. right-brain perspectives.

I will say, many explanations to practice questions are awful. Even in the GMAT OG, the questions are among the finest standardized test questions on the planet, but the explanations are at a significantly lower level of quality ---in fact, some are atrocious. I would say: come here to GMAT Club. Just about every math question in the OG and on GMAT Prep is already posted here: always search carefully for a question before starting a brand new thread with a math question. Find where the question is discussed and see what the experts say. Bunuel the super-genius comments on almost every math thread. You are also more than welcome to solicit my input, using the "mention this user" button.

When you read an answer, be concerned less with the step-by-step part. You probably can do that already. The left-brain question is usually "what should I do?" and this question is not necessarily the question you should be asking. The right-brain question is "how should I look at this problem? how should I frame this situation?" In many problems, once you frame the problem in the right way, what to do becomes obvious. Many explanations don't address this explicitly, and you are left to infer it from their approach. If you ask experts on GMAT Club about this, that's an excellent question that experts will be happy to discuss----why did you decide to approach the situation this way rather than that way? That's where you need to focus, because the leading edge of growth for you. You know the math. You need to work on how to analyze the problems as a skilled problem-solver, discerning which approaches are more advantageous at any one time.

My friend, I have great hope for your progress. Please let me know if you have any further questions.

Mike :-)
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scottT31
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How do you finish? 29 Jun 2016, 20:43
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mikemcgarry
omnxbeast
Hello All,

I am engineering major from HYPSM, who scored an 800 on the SAT/36 ACT math. While GMAT math is undoubtedly different, I feel extremely confident in my mathematical abilities, yet cannot finish or even score well whatsoever. Is there some approach that I am missing? I admit that I have not prepped extensively, but I have taken 4 practice tests (3MGMAT, 1 GmatPrep) and carefully reviewed answers and my score is not really improving (45/46 ish e.g. 60th percentile).

Is it possible I am approaching questions totally wrong? All of the answers show detailed step-by-step solutions - is that not how you should solve problems in practice, because if so I have no idea how you ever finish. Specifically, the data sufficiency -- looking at my test report every one of the questions which took me 3 minutes or more is a DS question. How do you solve DS quickly and accurately

Thank you.
Dear omnxbeast,
I'm happy to respond. :-)

Yes, the GMAT Quant section is a different beast. You are in good shape as a starter, because of your strong math background, but it's important to understand what makes the GMAT different.

One big difference is the Data Sufficiency question format. This is NOT to be underestimated. It is not enough simply to know the rules, any more than knowing the rules for how the chess pieces move makes you a chess master. See the blog article:

Because you have a mathematical mind, over time you will learn more about the subtleties of this question format.

Another concerns the way the GMAT asks question. The GMAT Quant is not so much interested in straightforward "do you know this math fact?" kinds of questions. They are much more interested, especially on more advanced questions, in framing a question in an offbeat way, so that it takes time to decipher what to do. Sometimes, the way the question is framed suggests one solution method, a step-by-step plodding method that would be long & tedious, but if you are creative enough to see another perspective, you realize you can solve the problem in seconds without any calculations. See:

Pay attention to what that article say about left-brain vs. right-brain perspectives.

I will say, many explanations to practice questions are awful. Even in the GMAT OG, the questions are among the finest standardized test questions on the planet, but the explanations are at a significantly lower level of quality ---in fact, some are atrocious. I would say: come here to GMAT Club. Just about every math question in the OG and on GMAT Prep is already posted here: always search carefully for a question before starting a brand new thread with a math question. Find where the question is discussed and see what the experts say. Bunuel the super-genius comments on almost every math thread. You are also more than welcome to solicit my input, using the "mention this user" button.

When you read an answer, be concerned less with the step-by-step part. You probably can do that already. The left-brain question is usually "what should I do?" and this question is not necessarily the question you should be asking. The right-brain question is "how should I look at this problem? how should I frame this situation?" In many problems, once you frame the problem in the right way, what to do becomes obvious. Many explanations don't address this explicitly, and you are left to infer it from their approach. If you ask experts on GMAT Club about this, that's an excellent question that experts will be happy to discuss----why did you decide to approach the situation this way rather than that way? That's where you need to focus, because the leading edge of growth for you. You know the math. You need to work on how to analyze the problems as a skilled problem-solver, discerning which approaches are more advantageous at any one time.

My friend, I have great hope for your progress. Please let me know if you have any further questions.

Mike :-)
Show more

Hi Mike,

This is an extremely helpful and appreciated post. I just found this forum and there is quite an expansive amount of information - it is quite overwhelming. The resources and advice you shared are a great starting point. I will see what I can do. Thanks!!!
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MathRevolution
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GMAT 1: 760 Q51 V42
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How do you finish? 04 Jul 2016, 18:09
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Hi,

If your mock test score is around 45-46, you might get 42-43 on actual GMAT.
GMAT exam is very different from other exam. Particularly, DS requires math skills though the most important thing in DS is logical approach and solution.
If your mock test score is around 45-46, it means you get all the hard 4-5 questions wrong. ​We call them CMT questions (Common Mistake Type). ​
In fact, ​these hard 4-5 CMT ​questions are given on actual GMAT. If you get 1-2 questions ​wrong, you can definitely hit 49. Or, if you get ​0​-​1​ questions wrong, you can hit 50​-51. ​So, you should​ get 3-4 right out of hardest 4-5 questions. ​These questions usually take 4-5 minutes to solve per question. This is a big pressure because you have to solve 37 questions in 75 minutes and questions get more difficult as you carry on with questions.

So, in GMAT, time management is critical. However, when it comes to DS, it is highly difficult to solve questions within the time with the conventional method. On the contrary, with our Variable approach for DS and IVY approach for PS. With our unique approaches of, you can significantly save time, and will have 10 minutes to spare on exam. For instance, with our approaches, you can solve questions that normally take 4 minutes in 1 minutes and 30 seconds, and 2-minute question in 30 seconds. You can solve DS questions 100% with Variable approach and 30-40% of PS questions with IVY approach. We also would like to recommend studying and mastering DS first as DS is a quick win.

Please try DS core theory of Trial Pack (4 hour lesson) that reveal our secret approaches of DS+PS core theory that you have never seen. You can test whether you like our approaches or not.

In order to hit 49-51,

Learn Variable Approach of DS, which enables you to solve DS questions with quickness and accuracy. With our Variable Approach, you can solve all DS questions. ​You can solve even hard questions in 2 minutes per question. ​
Also, we would like you to focus on DS as DS is a quick win.
Plus, ​for short-cut, ​focus on studying the key questions, 5 chapters ​(​Integer, statistics, probability,inequality, absolute value​), which completes 80% of your study for GMAT.
​For hard questions to determine a score of 49-51, ​you can learn CMT 3 and 4 that ​we provide extra tips to solve the question in 2 minutes. ​

Additionally, below are two useful articles featured in GMAT Club for your reference. This will be helpful for you. You can see what sort of questions you might encounter on actual GMAT.

· Ultimate Q51 Guide : the-ultimate-q51-guide-209801.html
· Most Updated Math Trend : overview-of-gmat-math-question-types-and-patterns-on-the-gmat-211809.html

If you're interested, come visit our website, https://www.mathrevolution.com.

Happy Studying!

Jin
Math Revolution

Archived Topic
Hi there,
This topic has been closed and archived due to inactivity or violation of community quality standards. No more replies are possible here.
Where to now? Join ongoing discussions on thousands of quality questions in our Quantitative Questions Forum
Still interested in this question? Check out the "Best Topics" block above for a better discussion on this exact question, as well as several more related questions.
Thank you for understanding, and happy exploring!