Practice GMAT Quant CATs (Cold)

Question

Hi,

I'm curious as to why my Quant score is so low. I have taken two practice tests so far without preparation, and I literally scored a 6, the lowest score possible, which is in the 0 percentile. In standardized tests and general academia, I have always been stronger in math/quant than Critical reading. Is there a reasoning for this score? It's really hard for me to believe that I'm THAT bad at math. It's been discouraging to me lately, and I really can't understand why I did as bad as I did. FYI, I pretty much got all DS wrong and didn't finish ~10 questions on each

Thanks guys

ccooley · Answer

This is a good start to answering your own question. Not finishing the section causes a massive score decrease. And knowing how to do DS has little to do with being good at math. Sure, you need a certain amount of math as a prerequisite to answering DS questions, but (as you discovered on your practice tests) you also need to understand the problem type. In order to succeed on Quant, you need to internalize the idea that it's only partially about math. I've known plenty of people who were 'bad at math' who ended up with great quant scores, and many others, like yourself, who were 'good at math' and got weak quant scores, at least at first. Math skills are good, but think about it from an admissions perspective - do they really care about whether you can do geometry? That's probably not highly correlated with b-school performance. The test is designed to be primarily about what's called 'executive reasoning'; it just uses math as a stand-in for this because it's pretty easy for them to write math questions. I'd start here to learn more about what's going on under the surface of the test: What the GMAT really tests: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... lly-tests/ How many questions can I get wrong on GMAT Quant?: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... mat-quant/

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Hi,

GMAT really punish for not completing test
DS is more based on tact than math you dont requires to calculate or solve the question
it requires you to be a smart enough to know whether given information is enough to answer or not
these are basically two types of question
1. yes/no
2. Value

first of all know all the strategies how to tackle DS question, it is not just about math
Get Manhattan GMAT Strategy Guides to learn each and every concept of GMAT
practice official gmat questions and questions on gmat club
GMAT Club test are best for math practice, take quizzes from GMAT Club test
for falling short of time meet the pace of gmat, practice questions with in time
no question should go beyond 3 minutes otherwise you will fall short of time
Take GMAT Club cats review each and every question also make an error log of your wrong answers
make flashcards if you have time

Good luck
Cheers

Skywalker18 · Answer

Hi mrswan15 , GMAT does indeed penalize for not finishing a section. Moreover, 10 out of 37 questions account for more than one-fourth of the test and leaving so many questions can cause the score to plummet. Having said that, a score of 6 in quant, the lowest score, is rare. You should review the basic quant concepts and study Data sufficiency, which is unique to the GMAT. - Manhattan or Veritas quant books - You can also use one of the on-demand or live course for quant - Manhattan , Veritas or Magoosh - Once you improve to a decent level , you can try out the GMAT Club tests for advanced practice . Hope this helps!!

rohan2345 · Answer

Hi mrswan15

Do not be discouraged as your scores were without any preparation. Kindly go through the concepts first and solidify your base in quant. Try out the Foundation of GMAT Math by MGMAT and MGMAT Strategy guides as they are phenomenal and cover the entire syllabus really well. I must add that if you are particularly looking to discover and improve on your weak areas in quant; a subscription to GMATCLUB tests is the best way to do that. They are indeed phenomenal and will not only pinpoint your weak areas but also help you improve on them. Further taking multiple mocks might help. Apart from the GMATPREP, Manhattan GMAT tests and Veritas Prep Tests in my experience have a good verbal and Quant section and will certainly help you point out and improve your weak areas.

Further another advantage of taking many mocks is to build up your stamina. Apart from the GMATPREP tests, taking practise tests of any major GMATPREP company ought to do that.

Lastly I would also encourage you to purchase the latest version of OG and the Quant review for some great additional practice.

Hope this helps. All the best.

Mrswan15 · Answer

Thanks guys, I really appreciate the responses. Yeah, I think the 6 was honestly due to the lack of knowledge about the test + taking too long, rushing, and not finishing.

Also, the algebra basic math stuff too (failed Algebra 8th grade never passed). I refreshed my high school math with the OG Quant review summaries, and am hitting about 90% correctly currently on the OG Quant review word problems. Also realized I got some of the DS answers confused, and didn't take the time to really understand what the answers meant. I definitely regained my confidence, definitely in part to you guys as well. It was just a shock at the time since historically, my standardized math scores have been good e.g. 1st SAT mostly cold 90% percentile math score.

Thanks everyone

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