What to do to improve in Quant?

Hi,

Point 1: You have not been able to complete the test on time. Which could be due to multiple reasons and before evaluating yourself as slow finisher on test you must know that MGMAT are much harder than actual GMAT tests and to ensure whether you are really slow or not, you must take GMAT PREP test and then decide

Point 2: Due to the same reason that MGMAT are way harder than actual GMAT I wouldn't like to tell you that your level is of getting score like 37 in quant because the score of MGMAT are not the right criteria to judge your score. In fact it would be much better to see how many question are you getting wrong in test, what difficulty level problems are they?, and what are the reasons of getting them wrong i.e. Logical weakness or Silly error etc.
Based on these observations, you would be in a position to make a judgement what kind of support you need to further enhance your score in Quant.

Point 3: A great majority of GMAT Quant Questions can be solved within 3-4 steps so if you are taking more time and solving questions in more steps then please realize that your are not solving the questions the way those are expected to be solved. GMAT requires APTITUDE and not MATHEMATICS!!!

Point 4: Also identify whether you make more mistakes in Data Sufficiency or Problem Solving. If you make more mistakes in Data Sufficiency then your logics of solving DS questions are not placed well and If you make more mistakes in PS then certainly you need more work to be done on QUant Fundamentals.

I hope It helps!!!

Hi noTh1ng,

The issues you're describing actually happen to many Test Takers who use a "book heavy" study approach. Even the best books are limited in what they can teach you; they also can't force you to approach questions in a certain way and their explanations are often one-sided.

"Your way" of approaching the Quant section has you stuck at this current scoring level. To make a big improvement, you'll have to change your tactics. This will likely mean investing in some new Computer-based resources and learning (and practicing) new tactics.

Have you taken any of the GMAC CATs recently? If so, then how did you score?
When are you planning to take the GMAT?

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

I have not taken any of the GMAT CATS recently, just at the very beginning of my studies where i scored a 550.

I am planning to take the GMAT in about one month, can you recommend me any books or courses that help me in acquiring tactics or a better approach of Quant questions?

Hi noTh1ng,

Since your current level in Quant is unknown to me so suggesting any course of action will be like hitting in the dark. You may choose to take a free demo class and in the class I can assess and then suggest you where you stand and what should be the next course of action. In case you feel that classes may benefit you then you may take some more classes as well based on your discretion.

There is no such material that can teach you all the tactics. The Idea of GMAT preparation is not to learn all tactics form someone else but it is learning to devise the tactics and being able to independently think the tactics from the past practice learnt and then apply it in the new question that you see.

One Must refer Official Guides and Quant review to refer to the most authentic source of GMAT Preparation.

You can practice from Manhattan books as well and the best practice is to solve various questions posted in the forum on GMAT club and understand the different explanations given by other members which will help you identify different dimensions on which on must think to be able to crack the questions in the fastest manner and most effective manner.

I hope this helps !!!

Hi noTh1ng,

It would be a good idea for you to take one of the GMAC CATs sometime soon (maybe this weekend) - make sure to take the FULL CAT (including the Essay and IR sections), in one sitting, away from your home, at the same time as your Official GMAT, etc. That set of scores will really help to clarify what you need to focus on for this last month. Once you have those scores, you should report back here and we can discuss how to spend your remaining time.

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

Hey noTh1ng,

When it comes to psychological aspects of the test and stress management - make sure you think extreme positivity and pay attention to this critical element of the test. We highly recommend that you read through the psychological tips that we put together for you on this blog post: https://www.gmatpill.com/about/studying- ... trategies/

In addition, the challenges you face when tackling the quant section could derive from a lack of understanding. We recommend examining multiple variations off of the same core question type so you are prepared when the same kind of question is asked in a slightly different way.

Here is a list of PS questions you can try out: https://www.gmatpill.com/gmat-practice-t ... -questions

We also have video explanations to better explain the concepts: https://www.gmatpill.com/gmat-practice-t ... stion/1069