How to manage your time, study schedule etc before test

[JesperH732]

So, I've taken the a mock test with a horrible test score for Quant (22Q). I intend to start school in fall and plan to take the GMAT in March and probably once more after that. After the mock test I started to review all of the Manhattan guides and managed to solve most of the questions for each chapter. However as soon as I started solving the questions in OG, it is like I never reviewed the books. I feel discourage because I can solve the easiest problems rendering a low score, but never the moderate or the hard ones. What would be the ideal way to study the Quant section and improve?

[StaceyKoprince]

There are two levels to studying for the quant section (or any section!). First, you have to learn the actual material - facts, rules, formulas, etc. Then, you have to learn the GMAT - how they ask these questions and how best to answer them.

It sounds like you've figured out level 1 but not level 2.

Start by taking a look at these two articles:
http://tinyurl.com/executivereasoning
http://tinyurl.com/2ndlevelofgmat

Start a reply to me in which you tell me how what you've been doing so far does fit with those articles say, as well as what you need to change in your current approach.

Next, are you using our 5th edition or 6th edition books? I ask because the 6th edition quant books include chapters explaining how to use various strategies to solve GMAT-type questions. We used to teach these pretty much only in our classes but we just added them to our most recent books. (Our classes still teach even more strategies, but the major ones are now in the books.)

From what you describe, it sounds like you need the 6th edition books, but they were only published in Dec 2014...so you may have the older books.

Did you take one of our practice CATs? If so, use the below to analyze (this should take you a minimum of 1 hour):
http://tinyurl.com/analyzeyourcats

Based on all of the articles I've linked, figure out your strengths and weaknesses as well as any ideas you have for what you think you should do. Then come back here and tell us; we'll tell you whether we agree and advise you further. (Note: do share an analysis with us, not just the raw data. Part of getting better is developing your ability to analyze your results - figure out what they mean and what you think you should do about them!)

[JesperH732]

Thank you for your reply.

I have the 6th edition and I have reviewed every single book except IR and essay. I did the mock test before I bought the Manhattan prep books and did it on the official GMAT prep software. So far I've devoted more time to Quant problems than Verbal since I tend to do a lot better at CR, RC and SC. The easiest part on Quant has been geometry and FDP and the most difficult questions about inequalities. I also find data sufficiency more difficult than problem solving.

After reading the articles I can say that I'm leaning more toward school mindset rather than business mindset, although not entirely. I'd say that I've covered level 1 and struggling with level 2. My study plan is that I basically do two Quant problems for every Verbal problem where I try to review the remaining books one day and the following day do a mix of 8 DS or 8 PS and 4 CR/RC and 4 SC.

[StaceyKoprince]

Okay, and what do you do after you finish doing a quant problem?

Probably 85% (if not more!) of your learning comes after you've finished the problem and chosen your answer. While you're doing the problem, you're not really learning anything.

Afterwards, when you analyze how they constructed the problem, how you approached it, etc, that's when you actually learn how to get better.

So start by asking yourself the 10 questions linked in that 2nd level article. Ask each of the 10 questions on every problem you do, even the ones you answer correctly. At first, this will take forever. As you learn how to learn, you will speed up and be able to start pinpointing the specific things that you can do to get better.

For example, on a problem that you got right, you may be able to find a shortcut or more efficient way to do the work. (This is easier to do when you actually understand how all of the moving parts of the problem work.)

On a problem for which you thought, hmm, there are two different ways I could do this...you will learn how to figure out before you start the work that one path is likely to be better than the other. (How? By trying it both ways, asking yourself which is better for you, then returning to the original problem text and asking yourself what clues should have made you choose that path in the first place. Now you know what to do next time you see those clues.)

Go practice that for a week, then come back and tell me what you're learning. Then go practice for another week and come back again and tell me what you've learned in that second week. (It's going to take a while for you to really learn how to learn this stuff. But when you do, it's going to be awesome! :)

[JesperH732]

Hello once again,

Thank you for your reply and I wish to say that I have greatly improve my way of studying. I took a second CAT and improved 140 Points from 450 to 590. I took your advice on how to study the quant section and it has worked, although i hope i don't fall into a false sense of security. I did only have one correct answer on the IR and I confused to why I my IR score got worse, I mean I improved quant and verbal after all.

I will continue study the quant and the verbal to further prepare myself for test day.

Second CAT 2/25
Quant 40 47 % Review
Verbal 32 66 % Review
Total 590 58%

First CAT 2/6
Quant 23 11 % Review
Verbal 29 56 % Review
Total 450 20%

[StaceyKoprince]

Nice work! Have you actually been studying for IR as well, or have you been concentrating mostly on quant and verbal?

Also, it has only been a couple of weeks. It takes time to improve all aspects of your score. :)

Keep up the great work!

[JesperH732]

I have not yet studied the IR-section, I've only read the first chapter of the guide. I'm due to take the test in Three weeks and I guess I'm gonna have to focus a whole lot on IR the coming weeks. However I find the IR-section much more difficult than quant or verbal.

[StaceyKoprince]

Do take *some* time to study. If you are very underprepared for IR, then you will spend a TON of your mental stamina on that section, and it comes before Q and V, the sections you really care about.

Learn just enough to know what the basic strategies are and to be able to make good decisions about which questions to do and which questions to bail on / skip (guess immediately and move on). Guess on (at least) 3 or 4 of the 12 questions. Do NOT spend "extra" mental energy on this section of the test!