GMAT Math - How to Get Better
Doing well on the Quant section of the GMAT is in large part a function of how much time and effort you put into it.
If you have a quant-heavy background, you can potentially get away with not studying very much for this section.
If you don't, however, you will need to spend a lot of time going through practice problems.
This is really the only way to do well on this section of the GMAT.
To start off in this section, you need to get a great grasp of the fundamentals.
From my experience, there are two really good options available to you: Jeff Sackmann's Total GMAT Math and the Manhattan GMAT math series.
From what I can tell, the Manhattan GMAT series is more thorough, so if you have a lot of time to study and learn the fundamentals, this might be the best way to go.
Make sure you go through these book(s) a few times before you start doing lots of practice problems.
This will make sure you have your fundamentals down before you put your abilities to the test.
For practice problems, the best initial source is the Official Guide.
These problems are really good because they are actual former GMAT problems and thus most closely resemble what you will face on the actual test.
The OG will provide you a solid foundation and the confidence to step up to more difficult problems.
Once you have completed those problems, you should register yourself at gmatclub.
com and take a decent number of their practice math tests.
These tests are really good because they contain only 700+ level questions and really put your abilities to the test.
Once you have gone through a few of these tests, you will be so used to difficult questions that when you take the actual GMAT, you will not be fazed by anything.
Another solid resource if you have the time is Jeff Sackmann's Extreme Challenge.
This problem set is especially good for probability / combinations / permutations problems, which are some of the hardest problems you can face on the GMAT.
Definitely look here if you have trouble with those types of problems.
The main message of this paragraph is that there are materials out there that make you become accustomed to incredibly difficult math problems, so when you take the GMAT, the actual questions you face don't seem bad at all.
You should try to leverage these resources as much as possible.
Hard work is really the key to doing well on the math section of the GMAT.
Once you get a good grasp of the fundamentals, you then need to spend a lot of time practicing with high quality resources.
If you do, you should be successful come test day.
Good luck.
If you have a quant-heavy background, you can potentially get away with not studying very much for this section.
If you don't, however, you will need to spend a lot of time going through practice problems.
This is really the only way to do well on this section of the GMAT.
To start off in this section, you need to get a great grasp of the fundamentals.
From my experience, there are two really good options available to you: Jeff Sackmann's Total GMAT Math and the Manhattan GMAT math series.
From what I can tell, the Manhattan GMAT series is more thorough, so if you have a lot of time to study and learn the fundamentals, this might be the best way to go.
Make sure you go through these book(s) a few times before you start doing lots of practice problems.
This will make sure you have your fundamentals down before you put your abilities to the test.
For practice problems, the best initial source is the Official Guide.
These problems are really good because they are actual former GMAT problems and thus most closely resemble what you will face on the actual test.
The OG will provide you a solid foundation and the confidence to step up to more difficult problems.
Once you have completed those problems, you should register yourself at gmatclub.
com and take a decent number of their practice math tests.
These tests are really good because they contain only 700+ level questions and really put your abilities to the test.
Once you have gone through a few of these tests, you will be so used to difficult questions that when you take the actual GMAT, you will not be fazed by anything.
Another solid resource if you have the time is Jeff Sackmann's Extreme Challenge.
This problem set is especially good for probability / combinations / permutations problems, which are some of the hardest problems you can face on the GMAT.
Definitely look here if you have trouble with those types of problems.
The main message of this paragraph is that there are materials out there that make you become accustomed to incredibly difficult math problems, so when you take the GMAT, the actual questions you face don't seem bad at all.
You should try to leverage these resources as much as possible.
Hard work is really the key to doing well on the math section of the GMAT.
Once you get a good grasp of the fundamentals, you then need to spend a lot of time practicing with high quality resources.
If you do, you should be successful come test day.
Good luck.
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