Just
completed the assessment for the math section (affectionately referred to as
the Quantative section) of the practice test I took yesterday. I don't think it
looks too bad. There might be hope after all!!
The
breakdown
Total
number of questions: 37
Allotted
time: 75 minutes
Time
used: 50 minutes
Correct
answers: 19
Incorrect
answers: 18
Of
the incorrect answers, mistakes made because of:
Carelessness/rushing
(let’s call this Category 1): 9
Content
(Category 2): 9
So,
in this first test, IF I wasn’t rushing and took the appropriate amount of time
to answer each question, I would have only made 9 mistakes due to the
unfamiliar (read: long forgotten) math problems or Category 2. I had 25 minutes
left to spare after I answered the last question. That means I could’ve spent
an extra 2 minutes on each of those 9 questions and still left with 7 minutes
to spare!
After
doing some calculations, it looks like I spent an average of 1 min 39 sec on
the Cat 1 questions. Given that there are 37 questions in total and 75 min
complete the section, I should be using an average of 2 minutes per question.
So really I was somewhat close to the 2 minute mark on these questions, but I
could’ve concentrated much more and paid better attention to the details
in the questions (and the answer choices as well!). Even
just adding an extra 30 seconds counts for a lot! I
need to keep that in mind.
On
the Cat 2 questions, the good news is I seemed to recognize that I couldn’t
answer these questions. (I’ve been warned about this, that there will be
questions we can’t answer, so we gotta learn to let go! Lol). Since I did
recognize that I couldn’t answer, hence it was most definite that I’d make a
mistake, I didn’t spend too much time on them, an average of 1 min 20 seconds.
Now, this is already 1 minute too long to waste on questions that I know for
sure I’d get wrong – and so as an article suggested “I already know I’m gonna
get this wrong, now what can I do to get it wrong faster”. This
means I need to learn some strategy on educated guessing. Because
I think I just randomly picked an answer after having spent a minute pondering
on the question. Again, that’s too much time to waste.
The
Cat 2 questions covered topics in these areas:
- Basic equation, absolute value expression: it was the absolute value expression used in the equation that kinda messed me up on this one.
- Quadratic exponents: just need a refresher on this
- Divisibility & primes: surprisingly (or not so), this was a very basic concept that wasn’t really “taught” because of the teaching/learning style they had back in school. (No, I’m not pointing fingers, you people know who you are)
- Functions, the use of pound sign # as a variable (?): this was quite unfamiliar, so definitely need to dig into it
- Statistics: need refresher
- Probability: need refresher (I remember not remembering much about probability because I hated it in school. Haha)
- Combinatorics: same as above!
- Quadratic equation: need refresher
Judging
by this and the overall content of the test, I definitely need a refresher
course on all the topics covered in the test.
I
think my strategy for the Quant section will be to first and foremost do a
refresher course on the math topics the test will cover. Do plenty of practice
questions to get a better understanding on each of the topics. Then, once I
complete the refresher course, I can start incorporating GMAT style practice
questions, both with and without a timer. The timer is so I can start getting
used to timing how long I spend on each question, with 2 minutes being the
average. Then, the last thing I’ll need to add to this formula is learning
strategies on how to tackle the 2 types of question in the test: problem
solving and data comparison.
So,
quant section assessment take away:
- Learn to pay better attention to questions and answer choices, and be more careful and focused on answering the questions.
- Learn better time management strategies so I don’t waste time on questions I know I don’t know and take more time on questions I do know.
- Learn better strategy on educated guessing so I can get wrong answers wrong faster.
- Tackle Quant Strategy:
- Cover all the basics and topics covered by the quant section
- Do plenty practice questions
- Incorporate GMAT style practice questions
- Incorporate timing on GMAT practice questions
- Learn strategies to tackle the 2 types of questions: problem solving and data comparison questions
To
sum it up
Strengths:
I have a good quant foundation that I can definitely work with
Weaknesses:
poor time management skills and attention to detail
Tomorrow
I’m gonna do the assessment for the verbal portion of the test, and after that
I’ll start devising a study plan for each section. Oh, I almost forgot the AWA
(Analytical Writing Analysis) section! Haha. Yeah, need to do some work on that
too.
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