So I'm getting to the point where I would do well enough on the first quant section which takes me to a harder second section. The problem is that when the second section is so much harder, I bomb it - either because I panick or I simple don't know how to tackle it. For instance, the last 2 practice tests I took (from other sources), the second section questions were mostly categorized as hard and medium (60/40 by my estimation) and my last Math only practice exam with MGRE was the same. The first section I did well enough but the second section was virtually all 700-800 and I totally failed it.
How do I get over this hump? I often look back in the study guides from MGRE and review the concepts and I feel like the study guides are great at explaining how to solve easy & medium questions but for the hard questions, it's not helping me much. Is there a trick I'm missing? Should I just keep trying to solve the hard problems even though I don't really know what's the most effective way to do so? I'm kind of at a loss here...
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- mariel.delacruz
- Students
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Thu May 16, 2013 4:58 am
- tommywallach
- Manhattan Prep Staff
- Posts: 1917
- Joined: Thu Mar 31, 2011 11:18 am
Re: Hard 2nd Quant Section
Hey Mariel,
There's no easy answer for this. You're basically asking how to do hard questions, which is a very big bag of worms (most people who are take our classes are trying to do just that!).
But here's what I can say:
Easy questions: Can be solved with common sense. Doing "Correct process" often feels like overkill.
Medium questions: Can be solved with common sense. Doing "correct process" is safer, but you can often get away without using it.
Hard questions: Can only be solved with correct process.
This is what causes problems. Students don't use correct process on easy/medium (because common sense works a lot of the time); then they get to the harder questions, and suddenly they're at a loss.
Have you taken our class and/or read our books? Because you have to learn correct process somewhere. Then make sure you're using it on those easy/medium questions. Once you get really good at it, you can apply it on hard questions, and you'll start getting them right.
Good luck!
-t
There's no easy answer for this. You're basically asking how to do hard questions, which is a very big bag of worms (most people who are take our classes are trying to do just that!).
But here's what I can say:
Easy questions: Can be solved with common sense. Doing "Correct process" often feels like overkill.
Medium questions: Can be solved with common sense. Doing "correct process" is safer, but you can often get away without using it.
Hard questions: Can only be solved with correct process.
This is what causes problems. Students don't use correct process on easy/medium (because common sense works a lot of the time); then they get to the harder questions, and suddenly they're at a loss.
Have you taken our class and/or read our books? Because you have to learn correct process somewhere. Then make sure you're using it on those easy/medium questions. Once you get really good at it, you can apply it on hard questions, and you'll start getting them right.
Good luck!
-t
- fbmagnumopus
- Students
- Posts: 39
- Joined: Sat Aug 24, 2013 6:02 am
Re: Hard 2nd Quant Section
Hey Tommy,
Sorry for impinging on someone else's post but I just wanted to clarify something - When you said 'correct process' here. Did you mean like the conventional text book method or some kind of specific strategy?
And also when you say that easy and medium questions can be solved by common sense, do you mean that we don't to put pen to paper at all to answer the question?
Sorry for impinging on someone else's post but I just wanted to clarify something - When you said 'correct process' here. Did you mean like the conventional text book method or some kind of specific strategy?
And also when you say that easy and medium questions can be solved by common sense, do you mean that we don't to put pen to paper at all to answer the question?
- tommywallach
- Manhattan Prep Staff
- Posts: 1917
- Joined: Thu Mar 31, 2011 11:18 am
Re: Hard 2nd Quant Section
No FB,
As an example, oftentimes people can solve easy qc questions with straight-up algebra. But hard questions often require good process (plugging in values, treating the two columns as a giant inequality, etc.).
-t
As an example, oftentimes people can solve easy qc questions with straight-up algebra. But hard questions often require good process (plugging in values, treating the two columns as a giant inequality, etc.).
-t
- fbmagnumopus
- Students
- Posts: 39
- Joined: Sat Aug 24, 2013 6:02 am
Re: Hard 2nd Quant Section
Oh, I see your point. You mean that teh harder questions have more of a trial-and-error process going or like a GRE-specific approach.
So you mentioned
-treating the QC as a giant inequality (i remember seeing that in the QC strategy guide: inivisible inequality)
-plugging in numbers
These are certainly very useful techniques that most people wouldnt know to use from math as its taught in school.
I've found that even being very organized helps.
Anyway, thanks for your useful guidance as always!
So you mentioned
-treating the QC as a giant inequality (i remember seeing that in the QC strategy guide: inivisible inequality)
-plugging in numbers
These are certainly very useful techniques that most people wouldnt know to use from math as its taught in school.
I've found that even being very organized helps.
Anyway, thanks for your useful guidance as always!
- tommywallach
- Manhattan Prep Staff
- Posts: 1917
- Joined: Thu Mar 31, 2011 11:18 am
Re: Hard 2nd Quant Section
Glad to help!
-t
-t
6 posts Page 1 of 1