Timing and mastering difficult section especially for math

[bretsmithone]

Here is my problem. I have studied extensively (5lb book) all areas especially for math. However, for a number of practice test, I do well on first section, but mess up with the latter sections especially as it relates to Math.

I am completely flustered at this point. I constantly only get 10-11 out of 20 on a difficult math section. I follow most comfortable strategy of what works for me knowing data intepretation for instance can be time consuming for me. Hence, I skip em and answer them at end if there is time.

Also, I review explanations every time and did whole 5lb book. I don't know what more I can do. I have devoted 5-6 months already and keep getting 158-160 on math. I need to get the GRE to around 330.

Yet, I can never finish the 20 difficult math section in time and get too many wrong eventhough I am very familiar/mastered material. What can I specifically do to increase my score? Verbal problem resides in reading comp and I get same score there no mater how much I have practiced on them. I am consistently getting same score there it is ridiculous since no matter how much I study and practice, I am not improving on the practice tests. They are taken once per week with review in between. However, nothing is budging my score up. I feel like I have plateued with no possible room for doing better. I am at a loss. Please assist.

[tommywallach]

Hey Brit,

Honestly (and I swear I'm not in the business of trying to upsell people), if you've really done that much work on your own, your best bet at this point is to get some private tutoring. The only way I could really explain why you're not seeing improvement is to watch how you're doing questions and see where the blocks are.

That being said, the primary reason people fail to see improvement is because they refuse to change THE WAY they do questions. People think the GRE is a knowledge-based test, but it isn't. It's a technique-based test. You have to change the fundamental way you approach questions as a whole. When people study on their own (without a class or instructor), they often read all the material and practice plenty of questions, but they don't ever change their approach. The key to improvement is to make those kinds of changes.

Hope that makes sense!

-t

[bretsmithone]

Thanks. Appreciate it. Just a few more questions. When you mention "technique" or different approach/way of approaching problems, are the explanations I review in the 5lb book for each problem containing the "techniques" or different approaches therein you refer to?

Am I missing much of this or more by using this book and not immersing myself in the individual 7-8 other book guides of yours? My understanding based on what I read and hear is that since I need a lot of practice (especially timed), the guides would not help as much. I am already 100% with "knowledge" or concept like you also refer to.

Or do those guiides heavily focus on technique more than 5lb? Pacing/timing and not panicking and trying to rapidly but efficiently incorporate what I really already know is huge for me as you now know. If I had even just a little more time on test, I could get many more right. Somehow I got to make that right. So maybe just more timed quizes or tests will help in that department to help incorporate it all? I remember long time ago trying tutors for SAT and it didnt' help much b/c it didn't address aforementioned unrealized weakness at the time.

P.S.- I am going to probably buy Reading guide seperately since my weakness in verbal still is there. 5 more practice exams will be included right?

[tommywallach]

Hey Bret,

Yes, all the techniques are primarily taught in the main guides. The 5lb. book is a good opportunity to PRACTICE those techniques, but it doesn't teach them. (You'd think that just looking at the back/explanations would teach them, but that isn't how the brain works. In the same way that you can't learn to play the piano correctly simply by watching someone play it correctly, or reading the way to play it correctly. You need to be walked through the techniques step by step.)

Time is not the weakness. The weakness is content. If you were better at content, you'd move faster, if that makes sense. Changing your technique is how you go faster, overall. That said, I don't mean to insist you need tutoring, only that tutoring is one way for those techniques to be learned, and for good habits to be developed.

-t