Revised GRE Math

[Lox26]

Hello All,

I've recently started studying for the new GRE, and the math is definitely kicking my behind. The general consensus is that Quantitative Reasoning is by far the easiest section. This does not seem to hold true for me, however. Does anyone have any tips on how to master this section? I'm currently working through Barron's and don't seem to have trouble with any question type in particular. I would appreciate any advice!

[rabolisk]

I've just started doing the same thing. The only advice that I can give is try and solve them alone without any guides at first. Even if it takes a long while. Then compare the method you solved to the one explained in the guide.

[Safferz]

im about to start studying for the new GRE as well and i am also not a math person. But ive found this book to be really helpful in learning/refreshing the fundamentals of math...

http://www.amazon.com/CliffsNotes-Review-Standardized-Tests-Cliffs/dp/0470500778/ref=dp_ob_title_bk

hope this helps!

I'm using this book too, and it's very helpful.

[Lox26]

@rabolisk: Thanks for the tip. I'm trying to ignore their "rules." It's just too much text, and I can usually reason through a problem. I'm just very hit or miss when it comes to the trick the problem is based on. I need to get better at thinking like a test-maker, I suppose.

@Safferz and PsycheYe: Is the book still helpful if you remember the "meat-and-potatoes" high school math (minus the nuance)? I find that I can usually follow the solutions of the problems I get wrong. I know it's relatively affordable, but I would prefer not to buy a fourth prep book. I'm only part-way through my first two, and I haven't touched the third. Maybe I just need more practice?

I don't know. My accuracy right now varies between 60% and 75%. Do you think I'll be ready by late September? I am shooting for at least 90th percentile. Thanks!

[Safferz]

@rabolisk: Thanks for the tip. I'm trying to ignore their "rules." It's just too much text, and I can usually reason through a problem. I'm just very hit or miss when it comes to the trick the problem is based on. I need to get better at thinking like a test-maker, I suppose.

@Safferz and PsycheYe: Is the book still helpful if you remember the "meat-and-potatoes" high school math (minus the nuance)? I find that I can usually follow the solutions of the problems I get wrong. I know it's relatively affordable, but I would prefer not to buy a fourth prep book. I'm only part-way through my first two, and I haven't touched the third. Maybe I just need more practice?

I don't know. My accuracy right now varies between 60% and 75%. Do you think I'll be ready by late September? I am shooting for at least 90th percentile. Thanks!

In that case, practice should be enough. I found the book helpful because I'm in the humanities and haven't done a single math problem since 11th grade, so I needed a book to reintroduce a lot of the basics before I could even begin to work through my GRE books. End of September seems like more than enough time, since you seem to have done quite a bit of studying already.

[Lox26]

Thanks for the words of encouragement, Safferz!

[lottesnk]

Algebra DeMystified has helped me a lot in the quant section. I realized that I kept making errors because I forgot fundamental math rules. My Kaplan course was useful in teaching me strategies, but they proved futile without knowing arithmetic and math rules (e.g., simplifying radicals and exponents, factoring, etc).

[ThePoorHangedFool]

Is anyone able to offer his or her opinion on how the revised GRE's Q. sections compare to those on the previous GRE? How did having a calculator affect your performance, if at all? I'm an English person and have remarkably little understanding of anything related to maths other than how to determine whether a line of poetry is iambic or dactylic or pyrrhic and written in hexameter or trimeter or tetrameter. I need all the words of wisdom regarding the Q. section that I can get.

[Lox26]

So I've been studying for about a month now. I am still getting about 10 quant questions wrong per practice test. I am not able to get above 75% accuracy consistently. Has anyone overcome a similar hurdle? My test isn't for another 5 weeks, but I'm seriously panicking. Any tips for how to tackle Graph/Data questions, specifically? Thanks!

[Kitkat]

So I've been studying for about a month now. I am still getting about 10 quant questions wrong per practice test. I am not able to get above 75% accuracy consistently. Has anyone overcome a similar hurdle? My test isn't for another 5 weeks, but I'm seriously panicking. Any tips for how to tackle Graph/Data questions, specifically? Thanks!

Is it that you have a hard time with the math part of them or is it just a general that question type problem? I've found that the Princeton Review Cracking the GRE book helped me out a lot with how to deal with the question type, since there is a lot of information to sift through, and a limited amount of time. So far, my score for the quant section has gone up about 60-130 pts, for the math section based on the powerprep tests. (This means that I am now hitting the wall of 800 which I am hoping for on the test since thats what the programs I am looking at want, crosses fingers).

[Lox26]

Is it that you have a hard time with the math part of them or is it just a general that question type problem? I've found that the Princeton Review Cracking the GRE book helped me out a lot with how to deal with the question type, since there is a lot of information to sift through, and a limited amount of time. So far, my score for the quant section has gone up about 60-130 pts, for the math section based on the powerprep tests. (This means that I am now hitting the wall of 800 which I am hoping for on the test since thats what the programs I am looking at want, crosses fingers).

Thanks for the advice, KitKat. Did you buy the book with the DVD? I decided against Cracking because reviewers noted several mistakes in the book, but I may reconsider. If you have the DVD, have you found the taped tutorials helpful?

O, and congrats on the big improvement!

Edited August 19, 2011 by Lox26

[Kitkat]

There are a few mistakes within the books, but honestly most, if not all, of the books that I went through had some mistakes, somewhere. I did some work with Barron's and will probably do more with Kaplan's Premeire the week before I take my test, I heard that one was good. But I worked with the one with the CD. I found it useful, but found the book itself more useful for me. For the mistakes, if your fairly certain that you did it right, and got the right answer, you probably did, and they just didnt change it to the right answer for the new edition.

And thanks! I hope your studying goes well...

[Pencilnerd]

Definitely get the Official GRE book. Some of the questions on my test were identical to ones in the book with different numbers. Make sure you time everything you do- not just computer tests, but the practice sections in the book. I found the math sections extremely time-intensive.

http://www.pencilnerd.com

Edited August 20, 2011 by Pencilnerd

[Lox26]

Back again. So I took a practice section adaptive test (SAT?) yesterday, and I found myself running out of time on the Quant sections. I had to omit 3 questions on my first math section and 6 on my second. The good news is that I had high accuracy (~90%) on the problems I answered.

What methods have you guys used to get faster? I usually find the "trick" to the problem, but I'm just not fast enough. Although I definitely don't want to rush at the expense of getting more questions right, I want to be able to comfortably answer all the questions in a given section. Thank you all for your help so far!

[ktel]

I find speed pretty much comes only with practice when it comes to math problems. You'll then be able to figure out the "trick" more quickly. Whether you have time to do a ton of practice problems is up to you.

[Lox26]

ktel, that's just it. I have been studying consistently for a month (reviewing topics and then doing problems, working through each solution to make sure I "get it"), and I am still not able to finish. I find this concerning. I know more practice is the key, but my improvement has fallen off exponentially. I'm just trying to figure out whether there are more targeted methods I can use. Perhaps a month is not that long a time for a test like this? Perhaps that has more to do with my personal strengths and limitations? I'm just not sure what is "normal" and am doing my best to navigate.

During your study regimen, how did you practice? Did you just go through practice books? Re-do problems you would get wrong until they were burned into your brain? Weekly discussion sessions with a study group combined with self-study? Thank you for your input!

[ktel]

Lox, I have actually never taken or studied for the GRE, but consider myself a fairly strong math student and a good test taker. I think studying for the test has everything to do with an individual's personal strengths and weaknesses, hence there is no "normal". I honestly think I could probably tackle the quantitative section with very little review, whereas the verbal would certainly be more difficult for me. Other people would obviously say the opposite.

[Lox26]

O, my mistake. I thought you were in a masters program that required the GRE. Good luck in your program.

[Lox26]

Is anyone able to offer his or her opinion on how the revised GRE's Q. sections compare to those on the previous GRE? How did having a calculator affect your performance, if at all? I'm an English person and have remarkably little understanding of anything related to maths other than how to determine whether a line of poetry is iambic or dactylic or pyrrhic and written in hexameter or trimeter or tetrameter. I need all the words of wisdom regarding the Q. section that I can get.

Hi PoorHangedFool,

I never took the old GRE. I'm also not a math person these days (I used to be a mathlete--o, how things change!), but I've found that the calculator is a nice aid. On many of the problems, however, it can be unnecessary and more time-consuming than working with the "easy" numbers that comprise most questions. For example, it is sometimes easier to work with fractions and cancel than to multiply a bunch of decimals. I also think the material is mostly the same as on the previous exam. Even the new numeric entry questions are just typical GRE questions without the answer choices.

If you work with a prep book from a good company, such as Barron's or Princeton Review, I think you might find some math concepts just flood back to you. Others may require more detailed review, but the books should offer a solid review of those concepts. Good luck!

Edited August 31, 2011 by Lox26