External help for math section

[BrianM]

I have decided that just POE or Ballparking is a complete crock of sh*t and a waste of time, so I have been looking up videos on youtube and getting help from my gf who is a math wiz.

Instead of learning these stupid techniques taught by the Princeton Review, I am learning the actual process so that I know I get the answer right.

What do you guys think about this form of studying? I feel a million times better knowing how to do a problem, even if there is not an example of it in the book, I am just getting enough knowledge of various types of problems bc not everything from the book is on the test.

Also how good is the Kaplan math courses? I am taking one this summer, then planning on taking the exam a day or two right after.

Has anyone had experiences? I heard the verbal class is a waste....

[BrianM]

bump, anyone?

[TheFez]

What kind of score do you think you will need?

There's different levels of achievement on the Quant section and they may require different approaches.

I fyou just need an okay score... like 600+ on the old scale, then it may be sufficient to learn the right method and try to plow through questions. But you should realize the GRE can separate the "men from the boys" on math - and achieving in the higher ranges (e.g. old 760+ required for more quantitative programs like mine in economics) requires more than a mastery of technique - since the problems are timed you cannot brute force answers to get perfect scores unless you are amazingly fast.

To achieve at the highest levels on Quant my opinion is you need to develop intuition and be able to recognize shortcuts, and elimination techniques or you just will run out of time.

Whatever approach you choose - make sure you spend a lot of time doing timed problems as the test draws nearer to get used tot he pace. That's one place that otherwise competent test takers get stuck.

I am not sure if the the Princeton Review techniques are "stupid" of not. I think there is no single answer or silver bullet. You need to get good at the basic techniques needed to actually solve the problems, then go beyond that with time saving tricks and experience to get a really high score if you need it. If all you need is a 70th percentile then don't worry as much - if you need 90+ percentile you need to explore many approaches.

[BrianM]

What kind of score do you think you will need?

There's different levels of achievement on the Quant section and they may require different approaches.

I fyou just need an okay score... like 600+ on the old scale, then it may be sufficient to learn the right method and try to plow through questions. But you should realize the GRE can separate the "men from the boys" on math - and achieving in the higher ranges (e.g. old 760+ required for more quantitative programs like mine in economics) requires more than a mastery of technique - since the problems are timed you cannot brute force answers to get perfect scores unless you are amazingly fast.

To achieve at the highest levels on Quant my opinion is you need to develop intuition and be able to recognize shortcuts, and elimination techniques or you just will run out of time.

Whatever approach you choose - make sure you spend a lot of time doing timed problems as the test draws nearer to get used tot he pace. That's one place that otherwise competent test takers get stuck.

I am not sure if the the Princeton Review techniques are "stupid" of not. I think there is no single answer or silver bullet. You need to get good at the basic techniques needed to actually solve the problems, then go beyond that with time saving tricks and experience to get a really high score if you need it. If all you need is a 70th percentile then don't worry as much - if you need 90+ percentile you need to explore many approaches.

Thanks for the reply.

I need an 1100, or a 1200 for some programs. But generally 1200 is the main score. Most of the universities have not updated their gre requirment scores for the new scale.

I am terrible at this test and math, the english is just ridiculous but I can do it. The reading comp is a nightmare and hopefully guessing gets me somewhere....

anyways my target score is a 600 on each.

I am studying now and understanding the actual processes of problems, and not just the POE or w.e they teach b/c to me I feel safer knowing how to solve it.

And since I go beyond these books and find more practice problems for similar problems, I can learn how to solve them easily and quickly.

[constantSun]

I think you have a good plan. Study the type of math that is on the test as best you can. Methods and strategies are probably needed to get the highest of scores, but you are better off in the long run, if you avoid "tricks" and simply try to understand the concepts.