GMAT Quantitative Reasoning Strategy
Developing an Approach
The Quantitative Reasoning section of the GMAT uses math skills to test your reasoning and critical thinking skills. This may be an intimidating prospect, but the good news is that the math you are expected to know is generally at a high school level. However, this section is harder than it may seem. The math itself may be simple, but sometimes the format of the questions can throw test takers off. It is essential to have a plan of attack for the Quant section, so that on exam day, you can really demonstrate your critical and reasoning skills as well as your math skills.
The goal of the GMAT Quantitative Section is to measure your ability to reason quantitatively, interpret graphic information, analyze and implement data given in a problem, and solve quantitative problems. For this section, you will need to not only have a good grasp of basic math concepts, but be able to understand when to use which ones. The questions can seem deceptively simple at times because the math itself isn't difficult, but it takes close reading to understand exactly what you should be calculating.
The key to feeling confident about taking the GMAT is preparation. If you have an organized approach to the Quants, you will be able to showcase your problem solving and critical reasoning skills for the MBA programs you are interested in.
Read the Questions Carefully
While the GMAT's Quants Section will utilize the math you learned in school, it will not always present the questions in the way you're used to seeing them. We are generally trained to solve a problem for a variable, but the GMAT is not always asking you to solve for x. Read the question carefully so that you're sure you are solving the right problem. Otherwise, you could easily sink six minutes into a problem that doesn't even help you get the correct answer!
Pace Yourself
You will have 45 minutes to complete 21 questions. While this averages to a little more than two minutes per question, you should not expect each one to take you the same amount of time. The questions with the most text often use the simplest math, so don't be discouraged and skip through questions you assume will take too long before evaluating the problem.
Pacing yourself is also important because your score is based on an algorithm that is computer adaptive. This means the test is evaluating you as you go, not at the end of the exam. If you are not able to finish all of the questions, it can throw off the algorithm and negatively affect your final score. Spend a reasonable amount of time trying to solve each problem, but be ready to move on if needed. Ensure that you have returned to your bookmarked questions provided time permits.
All Roads Lead to Practice
It's impossible to adequately feel comfortable with the types of questions you can expect to see and to properly pace yourself without practicing individual questions and timing yourself during practice tests. As with most things in life, practice is a key component to success on the GMAT.
First things first. You'll want to brush up on your basic math skills so that you are prepared to take the Quant Section of the test. You are expected to have competence in number properties, basic algebra, and arithmetic. You are not allowed to use a calculator, so you will need to refresh yourself on basics for which you may have gotten in the habit of relying on a calculator.
In order to efficiently use the time allotted, you will need be able to approach the questions with flexibility. For some questions, it will make the most sense to solve them using a traditional method; however, sometimes simply plugging in the possible answers is a faster way to approach them. It's important that you feel comfortable utilizing these different methods, and especially that you know when to use different strategies.
Through practice, you will gain familiarity with the types of questions you will see, and for which you'll need to be able to quickly assess the fastest way to solve them. We also strongly advise that aside from practice questions, you sit down for at least one practice test, the closer to a real test setting, the better. Practice is important early on to pinpoint your areas of weakness, but continues throughout the preparation process to be a way to help refresh some math skills you may not have used in a while.