Hi,

I have taken the GMAT twice now, first time I got a 710 (Q 79 and V 93) and the second time a 700 (Q 72 and V93). I am desperately trying to improve my quant score. Both times I had a timing issue where I did well, and got to the harder questions and then ran out of time and had to guess on the last few which brought my quant score back down. I am planning on taking the GMAT one more time in a month. Any tips?? I am good at the math, and I get it, and can do the tough problems- I think I just cave under pressure and then I have an issue with timing. Is it better to go easy on the first questions and then really concentrate on the last 10 questions? Please let me know if you have any advice, it’s really appreciated.

Thanks!

Is there a reason why you need a better quant score than 79th percentile? Even the top 5 schools think that's good enough. (That doesn't mean they'll let you in, of course - it just means that, if they reject you, your GMAT score won't be why...)

Did you have bad grades in math classes in college or some other reason why you need to get an extra good quant score because you need to compensate for something?

With respect to timing, it's best to maintain a steady pace throughout the entire test. You cannot let yourself get so sucked in at any point that you lose time and then have to guess at the end - that's what's bringing you down.

Think of it this way: you are going to get lots of questions wrong. Those few questions on which you get sucked into spending 3 or 4 (or more!) minutes? You're going to get them wrong anyway, most likely. The fact that you can't do them in 2 minutes means you don't REALLY know how to do that question, not in the way it's supposed to be done. So if you're going to get it wrong anyway, get it wrong faster - in 2 minutes. That way, you don't ALSO lose more points at the end of the section.

Go into the test with the mindset that you are going to hit 5 questions that just drive you crazy. DO NOT go over 2 minutes when you hit those questions. Instead, take the time you have to make an educated guess (which is just a fancy way of saying: find some wrong answers and cross them off) and then move on either at or before the 2-min mark. And tell yourself, "That was one of my 5!" so that you don't psych yourself out.

Yes, I need to compensate for poor grades in my quant classes, which is why I would like to do better on the math section. I was told 79th percentile was too low for the top 10 schools, and that they want at least 80th?

Thanks SO much for the advice!

Yes, most top schools say they look for 80th percentile in each section, but 79th percentile is not statistically different than 80th. It's close enough. They won't reject you because you had 79th instead of 80th. :)

Unless you think you could significantly improve that score (90+) percentile, it's probably not worth it to take it again for just a few percentile points. I'd ask your question in the Admissions Consulting folder as well to see what they think.

You may want to consider taking a calculus course this summer at a local community college to address the math grades issue - but only do this if you know you can devote the time and effort to get an A. Otherwise, don't do it. (Or do it but don't mention it if you don't get the A.)

Good luck!