I am currently entrolled in the Self-Guided class and I am very happy with it.
I have noticed that on some math questions I "lack an approach", meaning that I just don't know how to go about it. I don't know how to start the problem, what to write down etc. Then, after I read the explanation, it totally makes sense, and I don't understand why I couldn't think of it since I knew the concept.
I am at the 600- 650 math questions and it seems that in order to improve I need to figure out what to do about my "lack of approach" issue.
Does it mean that I need to read the Strategy books over again or I need to just keep solving problems....most likely both, but what do you think?
Thank you!

Honestly, I found myself in your boat and just recently figured out how things on the GMAT work.

The best advice I can give you is to keep doing the problems the way you are and keep the scrap paper. When you're done with the test, look over their explanation, go through your work, and redo the problem without looking. Eventually you'll see just about every kind of problem the GMAT has to throw at you, and you'll know the best way to approach them without even thinking about approaches. It's kind of like Neo in the Matrix at the end when he sees everything in code. It's a great feeling when you get a problem and say to yourself, "Ah, it's one of these!" Good luck!

@spencer,
I think following strategy guide will immensely help you in solving the problems. Keep a Flash Card so that you can jot down the key points, formulas, procedures in it. Make it a practice to revise the formulas, number properties every day. This is working for me.

At the end of the day, it is all about Practice! Practice! Practice!

Thanks
Sudhan

here are 2 suggestions that you may find productive.

(1) for each problem on which you simply couldn't come up with an approach, find the corresponding mgmat strategy guide, and find the problem in the problem lists at the back of the guide. then go through most, or even all, of the other problems in that list - noting the similarities between the problems (especially signals in the problem statement that tell you what kind of strategy to use), and noting the strategies and approaches that they have in common.
it's hard to study problems when they're islands; the more connections you can make, the easier it will be to study the problems.

(2) make a flash card for each problem. on the front of the card, just write the problem (along with its answer choices, if it's PS). on the back of the card, write as many of the following as you can:
- approaches that work (no need to write out the whole solution unless it's tricky and elaborate)
- signal words in the problem that tell you to use those approaches
- tricks/traps in the problem (if you had an approach but got the problem wrong, then you should be able to identify at least one such trick/trap, because you must have fallen into it)
- any secondary methods that also work (vic, smart numbers, working backwards, estimation, and so on)

these methods are fairly time-intensive, but they may give you the edge you need to tackle those tougher problems.

good luck