Math Trouble and the GMAT

[willywonka14]

Hi,
I am in need of some advice. I have recently completed an honours bachelor of arts from U of T and did well in my last two years. My goal is to get my MBA and LLB however I really really suck at math. I am currently enrolled in the Princeton Review's GMAT prep course. I told the instructor that I was having some trouble working through the math problems and he provided me with the Princeton's Review Math Smart book. I have been reading through it and completing the problems and it seems to be getting better. (The book guarantees that you will score higher on standardized tests) So far it seems to be helping me but when I try to do some of the gmat math homework Im a little lost. I know that the math is only one component but I was wondering if I should try and stick through it with the Math Smart book and the gmat prep course or drop the prep course before I lose all my money and take a math course. Also, if I should take a math course, where and which course would help me?
Thanks! :confused:

[controlyar]

Perhaps you are eating too much candy which is negatively affecting your ability to understand highschool math? :lol:

Honestly, the GMAT is just review.
The math is basic and it just requires practice.
Do thousands of problems and you will be laughing.

[gruegoo]

Best math books are the official GMAT guide and the Manhattan series. Princeton and Kaplan weren't very helpful in my opinion.

Don't worry too much about the math section, unless you want a high score of over 42-45. I studied about 3 weeks and scored a 39 in the math (680 overall) so it can't be that hard :) I stopped taking math in grade 11 or 12 (whichever was the last required year) and then I went to art school for my postgrad, so my math skills are very, very weak (relative to other MBA applicants).

Seriously though, its more about using logic to answer the questions than knowing specific equations. Also it adapts to your abilities so if you continually get the mid-level questions right, you should be fine. Make sure your verbal is strong to complement it.

Also keep in mind that in general, the Princeton courses and books are for people who want to score around 550-650. People rarely go in order to bump themselves up from a 740 to a 780 because the advanced topics simply aren't covered. So it really depends on what scores you're getting now and where you want to be.

ONLY the official GMAT practice tests are an accurate reflection of the real test. Don't trust any other test score.

[frizzthewiz]

As the others said, practice lots, and make sure if your paying for the prep course that you ask the instructor to clarify problems you don't get. And do some practice GMAT exams so you understand what sorts of math problems there are, and which you have the most difficulty with. GMAT is time sensitive and the only way to learn how to do math problems quickly is by practicing doing them.

Good luck, put in the effort you'll be fine.

[branat]

I got all the books that I can find on GMAT at the public libraries and went through all of them until I puked. You just have to learn to watch for key words, sections as to what the questions want you to regurgitate back to them.