Studying for the GMAT is a true emotional roller coaster. Some days I am doing well on equations and 3 days later I can’t remember a single thing about equations. After some calming down and realizing I know how to do these problems because I studied them 2 days ago, the process and formulas start coming back and I can solve 1/2 the problems correctly. Some days I am ready to give up and accept the defeat of the GMAT and learning rates/works or idioms, and other days I am not willing to end the day until I have complete knowledge on the subject. The weird thing is the GMAT quantitative problems are suppose to be at the same level as high school math. It has been some years since I have been in high school, but I don’t remember math being one of those subjects I had to worry about. I was in honors algebra and AP statistics. I did have problems with my pre-cal class but that had to do with a problem teacher. (I took the course during summer school and got an A-). In college, my first trimester and last time I studied anything involving an equation, I took chemistry as my quantitative course and had problems in that subject, but I also think had to do with being away from home for the 1st time, or maybe it truly was the beginning of the end of math for me.
Sometimes I sit in Borders, and think after I get 3 problems wrong in a row that I was probably dropped on my head as a toddler and the effects did not occur until I needed to study for the GMAT. I also think drinking in college and in my twenties has done twice as much damage than I ever thought it would. Of course there had been some experimentation with illegal drugs (nothing you can make from under your sink), but I know people who did worse stuff than me and became engineers and physicist.
So in the end I truly don’t know why the GMAT has become such an Achilles Heel for me, especially, since I have been studying on and off for over a year. I realize the next step for me is to stop analyzing what is wrong with me and continue to analyzing how to get the correct answer to the problem.
P.S. Has anyone ordered the GMAT Quantitative Focus from mba.com? If so, did you find it useful?
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Emotional roller coaster is spot on. For me it is stuff like ‘n is divisible by 7 but divided by 9 gives a remained of 1. What is the minimum value of …’. For a moment I just stare at this in horror, until I remember that it’s supposed to be solvable.
Dear GlamourGirl, your blog is FABULOUS! I love fashion and am currently pursuing my MBA and just happened upon your blog. The concept is cool. So, while I haven’t finished reading everything, I just thought I’d say that the GMAT was a huge obstacle for me as well but I ended up getting into 4 of the 5 programs I applied to, including two top 5 schools. I was in an org called MLT, but I really believe success is very much an individual’s choice and you can get where you want to go if you want it, work hard at it, pray for it, among other things. Quant was my issue and upon recognizing that, I worked with a tutor on that specific area, spending quite a bit of money but in the end it was worth it. My score went up 180 points on my 3rd attempt. You can do it! Trust me, I know. Some of my story is on my blog, but feel free to email me if you have any questions at all. I’ll try to help if I can. God bless you, stay strong, keep doing you, and keep at it. Also remember that the GMAT is not the be all and end all. You can use the essays to demonstrate how fab you are, and take quant heavy classes and do well to prove you can be successful in b-school. Keep your head up! Take care, and I apologize for the length of this spiel –
. I just had to say something!
Thanks for the support. I would love to hear about your experience through MLT and your experience in b-school now. The GMAT still remains my Achilles heel in this whole process. I took the last couple of months off but I finally picked up my verbal book today to get back to sentence corrections. I hope to take the test in the beginning of December.