For students from India, scoring 700+ in GRE Quantitative section should be easy. Especially if you are from Engineering background, 700+ is an easy score to get. But, with little extra effort, you can get perfect 800 in GRE. I’m going to share very simple concept that can improve your score. Combining the following strategy with 20 Step GRE Study Guide, you should be able to make real progress during preparation time.
Sample GRE Math Question
3 days back, I posted a question in Happy Schools Blog’s Facebook page and so far over 30 students have solved the problem and most of them got it right.
- Link to GRE Math Question
Question - What is the 99th digit after the decimal point in the decimal expansion of 2/9 + 3/11?[don't use calculator] (A)1(B) 2 (C) 4(D) 7(E) 9
To go from point a to point b, there can be many many routes, but which one is efficient? Thats what happened while many solved the above problem.
Solution
You can find solution to above problem in 3 different ways. But, most of them used first 2 ways to solve it.
- Method 1: Solve 2/9 and 3/11 separately and add them to find the answer.
- Method 2: Add both 2/9 and 3/11 an then find the answer.
If you are looking to get perfect score of 800 in GRE Math section, solving the above problem using method 1 and 2 will not work. It takes about 1 to 2 minutes of your time.
- Method 3 : Any two-digit number divided by 99 becomes a decimal with that two-digit number repeating.
There are 2 ways by which you could have recognized the Method 3
- If you read in a book or solved similar problems previously
- Adding 2/9 + 3/11 gives 0.49494949… you should have recognized the pattern and tried to find what happens if you divide another number by 99 and find if the pattern is repeated?
Since, you didn’t expand your thinking beyond solving the problem, you couldn’t come-up with the short-cut method. Do you agree with me?
Majority of you while taking GRE practice tests don’t concentrate on your problem solving approach. Instead, spend too much time on getting high score in every practice test. If you are not learning new formulas, strategy or approach, you are not going to see improvement in your score.
While taking practice test, if you selected incorrect answers to few questions, don’t look at the answers section for the correct answer. Try to understand the solution, strategy and approach, time it would take to solve such problem. By following above technique, you improve you test score over period of time.
Perfect 800 Score?
Always have a notebook handy and make a note of the new formula’s that you come across from every mistake. In few months time, you should have collected several pages of GRE problem tips, techniques and strategy. But, don’t stop there. After recording the formula, you have to expand you thinking.
- What other possible questions can be framed from the same formula?
- Is it possible to extend the formula to nth degree or generalize it ( above said problem)
Bonus GRE Tip – Whenever you see a problem that involves large numbers, there should be a short-cut method to find the answer. While practicing for GRE, you have to lookout for such short cuts. Thats what separates you from getting 700 or 800 in GRE quantitative.
Thoughts?
If you have additional comments about my suggestion, I would like to hear form you. Do you agree to my method and also, if you have any other unique ideas, I like to know and many others get to benefit from your idea. So, speak up!
Thanks for the article! you have a good point!
I am really doing bad in reading comprehensions, my views never match author’s views .can someone tell me how can i improve it?
hey am starting my GRE prep, can any one please send the syllabus Math`s and english………Plzzzzzzzzzzzz
hey am starting my gre prep , can nyone pls suggest links for online study materials ? ?
Hy,Hy, guyys,,
GRE Math is not as harder as these type of site says, k.
I gave it in March'11.
I got 640 without prepreration.
I am not master of Math or its not any kind of FACT..
Just fill good and give…..
not every day is sunday vishal,be thakful to god !
hi,
i gave my test yesterday…..i got 1330….quant 800 and verbal 530….im really happy with my score as the univs im applying to concentrate particularly on quant scores…..thank you happy schools blog!!!!! i started my prep only after reading all the articles in your blog!!!!!!!!
keep up the great work!!!!!!
Congrats.. Very good score.
Barrons for building up your fundamentals.
GRE bible for practice tests.
Could I possibly get a consolidated list of important math formulae that would help me crack the Quant section of the GRE with ease? Thanks.
which is the best book that i want to refer for gre 2011