GMAT – elaborated as Graduate Management Admission Test is an online exam for Management or Business Graduate programs like MBA. The test includes assessment of quantitative, reasoning, verbal, reading and written skills in English, giving equal importance to all the four parts of the examination.

English is important because students attempt for the exam from all over the world trying to study in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada etc. At the same time, Integrated reasoning and Quants share equal importance to prove the candidates eligible to pursue their programs in Management and Business studies.

If you ever wonder what is a good GMAT score, then the answer is somewhere between 590 to 650. 700 is excellent while an 800 is considered perfect.

Now let us dive into what lies under Quantitative and how to master it in order to ace your GMAT exams.

The GMAT Quant section

This section is for 60 marks while in average people score between 7 to 51. It consists of basic mathematics which includes arithmetic, algebra and geometry. It consists of two types of questions, value based problem statements and yes or no questions with variant choices.

It can have two types of problems:

1. Data sufficiency: where you are given a set of statements with equations (if any) and a question on top of that. You need to solve the statements and choose if either of statements or all of them were necessary for you to solve the given question.
   Ex: Solve 2x=y*z and find the value of “x”.

Statement 1: z= 2

Statement 2: Y is an even number

Option 1: Statement 1 was sufficient to derive x

Option : Both statement 1 and 2 were used

Option 3: None of them were applicable.

Option4: Statement 2 was sufficient to derive x

As we know we need only statement 1 hence the answer is “Option 1”

• Problem solving: If person A had 200 apples what is the number of apple he left with after giving 3 to person B and 6 times that of B to person C

Option 1: 146

Option 2: 179

Option 3: 181

Option 4: 127

We know that the answer is 179

So these are the few types of questions, GMAT will drag you with in quants, keeping that aside let us now see how to prepare for the same.

Tips to master quants

 Cracking any entrance exam needs its own way of preparation and has to be exclusive for every bit of it. The same goes for quants. Here are some of the easy ways you can solve that lengthy problem in seconds.

1. Note down formulae: Every math exam need a formula book or a handy go-to wizard book that  has all your work outs inked down. This helps till the last minute as what you write down here is something  you refer very often when you solve problems and hence you get familiar with it over time.

• Give it enough time: Every part of the exam needs equal attention. Quants can be given more as it is just playing with numbers. If you are not a person who really likes numbers then take your time to get into the flow. Start with minimal Study hours for this like say 1 hour per session and gradually increase it to 4 hours together. That way it won’t feel burdensome. You can also split the time between sessions so that you would math a little for a break. For Those who like numbers just keep it working majorly and increase your speed so that you can solve them quickly.

• Make it a routine: Prepare your mind to work it out no matter how lazy you feel or how tired you get with it. Like that snap streak you maintain, follow a very strict and organized routine with respect to your weak points and your strengths. Give time fairly to what needs it most and keep doing that every day. Initially it might seem a little tied up, but slowly you will enjoy it and get in the flow.

• Come up with your own solutions: Some problems need trial and eliminate while some needs to be solved. If a question is taking a lot of time to be solved work on it in such a way that you get directly to the answer and quickly. Remember what problems need what kind of approach and note down the solutions collectively. This helps a lot. For example, probability needs solving the problem and coming to the answer while algebraic equations can be solved by trial and error easily.

BONUS: Work it out: Maths can’t be studied or smart work doesn’t work for that matter either. Work out every problem you can and keep doing that. Because the more you practice the easier it gets. There is no short cut to this. Instead you can better your approaches in solving problems and prepare the better way.

To conclude, there is no ninja technique or one answer to everything. With a little practice you can get there too. Prepare well and ace the quants this GMAT!