![\"Manhattan](\"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2018\/03\/gmat-quant-pattern-matching-james-brock.png\")
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Did you know that you can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GMAT courses absolutely free? We\u2019re not kidding! <\/i><\/b>Check out our upcoming courses here<\/i><\/b><\/a>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n \u201cCan we do another problem like that?\u201d It\u2019s one of the most common requests I get in both class and tutoring sessions. It\u2019s a perfectly good request and a necessary part of studying, but I always chuckle a little as I ask in return, \u201cWhat exactly is <\/span>like that<\/b>?\u201d After all, it could be that it involves exponents like the previous problem or that it has a C trap like the previous problem or that it requires testing cases\u2014or all of the above!<\/span><\/p>\n Sometimes the desire to practice more problems \u201clike that\u201d can stem from a deeper misconception about the best way to succeed in GMAT Quant, and that deeper misconception goes to our fundamental approach to most math problems. For most people, when they see a GMAT Quant problem, their first question is, \u201cWhat have I seen before that looks like this…and how did I do that one?\u201d That\u2019s what I call \u201cpattern-matching\u201d\u2014and there are some problems with it. <\/span><\/p>\n You might be shocked right now, because you\u2019re thinking that that\u2019s exactly how you do math and, in fact, that\u2019s exactly how you\u2019ve <\/span>always<\/span><\/i> done math. And for some people, it works well enough, even well enough to hit their target score on the GMAT. It just depends how good you are at holding a whole bunch of patterns in your head and how flexible you are at applying them to new problems. However, for most of us, there\u2019s a better way, especially if you want to maximize your GMAT Quant score improvement.<\/span><\/p>\n What are the problems with pattern-matching on GMAT Quant?<\/span><\/p>\n So, what\u2019s the better approach?<\/span><\/p>\n The better approach is to combine a solid <\/span>content foundation<\/b> with a <\/span>flexible process<\/b>. <\/span><\/p>\n First, the flexible process. Instead of asking \u201cWhat have I seen like this before?\u201d, you can ask \u201cDo I understand the story the problem is telling?\u201d, and if the answer is yes, \u201cWhat\u2019s the best plan to approach this?\u201d Most strategies and plans can be boiled down to 1) Algebra 2) Throwing Numbers 3) Language\/Logic or 4) Pictures\/Diagrams. So you can use that four-fold framework to decide whether you have a plan for this particular GMAT Quant problem, and if not, take your guess and move on! That flexible process gives you a single approach that you can use for pretty much any Problem Solving question.<\/span><\/p>\n Second, the solid content foundation. As you review questions, focus on trying to understand the content underneath the question more than just the mechanics of getting it right. Ask yourself if you really understand why you are taking each step, not just following the pattern of \u201cthis is how you do this kind of problem.\u201d Trying multiple approaches as you review each question not only gives you more tools on test day, but also gives you a better understanding of the underlying content. <\/span><\/p>\n If you approach each GMAT Quant problem with the mindset of flexible process and solid content foundation, you can see your Quant score start to improve and not get thrown off when you run into unfamiliar questions. Happy studying! ?<\/span><\/p>\n Want some more amazing GMAT tips from James? Attend the first session of one of his\u00a0<\/i><\/b>upcoming GMAT courses<\/i><\/b><\/a>\u00a0absolutely free, no strings attached. Seriously.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n James Brock<\/a> Did you know that you can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GMAT courses absolutely free? We\u2019re not kidding! Check out our upcoming courses here. \u201cCan we do another problem like that?\u201d It\u2019s one of the most common requests I get in both class and tutoring sessions. It\u2019s a perfectly […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":166,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[873,929,52871,930,2,8],"tags":[53301,53300],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-15404","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-for-current-studiers","category-gmat-prep","category-gmat-strategies","category-gmat-study-guide","category-how-to-study","category-quant-on-gmat","tag-misconceptions","tag-pattern-matching"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15404","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/166"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15404"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15404\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15460,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15404\/revisions\/15460"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15404"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15404"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15404"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=15404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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<\/a>\u00a0is a Manhattan Prep instructor based in Virginia Beach, VA.<\/strong>\u00a0He holds a B.A. in mathematics and a Master of Divinity from Covenant Seminary. James has taught and tutored everything from calculus to chess, and his 780 GMAT score allows him to share his love of teaching and standardized tests with MPrep students.\u00a0You can check out James\u2019s upcoming GMAT courses here.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"