{"id":10492,"date":"2017-07-21T19:03:36","date_gmt":"2017-07-21T19:03:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/?p=10492"},"modified":"2019-08-30T16:38:40","modified_gmt":"2019-08-30T16:38:40","slug":"gre-quant-best-practices-improving-problem-recognition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/blog\/gre-quant-best-practices-improving-problem-recognition\/","title":{"rendered":"GRE Quant Best Practices: Improving Problem Recognition"},"content":{"rendered":"

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<\/i><\/b>A number of students have recently told me that they struggle with \u201cproblem recognition,\u201d particularly in the Quant section of the GRE. What many mean by this is that when they look at a problem, they don\u2019t immediately see how to get to the solution. They might recognize some of the concepts involved, but the problem as a whole has aspects that make it look unfamiliar and difficult. When this happens on the test, in a high-pressure, time-sensitive environment, the resulting feeling can be paralyzing.<\/span><\/p>\n

I have a different idea of what \u201cproblem recognition\u201d means, though. Here\u2019s the secret: when I see a difficult GRE Quant problem for the first time, I often have the same reaction\u2014I have no idea! I don\u2019t see the whole solution right away. I may not even feel confident I really do know how to solve it. I have to fight the reaction, honed by many years of math-aversion, to panic and give up.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, having spent a lot of time learning GRE Quant best practices, I\u2019ve trained myself to take a different, more deliberate approach, regardless of my instinctive reaction. First, I remember two things:<\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. The makers of the GRE design problems that look intimidating. But this doesn\u2019t mean that they\u2019re all terribly difficult. Sometimes the problems that look the messiest end up being relatively straightforward.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. There\u2019s a finite amount of math content on the test. I reassure myself that I know the topic this problem is testing, even if I don\u2019t yet understand how it\u2019s being tested. (And if I see a topic that I\u2019m not familiar with, then I remind myself that skipping a problem or three is often a smart test-day strategy).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Next, I take a deep breath and get started. I pick an entry point and start doing something. Precisely what I do depends on the topic and the format of the problem. For example:<\/span><\/p>\n