I Haven't Done Math In Years!

September 20, 2008

You need to take the GRE, but it's been five, ten, or maybe even 15 years since you've so much as looked at a math problem. The mere thought of algebra gives you an anxiety attack, and you know that's just the tip of the iceberg. What do you do?

Mental Preparation

First, prepare yourself mentally. Since it has been such a long time, the first few weeks of your math practice may have you in a fog. Rest assured that fog will lift once your brain realizes that it actually does know this stuff.

At that point, you’ll be able to access your mind’s understanding of math more readily, and it will be like you never left high school! (well, as far as math goes, anyway.) You may even discover that math problems, when viewed as mini-puzzles, can actually be fun.

To undergo this transformation, there are several steps you need to undertake.

There’s No Calculator On the GRE—-Deal With It!

Before the fog lifts and the math problems become a fun challenge, though, you’re going to need a serious refresher on the basics. First up: multiplication tables through twelve.

There’s no calculator allowed on the GRE, and you can’t afford to waste time during the test counting on your fingers. You can buy multiplication table flashcards designed for kids at a school supply store, order them online, or make your own.

Learn the Language

Next task: re-familiarizing yourself with the language specific to math. You’ll want to remind yourself what an integer is. While you’re at it, look into the following terms: prime, numerator, denominator, reciprocal, sum, difference, product, quotient, and absolute value. Learning these terms can build your confidence up enough that you’ll be ready to try a few math exercises.

Enter Total GRE Math

Luckily for you, Total GRE Math is divided neatly into chapters that explain the subject matter in an organized, easy-to-follow way. After reading the tutorial at the beginning of each chapter, you’ll try some drill exercises. Finally, you’ll put your newly rediscovered math skills to the test on a series of in-format GRE-type test questions.

You might miss some along the way, and frankly, I hope you do! That’s when true learning takes place. Read and reread the explanation associated with the question you missed, and try it again, fresh. Have a little pep talk with yourself: “The next time I see two fractions set equal to one another, I am going to remember to cross-multiply!”

Next Steps

Finishing Total GRE Math will be quite an endeavor, but once you do, you’ll be ready for timed practice. Download the free PowerPrep software from www.gre.org. In the “Practice Questions” section, you’ll find three practice sets associated with each different type of GRE question.

Only then, with your math skills completely refreshed, should you try to the two computer adaptive GRE practice tests that come with the PowerPrep software.

Excavating your wealth of math knowledge will be a test of patience and endurance, but with the right kind of effort, you can go from “math fog” to math success! Now go learn those multiplication tables!

Jeff Sackmann is a test-prep tutor based in New York City and the author of Total GRE Math, among other GRE and GMAT resources.

Need a better Quant score? Check out Total GRE Math.