Terabyte wrote:
Dear friends,
I went through all GMATClub Math Workbook, download and printed all GMATClub FlashCards. But it is still hard to memorize all concepts and formulas, with reasoning. My best score on
GMATClub Tests is 47/51. Any suggestions how I should memorize them?)
I don't like to just memorize formulas because it is a fast and fragile approach. Without critical thinking and reasoning - useless. So, how do you memorize your mistakes and work on weak points?
Hi
Terabyte,
Carolyn from
Magoosh here!
Excellent question!
It sounds like you have the perfect perspective with regard to memorizing formulas. I definitely do
not recommend just blindly memorizing equations! First of all, that's boring. And second of all, it's way too easy to make a small mistake, or forget which formula or version needs to be used on test day.
Instead, try to understand where each equation comes from, and try to learn how to derive it as best you can. Look at each element of the formula, and try to understand where it comes from and why it's there. The more you can understand these elements on a fundamental level, the easier it will be to remember the formula when you need it (or even derive it if necessary)!
For example, let's take a really simple (but super important!) equation that you need to know for the GMAT: Distance = Rate x Time. Now, on the test, if you're faced with a rate question, what if you don't remember if it's Distance = Rate / Time, or some other combinations? Well, for this equation (and many other equations that are applied to word problems), think about the
units. Distance is measured in something like miles or meters, time is measured in seconds or hours, and a rate will be miles per hour, or meters per second. So think about how these units fit together. A rate will be a unit of distance divided by a unit of time (like
miles per hour). So intuitively, we know:
Rate = Distance (
miles) / Time (
hour)
We can easily rearrange this formula:
Distance = Rate x Time
So we've essentially "derived" this formula, without having to memorize anything
This is a pretty simple example, but this kind of strategy can be used for almost any formula you can think of on the GMAT! Try to be creative
The deeper your understanding is, the better -- and the less you'll have to rely on basic memorization. And if you're finding it overwhelming to keep track of everything, try to just focus on the essentials
Here are a few articles that might be useful for that!
I hope that's helpful!
-Carolyn