Sunday, July 25, 2010

Numbers

Did some questions from the Geometry chapter of a Career Launcher book. Learnt the alternate segment theorem which was not mentioned in GMATClub's Math Book - Geometry chapter.

Have begun Number Theory today.

Oh, and also, was on a crazy project putting in long hours so was unable to study. Dance class has moved to Monday & Thursday now, and should be back home by 8 max on these days, so waking up early is no longer a worry and my weekends are completely free to study. :-) It's looking good guys!

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Sequences & Series

Finished AP GP from GMATClub's Math Book. Since we've done AP GP quite extensively in school, concepts are pretty clear to me. It's mostly just formulae otherwise.
Putting this in here because it won't be found everywhere:
"There are some short cuts and concepts that you should know about this topic.

(1) The mean and the medium of any arithmetic sequence is equal to the average of the first and last terms.
(2) The sum of an arthritic sequence is equal to the mean (average) times the number of terms.
(3) The product of n consecutive integers is always divisible by n! So, 4x5x6 (4*5*6=120) is divisible by 3!
(4) If you have an odd number of terms in consecutive set, the sum of those numbers is divisible by the number of terms.
(5) (4) above does not hold true for consecutive sets with an even amount of terms."

Monday, July 12, 2010

Two reference numbers and addition

Everyone preparing for an entrance exam which has a quant section should seriously consider buying Bill Handley's Speed Mathematics. It makes all this Vedic Math crap that CAT institutes and books try to teach so bloody simple. He's written it so well, it's easy to understand, the chapters build on each other, it's just plain fantastic.

Anyway, now that my review for the book is over...

Did Chapters 8 & 9 (Multiplying using 2 reference nos. and addition). Feelling more and more like a math whiz these days. :-)

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Deviating from my standards

Sunday morning up with a lark,
I think I'll take a walk in the park...
Hey, hey, hey it's a beautiful day...
So, Sunday morning. And I've been up since 5. Spent about 90 minutes going through and understanding the concept of Standard Deviation. I've read it's not a common topic on the GMAT, but an 800-scorer can't afford to ignore any topic. ;-)

Went through Kaplan book's section on Averages (as suggested by 60-day Study Guide - BTG). Worked through it's practice set, which is quite simple. Moved on to Standard Deviation chapter from GMATClub's Math book. Very short. The author has posted a link to some PS and DS questions on SD which made me very happy. Till I realised they were questions from GMATPrep. At which point I quickly stopped. I want to have minimum repeat questions on my practice exams.

Did some random SD questions from GMATClub then, from non-official sources I hope.

Oh, and if you're wondering about the topic of this post - waking up at 5 for 2 straight weeks, and even on a Sunday is 3 standard deviations away from my mean! :-) (if you study the concept, you'll get it.)

Saturday, July 10, 2010

And it's a wrap.

Done with Geometry Theory. Got 38/42 correct in Kaplan book's practice sets. 3 questions - very silly mistakes. 1 question - although easy, it had a particular method to solve it. It's definitely a CP. Will post it soon.

Now starting off with Standard Deviation.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

How To Wrap Up The Geometry Theory Module Perfectly

Geometry theory from OG - check.
Geometry theory from GMATClub's Math book - check.
Go through FCs to drill the formulae into your brain - partially done.
Geometry theory from Kaplan - pending.
Action Plan (from BTG's 60-Day Study Guide: Day 15)
To Do:
  • In Kaplan's GMAT 2010-2011 Premier with CD-ROM:
    • Read the section on Lines and Angles (p. 293-295)
    • Answer questions 1, 3 and 4 on the Lines and Angles Practice Set (p. 296-297)
    • Read the section on Triangles (p. 299-404)
    • Complete the Triangles Practice Set (p. 305-306)
    • Read the section on Polygons (p. 306-308)
    • Complete the Quadrilaterals and Other Polygons Practice Set (p. 308-311)
    • Read the section on Circles (p. 311-314)
    • Complete the Circles Practice Set (p. 315-317)
    • Read the section on Multiple Figures (p. 317-319)
    • Complete the Multiple Figures Practice Set (p. 319-321)
    • Read the section on Solids (p. 321-324)
    • Complete the Solids Practice Set (p. 324-326)
Note: I have the 2009-10 edition, so page numbers might be different.
I have 2 days to finish this. I will go through the theory section to see if I've missed out anything. If yes, I will make a FC for it. Then I will do the practice sets. :-)

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

A Love Triangle

Finished Triangles yesterday. :-)
Which translates into, Geometry theory is complete!
This morning, I stared going through my Geo FCs. Want to make sure all the concepts and formulae are drilled into my head. Will practice some geo questions after that, cos it's always fun to be able to answer questions once you know your theory!!!
Yey! Very happy today!!! :-)

Saturday, July 3, 2010

My Coordinates are 28° 35' N 77° 12' E

Coordinate Geometry from GMATClub's Math Book is finito! :-)

Polygons

Finished the chapter on Polygons from the GMAT Math Book at GmatClub. :-)