A 6 min read

1     “There’s no way I can improve my Quant score further – I’ve been stuck at Q83 for weeks!”

Think again!!! What if I told you that not only is breaking through this plateau possible, but you could boost your score to Q88 in just 15 days?

Skeptical? Well, I would be too, if I had not seen hundreds of our students do this.

A couple of weeks back, I shared how to use our 4-step strategy for jumping from V82 to V86 in just 8 days. Here’s a quick refresh of that powerful framework: Here’s a quick refresh of that powerful framework:

1. Identify your Weakness: Understand exactly where you stand and identify the section with the most potential for improvement
2. Define the topics that need improvement: Analyze your weakest area to identify specific topics holding back your score
3. Create targeted improvement plans: Develop a precise, tailored roadmap with specific metrics
4. Execute and Track: Implement your strategy and adjust based on real-time results

I am sure many of you are wondering whether this approach could work for Quant. The answer? Absolutely yes! Let’s see how this framework applies to breaking through your Quant plateau.

2     Understanding Q83: A Strong Foundation

When you’re at Q83/84, you’ve already accomplished something significant. You’ve mastered the fundamentals, developed strong problem-solving skills, and outperformed 81% of GMAT test-takers. Think of it like being a chess master – you know all the pieces, understand the strategies, and can outplay the vast majority of opponents.

But getting to Q88/89? That’s like making the leap from master to grandmaster. It’s not about learning new moves – grandmasters use the same pieces as everyone else. Instead, it’s about pattern recognition, calculation precision, and flawless execution. Just as a grandmaster sees the board differently, spots patterns instantly, and calculates variations with remarkable accuracy, reaching Q88 requires you to develop this same level of precision and pattern recognition in GMAT Quant. The difference between Q83 and Q88 isn’t about learning new quant concepts – it’s about optimizing your decision-making, sharpening your tactical vision, and eliminating those small inaccuracies that make the difference between a good move and a winning one.

Let us now see the 4-step strategy to improve from Q83 to Q88 in action – ready to be the quant Grandmaster?

3 The 4-Step Strategy: Your Path to Grandmaster Level

Let us see what this strategy is! Before we apply the strategy to your Quant improvement, let us lay down the basic principles of the same

3.1      Step 1: Identify your weakness:  

Just as a chess player reviews their games to identify recurring weaknesses, let’s analyze your current Quant performance. Here’s a real performance snapshot:

You can see that I have highlighted: 

• Hard questions – these determine your performance at higher ability levels 
• Last 20 questions – this gives the most relevant picture of current ability (30 is too many, 10 too few) 

Here we have divided the quant section into:

1. Arithmetic (further divided into)
   1. Number Properties – 60% (75%ile)
   2. Word Problems – 50% (65%ile)
   3. Advanced Topics – 80% (98%ile)
2. Algebra – 75% (95%ile)

You can see that while your Algebra performance is already at grandmaster level, the weaknesses in Arithmetic are like having an exposed king’s position – no matter how well you play the rest of the game, this vulnerability can cost you the win.

3.2     Step 2: Define the topics that need improvement:

Having identified Arithmetic as our focus area, let’s break it down further. Here of the three sub-sections, Advanced Topics with 80% accuracy for hard questions is already at a brilliant level. We need to focus on Number Properties and Word Problems!

Here’s the hard accuracy data for each component:

Number Properties (NP) Deep Dive:

Let’s break down NP into four distinct blocks. Here’s the hard accuracy data for each block: Note here that we are considering the last 10 question accuracy since, at a block level, that gives a good indication:

If you notice, the hard accuracy in Block 1 and Block 2 is brilliant. To improve in Number Properties, we clearly need to improve in Blocks 3 and 4.

So, it’s clear that Blocks 3 and 4 are our key focus areas for improvement. However, simply drilling more questions won’t get us to Q88—we need a strategic approach to understand why these fundamental topics become challenging at higher difficulty levels and how to address these challenges systematically.

Word Problems (WP) Deep Dive:

Similarly, we need to deep dive into the other sub-section that we need to improve – WP:

Here we can see that the focus of improvement needs to be blocks 1 and 3. As in the case of NP, we need a strategic approach to target these areas.

3.3      Step 3: Create Targeted improvement plans:

Let’s demonstrate how to create a hyper-specific improvement plan using Number Properties as our primary focus.

Understanding Your Current Performance:

When you see a 40 – 50% accuracy, don’t jump to conclusions. We need to identify what is the root cause for this – concepts or processes.

Creating your action plan:

1. Build a detailed error log for incorrect Block 3 questions. Document each wrong answer, analyze error patterns, identify recurring mistakes, and be specific about your weaknesses. Here is a video explaining how to use the error log – How to Make Effective Error Log for GMAT Algebra Questions. Note that this is about the Algebra error log, but it can be applied to NP and WP, too.
2. Address knowledge gaps. If your error log reveals conceptual issues, revisit your course materials, but focus only on the specific concepts you’re struggling with – don’t waste time on concepts you’ve already mastered. 
3. Practice with 7- 8 Official Guide questions, focusing specifically on fixing the mistakes identified in your error log. This isn’t about solving more questions – it’s about actively working to eliminate your documented weaknesses.  
4. Validate using GMAT-like questions of excellent quality to improve your hard accuracy to 70%.   

Next Steps:

1. Repeat for Block 4.
2. Repeat for WP.
3. Attempt Sectional Mocks to Validate Improvement

Here is a sample hyper-specific improvement plan from a student:

Plan link – https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/gi21qd5wng8cl9c9juq88/Quant-Improvement_e-GMAT.xlsx?rlkey=homyrqo44qmxr5s7ujrdbw77t&st=15wpubi2&dl=0

Total Time Allocation: 37 Hours 

Phase 1: Block 3 – Divisibility & Reminder, Unit Digits (7 Hours, 18% of total time) 

1. Error Analysis & Pattern Recognition: 3 hours 
2. Conceptual Review: 2 hours 
3. Focused Practice: 1 hour (Official Guide) 
4. Validation: 1 hour (Custom Quiz) 

Phase 2: Block 4 – Statistics (7 Hours, 18% of total time) 

1. Error Analysis & Pattern Recognition: 3 hours 
2. Conceptual Review: 2 hours 
3. Focused Practice: 1 hour (Official Guide) 
4. Validation: 1 hour (Custom Quiz) 

Phase 3: Validation for NP (2 hours, 5% of total time)

Cementing quizzes: 2 hours

Phase 4: WP Improvement Plan – Repeat the same steps as NP or Block 1(Mixtures, Percents, Ratio and Proportions) and Block 4(Distance and speed, time and work) – 16 hours, 43% of total time

Phase 5: Final Validation & Warm-up (6 Hours, 16% of total time)

1.  NP + WP – remaining block revision – 1.5 hours 
2. AT & Algebra Revision: 1.5 hours 
3. Final Mock Test: 2 hours

3.4      Step 4: Execute and Track:

Let’s look at how this strategy plays out in practice. Here’s a real student’s progression over 15 days:

Just like a chess player’s rating reflects their true playing strength, these metrics show a real improvement in ability level. Following the targeted improvement plan shared under step 3, the NP’s last 20 hard accuracy improved from 60% to 80% and WP hard accuracy from 50% to 75%   Now, with 77% hard accuracy in Arithmetic and 90% hard accuracy in Algebra, you are at Q88 – 89 – in just 15 days!

4     A Word of Caution:

Before you begin your journey to Q88, be aware of three critical pitfalls that could derail your progress:

1. Not allocating a continuous 15-day block for focused practice
2. Practicing with questions that are merely complex rather than GMAT-like
3. Failing to maintain a detailed error log that analyzes the specific thought processes leading to mistakes

(For an in-depth discussion of these pitfalls and how to avoid them, check out our Verbal improvement article from last week – The V82 to V86 Sprint: Conquer GMAT Verbal in 8 Days. Ready to begin your journey to Q88? Start with a thorough assessment of your current position, and remember – this isn’t about learning new moves, it’s about perfecting your execution of the fundamentals. See you at Q88!