Why am I still scoring so low in GMAT Quant even after studying a lot?

Question

I’ve been practicing for months — finished OG questions, did most of TTP quant chapters, watched GMAT Ninja videos, and practiced official questions too. But I still can’t improve my Quant score. My percentile stays around 20th. I’ve always done okay in studies, but Quant is really tough for me. Not sure what I’m doing wrong ?

Mansih K · Accepted Answer

Scoring low on GMAT Quant despite heavy prep usually points to how you're practicing, not how much. Doing OG, TTP, and GMAT Ninja means you've seen good material&mdash;but passive review doesn&rsquo;t guarantee progress.
Start by checking your process. Are you rushing to check answers without solving on paper? Do you always time your sets, or only sometimes? Low percentiles often mean you're not diagnosing mistakes deeply enough. Just redoing questions isn&rsquo;t enough&mdash;you need to log the exact reason behind every error: careless math, concept gap, timing issue, or panic under pressure.
Also, try this: take 20 questions and write down your thought process after each one&mdash;even if you got it right. You'll spot patterns like guessing too early or misreading.
And finally, stop chasing new sources. For now, go back to just 2 topics (like ratios and number properties), build full confidence there, and see if your score changes. It usually does.

T Ronak · Answer

You&rsquo;re not scoring low because you&rsquo;re not studying enough. Right now, it&rsquo;s more about how you&rsquo;re practicing, not how much.

You&rsquo;re doing a lot of questions, but GMAT rewards depth, not just volume. Doing 100 questions with full review is way better than rushing through 500. You need to slow down and analyze why you&rsquo;re getting questions wrong.
Build an error log where you write down exactly why each mistake happened. Was it rushing? Misreading? Concept gap? Every single question should teach you something.
Redo official GMAT questions 2-3 times. Repetition helps you recognize patterns faster, which is what GMAT actually tests.
Use strict 2-minute timers. Most people stuck at this percentile lose points because they spend too long processing simple questions.
Spend 10-15 minutes daily on fast calculations: percentages, ratios, and fractions. If you&rsquo;re slow on basics, the clock kills your accuracy.

For more details you can read this blog on "GMAT Quantitative Reasoning: Expert Preparation Strategies"

Isha B · Answer

If you&rsquo;re stuck at 20th percentile even after OG, TTP, Ninja, and official practice, it means the problem isn&rsquo;t learning more formulas,  it&rsquo;s how you&rsquo;re processing questions during the test.
A big reason is time mismanagement. You&rsquo;re probably solving medium-level questions fully even when you don&rsquo;t need to. For example, on a rate question where options are far apart, you can estimate instead of calculating exact answers. That saves time for the tougher questions later. Spending 3+ minutes on something that could be solved in 90 seconds kills your pacing across the whole section.
Also, GMAT keeps repeating the same core problem types. The real skill is recognizing which type you're dealing with,  work rate? overlapping sets? number properties? Build a question journal where you tag every problem by type after solving it. Reviewing that regularly helps you spot patterns instantly on test day, which raises both speed and confidence.

B.K Sharma · Answer

If you're stuck at the 20th percentile in Quant even after months of prep, it's probably not a content issue&mdash;it&rsquo;s how your brain handles GMAT-style logic under pressure. This isn&rsquo;t just about formulas. It&rsquo;s about habits.
Here&rsquo;s what helps:

Stop doing full topic-by-topic study and start doing mixed-topic sets. GMAT tests your ability to switch gears quickly.
Spend time re-attempting old questions cold, weeks after first doing them. If you can't solve them now, the learning didn&rsquo;t stick.
Build mental stamina. Sit down for 45-minute Quant-only drills daily&mdash;not just short sets. A lot of score drops come from fatigue halfway through.
Limit solution videos. Watch only after writing out your full approach, even if wrong. Watching too many creates a false sense of mastery.

Also consider this: the GMAT is adaptive. If you miss early Quant questions, the algorithm drops you into a lower difficulty band. Slowing down for the first 10 matters more than people realize.