If GMAT tutoring sessions sometimes look like George (or Oscar) Bluth prison meetings from Arrested Development – two people across the table from each other speaking intelligently – the “no touching” recurring theme is embedded in this exchange:

Step one: Student begins to work on problem, places scratch paper directly underneath problem covering answer choices.
Step two: Instructor slaps the note paper away and yells “no touching (the answer choices)”

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Nothing sets my students into a panic more consistently than being asked to describe the main purpose or the author’s intent when examining a passage.  “But that’s not fair!” they say, “This is an opinion question.”

Though it is easy to get oneself into a tizzy and wallow in frustration at a question of this sort, it is important to remember that nothing is a matter of opinion on the SAT. Every answer is objectively true and supported by the text.  The trick is examining what the passage is accomplishing.         

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We are very excited to announce that you can now register for a free 7-day trial of our self-study course, Veritas Prep GMAT on Demand. This trial gives you free access to over four hours of high-definition video GMAT instruction!

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Critical reasoning questions on the GMAT tend to follow the same structure over and over again. This means that they can be answered the same way over and over again (like the movie Groundhog Day, but with words!). The first step is to determine which type of question you’re dealing with, which is why identifying the category is the first step towards successfully answering the question. The four major categories can be remembered with the mnemonic SWIM:

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So here we are, the moment of truth.  We have been feverishly studying for the last six months.  We don’t blink when we see capricious and capacious sitting next to each other in the completing sentences portion, knowing that we are looking for a synonym to whimsical (caprice means whim) not roomy or spacious (capa, like capacity).

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Any worthwhile MBA program is bound to cause some stress in the life of a student. Remember: if your MBA program didn’t challenge you at the highest level, it wouldn’t be worth it. That said, sometimes we make it hard on ourselves to de-stress in our GMAT study plan. Procrastination, lack of sleep, and taking on too much work are the most often-blamed culprits. If you find yourself “burning the candle at both ends,” try these techniques to bring a little relief!

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Click here to read the intro to this blog series! Send your admissions questions to timeout[at]veritasprep[dot]com.
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Dear Trav,
I want to change careers so my employer can’t know I’m applying to b-school. How should I navigate letters of recommendation if I can’t ask my direct supervisor for help?
–


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On GMAT Test Day, you will likely see at least a few quadrilaterals tested. Quadrilaterals, like other shapes in Geometry, usually appear in Geometry questions that involve basic properties of quadrilaterals, perimeter, or area. Like most Geometry, all it takes is some memorization and a little practice!

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Run-on sentences are frequently encountered in the SAT writing section. If you know how to spot them, they are simple to correct. What makes a sentence a run-on? Do you remember when you were young and you wrote your first story? It probably went something like this:

My name is Dani and I like to dance and sing and play, my mommy and daddy are both really nice, I have two little brothers too and they are sometimes annoying but I love them anyway and I love my whole family.

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Let’s continue with geometry today. We would like to discuss how drawing extreme diagrams can help you solve questions. Most GMAT questions are quite intuitive and hence our non-traditional methods are perfect for them. They are not typical MATH problems per se; instead, they are logical puzzles. If you can prove why some things will not work, it means whatever is left will work.

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By now you’ve seen the YouTube video, the autotunes, the reenactments… Charles Ramsey’s 911 call took the world by storm this week, hoisting him to pop culture sensation status reminiscent of our old friend Antoine Dodson.

And at the same time as he was saving three kidnap victims, Charles Ramsey may also have been saving your GMAT verbal score.

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I, for one, am very excited about the new Baz Luhrmann adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatbsy.” Re-reading the book in anticipation of today’s opening, I was struck by the differences in character between Jay Gatsby and the protagonist Nick Carraway, especially evinced by this exchange from Chapter 6:

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Even if you know the basic rules for questions involving powers and roots, it’s still common to feel some intimidation towards harder-looking GMAT questions.

The “” symbol is called the “radical” symbol. You may know the square root, but how comfortable are you with cube roots? For instance:

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A common complaint I hear from students is: “I’m not good at algebra”. Full disclosure, algebra isn’t my favorite topic either. Although algebra is a powerful tool for solving many questions on the GMAT, it is rarely the only means available to solve a given math problem.

There are so many types of Critical Reasoning questions that sometimes it’s confusing to tell your Method of Reasoning from your Argument Structure! Students are always instructed to read the question stems first and discern the specific category of CR question from them, but there’s another more important reason to hone in on the specific wording of the question stem: it gives away the answer!         

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The reading section of the SAT is both the easiest and the hardest part of the test. Why is it the easiest? It is essentially an open book exam. You are given a passage and then asked to answer questions based solely on the reading in front of you. The answers are right there on the page.  So why can it be so difficult?

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Click here to read the intro to this blog series! Send your admissions questions to timeout[at]veritasprep[dot]com!
–
Dear Trav,
Do you have any tips for writing admissions essays about myself?
–


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California has been my home for nearly my entire life. I was born and raised in Los Angeles, and at sixteen I knew the ins and outs of the city as if it were etched into the palm of my hand. By the time college acceptances came around, I knew I had to leave. My heart was set on exploring the world, discovering new cultures, and pushing my limits. The choice was between my three favorites: UC Berkeley in Berkeley, CA, Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, and Macalester College in St. Paul, MN.

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You’ve probably read about or seen CR questions that confuse “causation” with “correlation,” but what does it mean in the real world? And why does it matter?

In statistics, let’s say we have data from two variables: x and y. They have a direct relationship. As one increases, the other increases. This could lead scientists to draw a conclusion that one variable causes the change in the other variable. But this isn’t necessary true! In fact, some third variable may be affecting both x and y! In order to prove causation and validate that one variable is indeed directly influencing the other and is the reason behind the detected correlation, further studies would need to be conducted, altering parameters, and recording outcomes.

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Good news! Most answers (errors to look for) in the SAT writing section can be boiled down to six general concepts: verb agreement/tense, pronoun agreement, parallelism, run-on sentences, dangling modifiers, and concise expression. If you check for these six things on each question, with a little bit of practice, you should be able to ace the writing section!

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This week, we will further build up on what we have discussed in the past two weeks. You will need to sum up everything we discussed last week in a few seconds and arrive at a conclusion and then, move on and solve the question on the basis of that conclusion. We will take you through the ‘summing up’ and ‘getting a feel for it’ process step by step so that it’s intuitive to you next time you come across this concept.

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Not sure how to make adjustments in your GMAT study plan? Take this short quiz to find out what kind of student you are! Once you determine your study style, you can make small adjustments in your study plan to help you become more efficient in your GMAT prep!

Preparing to take the GMAT exam is a journey that requires patience, dedication and the ability to maintain focus over a long period. Taking the exam is the culmination of a long journey that may have lasted months if not years. The approaching test day has caused a few sleepless nights for many as that circled date on the calendar loomed ever closer. This entire experience might remind you of another similar rite of passage that many of us have gone through: The prom. (Unsubstantiated rumor: new American Pie movie will revolve around taking the GMAT)

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About seven months ago we embarked on one of the most ambitious data-collection efforts ever undertaken in the test preparation space. When we introduced the Veritas Prep GMAT Question Bank in October, we wrote:

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Click here to read the intro to this blog series! Send your admissions questions to timeout[at]veritasprep[dot]com!
–
Dear Trav,
I want to run my family’s business once I finish school. Is this a good story for my future goals?
–


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Every other year, the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants (AIGAC) conducts a large survey to study trends among business school applicants. The results are shared with AIGAC member consultants and with MBA programs to help them better anticipate the needs of those who will soon apply to business school.

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The Argument Essay definitely allows for some flexibility, but it helps if you have a memorized template going in, because then there’s no risk of being “stuck.” Below is a sample outline. If you are an adept writer, you may wish to place your “How to Strengthen” paragraph on its own right before the Conclusion, and then have a separate shorter Conclusion. Click here for tips on writing your essay. 

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Here’s a nice math brain-teaser to start out the week.  It seems that our friends in China have come up with a mind-bending animation that seemingly shows you can create extra area in a figure by deconstructing the figure and putting it back together in another configuration. 

Word problems on the GMAT often do not require particularly difficult algebra to solve. Most of the time, solving simple linear equations or using a formula is all that is required. The key is to not be intimidated by the length of the description and to be able to pull out the relevant information and set up the correct equation/s. These 4 tips will help you tackle any Problem Solving question that is significantly wordy.

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Let’s pick up from where we left last week. We had discussed a coordinate geometry concept using clock faces and had left you with a tough question. Today we will see how you can solve that question using the concepts discussed last week.

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For GMAT instructors and number enthusiasts, yesterday was a banner day – on April 25, 4/25, both the month and the day (4 and 25) were perfect squares (2-squared and 5-squared). And with that in mind, let’s take a look at some properties of squares that can help you better solve exponent questions on the GMAT.

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The AWA section of the GMAT is made up of one short piece of writing called the “Argument” essay. It essentially asks you to evaluate an argument, usually a type of proposal. The main qualities that the readers look for are the organization of your ideas, the quality of the ideas themselves, the strength and relevance of the examples, and your grasp of standard written English. According to GMAC, the “Analysis of an Argument tests your ability to formulate an appropriate and constructive critique of a specific conclusion based on a specific line of thinking.” With that, let’s take a look at a few helpful tips:

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One of the reasons calculators aren’t allowed on the GMAT is to ensure that people are really thinking about the numbers they are using to solve problems. Being at ease with mental math is a skill that has been slowly eroded since the advent and subsequent ubiquity of the calculator in the education process (sadly my frequent calls to bring back the abacus have gone unheeded). Too often, people mindlessly type in numbers, and don’t even notice if they hit the wrong number or a button gets pressed twice. Of course 5*6=45, the machine told me so! (Dependence on machines also eventually leads to Skynet) However, being good at mental math can be helped along if you already have a good idea which numbers you might expect to see on test day.

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Need better scores on GMAT Geometry questions? The GMAT loves triangles (no offense, circles). With a clear set of rules and formulas which govern their construction, they are lean, mean, Plane Geometry-machines. Get ANY question with a triangle right as long as you know its foundational properties. Let’s review!

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A vegetarian diet has been linked to many health benefits including a reduced risk of heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, and obesity. But if that’s not reason enough to eat more animal-friendly fare, here are five vegetarian snacks that will also boost brain power too.

Click here to read the intro to this blog series! Send your admissions questions to timeout[at]veritasprep.com!
–
Dear Trav,
I am a traditional finance guy. How can I best differentiate myself from everyone else who looks and sounds like me in an application?
–

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As the basketball playoffs get underway, the LA Lakers are present once again.  While they’re missing their star player, let’s take a moment to reflect on how he helped get them there – and how it can help you on the GMAT.  In the entire history of basketball, perhaps no one has been a better example of focus and perseverance than Kobe Bryant.  And if there’s one thing you’ll need to be successful on the GMAT, it’s a good dose of Kobe-esque grit and determination.  What lessons can we take from the legend to use in our own preparation and game day execution?

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Let’s start with geometry today. It has some very interesting and intuitive concepts. We will discuss one of them today. It’s surprising how a little bit of imagination can go a long way in helping you solve questions. Let’s discuss the concept first. We will look at a question later.

Imagine a clock face. Think of the minute hand on 10. Ignore the hour hand for our discussion today. Say, the length of the minute hand is 2 cm. Its distance from the vertical and horizontal axis is shown in the diagram below (using the green and the red dotted lines). Let’s say the minute hand moves to 1. Can you say something about the lengths of the dotted black and dotted blue lines?

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Whether you’re counting your bracket money from March Madness or looking forward to this week’s NBA Playoffs, basketball is in the air these days, and it offers a great opportunity for you to look at what good GMAT strategy looks like. You can see it particularly in kids or other pickup players – the NBA guys are all too good at it but you can pick it out there, too – the more aggressive the player, the more rebounds he collects. Many players are content to do what the coaches advised, to box out the opponent next to them and get in position for the rebound…but then they sit back and wait for the ball to fall in their hands. The elite players, really at any level, are those who have that extra instinct to GO GET THE BALL. They attack aggressively, not sit back passively. They get the rebound. And they’d be able to put that same technique to use on GMAT critical reasoning.

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Perhaps it started on a January day in Chicago when elementary school students greeted teacher Frankie Beecroft, recently named Veritas Prep’s Worldwide Instructor of the Year, with an enthusiastic “Good Morning, Teacher of the World!” But maybe it started well before that, in classrooms and at dinner tables in Missouri and Michigan, New Jersey and Norway as the students who would become the leaders of Veritas Prep were inspired by teachers. Whatever the genesis, our lifelong appreciation of teachers and our firm belief that they deserve recognition for their yeoman efforts has led us here.

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