Archive : GMAT Tips

The Secret

To many across the world, tomorrow is Christmas Day, a day of celebration and the spirit of giving. With that in mind, we at Veritas Prep offer you the gift of this GMAT tip, with the obligatory background first.

A Trick That Might Factor In

(This is one of a series of GMAT tips that we offer on our blog.)

The quantitative section of the GMAT has a known emphasis on factorization of numbers, asking a variety of questions about divisibility, primes, least common multiple, etc. One fairly common question type asks, “How many unique factors does (number) have?”

Only 50 Shopping Days Left ‘Til Applications Are Due

(This is one of a series of GMAT tips that we offer on our blog.)

Cleanse Your Palate

(This is one of a series of GMAT tips that we offer on our blog.)

If you’re one of our many American readers, you’re most likely salivating at the though of Thursday’s Thanksgiving meal, already planning how to make room on your plate for a drumstick, a scoop of potatoes carefully depressed in to a self-containing gravy bowl, a portion-and-a-half of Aunt Joan’s sweet potato casserole, and enough vegetables to round out the plate to not appear entirely unconcerned with eating healthy. Ultimately, your carefully planned plate will all blend together in to one pile of mashed-everything, with gravy running in to cranberry sauce that is essentially a paste holding together kernels of corn and pieces of marshmallow from the already-devoured sweet potatoes.

Crossing the Finish Line

(This is one of a series of GMAT tips that we offer on our blog.)

There are few good reasons for a 56-year old father of three to decide to get his first tattoo, and maybe only one that pretty much mandates that he should. For finishers of the Ironman triathlon — an extraordinary athletic event consisting of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run — tradition dictates that each Ironman has the ability, if not the duty, to ink the Ironman logo on his skin as a permanent reminder of the accomplishment. Ask one of these warriors about the experience, and you’ll likely hear some derivative of the following:

E-Venn Easier

(This is one of a series of GMAT tips that we offer on our blog.)

Some historical titles are more well-deserved than others. Louis Braille deserves far more credit than he gets, as many are probably unaware that the term “braille” derives from the name of the man who made it possible for the blind to read. On the flip side, Amerigo Vespucci, from whose name the geographical name “America” was created to describe the majority of the Western Hemisphere, was fairly lackluster as an explorer compared to others of his generation. Still, his name has become affiliated with some of the greatest businesses, halls of government, and other paragons of world culture throughout the modern world.

Haunted House

(This is one of a series of GMAT tips that we offer on our blog.)

Back to Basics

(This is one of a series of GMAT tips that we offer on our blog.)

Divide and Conquer

(This is one of a series of GMAT tips that we offer on our blog.)

Self-Scouting

(This is one of a series of GMAT tips that we offer on our blog.)

Nothing to Worry About

(This is one of a series of GMAT tips that we offer on our blog.)

Poise Under Pressure — Emphasize the Process

(This is one of a series of GMAT tips that we offer on our blog.)

Many a line of work treats the autumn as its most high-stress season, with a crucial need for peak performance. High school teachers, harvest farmers, costume salesmen, Derek Jeter… for many, the September/October months almost exclusively dictate their overall success for the year. Perhaps no one feels as much pressure this season, however, as business school applicants and first-year college quarterbacks. In both cases, this season can determine how the next few years, and even beyond will play out. Accordingly, the stakes are raised, the pressure increases, and the degree-of-difficulty remains high.

Myth: The verbal section is more important than the quant section, because more people do well on the quant section, so a high verbal score will have greater impact on your score.

Fact: Schools look at your individual section scores as well as your overall score, and ideal candidate will have a balanced, high score; in some cases, schools are particularly concerned with a candidate’s quantitative abilities, as business school curriculum often requires strong math skills.

As businessman extraordinaire Michael Scott said of Wikipedia, “anyone, anywhere can say whatever they want about any topic, so you know you’re getting the best possible information.” Such is life in the Internet age, in which the line between truth and fiction can often become blurred as rumors spread quickly and authoritatively at the speed of broadband.

(We’ll take a break from our normal “GMAT Tip of the Week” series to present something new from the GMAT team here at Veritas Prep. We call it… GMAT Mythbusters! Over the next few weeks we’ll dispel some of the most common misconceptions about the dreaded Graduate Management Admission Test.)

Prime Time

(This is one of a series of GMAT tips that we offer on our blog.)

A recent episode of “The Office” featured a classic, GMAT-relevant exchange, in which a cash-strapped Michael Scott asks his financial analyst to “crunch those numbers again”. The stunned analyst explains that, because the calculations were all done accurately using a computer program, there was no mechanism for “crunching” the numbers again, and even if there were, there would be no change.

The Dog Days of Summer

(This is one of a series of GMAT tips that we offer on our blog.)

August is an interesting month, in that it’s known primarily for its lack of identity. One of the few months without a major American holiday, it represents the no-man’s-land between summer and back-to-school. The excitement of warmer weather has given way to the monotony of hot-and-humid, and everyone seems to be waiting: farmers for the harvest, sports fans for the pennant races and football season, students and teachers for the school bells, and residents of beach communities for tourists to disperse and leave the beaches to the locals. Meanwhile, business school applicants are awaiting the first round deadlines for their applications (most will come in October).

No Chain!

(This is one of a series of GMAT tips that we offer on our blog.)

This weekend, some of the best-conditioned, hardest-working human beings on the planet will complete one of the most grueling challenges known to man. At the same time, some of those not taking the GMAT will finish the Tour de France, a similarly daunting challenge. What can you, as a test-taker, learn from the champions of the grand Tour?

When Two Wrongs Make a Right

(This is one of a series of GMAT tips that we offer on our blog.)

If you’ve ever been a child, you’ve probably been told on multiple occasions that “two wrongs don’t make a right” (that’s typically the companion lesson to the rhetorical question “if all of your friends jumped off a bridge, would you?”). Parents don’t anticipate fun activities like bungee jumping and cliff diving with the bridge hypothetical, nor do they account for GMAT Critical Reasoning questions with the wrong/right axiom.

Calculator Independence Day

(This is one of a series of GMAT tips that we offer on our blog.)

Today marks the office-closure observance of the American Independence Day (which officially takes place tomorrow, July 4). Independence in any context can be both daunting and freeing; for a fledgling nation, freedom from taxes may be exciting, but the need for self-government can be troublesome (as the Articles of Confederation demonstrate). For a young adult, the freedom from parental control may be liberating, but all the while the financial independence can be more difficult than expected.

Data Sufficiency: How do you Beat It? Be Bad. (It’s easier than ABC)

(This is one of a series of GMAT tips that we offer on our blog.)

As the world reacts to the passing of the King of Pop, it’s only Human Nature for you to take some time this weekend to reflect on some of your favorite Michael Jackson lyrics (and even to sadly exclaim, “I Want You Back“). But, naturally, after a few songs, you’ll likely look at the Man in the Mirror and Wanna Be Starting Something — namely, your GMAT homework. Here is how you can blend the two to give yourself an edge on the exam (much like a Smooth Criminal would):

Unlike other questions on the GMAT, for which the answer choices A-through-E should each have a 20% chance of being correct (in a blind guess), Data Sufficiency questions are asked in a way that should reward test-takers for being able to accomplish more with less information. In other words, if you can use statement 1 alone to solve the problem without the help of statement 2, that should indicate to the exam (and to business schools) that you are a more efficient problem solver, and therefore more likely to succeed in business school. Inherently, A in this case would be a “better” answer than would C. Judging the answer choices by this standard, they fall in to tiers:

(This is the second in a series of blog posts in which Julie DeLoyd, a Veritas Prep GMAT alumna-tuned-instructor, will tell the story of her experience through the MBA admissions process. Julie will begin her MBA program at Chicago Booth this fall. You can read Part 1 of her story here.)

Divide and Conquer

(This is one of a series of GMAT tips that we offer on our blog.)

The quantitative section of the GMAT features a heavy emphasis on the divisibility of numbers, as multiple questions will require division as a necessary arithmetic step, and others will require you to reduce fractions or note whether a particular number is a factor of another. Because of this, the ability to see divisibility in short order is extremely helpful for both speed and accuracy.

A Pattern of Efficiency

(This is one of a series of GMAT tips that we offer on our blog.)

A colleague recently pointed out a practice test problem he had seen that appeared to be a unique, new variety of GMAT quantitative problem. (Editor’s note: There is no need for alarm; continue reading and you’ll learn that this problem is entirely common on the exam and has been for years!) The problem asked for the test taker to sum a relatively high number of values that were displayed on a grid; the extent of the problem was similar to:

Two-Minute Drill

(This is one of a series of GMAT tips that we offer on our blog.)

GMAT examinees often lament that the average time they are allotted to spend per question is approximately 2 minutes on the quantitative section (actually 2:04.8, but who’s counting?), and 1:45 on the verbal. The time pressure often rattles test takers more than does the content, and is usually a contributing factor when questions are answered incorrectly. To combat that, consider these thoughts:

• Have you watched any of the NBA Playoffs? The last 2 minutes of a playoff basketball game can extend for nearly an hour when timeouts and free throws are factored in. More importantly, quite a bit of action takes place during the time when the clock is running over those 2 minutes.
• Have you watched any of the Stanley Cup Finals? When your team is killing a 2-minute penalty, 2 minutes can feel like an eternity.
• Have you recently done plyometric exercise for 2 minutes? While it may be true that “no one can get a good ab workout in 7 minutes”, a 2-minute wall sit or leg raise is more than enough time to feel the burn, as well as some real discomfort.

What does this mean for your GMAT preparation? Remind yourself that 2 minutes, when given the proper perspective, is plenty of time. If you’re concerned about timing, try doing any of the following periodically for 2 minutes to remind yourself just how long 2 minutes can be:

• Brush your teeth or gargle (few people regularly do either for this long…the upside is that your dentist will thank you just as much as your admissions officer will)
• Sprint on a track, or turn your treadmill to maximum speed
• Do as many pushups or situps as you can
• Lean your back against a wall, form 90-degree angles with your knees and hips as though you were sitting on a chair, and hold that position with your hands out and palms up

Tired yet? These exercises should give you a better appreciation for just how long 2 minutes can be…and allow you to take the GMAT in excellent physical (and hygienic) condition!

In Conclusion…

(This is one of a series of GMAT tips that we offer on our blog.)

Many GMAT Critical Reasoning questions ask you to select answer choices that impact an argument’s conclusion. Therefore, you should learn to recognize clues that designate that a statement is the conclusion. Or, to rephrase that: Because the ability to recognize the conclusion of an argument is important, you will need to look for clues to help you determine where in each argument you can find the conclusion.

Think Globally, Act Locally, Succeed Exponentially

(This is one of a series of GMAT tips that we offer on our blog.)

As mentioned previously in this space, the GMAT’s quantitative section is increasingly emphasizing problem solving skills over calculation abilities, and often does so in the form of “Number Properties” questions. The authors of the exam are also quite adept at recognizing “mathematical psychology”, and creating questions that increase an examinee’s anxiety by enough to make that process of problem solving a bit more difficult. One of the major themes that arises as a result is the use of exponents, which carry with them a number of properties extremely useful to the writers of the GMAT.

Exponents:

Lights, Camera, Action

(This is one of a series of GMAT tips that we offer on our blog.)

What have you been up to this month? You may be spending your time watching the NBA or NHL playoffs, or the Giro d’Italia. You may be participating in early-season triathlons or late-season marathons. If you’re President of the United States, you may be trying your hand as a stand-up comedian. Regardless of your May pursuits, if they’re any of the above, they are likely preparing you for a successful performance on the GMAT, as peak performances tend to come in a familiar three-step pattern: ready, set, go; bump, set spike; game plan, warm up, perform. All signs point to I came, I saw, I conquered.

With President Obama’s standup routine at the White House Correspondents dinner, he followed a traditional jokemaker’s protocol – warm up the room, set up a situation, and then hit the punchline. In this month’s many athletic events, peak performers are starting with a game plan, moving to a warm up, and then delivering when it counts. So should you on the GMAT, remembering that the GMAT as a peak performance is comprised of a similar progression.

Don’t Float Like a Butterfly – Sting Like a Bee

(This is one of a series of GMAT tips that we offer on our blog.)

The world fondly remembers Muhammad Ali’s boxing career for a variety of reasons – his effervescent smile, his political activeness, his friendly banter with Howard Cosell, and an uncanny ability to brag and taunt through rhyme that still makes Jay-Z and Eminem jealous. Boxing purists, however, remember him most fondly for the techniques he employed in the ring to make himself the Greatest of All Time (GOAT). Perhaps most famous was his “Rope-A-Dope” style, in which he would lean back against the ropes, allowing overeager and undersophisticated challengers to wear themselves out throwing ineffective punch after punch while Ali conserved his energy for a knockout barrage later in the fight.