GMAT - Quantitative
Exclusive GMAT Insights and Advice for MBA Hopefuls From Top GMAT Community Leaders
Each year thousands of individuals begin journeys that they hope will ultimately lead to an acceptance offer from top-tier business schools around the world, and for the majority of these applicants one of the first steps on the b-school path is studying for and taking the GMAT exam. With the 2012-2013 application season wrapping up, a whole new cohort of aspiring MBA students are beginning to get serious about their own school choices and application materials. Most schools won’t be releasing their updated application requirements until later in the summer, so one concrete element of their application that they can start working on now is properly preparing themselves for taking the exam. We sat down with the founders of the major online GMAT communities (Beat The GMAT and GMAT Club) as well as the Director of Academic Programs at leading GMAT test prep firm, Veritas Prep. These individuals have a combined wealth of experience to draw upon when providing helpful tips and insights to share with anyone contemplating an application to business school in 2013-14. In the article that follows, readers will have the opportunity to learn about common misconceptions many test takers have about the exam, successful approaches to creating a study schedule, specific tips that can help those who struggle with either the verbal or the quant sections, and valuable insights on how to approach retaking the test. We additionally have checked in with the official information provided by GMAC, the organization that creates and administers the GMAT exam.
GMAT Tips: The Unburdening of Proof
Today’s GMAT tip comes to us from Veritas Prep. In today’s blog post, they explain how to succeed on the quantitative section of the GMAT by teaching yourself to prove mathematical rules and formulas. Read on to see what they have to say!
As you study for the GMAT, you’re likely to begin by noticing all of those things that you used to know. Algebra rules, geometry formulas, calculation methods – at first glance the GMAT looks like a test of every math class you took before you turned 16. And when you were learning those things as an adolescent, you typically learned 2-3 formulas at a time, studied and practiced them Thursday night, took the test on Friday, then started over again. So your inclination when you see that the GMAT will require you to again use those rules/formulas/methods is likely to be that you should memorize them all again and drill some repetition.
But the GMAT isn’t like those other tests. So simply memorizing those formulas and rules might actually be counterproductive, for two reasons:
1) Memorization is prone to failure
2) The GMAT rewards conceptual ability, not factual knowledge
Note that, in education-speak, “remember” is the lowest tier of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, below apply/create/analyze. The GMAT is not particularly interested in testing just your knowledge base!
Because of these, if you don’t currently know a rule or formula, you shouldn’t burden yourself with trying to memorize it, but instead you should focus on teaching yourself the ability to prove it. In that way, you’ll make the concepts easier to remember; you’ll have much more flexible knowledge that you can apply to a variety of situations; and you’ll be studying in a way that better approaches the GMAT’s objectives. Continue reading…
GMAT Tips: Emphasizing Arithmetic
Today’s GMAT tip comes to us from Veritas Prep. In today’s blog post, they explain the importance of emphasizing arithmetic while taking the GMAT. Read on to see what they have to say!
In this election seasons most-Tweeted-about speech, Bill Clinton talked about a question that he’s frequently asked in interviews, and one of his signature lines of the speech was his one-word response: Arithmetic.
Now, whether you agree with Clinton’s assertion that the solution to many of the complex American budget problems is that one word, Arithmetic, is a discussion for another blog. But what cannot be disputed is that Arithmetic is the solution to some of the most complex GMAT problems you’ll see. Continue reading…
GMAT Tips – Data Sufficiency: Hiding in Plain Sight
Today’s GMAT tip comes to us from Veritas Prep. In today’s blog post, they discuss tips for finding “hidden” information on the Data Sufficiency section of the GMAT. Read on to see what they have to say!
On the GMAT, Data Sufficiency questions can be tricky. Perhaps most frustrating about Data Sufficiency questions are those questions that somehow trick you when, upon further review, they gave you absolutely everything you needed. When you look back at them, you cannot believe that you got them wrong . One common way that an in-hindsight-pretty-straightforward question can be extremely challenging involves the “hiding” of pertinent information in the question stem itself, where the testmakers know that you’re apt to read quickly in your haste to get to the statements. Consider the question:
If xy < 0, is x/y > z?
(1) xyz < 0
(2) x > yz
One of the major keys to solving this problem is to fully digest the initial fact: xy < 0. This tells you that one of x and y is negative and the other is positive, and when you combine that with statement 1 you learn that “when a negative number xy is multiplied by z, it stays negative”. This means that z has to be positive. The given information also tells you that x/y is negative, because you know that x and y have different signs. So by fully unpacking the given information along with statement 1, you know that:
z is positive
x/y is negative Continue reading…
GMAT Tips – Sample Problem: Data Sufficiency Combinations
Today’s GMAT Tip comes to us from Kaplan. In this article, Kaplan GMAT instructor Bret Ruber explains how to tackle a Data Sufficiency problem involving combinations:
Sometimes the challenge of specific GMAT problems is that they combine a higher-level concept such as Combinations, with a Data Sufficiency question, with some algebra thrown in as well. But once you know the basics of dealing with Data Sufficiency, and the formula and concepts of Combinations, you can just follow a step-by-step approach to a problem such as this:
Sample Problem:
Integers x and y are both positive, and x > y. How many different committees of y people can be chosen from a group of x people?
(1) The number of different committees of x-y people that can be chosen from a group of x people is 3,060.
(2) The number of different ways to arrange x-y people in a line is 24.
GMAT Tips – Sample Problem: Algebraic Translation
Today’s GMAT Tip comes to us from Kaplan. In this article, Kaplan GMAT instructor Bret Ruber provides helpful advice on how to turn word problems into equations:
As you may have noticed in prepping for the GMAT, in many cases the challenges you face in GMAT problems are less about the specific math skills, and more about translating word problems into mathematical equations in a fast and efficient way. Figuring out quickly HOW to approach the problem is one of the key skills the GMAT is testing (and, incidentally, a key skill in the business world as well). Try this typical word problem translation question, and be sure to practice GMAT-style word problems frequently, in addition to just practicing algebraic skills.
Problem:
Jacob is now 12 years younger than Michael. If 9 years from now Michael will be twice as old as Jacob, how old will Jacob be in 4 years?
(A) 3
(B) 7
(C) 15
(D) 21
(E) 25
GMAT Tips – GMAT Data Sufficiency: The lazy person’s favorite question type?
Today’s GMAT Tip comes to us from Kaplan. In this article, Kaplan GMAT guest author Kurt Keefner provides helpful tips for answering Data Sufficiency questions on the quantitative section of the GMAT:
About 100 years ago Frank B. Gilbreth was famous for pioneering a field he called “motion study.” He specialized in making factories more efficient. When Gilbreth first walked into a factory he was helping, what he did was to ask to meet the laziest worker there, because he figured that that person had already figured out how to be efficient.
We can all take a cue from Mr. Gilbreth when it comes to the GMAT. A general principle is: Do no more work than is necessary to get the answer. Nowhere does this principle apply more than on that unique question type known as Data Sufficiency.
Data Sufficiency is like a Zen puzzle: the answer to the question is not the answer to the problem. The answer to the problem is what combination of data statements would be sufficient to answer the question. You may or may not need to answer the question in order to answer the problem. If you answer the question when you don’t need to, you are failing to apply our principle from above—only do the minimum amount of work required. Continue reading…
GMAT Tips: Number Properties in GMATPrep
Today’s GMAT tip comes from test prep firm ManhattanGMAT. In this article, they provide helpful tips on studying number properties in preparation for the GMAT. Read on to see what they have to say!
What are number properties? This concept covers things that we often call “basic” – topics that we learned in middle school (or earlier): divisibility, factors and multiples, odds and evens, positives and negatives, and so on. It’s also true, though, that this material can become quite complex. For example, fundamental counting principles are included in number properties, and the more complex problems of this type are something called Combinatorics… which most of us hate. In addition, we’ve all come up against very challenging problems testing a supposedly “simple” concept, such as divisibility.
We face two big challenges in dealing with number properties:
(1) On the one hand, we think of most number properties concepts as “basic” concepts, things that we learned before we ever learned the more “advanced” algebra and geometry. The test writers purposely find ways to test the truly basic material in disguised ways – this is how they make the material harder. Continue reading…
GMAT Tips: Important GMAT Skills – Working with Circles
Today’s GMAT Tip comes to us from Kaplan. In this article, Kaplan GMAT instructor Bret Ruber provides helpful tips for answering GMAT questions that involve circles:
Circle problems are among the most common types of geometry questions that appear on the GMAT. As such, you must make sure that you are fully prepared for these problems on test day.
The first key to circle questions is understanding what a circle really is. A circle is defined as a collection of all of the points that are equidistant from a center point. This distance is defined as the radius of the circle and the diameter is defined as twice the radius. For this reason, the radius of a circle is the key measurement when working with circles. On circle problems, knowing or solving for the radius will almost always be essential. Continue reading…
GMAT Tips – The Unburdening of Proof
Today’s GMAT tip comes to us from Veritas Prep. In today’s blog post, they explain how to succeed on the quantitative section of the GMAT by teaching yourself to prove mathematical rules and formulas. Read on to see what they have to say!
As you study for the GMAT, you’re likely to begin by noticing all of those things that you used to know. Algebra rules, geometry formulas, calculation methods – at first glance the GMAT looks like a test of every math class you took before you turned 16. And when you were learning those things as an adolescent, you typically learned 2-3 formulas at a time, studied and practiced them Thursday night, took the test on Friday, then started over again. So your inclination when you see that the GMAT will require you to again use those rules/formulas/methods is likely to be that you should memorize them all again and drill some repetition.
But the GMAT isn’t like those other tests. So simply memorizing those formulas and rules might actually be counterproductive, for two reasons:
1) Memorization is prone to failure
2) The GMAT rewards conceptual ability, not factual knowledge Continue reading…
GMAT Tips – Data Sufficiency: Three Patterns with Test-Day Shortcuts
Today’s GMAT Tip comes to us from Kaplan. In this article, Kaplan guest author Eli Meyer provides helpful advice on how to save time by recognizing patterns on the Data Sufficiency section of the GMAT:
In our GMAT prep courses, we recommend that students begin to solve GMAT Data Sufficiency problems at the question stem. The stem often provides vital information, and without understanding the question itself, it’s impossible to accurately evaluate the statements. However, sometimes question stems can be complex and impenetrable, especially if you’re behind schedule and the clock is ticking. In those cases, the statements can help you make an educated guess about possible answers. There are three patterns of Data Sufficiency statements that can narrow down the information, each of which involves overlapping information between statements, or between a statement and what you already know from the stem or common sense. Recognizing these patterns can be a useful time saver on test day.
Pattern I: Identical statements
1) 2x + 3y = 6
2) 6y = 12 – 4x
The GMAT will never literally repeat a statement, but it might give two statements that provide identical information. For example, “50% chance of heads” and “50% chance of tails” are, on a fair coin, exactly equivalent mathematically. Or, as above, if you add 4x to both sides of statement 2:
6y + 4x = 12
and you then divide both sides by two:
3y + 2x = 6
you will find that the two statements provide the same information.
When the statements are identical, it’s impossible for one statement to be sufficient without the other also being sufficient; similarly, combining them can’t ever help because we are just taking the same info twice! Regardless of the question stem, the answer must be (D) or (E) in this specific scenario.
Pattern II: One statement implies the other
1) x is positive
2) x is prime
Sometimes, one statement provides enough information by itself to make the other redundant. For example, in the case above, prime numbers are (by definition) positive. Normally, we recommend that students evaluate the statements one at a time, but in this case one statement includes all the information of the other statement. Other examples: “1) x > 4” implies that “2) x > 2”, and “1) y is even” must be true whenever “2) y / 2 is even” is true. When we recognize this pattern, we can eliminate two answer choices. In our first example, if knowing x is positive is enough to answer the question, then knowing x is prime tells us x is positive and so is also sufficient. 1) can never be the only sufficient statement, and (A) can never be the answer, regardless of the question stem. On the other hand, if knowing x is prime is insufficient, then telling as that x is also positive adds literally no information. Statements 1) and 2) combined are exactly equivalent to statement 2) alone. If 2) alone is insufficient, we will not get any additional help from statement 1), so the answer can never be (C) in this scenario.
Pattern III. One statement you already know
1) If Suzie drove 5 miles per hour faster, she would have arrived 1 hour sooner.
2) If Suzie had driven twice as fast, she would have arrived in half the time.
Sometimes a statement will tell you something you already know. This might be because it overlaps with information from the question stem. Other times, as above, the statement is just telling you a mathematical tautology. If we convert statement 2 into algebra, Distance = (2* Rate)* (Time/2). We are multiplying and dividing by 2, so we can cancel the 2′s to give us D = R * T. This is the rate formula which we already know. Whenever you double the speed you halve the time, regardless of the original distant, speed, or rate!
Statement 2) in this case is worthless. We can rule out any answer choice that involves statement 2) being sufficient, or even contributing to sufficiency. In the above example, either 1) is sufficient or it isn’t; our only answer choices are (A) and (E)
For more information on Kaplan, download Clear Admit’s independent guide to the leading test preparation companies here. This FREE guide includes coupons for discounts on test prep services at ten different firms!
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