GMAT
Prepare for your GMAT with our GMAT tips, while keeping up with the latest developments in GMAT news.
Latest Stories About GMAT
Has the MBA Lost Its Luster? GMAC Application Trends Survey Sheds Some Light
Declining application volume at U.S. business schools made the headlines when the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) released the findings of its annual application trends survey earlier this week (10/1). “Applications Down at 70 Percent of U.S. MBA Programs—Including Harvard,” broadcast one news outlet. And it’s true. The GMAC data... Read more »
GMAT Tip: Three Tips for GMAT Integrated Reasoning
When the Graduate Management Admission Council introduced the Integrated Reasoning section a few years ago, it was in response to considerable business school feedback around evolving technology, changing student skill-sets and the need to continue adapting. Now with a few years of data available, schools are starting to determine how... Read more »
GMAT Tip: Don’t Apply Your Outside Knowledge
The way that we tackle the GMAT Critical Reasoning section (or, you know, most of the GMAT) requires we have the unique mindset of pretending we are totally clueless, but also a keen expert who can find the gap in assumptions made by a critical reading prompt. What do we... Read more »
GMAT Tip: Don’t Lose Sight at the End
Whenever tackling GMAT Quantitative section, we always encourage students to ask the essential self-reflection question “why am I here?” We mean with respect to each quantitative question, not necessarily pondering why you decided to spend at Saturday morning taking a GMAT exam or why we exist on this very planet…. ... Read more »
GMAT Tip: Read It Right On The Screen
Many test takers get frustrated when they uncover that a point of weakness in their GMAT practice tests is the reading section. “But I have an English degree!” or “I read part of a book each day!” While reading difficult, dense reading material each day – like the Wall Street Journal, The... Read more »
GMAT Tip: The IR Matters
Many test takers spent the vast majority of their preparation working towards improving in the Quantitative and Verbal Reasoning sections, only taking a day or two to skim through the Integrated Reasoning sections, and almost always skipping the IR section on practice exams. Not giving the Integrated Reasoning section due... Read more »
GMAT Tip: Inequalities…and Then Some, Part II
In our last post, we talked about the challenges that inequalities can pose for GMAT test takers. While not as simple as they seem, inequality questions can be huge time wasters that keep scores back at the 600 level. As with any GMAT quantitative concept, there is always the possibility that... Read more »
GMAT Tip: Inequalities…and then some…(Part 1)
When it comes to tricky quantitative questions, inequalities take the prize for serving as one of the biggest deceivingly easy questions. Test takers should just treat inequalities as algebraic “equal to” equations with just a < or > symbol in place of the = sign, right? If only it was... Read more »
GMAT Tip: You Don’t Need to Solve for S
Memorizing endless numbers of formulas is never the path to high-scoring success on the GMAT. Nevertheless, formulas can give you a leg up – provided you understand how to use them appropriately. As with any quantitative question, the key is to be flexible, incorporating a variety of approaches to efficiently... Read more »
GMAT Tip: Just When You Think You’re Done, Keep Going
Many test takers preparing for the GMAT get frustrated with questions in the quantitative section, often providing responses like “I took advanced math in college!” and “I did great on my SAT math, what gives?!” The GMAT Quantitative section is a tricky beast, with one key theme to the questions... Read more »
GMAT Tip: Consider Algebra, not Arithmetic
Many test takers fail to make the connection between not being permitted to use a calculator on the quantitative section of the GMAT and, well, not making intensive, calculator-required calculations. The reality is, when you are working through a question and think a calculator is needed and/or there is some... Read more »
GMAT Tip: When You Can’t Swim in Critical Reasoning, Eliminate
With Critical Reasoning questions, many test takers forget the immense importance of figuring out the gap, or disconnect, in the reasoning in the question being provided. Understanding this gap is essential to determining what answer choice fits to resolve the gap. The next step is moving to evaluate what the... Read more »
GMAT Tip: Consider the Possibilities and Make a Well-Reasoned Guess
In the GMAT Quantitative section, there are often problems that appear simple but turn into big time-wasters that detract from test takers’ ability to get to the tougher questions and/or finish the quantitative section of the exam. These time-wasters are a) often arithmetic questions b) also data sufficiency questions and... Read more »
GMAT Tip: Stop with the Calculations, Already!
Timing is hands down one of the biggest challenges test takers have for the GMAT. The exam recognizes this, of course, and in fact sets up a penalty for those who leave the exam unfinished. Smart test takers have a solid understanding of the foundation of the GMAT – high... Read more »
GMAT Tip: Simplifying Fractions
In previous posts, we have discussed how the best way to tackle a difficult looking quantitative question on the GMAT is to clean it up – consolidating like terms, adding or subtracting inside of parentheses, or reorganizing variables to where it is easier not substitute equations. Not only is cleaning... Read more »
