What can you do?
Well, numbers are around you everyday. Cab fares, lunch, bills, dinner with friends, etc. Calculate average spend on a meal per day, what your tip should be, the average amount you spend on electricity per week, day or month, or the change you get with your morning coffee. Just doing a few simple calculations each day will help.
Want a liitle somethign extra?
There is a very good app in Apple's app store called mathemagics. Spending some time with this can go a long way to improving your skills.
The real reason to do this is to cut down on the time you spend on each question. Not only by actually doing calculations faster, but also by being able to see potential solutions to your problem. In being able to do a couple of calculations in your head, you will be able to test different paths to solving your problem. This will allow you to find the best possible solution and choose the easiest path to your question.
Take time and practice. Mental math as much as going through dozens of practices exams will help you accomplish your goal of conquering the GMAT.
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Really the only question type that you are going to need the calculator is the two-part analysis questions. In these questions you will have 2 variables that you will have to have to solve for in a difficult equation. Basically, you are given a set of information and you are asked to supply two numbers that will make the statements of the question true. Typically, there are many possible solutions available, but only 1 that is a combination of the two answer choices you will ultimately select. For the rest of the questions, it is more about analytical reasoning and logic when looking for the answer.
Sorry to disappoint with the title, but the key is to get used to practicing the integrated reasoning section and the new features it supplies. The calculator is very similar to any basic calculator that you will use on a mac or pc, but still spend a little time getting accustomed so that you don't have any gaffs come test day.
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First, the questions in the traditional GMAT sections are virtually identical with the exception the the reading comprehension section. So, if you are looking for additional practice, sure there are a few additional questions, but only about 10-20% of all questions are different from the 12th edition. So, if you are planning on taking the exam before June and you already have the 12th edition, then you are all set.
Those who should move to the next edition are people who do not have a guide yet and/or are planning on taking the exam post the change over in June. The real change comes from the addition of the Integrated Reasoning section. However, you will not find any material in this book. Huh? This is not a joke, it is just that you will be given a code to access a website with the questions. The one catch is that you will only get access to this site for 6 months, so make sure you are ready to take the exam.
Again, this section will not affect applicants to business school for quite some time as the admissions offices will have to learn its correlation to performance in school. However, that doesn't mean you should take it. Remember that you want to have as few holes in your application as possible and this is another one to fill.
]]>More often than not, the 3 minute mark is a tell tale sign that you are not going to get the question right. After looking at many students reports, I noticed that once the clock ticks above 3 minutes on a question, the probablility of getting it right plummets to roughly the same as just randomly guessing. Also, the sum of the time over 3 minutes is typically more than enough to finish up the questions that were rushed through or skipped.
Honestly, it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that you should just cut your losses (and statistically they are not even losses) and move to the next question at the 3 minute mark. Yes, you can do this earlier if you recognize you might not get the question, but really I advise people to give every problem a go because you can often at least eliminate some answer choices.
This trick alone should get you an additional 10-40 points on the exam if you are struggling to finish. The numbers do not lie - swallow your pride and move on to the next question.
]]>"teke lhis sentanse fur exanptle."
Odds are you were able to read the above sentance dispite its misspellings. This is because your brain processes things in bundles and fits it to what makes sense. It is efficient for most of what you do, but a killer on the GMAT.
What to do?
1) Reread the last line of each question before submitting your answer. This is the true "question" and making sure you are answering the right question is paramount. This alone will get you 20 points on the exam.
2) Jot down important information as you come across it when reading the question. Do not try to process everything all at once. Quite frankly, this is never going to work and you waste time. Plus, you will have everything you need in an organized space when you look to do the calculations.
These small things will undoubtedly improve your score. If you are aware of your behavior, you can improve your score. Study how you answer questions and what your tendencies are. This is the only way to improve.
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Pay attention to the underline: There is a reason why the underline begins where it does and ends where it does - that is where the mistakes are. Focus on these parts of the sentence.
Put the important parts of the sentence first: The sentence correction portion is about clarity and concision (keep things brief). The best way to be clear about what the sentence is supposed to say is to put the important stuff first. Sounds simple, but it works.
Don't focus on the sentence in the question: Too many people try to pick out errors from the first sentence and attribute them to the other answer choices. The first sentence is wrong 80% of the time and it is too difficult to try to pick out errors. Look at the differences between the answers instead of trying to pluck errors out of thin air.
Keep it short: If you are down to just two answer choices and can't decide which one to pick... Go with the shorter one. You will be surprised how often this works.
This should get you off to a great start on the sentence correction portion of the exam. Also, remember to focus on the big issues and try not to get too granular with your analysis.
]]>If you are going to need to start your applications at the beginning of August then you need to back track at least 4 months for your GMAT preparation - this would lead you to the end of March.
Why do you need 4 months?
First of all, we ususally recommend 3 months of preparation, which would take you to the end of June.
What is the extra month for?
Well, sometimes this pesky exam doesn't quite go as well as some people hope and you may need the extra time to retake the exam. If you knock it out of the park you get the month of July to relax before applications (although there will be a few out that you can start to work on!).
For a guide on study plans for this time frame check out our recommended GMAT study plan.
For those of you who don't want to be hitting the books while the weather is warm, we might suggest getting started a little bit early. The honest answer is the sooner you get this part of the process out of the way, the more focused you can be on selecting the school(s) that are right for you.
Good luck studying!
]]>Plain and simple this is new and nobody knows how admissions committees will view the new section. Likely, it will be ignored for some time before anyone really understands the implications of this section, but it also could be used as a tie breaker for comparable applicants. That might be a bit of a stretch, but who knows. Fact of the matter is things are changing on the GMAT, and more importantly the changes will make the exam more difficult.
The current AWA sections are probably the least stressful for students to learn. Often, a few hours and they are ready to go. Integrated Reasoning is going to be different. After looking at the questions, what I fear most for students is the additional stamina required to complete this exam. Sure it is only 12 questions, but time alone suggests they are about 25% more involved than existing GMAT questions. One integrated reasoning question I saw (A two-part analysis question) involves a calculation of [(1+x)^5]*1,050 = [(1+y)^5]*1,550 where you must solve for x and y with 6 potential values for x and y. This takes some work.
Yes, these are very doable and with some practice you will ace them, but as business school admission is a difficult mountain to climb, you might as well take every advantage you can. With 4+ months until the change date, there is more than ample time to get appropriate prep done; however, probably good to start soon...
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