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This is a very important question. I often see questions that are advertised as "GMAT questions" but are totally out of scope and require concepts not tested by the GMAT. Some common examples of out-of-scope concepts include normal distributions (in statistics), calculus, and questions that can be solved only by using the trig ratios (sine, cosine, tangent).

Then there are questions that test concepts that the GMAT tests, but are far too difficult (and time consuming) to ever be official GMAT questions.

All of this can be very frustrating for aspiring MBA students who are not interested in learning a bunch of math that will never be tested. These out-of-scope and insanely difficult questions can also erode one's confidence. Even I find all of this very frustrating.

Okay, that's my rant. Where's my answer?

Well, the Official Guide (OG) is the best place to start. It lists all of the concepts that the GMAT tests. However, even the OG includes (what I believe to be) superfluous information (just a bit). For example, the OG has a brief section on the quadratic formula, but I've never seen an official GMAT question that required knowledge of this. Having said that, the OG is still the number one resource out there, so yuo need to get it.

If you need additional materials to help learn the concepts that the GMAT tests, make sure you work with a reputable company that knows its stuff

Cheers,
Brent

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Brent Hanneson - GMAT Prep Now instructor
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