Beat The GMAT - the MBA Social Network

After reading a few solutions in Beat The GMAT’s Data Sufficiency forum, one notices that sometimes people plug in values to test sufficiency and sometimes they use a different approach. So, how do we identify those … Read More

In a recent article, I discussed my concern regarding the term “permutation.” In this article, I’ll discuss my concern regarding the question, “Does order matter?” People often use this question to help … Read More

In my previous article, I mentioned that the Fundamental Counting Principle (FCP) can be used to solve most GMAT counting questions. The FCP says: If a task can be completed in stages, where one stage can be accomplished … Read More

I’ve never been a big fan of the phrase “Combinations and Permutations.” It suggests that all counting questions can be solved using either combinations or permutations, when this is not so. Compounding the … Read More

Most GMAT students don’t spend enough time considering the mindset they’ll need on test day. In my very first article for Beat The GMAT, I suggested that the simple act of smiling can increase your performance. In … Read More

To set up this article, please consider a forum post from some fictitious wrestling forum: The state wrestling tournament is 1 month away, and I want to win the 184-pound weight class. To lose enough weight to qualify … Read More

Welcome to part three of a three-part series on common mistakes that students make when answering GMAT Data Sufficiency questions. In this article, we’ll examine two mistakes related to equations. Mistake #1 – … Read More

Welcome to part two of a three-part series on common mistakes that students make when answering GMAT Data Sufficiency questions. In this article, we’ll examine mistakes related to assumptions about number … Read More

Welcome to part one of a three-part series on common mistakes that students make when answering Data Sufficiency questions. In this article, we’ll examine two kinds of mistakes that GMAT newcomers often make, and in … Read More

Many GMAT questions involving percent require us (at some point) to convert a fraction to a percent. In this article, we’ll examine some techniques to consider when making these conversions. To set this up, let’s say … Read More

At some point during your high school years, your math teacher may have presented you with the following “proof” that 1 + 1 = 1. See if you can spot the problem. Begin with the premise that Multiply both sides by b … Read More

To set up this article, please try the following test: For the next 10 seconds, do NOT think about a bear wearing a dress while riding a unicycle into a pool filled with Superbowl rings. How did you do? If you passed … Read More

Try this one: What is the units digit of ? A) 1 B) 3 C) 5 D) 7 E) 9 Let’s begin by looking for a pattern as we increase the exponent. = 13 (units digit is 3) = 169 (units digit is 9) = 2197 (units digit is 7) Aside: As … Read More

In this article, we’ll examine some strategies for avoiding careless mistakes on the GMAT. My primary focus will be on minimizing errors in the Quantitative section of the test, but some of the strategies can be … Read More